Niwalker Black Light Vostro BK-FA01 (XM-L2) BK-FA02 (MT-G2) 4x18650 Review: BEAMS+

[selfbuilt]

Re: Niwalker Black Light Vostro BK-FA01 (XM-L2) BK-FA02 (MT-G2) 4x18650 Review: BE

Are you sure it's an 9V MT-G2? There are 6V, 9V, and 36V flavors.

No, as I noted in the review, I don't know which type of MT-G2 is used. I just mentioned it as a possible example.

 

[Dubois]

Re: Niwalker Black Light Vostro BK-FA01 (XM-L2) BK-FA02 (MT-G2) 4x18650 Review: BE

I heard back from Niwalker this morning on another question I posed - they are very responsive to questions.

The final shipping version addresses a few issues Selfbuilt raised in his review:

there is now a lanyard attachment point;

the magnetic control ring is slightly bigger;

the battery holder is slightly smaller.

So, looks like a :twothumbs

 

[ohaya]

Thanks for the update from Niwalker.


Yes, I would have initially expected that as well, but there may be some reason why this is not easily done. I'll have to leave that the electronics experts to discuss (it is an unsual situation to have a 9V LED).

Re. the battery arrangement, I'd guess that the reason that they opted for the 2p2s arrangement was what was mentioned in the review, i.e., they want to allow customers the option of using just 2x18650s, if they needed it?

P.S. I, too, am also anxious to see comparisions, esp. the lux/throw comparisons, for both Niwalker lights vs. the Crelant and the SolarForce MT-G2 lights !!

 

[Dubois]

Is there any difference between the reflector shape in the BK-FA01 and the BK-FA02? I wonder how the size of the MT-G2 version compares to other MT-G2 lights. I guess outdoor beamshots will give some indication of which manufacturer has the nicer product.

 

[tatasal]

Is there any difference between the reflector shape in the BK-FA01 and the BK-FA02? I wonder how the size of the MT-G2 version compares to other MT-G2 lights. I guess outdoor beamshots will give some indication of which manufacturer has the nicer product.

I'm waiting also for the head-to-head comparisons on the 3 MT-G2 lights: Solarforce S2200, Crelant 7G10 and this Niwalker 02, although I'm biased towards the 02 because of its rotary switch.

 

[selfbuilt]

Re: Niwalker Black Light Vostro BK-FA01 (XM-L2) BK-FA02 (MT-G2) 4x18650 Review: BEA

The reflector appears to be the same between the two BK-FA models here.

I will be doing head to head comparisons soon with the Crelant 7G10. Stay tuned ...

 

[Dubois]

Re: Niwalker Black Light Vostro BK-FA01 (XM-L2) BK-FA02 (MT-G2) 4x18650 Review: BEA

The reflector appears to be the same between the two BK-FA models here.

I will be doing head to head comparisons soon with the Crelant 7G10. Stay tuned ...

Thanks for that information Selfbuilt. I must admit that, like tatasal, I prefer the Niwalker because of the magnetic ring (and my previous experience with the build quality of their NWK550N3).

 

[selfbuilt]

Re: Niwalker Black Light Vostro BK-FA01 (XM-L2) BK-FA02 (MT-G2) 4x18650 Review: BEA

Thanks for that information Selfbuilt. I must admit that, like tatasal, I prefer the Niwalker because of the magnetic ring (and my previous experience with the build quality of their NWK550N3).

Yes, I am generally a fan of magnetic control rings myself. The 7G10 review should be up in the next few days.

Cheers
Eric

 

[GoingGear.com]

That MT-G2 version has the best looking tint I have ever seen. It's a very pleasing beam in person.

 

[Mr. Tone]

That MT-G2 version has the best looking tint I have ever seen. It's a very pleasing beam in person.

Are you going to have any for sale soon? ETA?

 

[selfbuilt]

That MT-G2 version has the best looking tint I have ever seen. It's a very pleasing beam in person.

Yes, all the MT-G2s I have seen so far have all been a very pleasing neutral white. Fairly close the standard "yellow" of an incandescent, with none of the typical green and/or orange of some other emitter types.

I still think the MT-G2 would make a superb replacement for halogen bulbs (in a nice PAR20 form, for example).

 

[selfbuilt]

I've just updated the main review thread with outdoor beamshots, reproduced below.

For outdoor beamshots, these are all done in the style of my earlier 100-yard round-up review. Please see that thread for a discussion of the topography (i.e. the road dips in the distance, to better show you the corona in the mid-ground).

FYI, any "streaks" you see across the images are bug-trails. Flying insects are often attracted to the bright lights, and their flight trails get captured as swirly streaks due to the long exposure time. Also, ignore any tint differences below – they are mainly due to the automatic white balance setting on the camera.

Let's compare the two – starting with wide-angle shots, and then close-ups on the hotspots:

Obviously, the BK-FA02 has a lot more output than the BK-FA01 – but the BK-FA01 is far more focused for throw. To really put that in context, let's examine each relative to other lights in the same class, starting with the BK-FA01 (XM-L2):

As the wide-angle shots show, the BK-FA01 has a smaller hotspot than the Thrunite TN31 or Eagletac SX25L2 Turbo (i.e., more focused for throw). Output is pretty comparable to the TN31, but the close-up shots are a little misleading here – due to the smaller hotspot on the BK-FA01, the close-up may seem dimmer (since it is restricted to just the hotspot/corona, and doesn't show all the light in the spill).

And now the BK-FA02:

As you can see above, the main difference between the BK-FA02 and Crelant 7G10 is in the spillbeam width and intensity.

