Maxlite, what is so special???

I never handled one in person, so wanted to know what makes them sooooo expensive?

I am not saying it is not worth it (I have some that cost a lot more), not a post knocking it..., I just do not know and am interested in knowing why it is so high in price.

Thanks for any info or help

I've handled one and it is a nice light. I think much of the cost is due to the same reason why similar lights cost so much...low end production, limited, and meticulous manufacturing because it's a low volume custom (semi) light. For me, I mainly like the exterior design. If someone were to make a similar design at a lower cost, I wouldn't mind. I just really like the design and it's different than any other 1xAA light. The closest in design I've seen is the Nuwai TM-313X which I also like...a large head for good throw and nice overall aesthetics, but that TM-313X is a 0.5W light...even tho I modded mine to run a Lux DD off a 14500, but the board aint pretty (really really ugly).

waynejitsu: No problem, I've been asked by several people already so I decided to post in order to answer some of the questions.

jsr: Thank you.

I've been asked by numerous people why the Maxlite Extreme was expensive. So, I decided to post one of the reasons as to why. I don't use an assembly shop. I hand solder each component by hand onto the Maxlite Extreme's converter board. Thats a 5mm LED sitting on top of the PCB in the first picture. The solder I use is only 0.3mm in thickness and the soldering iron tip is 0.09mm. There are seven components that are a 0402 size, one 0805, one SOT-23, one SOT-23-5 and, two 1210 size components so twelve components in all soldered perfectly within a 13mm circle. The 1210 size capacitors are the most expensive components at $6.24 each from Digikey in 100pc quantities: http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail?Ref=506968&Row=170270&Site=US I use only the best parts available. So again, this is just the tip of the iceberge. I hope this helps the quest for your answers.














ARC mania

What is a super S?
I think that is what it is called?

How does it compare to a seoul or a U bin?

Thanks!

waynejitsu said:

What is a super S?
I think that is what it is called?

Click to expand...

LuxeonI S-bin, Super means hand-picked

waynejitsu said:

How does it compare to a seoul or a U bin?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Less brightness/efficiency compared to a SSC-P4 U-bin these days.

LuxeonIII U-bin higher vf/ driving level

Best regards

____
Tom

Bajeezers MJ!, how do you solder those little things by hand? That's just insane. I can't solder anything smaller than a SOT-323, and that's with a nice temp-controlled iron, not my crappy 10+yr old iron from Radio Shack that I use at home.

Very fine solder, very fine tip on your iron, very steady hands and a large illuminated magnifying glass.

I have found that 1 cup of coffee gives me enough gittering to foul up fine solder work Oh and i never do this soldering after a hard night out

Yo Arc---
I have a sneaking suspicion that converter is one of the most efficent around, got numbers?

No, I don't use a magnafying glass or microscope as it slows me down. I can clearly see if a 0201 size component has been properly soldered from a distance of 50 cm away. At times to keep components crammed within a 13mm circle, I do have to resort to using a 0201 size component. When I finish, the bad part is, I end up looking like Eigore. Then I get the wife to jump on my back so I physically look normal again Will post pictures of one of my converters using a 0201 size component. My apologies to waynejitsu as I didn't mean to hijack the thread. I will start a new thread in the flashlight electronics section soon.

I would like to post efficiency numbers but have to decline. Sorry.

ARC mania

Who sells these lights?
Where can someone buy them?
Is there "aftermarket" or replacement parts available?
From where?

here:
http://www.lighthound.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1999

That's some seriously intricate work Arc mania. Now I understand the cost of these lights. Thanks for those detailed pictures.

For more viewing please, go to: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/163260

ARC mania