Re: Yet another LED torch: (Ping Larry et al)

On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 10:18:41 GMT, Bart Bailey <me2@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Single ubiquitous AA, 1.25w Luxeon,
barely bigger than a finger,
Way brighter than other single cell AA 'torches'
such as the Inova X1 or Ultra Infinity
( I know, I have all three)
http://tinyurl.com/qm2mc
lots of technobabble hyperbole in the review,
basically a 1.5v source w/voltage tripler ASIC chip
More sources http://tinyurl.com/z5nx6

Thanks for the heads up.

Firstly, it appears to be a floodlight. See:
http://tinyurl.com/glm9g

That is a good thing when you are working in tight spaces, like an
automobile engine compartment. That's a Plus. The question
remains...if I had to use it to walk out of the woods, would there be
enough concentrated energy to light my path, or would it be dissipated
in a flood pattern. I know from experience, the Inova X1 is good
enough to do that ( nagivigate by night in uneven terrain ). And I
know how bright a Luxeon 1.x watter is, because that's what I have in
my Streamlight 3AA Luxeon Tasklight. But the Streamlight doesn't
disburse the beam in a broad pattern, it keeps it is a managabele
semi-spot semi-flood so the light goes where you want it to go. And
the Streamlight has 3 times the capacity (3AA cells vs. 1 AA cell)
when it comes to run time.

I've noticed with my streamlight 3AA Luxeon, it runs at full intensity
on NiMH and then dies in 1 second. I don't know if that's the NiMH
doing that or electronic circuitry inside the light. I just know
there is full output and then no output, when using NiMH in the 3AA
Luxeon. This isn't a bad thing, just a comment.

So presuming 5 hours of runtime of fresh 2500 milliamperehour NiMH
AA's, divide that by 3 to get the real runtime of the single cell AA
Luxeon.

I come out with something like
1.66 hours for the single cell light.

Or, figuring heat losses ( that thing does have a massive heat sink if
you look at the exploded diagram ), 1 hour 30 minutes/ fresh AA.

When they say the light outputs the equivalent or better than a 3 C
cell, that is a tad disingenuous. They might as well say it gives out
the brightness of a 3 D cell, or a 3 AAA cell light. They all carry
the same voltage, what is different is the milliampere capacity.

So we've got a Streamlight 3 cell AA Luxeon chopped in thirds. One
cell, which means 1/3rd the runtime. BUT! It is 1/3rd the length.
And I can say, that is the downfall of the Streamlight AA. It is too
clunky ( long ) to fit into small areas of my engine compartment, and
carrying it on the hip is out of the question.

Now 1 hour 30 minutes is good. But my Inova X1 runs 10 HOURS on a
single AA cell. 10 HOURS. With no diminishing brightness toward the
end of the life cycle of the AA cell.

So there is a tradeoff between brightness and runtime of course. More
light output = shorter runtime. And I'm not *hot* on the idea of a
flood for pocket carry, although this might be made up by the fact it
is putting out an enormous amount of light for that 1 hour 30
minutes...maybe equivalent to my Inova X1 or better.

Now the mechanical build of the X1 is bulletproof. Like all the metal
Inovas, it's virtually indestructible. And 10 hours on ONE AA is
enough to get you through the night. 1.5 hours on this light is not.
You'll need a bunch of AA's to get you through the night with this
light.

So for general illumination, OK, go with the X1. It has enough light,
and enough runtime, and the build is Mil Spec IMHO, but it is a
spotlight.

This light you are showing us is apparently a flood ( see my URL ).
As I said, a flood is not a bad thing when working around a car on the
highway at night. Or even inside the vehicle. But it is too bright
for *general illumination.* The Infinity Ultra fills general
illumination for extended runtimes without blinding you with high
intensity and ruining your night vision.

Long story short...I'm calling Berland's to see if they have it in
stock. They're in Joliet. If they have it in stock, I'll get it. I
just don't know how I'm going to feel about giving up 10 HOURS of
runtime on my impeccable Inova X1 for 1.5 hours and increased
illumination. I guess I'll have to do the experiment to find out.

I admit that the X1 spotlight is a little too tight for my liking, and
maybe this is the thing to have for *tactical* use. My X1 is small
enough that I carry it at all times and don't even know it is there.

With that being the case...maybe I can wear both lights at the same
time. I am approaching the state where I've got so much hardware on
me at any given time I'm thinking of going to a tool belt ( just
kidding ).

Lg
spending more $$$ in the name of science and progress
( hey, it's The American Way ain't it? )
.

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