Dereelight DBS review!

[fluke]

I find that question funny because I recently got my first flashlight in this "class", a Tiablo A9s that totally blew me away compared to what I thought it would be like.
The A9s uses the same Q5 emitter as the DBS, and it (the A9s) makes any of the drop-ins look lethargic at best, especially considering the small size of this class of lights.

I am so impressed by the performance of these lights that I've already ordered a DBS SD2 plus a 2SM pill so I can use CR123's as backups during power failures.

Get one, whether it be a DBS, a Tiablo A9s or the MRV-SE, and you'll never go back to just any "flashlight" again. My Terralux converted Maglites (4 of them) are all slated to be given to friends and relatives just because I know I'll never use them again.

Then wait until the next higher generation R's arrive where you will be able to upgrade to that, and you'll start to look for excuses to leave the house at night. :laughing:

I need no excuse to leave the house at night I am a cab driver at night

 

[WadeF]

WadeF,

Q4 WC dereelight drop in vs Q2 M60 which is brighter?

Q4 WC should be brighter. Both are running at 1A, so the Q4 would have an advantage over the Q2. The M60 may have a nicer tint though.

 

[cdosrun]

Thank you Wade for your excellent review,

I ordered a DBS on the back of your review and it arrived today; what an amazing throw! At first I wasn't especially impressed because I was playing with it in a well lit office (and expected Mag85 type performance) but outside at night it can project a nice spot some considerable distance! I have the two stage Q5 (SD) and there is a really objectionable whistle on low mode (15ish kHz at a guess) but I don't imagine that it is going to spend much time on low.

The question only remains now whether I partner it with the CL1H...

Thank you,

Andrew

 

[WadeF]

I got my 2-stage Q5 today. It's putting out about 2,000LUX more at 1 meter than my 3-stage Q5. I also got my R2-bin Cree. It's on a larger board so I will have to trim it down to fit into a Dereelight pill.

 

[JKL]

I got my 2-stage Q5 today. It's putting out about 2,000LUX more at 1 meter than my 3-stage Q5. I also got my R2-bin Cree. It's on a larger board so I will have to trim it down to fit into a Dereelight pill.

:bow: R2-bin Cree-pill :twothumbs

Next generation of R-Bin,as soon as available , into Dereelight pill will could be a fantastic improvement for all DBS users .....

 

[robo21]

Thank you Wade for your excellent review,

I ordered a DBS on the back of your review and it arrived today; what an amazing throw! At first I wasn't especially impressed because I was playing with it in a well lit office (and expected Mag85 type performance) but outside at night it can project a nice spot some considerable distance! I have the two stage Q5 (SD) and there is a really objectionable whistle on low mode (15ish kHz at a guess) but I don't imagine that it is going to spend much time on low.

The question only remains now whether I partner it with the CL1H...

Thank you,

Andrew

Thanks for the info Andrew, I was going to order a DBS but now I don't think so. I hate high pitched whistling and it has NO place in a flashlight. Plus the fact that if there is audio output there is most likely increased battery drain. That's really too bad. I would not want to rule out low mode as in an emergency that would probably be the mode used most.

Earplugs wouldn't be enough to convince me to buy a DBS. :shakehead

 

[JKL]

Thanks for the info Andrew, I was going to order a DBS but now I don't think so. I hate high pitched whistling and it has NO place in a flashlight. Plus the fact that if there is audio output there is most likely increased battery drain. That's really too bad. I would not want to rule out low mode as in an emergency that would probably be the mode used most.

Earplugs wouldn't be enough to convince me to buy a DBS. :shakehead

My Dereelight makes noise on med & high, Normal?

Plus the fact that if there is audio output there is most likely increased battery drain.

Could you explain this consideration, thanks.:candle:

 

[robo21]

My Dereelight makes noise on med & high, Normal? Could you explain this consideration, thanks.:candle:

My thought was that if there is noise, there must be energy being wasted to create that noise. Noise can't be made for free. Maybe inefficient circuitry?

 

[WadeF]

My thought was that if there is noise, there must be energy being wasted to create that noise. Noise can't be made for free. Maybe inefficient circuitry?

Someone stated their regulated Surefire does the same thing. Hopefully they'll be able to figure out a way to get rid of the noise, but if Surefire has the same issue, it may not be that easy to over come. The 1-stage Q5 shouldn't have this issue, I never hear the noise on HIGH, just on the medium and low modes.

 

[cdosrun]

I understood the noise to be magnetostriction within the inductor and the normal cure was potting the coil to stop the wire from oscillating. If that is the case, there would be no difference in efficiency by stopping the noise as the oscillation would simply stress the epoxy and result in *heat* instead of sound (*heat* as a doubt it could be measured except in a calorimeter).

The noise is akin to the HT whistle on a CRT television set and I can hear it from several meters away but I have pretty good hearing. IMHO I wouldn't be bothered about the efficiency, just the noise.

As I said, I am not too bothered about low and will see what happens when new pills are released; I am just not quite as sure about getting the CL1H until it is resolved. As Wade said, the noise is only present on low mode with the 2SD module.

Andrew

 

[Steve L]

The noise was only heard on the 3 stage digital pill(in medium and to a lesser extent low). The 2 stage multi (2sm-twist the battery tube for low) is silent. Either single stage pill is silent(1sd, 1sm). The 2 stage digital pill is supposed to be silent, I am waiting for mine to arrive.

 

[StandardBattery]

The noise was only heard on the 3 stage digital pill(in medium and to a lesser extent low). The 2 stage multi (2sm-twist the battery tube for low) is silent. Either single stage pill is silent(1sd, 1sm). The 2 stage digital pill is supposed to be silent, I am waiting for mine to arrive.

cdosrun is reporting a whistle on the new 2 Stage Digital in post 143.

 

[nanotech17]

anybody can show a pictures between Q5 WF/WC/WG ?
i like to see the difference

 

[cmichael]

Hope on a plane with your Tiablo and come over for a duel. Hehe. Anyone near Perkasie, PA (Bucks County) that has a Tiablo A9 Q5 WC?

It's after midnight, but I went out to take a beam shot in my back yard. I live in town, so there is light pollution everywhere. From my back yard the farthest target (that isn't someone's home) is a tree on the other side of a building that is 300 feet from where I was:

Happy Birthday WadeF........

 

[WadeF]

Happy Birthday WadeF........

Thanks. I told my wife not to get me anything because I've bought so many flashlights lately, and I still have some on the way. I got a check from my folk's so that will help recoop some of the damage, hehe.

 

[nanotech17]

happy birthday too WadeF

 

[Dogshund]

Happy Birthday Wade!!

 

[Curious_character]

I understood the noise to be magnetostriction within the inductor and the normal cure was potting the coil to stop the wire from oscillating. If that is the case, there would be no difference in efficiency by stopping the noise as the oscillation would simply stress the epoxy and result in *heat* instead of sound (*heat* as a doubt it could be measured except in a calorimeter).

The noise is akin to the HT whistle on a CRT television set and I can hear it from several meters away but I have pretty good hearing. IMHO I wouldn't be bothered about the efficiency, just the noise. . .

I agree. It only takes a few mW to make quite a racket. If a truly significant fraction of the total flashlight power consumption was getting converted to audio, you'd want to wear ear protection.

c_c

 

[cat]

:wave: Happy birthday! :thumbsup:

i wish you well with moderating the urge to buy

 

[WadeF]

Thanks again everyone for wishing me a happy birthday. Hopefully Dereelight will be able to eliminate the noise, or reduce it. It doesn't bother me, but I'm sure there are people who it would bother. Hopefully if the noise is reduced or eliminated, the performance isn't affected.