Accidental "BRIGHTENING" discovery CMG INFINITY

[brightnorm]

I was initially disappointed at my Infinity's dullness and in an irritated moment "overtightened" it.
Well! All of a sudden it was literally twice as bright. Puzzled and intrigued, like a good Flashaholic I started fussing with it. I was able to get three and sometimes four distinct levels of brightness out of it.
I thought the heavy vaseline-like lube it came with might have interfered with electrical contact, and that tightening allowed the + battery terminal to push through the sludge, so to speak.

At this "newly discovered" brightness level, while still significantly dimmer than the ARC AAA, at least it was no longer "absurdly dimmer".

I tore open the package of a second Infinity, originally intended as a gift, stuck in a fresh battery and..voila! The exact same effect.

Is it possible to use the Infinity in one of these "dim modes" and have it last 100 hours?

At any rate, I now feel a lot better about my Infinity. Any similar experiences, or reactions? (I know, I'm probably screwing things up if I don't insist on full contact).

Brightnorm

 

[007]

I've thrown my "Infinity" lite in the glove box and it will probably never get used again, unless it's the only lite I can find in a pinch.

Simply put - the out put is mighty tired! and yes- I discovered the same bolongna as you regarding the level of brightness by "screwing" with the tightness of the lamp head.\

For everyday use the ARC AAA and the PT Attitude beat the living s#$% out of the Infinity.

James

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Agreed 007. The CMG-Infinity is a big disapointment. I gave my Infinity to my kid, she uses it play with in the backyard --however, she complains that her light is not as bright as mine (mine is an ARC AAA LE)

 

[vcal]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by brightnorm:
Is it possible to use the Infinity in one of these "dim modes" and have it last 100 hours?
At any rate, I now feel a lot better about my Infinity. Any similar experiences, or reactions? (I know, I'm probably screwing things up if I don't insist on full contact).
Brightnorm<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I discovered the same phenonenon
on my old amber Infinity when I took it out of mothballs and converted it to a super long-lasting lightstick. It's "adjustable" and can glow NICELY for 3-4 days straight, if set "right".

 

[Spork]

my infinity is close to the brightness of my arc. I have the smoked case (silver color) which I have read is slighly brighter than the others because its more reflective. the arc looks to be a different shade of white making it look brighter. the infinity also has a bigger beam than the arc. I think the main advantage of the arc over the infinity is its small size. it would be much better to carry on your keys. the infinity last so long a regulated output isnt even needed. I would say i like both lights equally. I think im going to start carrying my lights in a sheath though so the smaller size of the arc doesn't matter much. carrying a lot on your keys couldnt be good on the switch in your car. now the attitude stomps both lights put together and is even cheaper than the arc! it will be my carry light once i find a good sheath, any suggestions?

 

[ikendu]

I too really like both the Arc and the Infinity. I just got a new Blue/Green (turqoise?) Infinity and a turqoise Arc.

The Arc is clearly brighter...and brighter is always good...Yes? Hmmm.

However, the Infinity has a number of advantages:
1. AA - cheapest source of milliamps!
2. AA - Lithium available for shelf life and cold weather usage (great car light for all out dependability)
3. Infinity... 'usefully bright' (especially Blue/Green)
4. The 41 hour life...great for camping away from a source of batteries (on Lithium...120 hrs?).
5. Not too bright (heresy on this forum???)
You can read with it. Walk around with it. Preserve your night vision.
6. Solid construction, smooth turning engagement of the head...really quality.
7. Price...best price on Infinity $13...Arc $20
8. Infinity supplied with clip & lanyard...both really useful

The Infinity IS a bit large for a keychain light...but the Photon Microlight is such an amazing keychain unit...why not use it for THAT purpose? The Arc makes a great keychain light too, especially if you have it on so much that you are always changing batteries (AAA way easier to change and cheaper to buy).

I like them both. The Infinity really does have a place in the world if you can get past the fact that it is not the brightest available. Although...the Blue/Green makes a real difference (my older, yellow one IS just a bit TOO dim; just a bit).

BTW...I don't have one of the new Attitudes but they DO look like a really great light as well. Although...just how tough would that plastic body be (might let you down in a pinch if you stepped on it wrong)?

 

[Spork]

the attitudes are made from lexan plastic, not as strong as a good metal flashlight but still very durable. I have thought about a photon 2 or a pelican l1 for my keys. is the pelican smaller than a infinity? for 9.99 from bright guy it looks like a great deal. whats the cheapest you can get lr44 and the photon batteries for?

