First impressions..DX: L1P type with Seoul !! MTE 1xAA SSCP4 42180-U

[Gryloc]

Re: DX: L1P type with Seoul !!

I ordered one last week. I was unsure about paying $18.00 for such a small Chinese light, but I thought it couldn't hurt any. I heard a few good things about it and it is hard to screw up a light (when it comes to brightness) when one uses a Seoul P4. This is my first time ordering from this place, so I hope all things go well (air mail from that far away).

I will probably get my stuff from DealExtreme sometime next week. I cannot wait cause I ordered 6 of the U-bin SSC P4s for a couple mods. Yay! I will try to report in with my findings, but I do not have much to compare with (stock production flashlights). I just have some modded lights and the standard 2AA Mini-Maglite 3W from Walmart. We'll see...


-Tony

 

[Curious_character]

Re: DX: L1P type with Seoul !!

Crees have a 70 degree beam pattern. Most of the light goes straight out the front providing more spill light.
Soeul have a wider 120 degree beam pattern. More light hits the reflector and ends up in the hotspot giving higher lux readings.
In lights with reflectors:
For longer distances the Soeul is better (more intense hotspot/higher lux means more throw)
For shorter distances the Cree is better. (The extra spill makes the light more floody)

That depends on the reflector shape. I put a Seoul into one DX Elly and a Cree into another. In that particular reflector, the Cree focuses into a tighter beam, resulting in about a 20% higher lux reading. But the Cree does have a bit brighter spill, so in this case the Cree has both brighter -- but smaller -- hot spot and brighter spill. The total lumen output is very nearly the same for the two. The head has adequate range to adjust for best focus for both LED types.

c_c

 

[LEDninja]

Re: DX: L1P type with Seoul !!

That depends on the reflector shape. I put a Seoul into one DX Elly and a Cree into another. In that particular reflector, the Cree focuses into a tighter beam, resulting in about a 20% higher lux reading. But the Cree does have a bit brighter spill, so in this case the Cree has both brighter -- but smaller -- hot spot and brighter spill. The total lumen output is very nearly the same for the two. The head has adequate range to adjust for best focus for both LED types.

c_c

Very interesting. How much smaller is the Cree hotspot?
Can you focus the lights so the hotspots are the same size, then compare brightness.

Wonder why DX went and got a new reflector designed for his Elly Cree if refocussing the stock reflector will get the job done. And ending up with a lot less lux than Kai. Kai only mentioned glass lens, did not mention new reflector so is probably using the stock reflector.
I am not going to follow up on this as I will end up with at least 3 more lights I got no use for. Stock Elly, DX Elly Cree, Kai Elly Cree.

 

[Curious_character]

Re: DX: L1P type with Seoul !!

Very interesting. How much smaller is the Cree hotspot?
Can you focus the lights so the hotspots are the same size, then compare brightness.

It's really hard to compare hotspot sizes. The Cree hotspot is a well-defined circle with nearly constant apparent brightness. The Seoul hotspot is much more diffuse with no definite boundary. The Seoul hotspot looks to be something like 1-1/2 times the diameter of the Cree, but again it fades out rather than having a solid boundary. If I defocus the Cree much at all, the output of its main beam drops to considerably below that of the Seoul.

Wonder why DX went and got a new reflector designed for his Elly Cree if refocussing the stock reflector will get the job done. And ending up with a lot less lux than Kai. Kai only mentioned glass lens, did not mention new reflector so is probably using the stock reflector.

No idea. Both stars drop right in and result in a serviceable light. The one problem with just retrofitting with a new star is that the head needs to be unscrewed a long way to focus the Seoul. The Cree doesn't require as much loosening.

I made some more careful measurements of the one original and two modified lights. Since the output is fairly sensitive to battery voltage, I used the same cell (a 2 Ah Eneloop NiMH with a few minutes run time on it) for all three, making short measurements. Total lumen measurements were done with a Quickbeam type light box, and lux is the value of the brightest part of the beam at one meter, actually measured at about 3 meters and adjusted. The third number is measured battery current. Actual current would be higher because the meter drops about 100 mV per amp.

