Re: Costco outshining the Lowe's Task Force Cree LED flashlight?
- From: Peter Cole <peter_cole@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:36:27 GMT
SMS wrote:
I saw in the _Costco Connection_ that Costco.com is selling 360 lumen Cree LED flashlights (3 C cells) for 2 for $80.
"http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11474620&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=&lang=en-US&s=1";
These flashlights also have a strobe mode.
3C barrels are a little long, but not unbearably so, and they can be used with the TwoFish Cyclopblock (but not the Lockblock) or a homemade C cell holder such as:
"http://nordicgroup.us/s78/images/IMG_0303.JPG";
"http://nordicgroup.us/s78/images/barbracketcree_small.jpg";
You can buy rechargeable NiMH C cells pretty cheaply these days.
Something doesn't add up. The spec claims 10 hr run time on full. Assuming 6 W-hr per C cell, that's 18 W-hr for 3, or 1.8 W for 10 hr. At 360 lm, that's 200 lm/W. Cree's absolute best LED (now only being sampled) is 132 lm/W.
My guess is that they're running 3, 3 W LEDs, crude (if any) regulation, so that the wattage drops off by a factor of at least 2 over the battery discharge. Assuming a low bin chip, like the P4, at 80 lm/W, driving each at 1.5W would give an initial 4.5 W for 360 lm. Realistically, 3 C cells would last ~4 hr. The "96 hr" dim mode would have about 12 lm total, useless for biking.
360 lm is pretty damn bright, equivalent to a 20W halogen. Half of that is more than adequate for a bike light. 3 C cell form factor is pretty clunky, even old school halogen lights weren't that heavy. I think a 2 AA light, (6 W-hr) driving a high bin single 3W LED (100 lm/W) for an actual 2-3 hr run time @ 200 lm with real regulation, is a better fit for a bike. It's also less than half the price, and you can buy in lots of 1.
None of these flashlights are designed to be bike lights, so beam pattern, water tightness and vibration resistance may or may not be adequate out of the box. My assumption is a 3 LED head will have a "floodier" beam, probably not ideal.
.
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