the RAW NS - I promised Rob a few words...

TonyWicks

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Apr 27, 2010
Messages
4
Having been avidly following the various Lummi threads on this site since I ordered myself a RAW NS on 31st of December last year, I'd like to submit a small contribution of my own. Some of you reading reports of 10 or 11 month waits might be surprised to hear that I have already received my torch; Rob sent it a couple of weeks ago. I did have to apply a bit of pressure, but my paltry 4 and a half month wait does seem to bear out Rob's claim in one of his emails to me that things are improving. I will say that however hopeless a businessman Rob might be, he's not out to rip you off. In one of my attempts to twist his arm I actually offered him an extra twenty quid, just because as I told him, it seemed from the reviews that the torch was worth more than the £55 he was charging. He refused to take it. I still think he should charge more; the torch is terrific, and it might help him get his finances sorted.
Anyway, to my little review. My previous torch (I'm not really into collecting torches, so my experience is very limited) was a Maglite Solitaire – the incandescent version – which I used to think was pretty cool. I now realise it's actually rubbish. OK, it only costs a tenner, but the thing about it that has always irritated me is that when you turn it on, it isn't focused properly – there's a big black hole in the middle of the beam. You have to keep turning the barrel to get the light in the middle, and even then it doesn't look very good. Now, with Rob's RAW, as soon as it's on, the beam is perfect; a nice big cirle in the middle, and lots of flood round the outside. I've found that it works really well as a nightlight. Stood on end, it lit up a room of about 15 feet by 11 well enough for me to see everything in the room clearly. And that was just on low. Turned up to high, there was enough light to read small print by. As I keep my RAW on my keyring (sorry Rob, I know you don't approve of that, but it does mean I always have the thing on me!) I need have no fear of power-cuts. I'd read some blogs that said that the craftsmanship on the RAW was extremely good, and they're not wrong – the quality is top class. And it's really hefty and solid – makes my Maglite feel like something out of a Christmas cracker by comparison. I was a bit surprised when I unwrapped it that there was no information or instructions about it. I've since discovered that there is a very good and informative manual online, but could there not have been something in the packaging to tell me about that?
I've put together a little animated GIF to show the difference between my old Maglite and the RAW on its two settings. It's as near as I can get it to what I actually saw in the garden. The door of the garage at the end of the garden is about 50 feet away. What's nice is that the neutral shade of the emitter that I ordered lets the colours show up really naturally. And 50 feet isn't anywhere near the limit of how far this torch can carry on its high setting – I've lit up rooftops 150 feet away as measured by Google Earth. Not brightly, but visibly. And that's with streetlighting and a full moon to dull the effect. It really feels more like a theatrical floodlight than a torch – but it's not even two inches long. Absolutely amazing.
PS. Just seen your post Rob about your electrical work and your plans to catch up with your back-orders. Good on ya – I hope it works out for you.
Here is my GIF – hope it works...
RAW-review-animation.gif
 

steel

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Feb 6, 2007
Messages
56
Location
uk
hi and welcome to cpf tony

great photo really shows how bright these little guys are, had my raw for about a year or so now and it still gets me how much output and throw it has from such a tiny package must really blow the mag away.
 

Essexman

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 9, 2006
Messages
1,192
Location
U.K.
That's a great GIF, you should email Rob a copy of that so he could use it on his website?

They really are great lights, it's so funny when people see one of Robs lights for the first time, then you turn it on :D
 

Sotone

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 21, 2009
Messages
4
Location
Santa Fe, NM
I ordered 2 Wee NS torches at the end of January and still haven't received them. I've sent Rob emails about once a month and he answers them promptly, saying that it should be just a few more weeks. Maybe they'll arrive soon.

I have no problem with long waits for special order items like my French horns. I own a horn from a maker that now has a 5 year waiting list, but it's clear from the start about the wait. He only collects a deposit when he is ready to begin building your instrument. Another maker is up-front about his 6 - 9 months wait for a custom horn.

My only problem with Lummi is the lack of a realistic time-line from the beginning of the ordering process. All said, I do look forward to receiving the 2 Wee NS lights.
 

TonyWicks

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Apr 27, 2010
Messages
4
Well, Rob knows it's up, and he's more than welcome to it but from his response I guess he's happy for it to just live on here. I've seen a few good beamshots of his torches on this site - I turned a few of them into animated GIFs just for myself - not difficult in Photoshop!

But yes, I've compared my Raw to a few other Led torches now and it just walks all over them. Extremely useful and convenient - I really hope Rob stays on top of his business now following his recent turnaround. Then all his feedback will be good and people won't be scared to part with their money.
 

TonyWicks

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Apr 27, 2010
Messages
4
I ordered 2 Wee NS torches at the end of January and still haven't received them. I've sent Rob emails about once a month and he answers them promptly, saying that it should be just a few more weeks. Maybe they'll arrive soon.

I have no problem with long waits for special order items like my French horns. I own a horn from a maker that now has a 5 year waiting list, but it's clear from the start about the wait. He only collects a deposit when he is ready to begin building your instrument. Another maker is up-front about his 6 - 9 months wait for a custom horn.

My only problem with Lummi is the lack of a realistic time-line from the beginning of the ordering process. All said, I do look forward to receiving the 2 Wee NS lights.

I'm sure it won't be long. I do agree that the worst thing is that you get all excited when Rob tells you a couple of weeks, and then there's the let-down when it doesn't come. Hopefully when Rob clears his backlog that will be a thing of the past.

Your talking about your French horns has got me thinking. If you shone your Wee NS down the mouthpiece, would you get light coming out of the bell? How would that go down at concerts? :)
 

lhw1993

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jun 7, 2010
Messages
17
Nice picture that u have , the Lummi RAW NS is how much lumens ???
 

kurni

Enlightened
Joined
Aug 7, 2006
Messages
529
Location
Sydney, Australia
Well, Rob knows it's up, and he's more than welcome to it but from his response I guess he's happy for it to just live on here. I've seen a few good beamshots of his torches on this site - I turned a few of them into animated GIFs just for myself - not difficult in Photoshop!

But yes, I've compared my Raw to a few other Led torches now and it just walks all over them. Extremely useful and convenient - I really hope Rob stays on top of his business now following his recent turnaround. Then all his feedback will be good and people won't be scared to part with their money.

Oh, so it's not just me...

Well... I really hope it's worth the wait.
 
Top