Original: 32 lux, 18 lumens, 990 mA
Seoul: 135 lux, 56 lumens, 1.30 A
Cree: 143 lux, 49 lumens, 1.32 A

The relative lux and lumen values are a bit different than I reported before. Part is due to carefully using the same cell for both lights. The lux values are affected considerably by small changes in the focus, and I'd changed it a bit. I suspect that the 12% difference between the Seoul and Cree lumen values might be due to the simple light box's response to the very different focus patterns. The two LEDs are also noticeably different in color -- the Seoul pinkish compared to the bluish Cree --, so that also might play a role. But it would also impact the lux measurement which was done with the same meter.

Unfortunately, I didn't test all three lights with the original emitters, so don't know how well they matched up to begin with. But there's no doubt that the Cree and Seoul replacements both make a huge difference in efficiency, lux, and lumen output. No change was made to any light except replacing the stars with ones I got from DX, and unscrewing the heads for best focus. Oh, and putting a wrap of vinyl electrical tape around the threads to snug the head up.

c_c

 

[Lobo]

Re: DX: L1P type with Seoul !!

Has anyone got one of these yet? Would be interested in your impressions.
Thanks!

 

[Gryloc]

Re: DX: L1P type with Seoul !!

I am still waiting on my order from Deal Extreme. They had some delays from the suppliers, so I have been told. Its been over a week and my order is not even in the mail system yet (still being packaged). Thats alright. It will come eventually, even if it means 2 more weeks for actual shipping. I will try to give my opinion of the SSC P4 light when I get it, but others may get their order in way before me, and they will report it.


-Tony

 

[abvidledUK]

They've arrived !! First impressions..DX: L1P type with Seoul !!

I received the Two I had on order from DX this Tuesday morning.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1995

RT's to follow.

Initial impression, similar output to SSC'd Elly, brighter than L1P.

Specified 65 lumens, I'd say about right.

Very lightweight, no lanyard, small lanyard holes.

A very strange effect though.

The torches initially wouldn't turn off !!

Finally deduced it was because nimh's slightly longer than alkalines, apparently caused the tail spring to shift sideways a little, as you rotated it to tighten, contacting body of switch, effectively bypassing the switch, and in doing so seemed to slightly chew up plastic covering on base of nimh's allowing contact between base of nimh and tail cap switch surround too !!

Get around was to insert batteries at head end, thereby not screwing spring as tightened up.

One of the heads and tails on same body required unscrewing a smidgens to work properly.

Some of my nimh's tight fit widthways.

The head end is unpotted though, for battery removal, etc

And........the head fits onto a L1P, same threads....but L1P head won't fit on this torch body, threads too short on body.

Don't seem to have any increased output using Lithium AA's.

In fact exactly the opposite, output with Lithium AA's is approx half stop dimmer than with alkalines !

Output with charged nimh / alkaline pretty much exactly the same.

Let you know...separate thread for RT's

Here at
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/1947728#post1947728

 

[LEDninja]

Re: They've arrived !! First impressions..DX: L1P type with Seoul !!

Might be an upgrade option of the L1P for those of us without the skills to swap the LED.

\And........the head fits onto a L1P, same threads....but L1P head won't fit on this torch body, threads too short on body.

Bad news. The new 2650 MiNH are extra fat.

Some of my nimh's tight fit widthways.

Any rings/artifacts in the beam?
EDIT
Question ansewered in review
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=159925

 

[abvidledUK]

Re: They've arrived !! First impressions..DX: L1P type with Seoul !!

Turn off problem, think I've sussed that, see above.

Beam is good, similar to SSC'd Elly.

Tight nimh's from same 4 batch as others, very tight tolerances.

Just doing MTE head on L1P body now.....

Yes, easy SSC upgrade for L1P I would have thought.

Ideal for non-techie upgrade to L1P switch & body.

It appears to get rid of poor body contact on the one suspect MTE SSC body.

L1P's for sale:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/156699

 

[Eskimonio]

Re: They've arrived !! First impressions..DX: L1P type with Seoul !!

Great info...thanks for the work!

 

[Omega Man]

Re: They've arrived !! First impressions..DX: L1P type with Seoul !!

Well hell, I guess I can just buy this instead of mangling my L1 and L1Ps to change the LEDs!! I think you've just saved me much time and money, abvidled.

 

[orbital]

Re: They've arrived !! First impressions..DX: L1P type with Seoul !!

abvidledUK~ Thanks for the initial test!

