ST Scorpion beam quality.

Stream

Enlightened
Joined
Dec 26, 2004
Messages
645
Location
Sweden
I just bought two of these (one for myself and one for my brother). This is my first lithium battery light and it completely blows away every other light that I own (3 and 4 D cell MagLites lights included). It's also my first light with a textured reflector, not like the faceted ones that generally produce a lousy but slightly better than smooth reflector beam quality.

One of the two Scorpions that I bought produces a reasonably round spot of light when focused right, the other one has a hole in the middle that can't be focused out without making lots of shapes on one side. I tried fiddling about with the bulb a bit to see if I could center it, but it doesn't really help. The example of this light reviewed on flashlightreviews.com was reported to have excellent beam quality and produce a perfect round spot of light. I realize that a cheap light like this can't be perfectly reproduced without some manufacturing irregularities, but do more expensive lights have more consistent beam characteristics or is it always a lottery?
 

Stingray

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Nov 21, 2002
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Chicago
Try switching the bulb with the spare one in the light and see if it helps. If it does, then it's just a rogue bulb, if not, send it back for a new one. Their warranty service is excellent in my experience.
 

Quickbeam

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Jun 19, 2001
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FlashlightReviews.com
Streamlight has a lifetime warranty. I would definitely contact them about replacing it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

Stream

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Dec 26, 2004
Messages
645
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Sweden
I tried what Stingray said and it worked like a charm, my Scorpion now produces a nice round spot of light. Thanks, Ray! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
I studied the old bulb to see if I could see anything that looked off-center, but it must be so minute that you wouldn't be able to see it with the eye. Are these "rogue" bulbs common? Also, while my Scorpion does produce a nice roundish spot of light it is visibly fussy around the edges and inside the spot (but no holes). Is it supposed to be that way?

Anyway, thanks again!
 

jayflash

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Oct 4, 2003
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Two Rivers, Wisconsin
Bad bulbs are considered to be common knowledge but not frequent occurrences. Your beam description seems normal and similar to mine. At distances this fuzz blends into a nice, smooth, spot.

Stream, do you know there is a spare lamp under the metal cap for the positive contact?

BTW, the Scorp was my first 123 cell light, too. I bought it two months before joining the CPF and it's still one of my favorite lights.
 

Stream

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Joined
Dec 26, 2004
Messages
645
Location
Sweden
Jayflash wrote:
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Bad bulbs are considered to be common knowledge but not frequent occurrences. Your beam description seems normal and similar to mine. At distances this fuzz blends into a nice, smooth, spot.

[/ QUOTE ]
Thanks, Jay, that's nice to know /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[ QUOTE ]
Stream, do you know there is a spare lamp under the metal cap for the positive contact?{

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Yes, I know about the spare bulb under the metal contact on the positive end -- It's the one I used to replace the bad bulb. Although it was a bit hard to locate the spare bulb at first, I had to look in the instruction booklet to find out exactly where it was located. I put the old bulb back in it's place, so that I still have a backup bulb.

[ QUOTE ]
BTW, the Scorp was my first 123 cell light, too. I bought it two months before joining the CPF and it's still one of my favorite lights.

[/ QUOTE ]

I can understand why, I love this light. It's extremely bright, yet small enough for EDC, it looks and feels very well built, and the threads are well cut. I just got it in the mail on Monday and I've been playing with it since lol. The review said "consider this a pocket sized 4D Mag" but it pretty much beats the heck out of my 4D Mag. Aside from a big 2million CP rechargeable spotlight (which doesn't count as a flashlight, IMO) this is the brightest light I have now. I'm still on the same set of batteries and it's getting close to 3D Mag brightness now, so I guess it's time to change the batteries soon /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

You can't buy 123 cell flashlights in any store, anywhere in Norway. There is only one Norwegian website that sells this light, and if I had bought it there I would have had to fork out over $100 for it. Luckily I found a good ebay seller that would ship abroad for a reasonable price. Also, 123 cells cost 15 dollars each over here, but thanks to the good people here at CPF I've found a good dealer where I can get BatteryStation 123s for $1.40 each (including shipping to Norway).

Thanks again, guys /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

JasonC8301

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 13, 2001
Messages
1,218
Location
NYC
I also recommend Streamlights warranty service. My Scorpion was my first 123 light purchased from a fellow CPF'er about 3 years ago. It sits in my draw now still in its original package with an entirely brand new head assembly and new rubber body. The only thing factory would be the body metal tube and lamp holder, everything else has been replaced with new stuff.

The one downside about the Scorpion would be that the rubber body cover would slip off after repeated use. So to fix this I bought a Pelican M6 incandescent when it first came out, then I lost that and replaced it with a Surefire E2e. Then I sold that and now my primary light is a Surefire U2.

All my lights in general haven't had any beam problems. I am sure it does happen but its a very small number. The same goes for Luxeon LED's, lots of color varitation from blue to green to yellow tints. I have been lucky so far in both cases, no problems with any lights and the tints on my LED's are good.

So you now have a Streamlight Scorpion. Stock up on Battery Station batteries and then hide your wallet. Unless you want to start an obsession that never seems to end. I thought a flashlight was a flashlight until I got the Scorpion.......
 
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