AmondoTech HID N30

hulk311 · Jul 31, 2007

I'm in the market for a HID flashlight and after doing some research it seems that this one is the best bang for the buck, not counting the sams club one which is nowhere to be found here in MI, and when I found one it was $98 so I thought, hey, why not just pay a little extra and get a lot more!

Thoughts?

BVH · Jul 31, 2007

Excellent first HID choice! A great little, powerful light. You'll probably find yourself grabbing it for everything you do that requires more light.

CLHC · Aug 1, 2007

What BVH said. I got one of these for a friend of mine, and he's going around showing it off to his biker buddies. But he has this problem of lighting up police cars and the police chopper whenever he sees them!

chakrawal · Aug 1, 2007

I really want to buy N30 but I already got a Microfire K2000R and would like to know if N30 will be brighter than K2000R. Also N30 and G&P are about the same size but what about the throw and overall output.

mtbkndad · Aug 1, 2007

chakrawal said:
I really want to buy N30 but I already got a Microfire K2000R and would like to know if N30 will be brighter than K2000R. Also N30 and G&P are about the same size but what about the throw and overall output.

The N30, with it's 4200K 35 watt bulb, will hold it's own against 35 watt lights that are larger. The Microfire is smaller, but will not throw as far or put out as much light overall. The N30 also has a useable LED handle.

The G&P is still semi vaporware. Flavio still needs to get a replacement ballast and then test it for runtime. I believe he also needs to get enough commitments to make an order worthwhile. I would guess, by the photos of the reflector, that the beam will have a wide spill like the N30, but I have not seen a decent beamshot yet. The one I did see posted seems to indicate that it will have a fairly tight spot and small corona. If my guess is right, that will help it's throw but will also make the light a little less useable for down field illumination. See my Announcing the N30 thread and look at the Polarion P1 and X990 photos for examples of lights that throw a lot of light down field in a wide path.

The N30 is much cheaper then the G&P and also has a longer warranty, 1 year.
The G&P is made out of Aluminum and if it is used a lot in the first week
(5 or 10 complete charge and discharge cycles) and does fine it should be fine for some time. I would recomend that anybody that buys a G&P really put them through their paces in the first week of ownership. Usually if something is going to go wrong with the electronics prematurely, it will happen fairly quick.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:

hulk311 · Aug 1, 2007

I thought the N30 had a 30 watt bulb?

https://www.amondotech.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1221

chakrawal · Aug 1, 2007

hulk311 said:
I thought the N30 had a 30 watt bulb?

https://www.amondotech.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1221

35 Watt HID 3200 lumen, 4200K blub driven at 30 watts.

mtbkndad · Aug 1, 2007

Chakrawal is correct. The N30 has a 35 watt 4200K bulb driven at 30 watts.
The web page "features" section was put together by somebody in the office that does not know what they are doing :hairpull: . The specifications below "feature" are correct.

It is driven at 30 watts to extend runtime on with the NiMH batteries.
At 30 watts the bulb is still being driven hard enough to work properly so the difference in light output between the N30 at 30 watts and the L35 at 35 watts is less then the natural variation from bulb to bulb.
These bulbs are rated at 3200 lumens + or - 200 lumens.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:

chakrawal · Aug 4, 2007

It should come with a universal charger instead of 110V. Many people here in Thailand want to get one of N30 but hersitate. Can Amondotech supply the L35 universal charger with N30 and will it work?

mtbkndad · Aug 4, 2007

I do not believe you have your terms correct.
The Charger is INSIDE the battery pack.
I believe you mean it should come is a universal power supply.
That has always been planned for the L35.
Future N30's will likely have this feature since there are new regulations is CA regarding powersupply efficiency and since a new power supply will need to be provided in future orders I mentioned to the manufacturer that universal supplies will be nice.
They will also likely effect the price of the N30's in the future.

At $148.75 you simply cannot get another light as compact, bright, and light weight anywhere close to this price. I really think the end user getting an inexpensive universal power supply is not unreasonable.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:

Chronos · Aug 4, 2007

FWIW I love this little HID. It is not necessarily the most cosmetically attractive light out there (ahem) but its performance is truly first rate. Did I say I love this little HID???

chakrawal · Aug 5, 2007

mtbkndad said:
I do not believe you have your terms correct.
The Charger is INSIDE the battery pack.
I believe you mean it should come is a universal power supply.
That has always been planned for the L35.
Future N30's will likely have this feature since there are new regulations is CA regarding powersupply efficiency and since a new power supply will need to be provided in future orders I mentioned to the manufacturer that universal supplies will be nice.
They will also likely effect the price of the N30's in the future.

At $148.75 you simply cannot get another light as compact, bright, and light weight anywhere close to this price. I really think the end user getting an inexpensive universal power supply is not unreasonable.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:

mtbkndad: So I can buy a universal power supply over here to use with N30? What is the output current of the power supply?
thanks,
chakrawal

mtbkndad · Aug 5, 2007

chakrawal said:
mtbkndad: So I can buy a universal power supply over here to use with N30? What is the output current of the power supply?
thanks,
chakrawal

Yes that is correct.
All you need is a power supply with an output of 18V DC and 600 mA
with the same size plug as the power supply that comes with the N30.

The plug is + center which is very common.
You should be able to get a universal power supply fairly cheap.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:

chakrawal · Aug 5, 2007

mtbkndad said:
Yes that is correct.
All you need is a power supply with an output of 18V DC and 600 mA
with the same size plug as the power supply that comes with the N30.

The plug is + center which is very common.
You should be able to get a universal power supply fairly cheap.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:

I am going to order N30 now.
Thanks for you help.

chakrawal · Aug 5, 2007

How long does it take to charge the N30? What about if I can only find 750mA or higher output current? Would it be any prolem?

mtbkndad · Aug 5, 2007

chakrawal said:
How long does it take to charge the N30? What about if I can only find 750mA or higher output current? Would it be any prolem?

As long as the output voltage is 18 V DC you should not have any problems.
If the battery is completely dead it will take somewhere between 7 and 10 hours to charge with the 600 mA powersupply running on 110-120 current.
I have more specific charging times posted somewhere.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:

cat · Oct 7, 2007

chakrawal, did you get the N30? Did you solve the problem of 220V charging?

chakrawal · Oct 7, 2007

No, I did not get it. The 220V is easy as I did with X990. Just go buy an adapter which output is the same with the one that come with N30. You will be fine.

cat · Oct 8, 2007

chakrawal said:
No, I did not get it. The 220V is easy as I did with X990. Just go buy an adapter which output is the same with the one that come with N30. You will be fine.

I'd better check first, that I can find an 18V one.

mkbkndad said:
At $148.75 you simply cannot get another light as compact, bright, and light weight anywhere close to this price.

How would it compare with a Wolf Eyes M300 ?

I spent most of last night searching and reading about spotlights and flashlights like the M300 and Surefire M6.

mtbkndad · Oct 9, 2007

cat said:
I'd better check first, that I can find an 18V one.

How would it compare with a Wolf Eyes M300 ?
I spent most of last night searching and reading about spotlights and flashlights like the M300 and Surefire M6.

These lights don't compare at all.
The Wolf Eyes is a little rechargeable flashlight that puts out around 380 lumens. Whether those are bulb lumens or actual output numbers I do not know. The N30 is a "little" spotlight with a bulb that is rated at 3200 lumens.
The M300 will fit in the palm of your hand and weighs only 10.5 ounces
The N30 is about the size of a cheap 6 volt lantern style flashlight and weighs 3lb 8oz.

This is definitely a circumstance where the CPF adage of "buy both" applies.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:

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