Who would buy this halogen light?

http://www.wickedlasers.com/lasers/The_Torch-74-41.html

4100 lumens.
Halogen.
$35 battery.
5 minute battery life.
$150.
4-8 week delivery.
Fry eggs.
Light fires.

I don't get it...

Lots of people would

I've built the equivalent as a hotwire Mag mod. It's fun to burn things :devil:

Nobody should buy the substandard Chinese version from WL. It was started in the glorious days of incand as one of many "let's see if we can do this" projects. Custom modder Mac made the first couple of batches, one of which was featured in the Youtube video getting 620,000+ views. Of course, some Chinese company was going to clone the idea. Many others made their own versions that went way beyond that model--some of which are in the thread linked in my sig.

People who "don't get it," shouldn't get or make one.

Oh yeah, and welcome to CPF! :welcome:

I seem to remember a couple of years back they were asking twice that price and still couldn't keep up with demand.

mvyrmnd said:

Lots of people would

I've built the equivalent as a hotwire Mag mod. It's fun to burn things :devil:

Click to expand...

Yep it sure is... I opted for an overdriven 50w bulb instead as 8A+ will eventually cause the Mag switch assembly to fail (or so I feared)

Would be pretty handy if your stove top ever stopped working. :naughty:

I can find myself purchasing something like that in case of a natural disaster it would have a nice spot in a emergency care package.

Blackbur

I have two of these lights. One is an original Mac's The Torch, and the other a Wicked Lasers version. I originally bought the Mac version because of the workmanship: it's a thing of beauty! I also wanted to see how Mac put together the tailcap switch. The Wicked Lasers version came a little later, and the workmanship is what you'd expect. Overall, these lights are more than a bit dated, but in their day, they were top-notch. I actually think that $150 is a good deal for the wicked lasers version. You get a 100w light, with battery pack and charger.

-John

I consider such a light to be a "fun to have and impress"-light, but not very useful in practice. 5 minutes runtime is just way too short. But yes; it would be fun to try it...

specs:
Battery life - 5 minutes

impractical for normal use, only as a toy

As has been stated 'The Torch' is for all intents and purposes a "Wow" light - intended to be as bright as possible, if only for a short time, and to light fires. Why? Just to prove you can.

This is where the DIY versions can have an upper hand, as by using an AW driver, you can at least have three power levels to back off the power for a little more run time and get some practical usage out of the light.

Alternatively, if there are days when you will only be using the light for normal purposes, you can always fit a bulb or MR16 module with a lower wattage to increase the run time.

this light has not thing special
bi-pin with 100W bulb, and some batteries
arent $150 too much?

Depending on the components used, the price can add up rapidly.

Ignoring the WL Torch for the time being, and looking at a self assembled equivalent, you have the price of the Maglite, the glass lens and the metal reflector. Depending on the source of lens and the type of reflector used, price can vary quite widely on these parts. If you were looking to use the AW multi-level driver, that part is $75 on it's own. Let's not forget that if the suppliers of these items aren't on your door step, you have to include postage. OK, the WLT doesn't have the AW driver, but they still need a revised switch assembly with a socket for the bi-pin bulb. Bulb prices can also vary greatly with prices from as little as $4 to $15 - obviously pays to shop around, but you can see how (buying locally for instance) this could boost the price a bit. You then need a power source, which could be four IMR li-ion cells, 12 high drain NiMH in fivemega battery holder (12AA to 3D battery pack is a $38 item, not to mention the additional cost of boring out the Mag tube to take the battery holder in the first place, though that could be avoided with a 12AA to 4D adapter), or a custom assembled 12-13 cell battery pack (for which the price could be open ended). There is then the price of the charger for your power source (which WL include).

Basically, it all adds up.

Yes, a mass produced item should be cheaper than the above, and no doubt you could make one with budget parts, but for convenience, some people will be happy to be pay extra for the convenience of getting a fully functional light straight out of the box, even if it is missing some possible bells and whistles such as a multi mode driver.