New 200 lumen light at Home Depot

mikekoz · #1 10-13-2008, 03:45 AM

My wife and I were at Home Depot over the weekend and I spotted a few new Husky lights. One store had a few new small lights, but all of them used three AAA's and I had no interest in them. One of the stores had this 2 D light that was labelled a 4 watt Cree LED and 200 lumens. It was only $24.99 so I snagged it! This thing is bright! It is a thrower but has a decent usable spill. It is almost as bright as the 220 lumen rechargeable Dorcy I got at Sears a while back, so the 200 lumen claim may not be too exaggerated. It seems well made and looks like someting that would blast off into space!!

. Here are a few photos:

gilly · #2 10-13-2008, 05:44 AM

Definitely looks like a spacecraft! Too bad they have the metallic/gold? bezel/reflector area - kind of ruins the light's appearance in my opinion. Nice grab, though!

SureAddicted · #3 10-13-2008, 06:04 AM

It does look kinda hodge podge, the bezel doesn't seem to look like the original part of the flashlight. A definitely good buy for $24.99, if it has the non exaggerated 200 lumens.

TONY M · #4 10-13-2008, 06:36 AM

It kind of reminds me of the Rapidfire Spear in some ways.

mikekoz · #5 10-13-2008, 06:52 AM

The bezel and reflector are silver. I am not sure why my photos give it a gold tint!

Mike

Stress_Test · #6 10-13-2008, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TONY M

It kind of reminds me of the Rapidfire Spear in some ways.

+1 to that.

At first I thought he had photo-shopped a picture of a Spear and was pulling our leg!

I'd love to see some more testing on this to compare outputs and throws against known lights (TK11?!?)

Side note: Maglite had better step it up, they're really getting outclassed at the B&M stores, especially if throwers start to appear. Throw seems to have been the last bastion of Mag performance for B&M stuff!

mikekoz · #7 10-13-2008, 08:19 AM

I will try to get some beamshots this eve if there is enough interest!

Mike

copperfox · #8 10-13-2008, 10:38 AM

I would appreciate a beamshot Mike, thanks.

riversedge · #9 10-13-2008, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikekoz

I will try to get some beamshots this eve if there is enough interest!

Mike

You really thought people would say "Nah, that's ok, we don't need no stinking beamshots..."?

TheGreyEminence · #10 10-13-2008, 11:04 AM

Beamshots please

Packet-Storm · #11 10-13-2008, 11:29 AM

I just got this light last week and was going to post a review, but you beat me too it. I'm a noob in the CPF world. I've always had a soft spot for flashlights but I just recently got bit by the "bug". My collection has always been at the local sporting goods store / walmart / home depot level. My Dad did get me the Jetbeam Mk II a while back and I have just ordered a few new lights from DX to get into the higher powered world. Ok so to the review...

I found a great light at Home Depot the other night. Still playing with it to see how it performs, but man is this thing a beast. It really lights up anything within about 50-60 yards. (The beam hotspot is only 8 1/2" wide at 10 ft, so this thing throws really nicely.)

Husky 4 Watt LED (2-D cell batteries)
only $24.00

The light says it is 200lumen (I would guess that is about right, but I don't have anything of the same caliber to compare it too). I compared it to a few other lights I do have (Maglite 2-Dcell with Mag LED, JetBeam MkII AA and a Dorcy 3-"D"cell 3 watt LED). The Dorcy was the only light that came anywhere near this one. It is compared in the photos below. The Maglite didn't register in the picture, the JetBeam was just barely visible.

The light is almost too bright for indoor use. You would truly blind an intruder if he was inside your home and you put it directly into his face (even from 20-30 ft).

Haven't had a good chance to torture test it fully, but I did drop it onto the basement floor (vinyl tile on cement) from shoulder hieght while it was running (6 times). No problems. Also used the light as a hammer and was pounding on some 2x4's and it held up (pounding the bottom cap). I can't get the head off, put it in in the vise and still can't get it loose. Even cranked on it with a large pliers. Seems that the head has glue on the screws.

