Sneak Peek - Tektite ''LS4''

Sneak Peek - Tektite \'\'LS4\'\'

Hiya folks! Hot off the presses, not yet released! Just received a Tektite Excursion LS4 for review. This is an Excursion (Aluminum) with a Luxeon III LED module.

Not even out of the box yet, so I can just tell you what's on the package. It uses a Luxeon III with an advertised 4 Watts of output, 10 hours bright output + 10 more hours lower output, Waterproof, 10 deg beam. About the size of a 2-D mag, runs on 3-D cells.

More info to come but it looks like one sweet light!

Official release date unknown, so you won't see any of these out there just yet.

The good news is: Luxeon IIIs are starting to show up in production lights!!! Yea!!!

Re: Sneak Peak - Tektite \"LS4\"

3watts in, 4 watts out? Hurry up and post review!

Re: Sneak Peak - Tektite \"LS4\"

I thought that the LuxeonIII was NOT a Luxeon 3W. Certainly the generic term for Luxeon 1W and Luxeon 5W are a simplification, but the LuxeonIII is not generically called the Luxeon 3W.

Best to use the term "LuxeonIII" unless they really are 3W right?

Al

Re: Sneak Peak - Tektite \"LS4\"

I agree with AL. There is already too much bogus info floating around about the Luxeon III.

So are they really calling their light the LS4? Must be a typo because they wouldn't want to use an Arc product name. Surly Tektite is more original than that!

Peter

Re: Sneak Peak - Tektite \"LS4\"

[ QUOTE ]
I thought that the LuxeonIII was NOT a Luxeon 3W. Certainly the generic term for Luxeon 1W and Luxeon 5W are a simplification, but the LuxeonIII is not generically called the Luxeon 3W.

Best to use the term "LuxeonIII" unless they really are 3W right?

Al

[/ QUOTE ]

That's what I always thought and was told, so I too refer to them as LuxIIIs, even though a LuxIII with a 'K' binned vf running at 860ma is 3 watts.

Can anyone explain why calling LuxIIIs 3Watters is "incorrect"? Is it because they are rated at 700ma? Then again they are also rated at 1A too.

Sorry to steer off topic but I'd really like to know the "real" answer.

Re: Sneak Peak - Tektite \"LS4\" *DELETED*

Post deleted by batterystation

Re: Sneak Peak - Tektite \"LS4\"

Think thier calling it LS4 because its run at 4 watts. I wonder if anyone has done a review of it? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/poke2.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif

Ken

Re: Sneak Peak - Tektite \"LS4\"

[ QUOTE ]
Badbeams said:
Think thier calling it LS4 because its run at 4 watts. I wonder if anyone has done a review of it? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/poke2.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
Looks like Quickbeam has one and will be doing a review on it shortly. I don't have one of these yet, so please don't go to my site looking for it. Go to my site if you're looking for something else, but not a Tektite LS4. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Re: Sneak Peak - Tektite \"LS4\"

Well, Tektite has a MagmaLED copy and is calling theirs the original, under a different name. It actually looks like a MagmaLED too.

Re: Sneak Peak - Tektite \"LS4\"

One of these just turned up at the front door earlier this afternoon, which was a very pleasent surprise as I wasn`t expecting it! It had help from the postman getting here but you get the idea /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif Craig, keep an eye out, you`ll probably get one soon too.

First impressions - Tektite aren`t lying when they say they aim to produce the world`s most rugged flashlight. This thing is built like a tank, machined from solid aluminum with a thick Lexan head protected in a rubber shroud. Fraen optic over the Luxeon-III LED, producing a smooth and nicely focussed beam with some reasonable side-spill too. Unfortunately it`s a little pink tinted (why are mine always pink?!) but it`s bright and probably throws a good way so I`m not complaining.

It`s the middle of the day and the sun`s shining so I can`t comment much further on its performance yet. But it beats the 19-LED Tektite Expedition 1900 hands down, and a side by side comparison shone up on the celing looks like it`s as bright as the SureFire L5 too, with a similar hotspot!

Quite big and heavy, but with a very long advertised run-time, and a depth rating of a thousand feet. Looks like a winner to me!

