Stanley H.I.D. and 1365 lumen spotlights (Part 2)

[MasterBlaster]

I have been looking for a HID, and following these forums. I like the features and bang for buck of the Stanley. All the Walmart's in my area were out, so I waited. Finally, Amazon got them back in stock, and I just received mine today.

Initial impressions. Slightly heavier than I expected. Partially charged when I got it, but I drained it and then fully charged it. I am glad the fast start is variable, depending upon how long it has been since you last pressed trigger. I like the trigger lock, works for locking off or on. The LEDs will not work when HID is on, but you can leave them on, and then a quick trigger press will switch from LED to HID. My unit buzzes a loud high pitch when in fast start, but not afterwards. In general, I am happy, but I wish the reflector had some orange peel and the the beam had a bit less throw.

Anyone know where I can get different reflectors or diffusers?

The low and high power switch is pretty much useless, so I will probably hotwire it to always be on high, and I may use the switch to force it to always be in fast start mode, though I realize this mode could only be maintained for seconds, not minutes.

[BVH]

The hi-low switch is very useful for getting an additional 5-7 minutes of runtime with no perceptible decrease in light (to the human eye, anyway). Percentage-wise, that is very significant. I agree, it's useless for varing light output.

[ninjaboigt]

Really really really really stupid question...Surefire claims their HIDs are " never to be replaced or have any filaments to break or burn out"

Is this true for all hids? specificly the stanley one? im very very intrested in the stanley hid, but i want to know if i will ever have to replace the bulb.

and with the batt pack, how many recharges can we get off of it? till i need to get a new one?

[Mjolnir]

Obviously surefire isn't correct, since everything will need to be replaced eventually, even LEDs. HIDs will last way longer than incandescent bulbs will. I believe that their lifespans are on the order of a few thousand hours, but I don't know the exact numbers. I doubt you will have to replace the bulb in the near future, and it shouldn't be too hard to do.
I'm not sure how long the battery will last, but I'm sure there are replacement batteries that can be bought. By the time the battery does die, there will probably be better chemistries that you could retrofit it with for way more runtime.

[Patriot]

Really really really really stupid question...Surefire claims their HIDs are " never to be replaced or have any filaments to break or burn out"

Is this true for all hids? specificly the stanley one? im very very intrested in the stanley hid, but i want to know if i will ever have to replace the bulb.

and with the batt pack, how many recharges can we get off of it? till i need to get a new one?

The literature states, "And because HIDs have no filament to burn out or break, they can endure the vibration, shock and recoil found in combat conditions and typically never need replacing"



It's true there is no filament to burn out or break. I underlined "typically" because it is a conditional statement. Most people will never have to replace a HID bulb when used in a spot light or other hand held type of portable HID lighting. They are exceptions but we're talking about averages here and I think Surefire was doing the same.

[ninjaboigt]

Thanks alot Mjolnir and Patriot!

Just when i thought i dont need any more flashlight, Stanley comes out with this cheap HID!

=D this will be my first HID i purchase..thanks for the information again!

[Patriot]

You're welcome....and regarding the battery life span, SLA's are typically good for 3-5 years in my own experience.

[ninjaboigt]

Whoa thats crazy, Are they good under extreme temps? the way lithium or NiMH are?

[nhoj_yelbom]

picked one up today before finding this thread, nice light. i have a diy hid spotlight ive had for over a year and this one has a better beam and onboard power! two walmarts in pensacola are loaded with these

[Tanker]

Picked up one of these a few weeks ago and I'm already having a couple of problems. First of all, right from the getgo the light would turn on very bright and then after a second or two it would dim slightly. Second, it now flashes slightly and then the red light comes on (it was fully charged), if you try to charge it goes right to green but still only gives you a short flash when the trigger is pulled. Anybody else having problems? Just an FYI, the company that Stanley licences their name to "make" these is Baccus Global in Florida.

[dwminer]

Picked up one of these a few weeks ago and I'm already having a couple of problems. First of all, right from the getgo the light would turn on very bright and then after a second or two it would dim slightly.

Normal

[Tanker]

So normal that I had to return it and get another one that worked...............

[rala]

First of all, right from the getgo the light would turn on very bright and then after a second or two it would dim slightly.

Thats normal. It quickly ramps up (60 watts), then drops back down to it's regular operating state (35 watts) to rid itself of the typical slow start up time that's characteristic of HIDs.

Second, it now flashes slightly and then the red light comes on (it was fully charged), if you try to charge it goes right to green but still only gives you a short flash when the trigger is pulled..

This I dont think is normal.

[Tanker]

Thats normal. It quickly ramps up (60 watts), then drops back down to it's regular operating state (35 watts) to rid itself of the typical slow start up time that's characteristic of HIDs.

Thanks I didn't know that and the new one does the same, the first time it was used it dimmed twice. So can you put a better bulb in these?

[rala]

Some members have changed their bulbs out for a 4300k with good results. Check Part 1 as it has lots of good info.

[Beamhead]

I just scored one of these for $29.88.

[ninjaboigt]

howwwwwwwwwwwwww

[Beamhead]

Grand opening of a SuperWallyWorld and they had them mis marked. I told them and one of the brass in suits said thanks and told the sales associate to give me one at the mis marked price.

[Patriot]

That was very nice of you to inform them of the mistake and it still paid off for you unexpectedly. Very cool!

[Beamhead]

OK I can't see a difference between high and low, maybe I need to get out in the middle of absolute nowhere with zero light pollution and objects greater than 800 feet away?

[StarHalo]

OK I can't see a difference between high and low, maybe I need to get out in the middle of absolute nowhere with zero light pollution and objects greater than 800 feet away?

Nope, you'll have to set it to low, then leave the light running for a few minutes, then maybe you'll notice the small difference.

It takes a while for the light to "cool down" to the lower output level, which is not that much lower than high. But there is some runtime gain, if you need it.

[BVH]

You'll be very hard pressed to ever see a difference with your eyes. The camera might. The best use for "low" is to give you more run time - about 5-7 minutes IIRC with no visible difference in output.

[MikeF]

They had 5 HID 3000 at the Walmart in Englewood Colorado yesterday.

[ninjaboigt]

lol thats pretty cool! lol

[BlueBeam22]

Beamhead congratulations on getting your Stanley HID! I think you will really enjoy this light.

[HamboneOR]

You guys are troublemakers. Forced me into Walmart to buy one of these. It's charging as I type!

[BVH]

We pride ourselves on being "troublemakers"!

[m1ruf]

hi,

I have a top notch ROP (2x aw c-cells, all the resistance mods done, contacts progolded etc. MOP reflector).

Is the Stanley HID much brigther than a ROP and does it throw farther?

If anyone could post distance beamshots of a ROP (or SF M6, or mag85) next to the Stanley HID that would be great!

thx

[Mjolnir]

The Stanley will be significantly brighter than an ROP, and will throw significantly farther. I don't have an ROP, but I doubt you will get over 1000 OTF lumens from one. The Stanley easily has 2000+ lumens out the front, and a lot more when it starts up in its "overdrive" mode. It also has a much larger reflector than a maglite, so it will throw much farther (like 1000+ feet). Since it is an HID light, it probably also has a smaller light source than that of an ROP bulb, since the light actually comes from an arc, not a larger sized filament.

[BVH]

I used to have a Mag85 and a Mac's Torch. Believe me, these don't hold a candle to the Stanley in Lumens and throw. But any 30 Watt HID is going to easily outperform these hi-perf incans. They're just in a different class.