Runtime:
I ran it on the factory batteries (Eveready Super Heavy Duty D Cell) while I was working. Kept monitoring it every few minutes. The First Hour it was really super bright. Still maintained much better brightness than the 3 Cell Dorcy after 2 1/2 hours. At 3 hours it was a bit less than the Dorcy 3D. Still ran brighter than the JetBeam light until between hour 5 and 6. It was still brighter than the Maglite after running for 7 hours. (And these were crappy batteries.) I'm not sure how many more hours of usable light it would have, but it was still pretty decent after 7 hours. Here is the approxomate breakdown:

Hour 0 - 3 very bright (brighter/comparable to the Dorcy 3D)
Hours 3 - 5 1/2 medium brightness (Better than the JetBeam Mk II)
Hours 5 1/2 + better than my small flashlights and standard D flashlights

Here are my lights that I compared. (All lights are stock, except for the Maglite. It has the Maglite add-on LED and a painted bottom so the kids don't lose it.)

Beam Shots at night while 40ft back from my shed. I had to adjust the camera down to prevent the Husky from washing out the photo. You can see a lot more of the area around each beam, but this gives a relative brightness.

Here is a test from 80 ft. This is only the Dorcy 3D and the Husky. The other lights were not bright enough. First the standard photo, then I zoomed in to get more of a close up (still 80 ft away).

The light in my pics don't do any of the lights justice. There was much greater spill on the sides from all the lights. This was just a relative brightness of the light compared to others. The mag lite was not really that dark, it just happened that if I made it look any brighter, the camera was washing out the Husky to a large bright dot (as is there it is already washed out enough). You do get a representation of the brightness compared to the other lights.

Another note: After dropping the light 6 times onto the basement floor, it lost the crisp beam circle. The beam turned a bit ovalish. I think that this is the LED that is no longer centered, but I'm still just learning.

Here is another shot to give you an idea of the size.

All this for only $24. I can't complain. I now have a new light under my pillow at night. It was great. Some neighbor kids were making too much noise the other night and I lit them up from behind the garage. Man, did they scatter. I could hear them behind their parents house... "dude, what was that??". I guess they will not be hiding there smoking anymore.

Patriot · #12 10-13-2008, 11:41 AM

It looks stylish is a chinese flashlight sorta way. The silver head is interesting and reminds me of the silver reflector of the Spear.

It looks like it throws very well and at that price I might just have to bring one home and throw a couple of AW C cells in there to see what it does. Probably have to remove the spring. I'd be willing to bet that it's direct drive so more than double the voltage could be interesting. Either that or

mikekoz · #13 10-13-2008, 11:50 AM

Great review!!

. I was actually just going to try my hand at some beamshots this eve. I was going to compare it to the 2C Task Force light Lowe's sells for $30.00 that has become "famous" on this forum (this light beats it hands down by the way!). I am much better at daylight photography, but I will see what I can do!

Mike

mikekoz · #14 10-13-2008, 12:02 PM

Runtime:
I ran it on the factory batteries (Eveready Super Heavy Duty D Cell) while I was working.

Interesting! I am using alkalines so they should get about twice the runtime of the heavy duty batteries. Now I am wondering how this baby would do an a set of standard D NIMH's!!

Too bad there is no such thing as lithium D cells!!

Mike

wild68fury · #15 10-13-2008, 12:15 PM

http://www.batteries.com/productprof...p?appid=368604

You will need a dummy cell as this is 3.6 volts.

I would like to see a runtime graph with a few different batteries.

Anyone have this light and a light meter to see if it is regulated or not?

Wyeast · #16 10-13-2008, 04:43 PM

I've been curious about this light since I first saw it a few days ago. Thanks for the postings! If the build quality is solid, we may have a new king of the budget/beater throwers. I'd love to see a comparison with a Task Force 2C. (if someone has both. If not, I might have to bite the bullet)

LED BriCK · #17 10-13-2008, 05:16 PM

To Packet-Storm:

and really great first post!

thezman · #18 10-13-2008, 05:41 PM

Reverse or forward clickie?

EngrPaul · #19 10-13-2008, 06:32 PM

Looks like a good value. Thanks for sharing!

jayb79 · #20 10-13-2008, 07:19 PM

That is one ugly light, but i have to have one.

Something to look for next time i am at the depot. Great review by the way

nzo012 · #21 10-13-2008, 07:38 PM

What does your spot beam look like? Mine has artifacts beginning at about 10 ft. and gets more noticeable with distance. I don't know if that's the norm? or I just got one that was centered crappy?

