Colored flashlights are handy at helping us with protecting our eyes while working under low or no light and in different conditions.
From military personnel and astronomers to hikers and hunters, you will see a lot of people using different colored flashlights in distinct conditions.
Typically, 3 colors are most prominent in the colored flashlight world – Red, Blue, and Green.
The red color lenses are really beneficial in lighting up an area without ruining a person’s night vision and the blue ones are really useful in detecting blood during hunting or a crime scene.
But green flashlights bring the best out of the two.
This post tells what are green flashlights used for.
Why Do Flashlights Have a Green Light?
Before green, red was the general-purpose filter that was widely used.
But the red color could be detected easily by the other side becoming a problem for military personnel to go into stealth mode and could also be detected by animals, hence hunting became difficult and hiking dangerous.
The green light has higher contrast, makes it easier to see for the human eyes, and does not scare off any deers or fishes.
In addition to that, green light won’t be confused as a signal for “help” and in many cases, is great to preserve night vision as it requires less brightness for the same amount of illumination.
As most of the animals were dichromatic and couldn’t detect green color, it became the most preferred color for the hunting and hiking flashlights.
Furthermore, as the green color scatters more, many astronomers prefer green-colored lenses to point out and look at constellations in the sky.
What Are Green Flashlights Used for?
Green lights are majorly used for hunting and outdoor uses. Here are some situations where using a green flashlight is best :
1. Hunting
Right brightness is key for hunting at night – too bright, the animal will run away, too low, you won’t be able to identify the animal at all.
Along with finding the right balance, green lights are more receptive to the human eye than animals’ which means a hunter will be able to see farther and clearer and will be able to see dark-colored animals.
Green-colored tactical flashlights help hunters to identify the location of an animal and ensure a precise aim for the shoot.
Additionally, amongst hunters, green lights are widely used especially for hunting hogs at night.
2. Police
Policemen are needed to patrol all night and respond to accidents and mishaps night – which includes inspecting dark alleys, dense forests, and crime scenes.
Due to the increased contrast of green light, it allows them to easily track blood, look at crime scenes with more preciseness, look through foggy weather and go through forest areas without scaring off animals.
3. Military
Military personnel is required to do stealth operations at night. It requires them to be undetectable.
Green lights have increased contrast and are harder to detect from the night vision equipment giving an advantage to the defense soldiers.
4. Fishing
Fishes are attracted the most towards green lights. Shrimps and insects both have wavelengths in their vision and are attracted to wavelengths that are nearby 530 um.
And most bright green LEDs have a 520 um wavelength.
Thus, where there are bright green lights, there will be lots of insects aka bait, hence a lot of fish for your dinner.
5. Hiking
People who love this outdoor sport like to climb at night so that they can enjoy the sunsets from a particular location.
Hiking at the night would require you to navigate your path, look at reading instruments and maps without scaring off or alerting animals.
If the animals would sense danger, they will either run or some would attack you too.
Fortunately, animals are dichromatic so they won’t be able to detect green light, and with the increased contrast and scattering you will be able to see clearly in long distance to complete your journey without getting lost or inviting trouble.
Flashlight with Red Light vs with Green Light, Which Is Better for Night Vision?
This one is mostly a matter of preferences. If the main goal is to preserve night vision, red light is the winner.
However, if your work requires you to watch out for more details and stay in stealth mode and especially not attract or alert any animals, you’d be better off using the green light.
For example, people who hike during the night times would need to look at maps and reading instruments, need distance vision, and would surely want they don’t come off as a sign of danger to the animals who will attack them immediately.
Or
For the military personnel who are patrolling in the nighttime and don’t want to be detected by the night vision equipment of the potential enemies.
Why Do Police Use Green Flashlights?
Policemen often have to go on search and rescue in the woods or examine a crime scene.
Green flashlights are great for night vision and have increased contrast for a certain thing which makes it a better option for patrolling and finding people in the woods.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this information will help you in understanding why colored flashlights are great accessories, and the next time you are planning any outdoor activity you pick the right flashlight for your backpack.