Does anyone have any ideas on why the lithium battery output is lower.

 

[abvidledUK]

Re: They've arrived !! First impressions..DX: L1P type with Seoul !!

abvidledUK~ Thanks for the initial test!

Does anyone have any ideas on why the lithium battery output is lower.

I can only think it is overloading the circuit / led a little, the volts to led probably optimised for 1.2v-1.5v input range cells exactly.

Possibly a positive feedback loop ? Bounce ?

Also, when you overload led, they do tend to reduce output don't they ?

 

[abvidledUK]

Re: They've arrived !! First impressions..DX: L1P type with Seoul !!

Forgot to mention..

Tailstands too.

Albeit on the large flat rubber switch cover, not as steady as a Fenix, but not bad.

 

[HarveyRich]

Re: They've arrived !! First impressions..DX: L1P type with Seoul !!

A bit off thread focus here, but the Elly has already been mentioned. FWIW, I modded my first and only original Elly with a Cree star and disconnected the boost circuit so that it would fire up only in direct drive mode. With a 14500 Li-ion battery in it at 1 meter I measured approximately 4600 lux. I suspect this is quite accurate because my L2D-CE on turbo measures about 3300 lux, which is very close to the 3010 figure mentioned on "flashlight reviews" (http://www.lightreviews.info/) for the L2D-CE. Thus, an Elly with Cree modded for direct drive and using a 14500 li-ion battery has a very bright focused hot spot. My impression is that it has great throw too, although not as good spill as the L2D-CE. I don't know whether the Creed Ellys from DX and Kaidomain would produce the same results, but this is pretty amazing to me from such an inexpensive light.

 

[Fallingwater]

Re: They've arrived !! First impressions..DX: L1P type with Seoul !!

How come this 1.25W AA-powered light is quoted at 3700 lux, and this 3W 123-powered one is only quoted at 2700?

 

[abvidledUK]

Re: They've arrived !! First impressions..DX: L1P type with Seoul !!

How come this 1.25W AA-powered light is quoted at 3700 lux, and this 3W 123-powered one is only quoted at 2700?

First of all, it's not 1.25w, you are confusing it with another (1,500 lux).

It's down to beam pattern, reflector, spot etc.

And as another has stated, lux tend to measure spot brightness.

So a bright spot, with lots of spill, will be brighter, for the same lux reading.

 

[Fallingwater]

Re: They've arrived !! First impressions..DX: L1P type with Seoul !!

Duh. Sorry, I had other DX tabs open and got confused.
I'd like to get the 123 MXDL, but it's out of stock...

 

[Yapo]

Re: They've arrived !! First impressions..DX: L1P type with Seoul !!

I got this light the other day along with its big bro 2xcr123 MTE from Dx but its big bro i was sent had a normal Luxeon in it instead and it doesnt even fit my protected 3.6v 16340s .
Now to the L1P sized one...The body looks nice and the reverse clickie is wider than my L1P's and its also alot harder to press...i had to use the tip/nail of my thumb to click it whereas on my L1P it only requires a tap...It also wasnt as bright as i had hoped. Compared to my L1P it is only slightly brighter (the hotspots bout the same and the spills abit brighter and the transistion fromm hotspot to spill was smoother) The colour of the beam was on the warm side and it seemed to hav a slight bluish tint around the hotspot...this is my 1st SSC LED light. And also the light also flickers randomly brighter and darker. I thought it might hav been because my batteries were running low because i hadnt charged the NiMH AA for over a month. I tried some of my other NiMH but they were too low to even turn it on so i guess theres a voltage cutoff level for this light. I decided to try leaving it turned on for a while with the half dead NiMH in it and the kept flickering and started to dim...but then after bout an hr or so of leaving it on it flickered back bright again... so the output seems kinda random. I tried it with some freshly charged batteries just a few mins ago and it seems about the same brightness as wen i first tried it and also same flickering. I also tried cleaning up the threads and lubricating it with Nyogel and I also sanded off the paint spillage on the ends of the tube but it had no effect on the flickering. Anyone else have any flickering with theirs or maybe brighter output compared to a L1P

 

[abvidledUK]

Re: They've arrived !! First impressions..DX: L1P type with Seoul !!

Intermittent...

Try unscrewing head / tail a tiny bit.

It's only a get around, if unhappy, return to DX