MorePower · #22 10-13-2008, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wild68fury

http://www.batteries.com/productprof...p?appid=368604

You will need a dummy cell as this is 3.6 volts.

I would like to see a runtime graph with a few different batteries.

Anyone have this light and a light meter to see if it is regulated or not?

That's actually a pretty poor choice for this application. The capacity of that cell is 17Ah, but at a very low rate. At a discharge of only 250mA, the capacity is only 8.5Ah, which is far less than you'd get out of 2 alkaline D cells at the same rate. Alkaline D cells have a capacity of ~8.5Ah at a discharge rate of 1000mA.

lumenal · #23 10-13-2008, 08:05 PM

Checked this 2D light out at HD today...what a tank!

The battery tube seemed larger in diameter than a 2D Mag.

You could hit softballs with this thing while waiting for it to get dark!

Packet-Storm · #24 10-13-2008, 08:15 PM

This light also has the benefit of a major chain store backing. Buy it and then if you don't like it or it does not function as you hoped...bring it back.

I'm torn on the look. I think the light is Fugly (f'ing ugly). Hopefully they will get another model of that one without the big shiny end.

mikekoz · #25 10-13-2008, 08:17 PM

Well, I tried to get some beam shots of the Husky VS The Lowes 2C Cree, but failed!

I am pretty good with a camera during the day (I take wildlife photos in my spare time), but no go at night. Most of the time my camera would not even take the shot. I was using a Panasonic LZ30 and a Minolta Maxxum 7D, but I guess I need lessons for taking night shots. I will try again tomorrow eve. To answer a few of the questions some folks had:

1. It has a forward clickie
2. The beam is not perfect as it has some rings, but in practical use outdoors, this has no affaect on its usefullness.

And just for the heck of it:

Mike

Packet-Storm · #26 10-13-2008, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thezman

Reverse or forward clickie?

It has only one mode. When you press the button it starts to turn on. You can use it for temporary purpose without fully pressing the button. Then release and it is back off. I think that is forward (but I'm just a noob).

EngrPaul · #27 10-13-2008, 08:19 PM

I came back to look at the light, giving it a second try.

"Beauty is in the eyes of the..." Wait,

sorry

The thing really looks pieced together. And I'm not sure I want to be carrying around a light that is labeled with a common reference to a person of size.

Maybe, I get it and hide it in the corner of the garage.

streetmaster · #28 10-13-2008, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EngrPaul

I came back to look at the light, giving it a second try.

"Beauty is in the eyes of the..." Wait,

sorry

The thing really looks pieced together. And I'm not sure I want to be carrying around a light that is labeled with a common reference to a person of size.

Maybe, I get it and hide it in the corner of the garage.

"Husky" is actually a breed of dog.

But I bet you already knew that.

Hellbore · #29 10-13-2008, 09:32 PM

You people are bad.

After reading this I couldn't resist... just got back from the corner Home Depot and I'm not the proud owner of a brand spanking new light saber... umm I mean fatso... I mean, HUSKY!

This light is pretty bright for the cost, I'm impressed! It's about equally as bright as my Cree-modded Elly that runs direct-drive off 14500 lithium cells.

The difference is, my cree-modded Elly has a white color and a nice smooth transition between hotspot and flood. The Husky, on the other hand, is GREEN!! Most green of any of my LED lights. And the beam is VERY ringy! Rings all over!

Still, for an off-the-shelf $24 light, it's bright and useful!

Good times... Another good x-mas present idea...

EDIT: I do not recognize this LED emitter... Is this a Cree? It looks like a Cree, but my other Cree XR-E emitters have phosphor visible all over the place, not just on the die itself, but on the substrate (if that's what it is called). The whole area you see through the emitter's bubble is covered in phosphor. The Husky, on the other hand, ONLY has phosphor on the square top of the die. Wierd... I wonder if that's why it is so green?

Where my other Cree emitters have phosphor, this one has very shiny silver color. On the other hand, my Cree emitters are all a year or two old or more.

SuperTorch · #30 10-13-2008, 09:55 PM

Regulation? I'm for sure headed to buy one tomorrow 2 D's will offer very good run times and my brother needs one, and I need one, to go with my TaskForce 2C Cree and 6 otherlights. Does it come with batereis or a sheath? I kinda like the looks of it, they stay with the rocket ship them top to bottom and thick aluminum is always good.