 

[vcal]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by mrchri5:
the attitudes are made from lexan plastic, not as strong as a good metal flashlight but still very durable. I have thought about a photon 2 or a pelican l1 for my keys. is the pelican smaller than a infinity? for 9.99 from bright guy it looks like a great deal. whats the cheapest you can get lr44 and the photon batteries for?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The Pelican L1 is about 2/3 the size of Infinity. I like it because of it's very light weight, rugged construction and easy tail button activation as well as ease of changing batteries -which I get at 10 for $2. Output is about th same as Photon II. Never could decide which I liked better, so I just carry both of 'em

 

[Spork]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by vcal:
I like it because of it's very light weight, rugged construction and easy tail button activation as well as ease of changing batteries -which I get at 10 for $2. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
wow where do you find them for that cheap? I'm having a hard time deciding which keychain light I want. I just want something simple, cheap, effective but there isn't one.
infinity - to big
pelican - a little to big and expensive batteries
photon 2 -expensive batteries
photon 3 -heard bad things about this light, like the chip sucks, more expesnive than p2 and has more problems
arc -over all great light, but the photon 2 is smaller and only 11.99 right now from tts. I'm looking towards a photon 2 but the cheapest i can find the batteries is 1.95 from brightguy. any suggestions on where to get them? online or a local store that might sell them cheap. if my keys are ever lost or stolen its bad enough and then living with the fact that I would have lost a 25 dollar key chain light would drive me nuts.

 

[vcal]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by mrchri5:

Originally posted by vcal:
[qb] I like it because of it's very light weight, rugged construction and easy tail button activation as well as ease of changing batteries -which I get at 10 for $2.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
wow where do you find them for that cheap? I'm having a hard time deciding which keychain light I want. I just want something simple, cheap, effective but there isn't one.
infinity - to big
pelican - a little to big and expensive batteries
photon 2 -expensive batteries
I'm looking towards a photon 2 but the cheapest i can find the batteries is 1.95 from brightguy. any suggestions on where to get them? [/QB]

You should not be paying more that a buck apiece for those Li-2016/2032s. Hosfelt is very good on battery prices, but for thos LR44s try: www.bgmicro.com item #BAT1015
(10-$1.99)

 

[Gandalf]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by mrchri5:
whats the cheapest you can get lr44 and the photon batteries for?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I founda card of 6 LR44 at my local Target store for only $2. It's with the office supplies, for some strange reason. I've seen it at another Target, so it's not just a 'freak stock accident' They are on a hang package, about an inch wide, and 4 or 5 inches long. I hope you can get them too, as I've only seen them this cheap on the 'net if you buy like 25 at a time.

 

[Empath]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Gandalf:
I founda card of 6 LR44 at my local Target store for only $2. It's with the office supplies, for some strange reason. I've seen it at another Target, so it's not just a 'freak stock accident' They are on a hang package, about an inch wide, and 4 or 5 inches long. I hope you can get them too, as I've only seen them this cheap on the 'net if you buy like 25 at a time.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

They display them next to the lasers. The lasers are placed in stationary/office supplies because they're considered instructional aids. At least, that's the connection I see.

 

[Chingyul]

i'm pretty sure this guy on ebay has 100 sony cr2016 for 12 bucks.
look under "cr 2016"

 

[brightnorm]

I was working on a lengthy response to these posts when somehow I erased it. That'll teach me to not first compose in Word.

Very briefly: The brightest small (4 5/8" x 3/4") LED light BY FAR is the INOVA X5. It literally blows every other small light out of the water. It is my primary everyday carry LED torch. I also always carry my Photon II (not III- what you've heard is true, though with a little more R&D it might evolve into a really superior product).

After these lights I still haven't decided between 3 others:
My Arc AAA-LE is a remarkable light, but 5 hours could be a problem depending on circuumstances. (The Inova also will go for approximately 5 strong hrs before it goes into a "Reg. Circuit type slump".

Are any of you familiar with the PT Clipper 3? (There are also Clipper 2 and Clipper 1 depending on # of LED's.) This thing has a strong spring clip attached to a ball &socket joint. Very useful for clipping it almost anywhere. I very carefully hacksawed off the clip assembly leaving a smooth back, very convenient for pocket or belt (holster) carry. This way the light measures 3" x 1". It is BRIGHT, just about as bright as the Attitude. I gave them both a 16Hr. runtest at the end of which the outputs were surprisingly equal with the Attitude (4 Alkaline AAA's) having a slight lead over the Clipper 3 (3 Alkaline AA's. They both were still bright and had considerable runtime left in them. Impressive.