The BK-FA02 is a good comparable for multiple-emitter lights – but with a narrower and smoother spillbeam (i.e., free of artifacts). The BK-FA02 has greater throw than the Thrunite TN30, but not as great as the Fenix TK75.

 

[Dubois]

Looks like Going Gear now has these lights in stock. I'll be interested to see the differences between the BK-FA02 final production model and the engineering sample reviewed here.

 

[selfbuilt]

Re: Niwalker Black Light Vostro BK-FA01 (XM-L2) BK-FA02 (MT-G2) 4x18650 Review: BE

Looks like Going Gear now has these lights in stock. I'll be interested to see the differences between the BK-FA02 final production model and the engineering sample reviewed here.

Final shipping samples are on their way to me, will update when I get them.

 

[Albert56]

I found a video concerning BK-FA01 at night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34Lw1NQXdN8

This video isn't very helpful. It would have been nice if the guy had given some distances for reference or did a side-by-side with some other long throwing lights for comparison.

 

[selfbuilt]

The shipping versions of the BK-FA01 and BK-FA02 have arrived! I have updated the summary table below with the new results ("Shipping" are the new lights, "Pre-Release" are the samples tested in this thread).

As you can see, max output has increased by ~100 lumens on the BK-FA01 and ~200 lumens on the BK-FA02.

I am currently working on runtimes, and will post the results in a new thread (as there have been some build updates as well, to both the light and the carrier). Stay tuned for updates ...

 

[Stereodude]

Did they fix the regulation on the FA02?

 

[Dubois]

Did they fix the regulation on the FA02?

They probably haven't "fixed" the regulation, because there is nothing to fix. If you read the review, Selfbuilt explains:

"For the BK-FA02, the pattern is different – at all levels tested, you see a direct-drive-like slow decay in output. This is actually a very efficient means to control a light, but it means the light does slowly drop in in output. But again, the reduction is gradual enough that you won't notice it in practice – until you hit ~50% original output, at which point it starts to drop off more quickly. But once again though, the light drops to the L2 level, where it maintains flat regulation for a good amount of time before the cells are dead.

This pattern is not surprising to me, given the higher forward voltage of the MT-G2 LED. It's obviously going to be difficult for two 3.7V Li-ion cells (note 2s2p, so only two in series) to provide the kind of regulated power needed to keep perfectly flat regulation at all voltages. "

Niwalker has chosen to implement a solution where the output drops imperceptibly, rather than one where a dramatic drop down to a lower level after a few minutes is required.

All personal preference, of course, but I know what I prefer. To say that this needs "fixing", however, is nonsense.

 

[Stereodude]

They probably haven't "fixed" the regulation, because there is nothing to fix. If you read the review, Selfbuilt explains:

"For the BK-FA02, the pattern is different – at all levels tested, you see a direct-drive-like slow decay in output. This is actually a very efficient means to control a light, but it means the light does slowly drop in in output. But again, the reduction is gradual enough that you won't notice it in practice – until you hit ~50% original output, at which point it starts to drop off more quickly. But once again though, the light drops to the L2 level, where it maintains flat regulation for a good amount of time before the cells are dead.

This pattern is not surprising to me, given the higher forward voltage of the MT-G2 LED. It's obviously going to be difficult for two 3.7V Li-ion cells (note 2s2p, so only two in series) to provide the kind of regulated power needed to keep perfectly flat regulation at all voltages. "

Niwalker has chosen to implement a solution where the output drops imperceptibly, rather than one where a dramatic drop down to a lower level after a few minutes is required.

All personal preference, of course, but I know what I prefer. To say that this needs "fixing", however, is nonsense.

There's nothing like cherry picking things and taking them out of context to support a flawed argument. Niwalker said it was current regulated. The sample Selfbuilt reviewed previously clearly isn't. You can hand wave all you want and hope to distract from the facts, but their claims aren't true. You might like the way it works, but it's not what they advertised. Further, no one knows what MT-G2 is used in the FA02. A buck boost switching LED driver can easily hold a 6V MT-G2 in flat regulation the whole time using a 2S2P battery config. Further, it could be the 9V or 48V MT-G2 which would use a switching boost circuit to hold the MT-G2 in regulation the whole time.

 

[Dubois]

There's nothing like cherry picking things and taking them out of context to support a flawed argument. Niwalker said it was current regulated. The sample Selfbuilt reviewed previously clearly isn't. You can hand wave all you want and hope to distract from the facts, but their claims aren't true. You might like the way it works, but it's not what they advertised. Further, no one knows what MT-G2 is used in the FA02. A buck boost switching LED driver can easily hold a 6V MT-G2 in flat regulation the whole time using a 2S2P battery config. Further, it could be the 9V or 48V MT-G2 which would use a switching boost circuit to hold the MT-G2 in regulation the whole time.

I'm a little confused. I don't really see how I am "cherry picking" when I quote from the only part of the review that is relevant to the regulation of the FA-02.

What claims are Niwalker making about the FA-02 that aren't true? Niwalker's website says of the FA-02 (MT-G2 light):

"Highly efficient circuit design offers maximum output and runtime".

The FA-01 (XM-L2) states:

"Constant current circuit design offers constant output".

Both statements seem to be verified by Selfbuilt's review of the pre-release model.

I've been following the development of this light with some interest since it's initial appearance as the NWK 1000. It's certainly taken some time, but the claims made by Niwalker in their spec for the final shipping version (which only appeared in dealers' hands at the start of this month) seem accurate enough to me.