asdalton
Flashlight Enthusiast
I got one of these at Wal-Mart today. I'm pleasantly surprised. I don't know how consistent the LED tints will be, but I think that mine is W0 or something close to it. The throw is quite good and matches the KL1 running on one cell. The beam is not perfectly centered and has a few artifacts (concentric rings in the sidespill), but otherwise it's very useable. The center hotspot is both tight and smooth. Attention flashlight manufacturers* everywhere: smooth reflectors are the way to go with Luxeons!
The switch has a small negative--it's clicky only with no momentary mode. But otherwise it feels solid.
I can see a resistor inside the head behind the LED. I loaded the battery carrier up with three Energizer lithium L92 cells and tested it out. The beam gets brighter, but not super bright. The resistor is doing its job. This is a safer arrangement than true direct drive (no added resistor). Lithiums appear to be a safe option if you want brighter output and a flatter discharge.
Overall, this seems to be a practical flashlight and a great deal for what you get. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
* especially if your name begins with "S" and ends in "urefire". /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
The switch has a small negative--it's clicky only with no momentary mode. But otherwise it feels solid.
I can see a resistor inside the head behind the LED. I loaded the battery carrier up with three Energizer lithium L92 cells and tested it out. The beam gets brighter, but not super bright. The resistor is doing its job. This is a safer arrangement than true direct drive (no added resistor). Lithiums appear to be a safe option if you want brighter output and a flatter discharge.
Overall, this seems to be a practical flashlight and a great deal for what you get. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
* especially if your name begins with "S" and ends in "urefire". /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif