ICON Rogue 1xAA Review: RUNTIMES, ANALYSIS, BEAMSHOTS and more!

[Snow]

The Proton and Pro both can tailstand, although they are not as stable as most pocket lights. Your other points are well taken. It is not the brightest in its class either. The light has a few flaws, which is why it's so disappointing that they haven't upgraded it recently. I look forward to your shootout!

 

[HKJ]

The Proton and Pro both can tailstand, although they are not as stable as most pocket lights.

Not as sold, your have to remove the ring in the tail first.

 

[MarNav1]

Very good review as usual SB. Is that logo on the head removeable without scratching or destroying the light? I hope they do well with it, isn't gonna work for me though.

 

[EngrPaul]

Needs more sharp edges.

Needs more regulation.

Reflector needs more texture.

 

[Cuso]

I dig the lanyard a lot...

 

[led4me]

To get around this, I've decide to compare the runtimes of the Rogue with a repeated on/off switch at 1 hour intervals (to restore max output).

Instead of 1 hour interval, would it make more sense to compare at 10 minute on/off switch intervals? That way, you are comparing max output for the other lights with max ouput with the Rogue (before it starts ramping down). That way, you can get a rough idea of the circuit efficiency for the Rogue.

Also, great review as usual. I do like the look of this light but don't like unnecessary size.

 

[qip]

Instead of 1 hour interval, would it make more sense to compare at 10 minute on/off switch intervals? That way, you are comparing max output for the other lights with max ouput with the Rogue (before it starts ramping down). That way, you can get a rough idea of the circuit efficiency for the Rogue.

Also, great review as usual. I do like the look of this light but don't like unnecessary size.

+1

if you run a L2D on turbo for 10 minutes then stop and restart it should do that at least 12 times based on L91 2 hour or so runtime and see if rogue can do that 12 + times stop restart battle

makes sense

actually not turbo but the high setting on L2D i guess so the output is comparable

 

[greenlight]

Carrots... classic.

 

[selfbuilt]

It would be interesting to see how many runs of 5 minutes or so that the different batteries would produce.

Instead of 1 hour interval, would it make more sense to compare at 10 minute on/off switch intervals?

Ask and you shall (sometimes) receive ... below is the medium eneloop graph with an extra trace of the Rogue 1 restarting every 5 mins.

As expected, the Rogue 1 was similar to, but not quite as efficient, as the D10. I got 1hr 58min on the re-started Rogue before hitting 50%

While I agree this is a useful measure, I won't be doing any more at this rate. It's a royal pain to have to watch the run so carefully, and keep restarting before 10 mins passes. :mecry:

Carrots... classic.

I was all out of potatoes.

 

[EngrPaul]

Off/On every time it reaches 50% :wave:

 

[selfbuilt]

Off/On every time it reaches 50% :wave:

Hmmm, lets see, given the regulation, that should work out to roughly every 45-46 mins, give or take. Sorry guys, there's a practical reason I picked 60 mins - it's a nice round number to set an alarm to.

The whole point of data-logging is not having to sit there and stare at the runs.

Sorry Paul, you may just have to stick with that cowbell instead of an icon ... :nana:

 

[Kiessling]

Thanx for the hard work there !
Very interesting circuit indeed.
bk

 

[LG&M]

Your review was great . To bad the light isn't. thanks.

 

[kramer5150]

While I agree this is a useful measure, I won't be doing any more at this rate. It's a royal pain to ... keep restarting before 10 mins passes. :mecry:

... just imagine trying to use it for semi-extended periods Thanks for the superb review, although if it were me I would have evaluated it much more harshly for its non-flat regulation.

 

[Bullzeyebill]

There is some thought that running regulated, flat out, is not a real priority in some cases. Elektrolumens, Wayne, started out with lights with no regulation, either direct drive, or direct drive with a resistor, and if you match the batteries to the vf of an LED you can get some pretty good decent runtime that almost looks like regulation, and usually the light will run longer with a higher output toward the end of the runtime, compared to truly regulated lights. I for one do prefer good regulation in my lights, but then many of the lights that I like are incan lights and they pretty much run direct drive. Different strokes for different folks, or flexability in what one chooses to use, depending on the circumstances. I actually like my Rogue 1's regulation, perfect regulation or not.

Bill

 

[Size15's]

... just imagine trying to use it for semi-extended periods Thanks for the superb review, although if it were me I would have evaluated it much more harshly for its non-flat regulation.

I'm willing to bet that pretty much everybody, yourself included will not notice the gradual reduction in output after 10 minutes as our eyes become adapted to the light output. I don't think it will be used constant-on for long periods anyway.

That said, we Flashaholics impose a completely different set of constraints upon ourselves compared to normal people and our requirements for light are different as a result - we are feeding what we think we want rather than what we may actually need. Having what we want rather than just what we need is why this is a hobby for us

Al

 

[selfbuilt]

... just imagine trying to use it for semi-extended periods Thanks for the superb review, although if it were me I would have evaluated it much more harshly for its non-flat regulation.

Fair enough - I respect and can appreciate that view.

That said, we Flashaholics impose a completely different set of constraints upon ourselves compared to normal people and our requirements for light are different as a result - we are feeding what we think we want rather than what we may actually need. Having what we want rather than just what we need is why this is a hobby for us

Also fair enough - I respect and can appreciate that view too.

I didn't expect this light would be popular with flashaholics, and I'm still trying to come to terms with how useful it might be for general users. My personal impression is that most people keep flashlights on for only relatively short periods of time anyway (to conserve batteries if nothing else). But of course, that doesn't mean you should design a light for such use ... I'm just intrigued by the fact someone that did, and in a very regulated way. :thinking:

It is not my intention to recommend this light (or any other that I review) - my goal is to provide the test data, so people can choose what suits them. As I said in an earlier post, if I seem unduly impressed, it is more because of the novelty of the circuit as opposed to its performance. I test a lot of lights, and from that perspective, it is simply fun to have something different for a change.

Bottom line, I think a general runtime conclusion here is that the overall output/runtime efficiency of the Rogue is acceptable, at around the level of a NiteCore D10. But of course, it is fair to expect more from a light with only defined output levels (i.e. Fenix remains the efficiency king, it seems). It's also fair to not want to have noticeable PWM frequencies any more. As for the circuit and build features, I hope the detailed pics and data provide useful info for everyone to make an informed choice as to what works for them.

:wave:

 

[gottawearshades]

Thanks for another rigorous, painstaking review, Selfbuilt.

This light is intriguing, but I don't see a compelling reason to own one. The next Icon models, who knows?

Cheers.

 

[RobertM]

Thanks for the great review! There is something intriguing about it that I just can't figure out. Similar to gottawearshades though, I just can't come up with a good reason to pull the trigger on one.

Is there a phone number given in the documentation for making a warranty claim? I went to the www.myiconlight.com/warranty from one of your pictures and the pages is no longer there. Even on its updated page (http://www.myiconlight.com/USA/warranty.html), I don't see any way to actually contact them for a warranty repair.

Thanks again,
Robert

 

[Any Cal.]

While the regulation looks goofy, look at the intended market. Customer goes to store, sees nice looking light, and decides to spend the extra $12 on it compared to the Mag. They put in a AA batt, try it out, and put it away.

The light could realistically last a year or two on a single AA batt, and be bright every time it gets turned on. If it is run for an extended period, the steps down in brightness would be invisible, so the runtime on high is roughly twice what anything else is on an alkaline.

In the unlikely event the light gets turned on and used for hours, and then gets turned back on later..."Look, it is still at full brightness".

It will be the light that you never have to change batteries in.