I may simply carry different lights in different circumstances. I also carry the Asp Taclite every day; it's an incandescent 2x123A lithium light with the brightest spot beam of any of the small tactical 2-Lithium lights.

Brightnorm

 

[Spork]

wow some amazing deals on ebay for those batteries. i could find 10 cr2016 for 4.50 plus 3 dollars shipping, not to bad. i also found like 60 of those button batteries for about 7 dollars. I hear somewhere that they make lr44 nimh cells. is that true? if so where can you get them? i was thinking they might perform better in a l1 or for my laser pointer. I think I will order a photon 2 and a l1 with christmas money, if i dont get them both I probably won't be happy.

 

[vcal]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by mrchri5:
I hear somewhere that they make lr44 nimh cells. is that true? if so where can you get them? i was thinking they might perform better in a l1 or for my laser pointer. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I use those NiMH cells in my L1, and they work just great.
The only place, so far that I've seen selling them is All Electronics Corp. item # NMH-11 at www.allelectronics.com -they are 6 for $1.50
-BUT...., they only come in a power strip of 6, so you will have to carefully extract them from the pack, in order to use them. (they are connected together in a 7.2v power strip-as in "spot-welded") It will probably take you 45min. to do it right. But the results are well worth it!
-AND, of course, you will need to have a way to charge them. (They need about 10mA for about 5 hours),-I use a small solar charger under an incandescent lamp, and that works just fine.
I've given some away to other CPF members, and they really seem to like 'em:>)

 

[ikendu]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by mrchri5:

I'm having a hard time deciding which keychain light I want. I just want something simple, cheap, effective

photon 2 -expensive batteries

arc -over all great light, but the photon 2 is smaller [/QB]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think your answer turns on how much you expect to use a "keychain" light.

If you just need a light to find a keyhole or read a theatre program once in a while...likely the Photon II is for you. It gives 124 hrs on Red or 12 hrs on White. If you used it 4 times a week for 30 seconds each time that is 1.7 hrs of light per year. Even a 12 hr runtime will last you almost 6 years on that first battery. The Red one would last you over 71 years (the shelf life is only 10 years for the lithium battery).

If however, you are burning a "keychain" flashlight over an hour every week, you might want the ARC AAA. The batteries are way cheaper and way easier to change (than Photon II). You can even use rechargeables and operate for a VERY long time on your first set of AAAs.

 

[cave dave]

My old infinity had the same dimming glitch but it was completely unpredictable when it would happen. And beside I don't want a dimmer infinity I want a brighter infinity. I mean if 41hrs not enough? I sent it back for a smoke silver one with the redesigned contact ( + end towards front) and its been more reliable. It is now semi permanently mounted on my caving helmet as an always on safety backup.

If mrchri5 has an infinity as bright as a arc then he ether got an amazing infinity or a defective arc.

Off topic: Not as cheap as the web, but Lowe's Home improvement megastore has CR2016 for $1.17. I think I've seen them similarly priced at Office Depot. The Target's in Virginia also has the cards of 6 LR44's for $2.00

The photon II has a permanent place on my keychain and I only replace the batteries once a year or so. If I am going someplace where I know I'll need some light I usually bring something else though. I don't use the Arc aaa as a daily carry, but the Arc is always with me if I'm camping, backpacking, caving. Though I'm usually carrying some other lights as well.

I am a flashaholic after all.

 

[brightnorm]

cave dave,

What lights to you take on those various activities (caving,camping, back packing)?

Also , have you used the LB Clipper 3 or the Attitude?

Best regards,
Brightnorm

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I have earlier generation (white and yellow led) and later generation (silver anodized white led) CMG Infinity. Looking inside and feeling inside the tube with a small screwdriver I would say that the difference between the two generations is the flat inside bottom tube of the earlier gen while later or current generation has domed rising to the center inside bottom tube.

Positive side of battery goes in first to tube of older generation Infinity while new generation has battery going in negative side first. I think that's the reason for the domed inside bottom tube of new generation Infinity. So, it doesn't matter if the negative side of Energizer AA battery is not protruded as much as other brands. It'll only take a few more twists of head to turn it ON.

- verge -