Photos and beamshots coming soon.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Re: Sneak Peak - Tektite \"LS4\"

Maybe the 4 watts refers to the draw on the batts. It might be 3W at the Luxeon after the voltage dropping resistors (assuming that's how this light is setup).

Re: Sneak Peak - Tektite \"LS4\"

I don`t want to steal Doug`s praise, but if I don`t do this now it might be a while before you see it on the TRS.





I messed up the white-balance for the following, but they`re only really there to compare hotspot size and brightness, what with the Luxeon Lottery and all...









I honestly don`t know where my light-meter went so can`t give you a reading. It sure is bright though, and probably lives up to its 80-lumen output claim, at least initially. I have my concerns about the heatsinking - there`s a lot of metal in the body but the thermal path between Star board and body isn`t too good from what I can tell, so even though the big D cells won`t sag too fast, the build-up of heat could cause a noticeble drop in brightness. Just an initial observation though, testing hasn`t really begun yet. Watch this space (and the orange space linked down there) as they say...

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Re: Sneak Peak - Tektite \"LS4\"

Just measured the current draw. Looks like about 700-750mA. Assuming the cell voltage doesn`t drop too far - let`s say 4.3 volts (is that a good guess? I`m not sure, it`s hard to measure it), that makes it around 3.2 watts. A little short of the 4 watt claim. Of course this current was measured with a load of bad, improvised connections and could turn out to be a bit low thanks to all the added resistance in those ancient clips. I`ll have a better try in the future.

Re: Sneak Peak - Tektite \"LS4\"

Oh sure! Step away for a couple of days and Chris steals all my glory! Hmph!

As for Al, well, he's a known nitpicker! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif I removed the 3 watt reference from my first post just for you! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink2.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/poke2.gif

As for the review - it's still not quite in it's final form, but here it is:

http://flashlightreviews3.home.att.net/reviews/tektite_excls4.htm

I state this in the review, but just an FYI - this 3-D LED light puts out about as much light overall as a MAG 4D per my Lightbox. Doesn't have the same throw due to the optics, but that's a lot of light.

I agree that the thermal path isn't the greatest, but after running it for 1/2 hour and then taking the module quickly out and handling it, I didn't find it to be much more than warm. The body near the module did get warm, so some of the heat is definitely being drawn into the aluminum body.

Enjoy!

Re: Sneak Peak - Tektite \"LS4\"

[ QUOTE ]
Quickbeam said:
Oh sure! Step away for a couple of days and Chris steals all my glory! Hmph!

[/ QUOTE ]
A few moments ago (5:02pm PST), my doorbell went off, and it was the Federal Express dude with a box from Tektite for me. And inside that box is the new LS4. So I'll soon have it on my site for all to gawk at. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
So now I'll have to compete with Chris and you for all the glory on this. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Re: Sneak Peak - Tektite \"LS4\"

Looks nice but I think the price is too steep at $191. No regulation, not even a switch. But if it catches on the price might drop. I think CCrane has had half price sales before on the aluminum 19 LED tektite version.

Re: Sneak Peak - Tektite \"LS4\"

$ 191 ? Twist to on ?

I don't think it would sell well at half that.

Re: Sneak Peak - Tektite \"LS4\"

yeah. way too steep actually.
Wayne's selling a 3watt 2x123 light for $40..
what in the world warrants Tektite's LS4 to go for almost $200?

Re: Sneak Peek - Tektite \'\'LS4\'\'

I now have a preliminary page about the LS4 right here if anyone's interested.

Re: Sneak Peek - Tektite \'\'LS4\'\'

The Excursion LS4 is $179.95 MSRP, just to clear up any misunderstandings. Most of the cost for the Excursion series comes from the machined body. The Excursion Pro with 19 Nichia LEDs still sells nicely at $199, thank you. I know we get dissed by many for "lack of switch...", "no regulation...", ...unsophisticated...", etc., But what those people don't "get" is that we build lights for use in some of the roughest situations you can imagine and engineer for. Our motto says it for us. In these situation, simpler is best. Take anyone else's comparable light to 500 ft. on a commercial diver's tool belt, or run it over in the middle east with an M1 tank, and you'll understand why we build them as we do.

The Excursion LS4 is also available in a machined Billet-stock Titanium body for $450, for those who believe the aluminum body is too wimpy. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif