Big News for Australians - Launch of the Mark VI Eveready Dolphin

[AvPD]

do you guys run yours with lantern batteries? or do you use a 4D(NiMH) adaptor?

Mine didn't come with a 4D adapter, so lantern batteries.

 

[lctorana]

Lantern batteries, of course!

Cheaper, nearly double the run-time, and more than triple the shelf life.

 

[Burgess]

Very interesting !


Thank you for sharing.


:wave:



BTW,


i had always thought your ScreenName was Ictorana.


Now i know it's a LowerCase L.


Oops, sorry.

_

 

[AvPD]

i had always thought your ScreenName was Ictorana.
_

FYI there was an Australian car in the 70's called the Torana.

 

[Glen C]

Slightly off topic but further to AvPD comments, LC was a model of the Torana with the GTR XU1 and A9X Torana being quite cult cars here in Australia. There has been a GM design study doing the rounds of shows in Aus which is trying to revive the Torana name, it is a small 3.6 V6 twin turbo rwd meant to be a 3 series competitor. Who knows if it will get off the ground.

I am a lantern battery fan for Dolphins too, now if only they made a lithium ion lantern battery!

 

[lctorana]

Completely OT, my first car was an LC Torana.

"lctorana" has been my internet nic as long as I've used the net.

 

[dlrflyer]

Just curious, are Dolphin Rechargeables still produced? What is the charger setup like? Metal reflector?

 

[lctorana]

I haven't heard anything about the Dolphin Rechargeable - whether it will be discontinued, whether it will soldier on in Mk V guise, or will we see a Mk VI version soon?

Anyway, I have seen the MkVs in Bunnings for A$88 recently, but no discounts, so feel free to draw your own conclusions. But the D.R. is Eveready Australia's flagship, so I expect it to continue. (I love mine!)

The on-button has a see-through neoprene(?) cover, through which the charging indicator lights show.

A 6V, 4.2Ah SLA sits in the battery well, topped by a charge controller / discharge cutout circuit, incorporating the charging jack.

This means you have to take the head off to charge the torch, but before you think this is a crude or primitive arrangement, please remember this is a genuine Dolphin we are talking about, this torch has to be completely watertight, as yes Virginia, even the Rechargeable Dolphin floats.

(A slight digression - another poster asked whether the Dolphin still floats. The answer is yes - and that is why the torch has grown in recent restyles - the extra bouyancy offsets the weight of the 529-style 4F alkaline battery - a MkV (at least) will float even with an alkaline battery on board)

Supplied with the torch are a 12V 700mA wall wart, colour-matched to the torch body, and a 12V cigarette lighter cord.

The reflector and bulbholder, indeed the whole head is identical with the standard Dolphin, apart from colour. It is just silvered plastic. This is why I am so confident in telling people that you can go up to a 10W bulb without melting a reflector.

Interestingly, Eveready's claim on the pack for the HPR71 bulb is "300% brighter than the standard vacuum bulb". Now that is the (argon) PR12 at 38.1 bulb lumens, so note that Eveready doesn't claim anything like the 210 bulb lumens that Philips do. Their "300%" claim is in the same ballpark as the 162 b.l. that I interpolated from L.L.'s destructive test data.

If Eveready were to upgrade the Rechageable Dolphin, the next step up in brightness would be to a 15W HPR72 bulb, which I think would require a metal reflector, but would cut the runtime a lot. Mind you, we would be looking at 320 claimed bulb lumens... But unless Eveready can find more than 4.2Ah of batteries to fill that space, I expect the same spec to be retained.

 

[Burgess]

Thank you to everyone for the quick history lesson
on the Aussie Torana !

:twothumbs


Did a bit of "googling", and came up with this interesting link:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_Torana



Now, it all makes sense ! ! !



I am (or at least, was) a bit of a car enthusiast myself,

but my knowledge is/was pretty much limited to American vehicles,
and the better-known foreign models.



Thanks to you fine folks,
now i know that they have cars in Australia !




( just kidding, just kidding )




Now, back on topic . . . .


Are you saying the Eveready Dolphin 6v lantern
is more popular than the 2-D cell flashlights ? ? ?


If so, that is truly incredible ! :wow:



As i mentioned in a previous "Dolphin post",
i have 2 of 'em, bought in 1977 and 1983.

Although the USA ones simply have the catchy name of

Model # 108

rather than the much cooler Dolphin moniker. :shrug:

Musta' been a "Corporate Decision".


Oh, both of mine came with PR-13 bulbs.

The PR-12 bulbs, mentioned above, were always for 5-cell lights.



Too bad the EverLED bulbs are (still) so darned expen$ive.

_

 

[lctorana]

Are you saying the Eveready Dolphin 6v lantern
is more popular than the 2-D cell flashlights ? ? ?

Yes, far and away more popular. No single torch model even approaches the Dolphin for market share in Australia, and I gather it is also a strong seller in NZ.

It may well be that all 2D (or 2AA or whatever) torches put together may outsell all 4F torches put together, but market share information on that is not available.

What's the #1 selling torch in the USA?
I'm guessing it's one of the Maglites.

...the USA ones simply have the catchy name of
Model # 108 rather than the much cooler Dolphin moniker.

Our current model Eveready Dolphin is the "Model 108Mk6". I believe it is marketed in USA as the "Energizer Sea Beam".

Oh, both of mine came with PR-13 bulbs. The PR-12 bulbs, mentioned above, were always for 5-cell lights.

Sorry for confusing you. The Dolphin is a 4.8V light, and the Dolphin Rechargeable is a 6V light. I got asked about the Dolphin Rechargeable, and probably shoud have started a separate thread to answer the question.

Early Dolphins did indeed use a PR13, the MarkV uses a KPR113, and I don't know when the changeover was.

It is quite possible that early Dolphin Rechageables used a PR12, but that's only a surmise. The "300% brighter than the standard vacuum bulb" claim would make a lot of direct sense then, wouldn't it?

Lumens Summary:



Dolphin Mark 1:

• PR13 vacuum bulb, 28.5 bulb lumens.
• Optional PR15 vacuum bulb, 28.8 bulb lumens.
• Optional PR32 argon bulb, 42 bulb lumens.

Dolphin Mark 5:

• KPR113 Krypton bulb, 51 bulb lumens
• Optional SKPR823 krypton bulb, 84 bulb lumens

Dolphin Mark 6:

• HPX40 Xenon Bulb 66.5 bulb lumens Exactly "30% brighter" than the KPR113, as claimed.
• Optional HPX41 Xenon bulb, 78 bulb lumens

Dolphin Rechargeable (6V not 4.8) could potentially use:

• PR12 argon bulb, 38.1 bulb lumens
• KPR112 krypton bulb, 75 bulb lumens
• HPR71 10W halogen bulb, 162-210 bulb lumens (OEM supplied with Mk5)
• HPR72 15W halogen bulb, 320 claimed bulb lumens (may melt reflector?)

 

[Burgess]

Thank you, lctorana :wave:



Gotta' say, you certainly know yer' info on the Dolphin lanterns. :goodjob:



What's the #1 selling torch in the USA?
I'm guessing it's one of the Maglites.


I don't have any actual numbers, but i'm confident it would NOT
be a Maglite.

Those are just too (relatively) expensive for "average American flashlight buyer".

Many folks have told me that they don't WANT to buy a really GOOD flashlight,
cuz' "i would just end up losing it, anyway" ! ! ! :shakehead


My guess would hafta' be a ~3 Dollar plastic "junky" 2-D cell
as the "most often purchased" flashlight.


Lower your expectations, a LOT, and you oughta' get the idea. :candle:




My second "Dolphin" model, purchased 02/03/1983,
has been riding along faithfully in my vehicle for
a Quarter-of-a-Century now !
( different vehicles, of course )

Still looks "showroom new" ! :kiss:


My first one, purchased 10/15/1977, has had a much tougher life.

Been dropped countless times, even on Concrete !

Suffered some scuffs, but still functions Great ! :thumbsup:

This one is now stored indoors, for use when needed.
Although, i've gotta' admit . . . .
With all the fancy NEW flashlights i've purchased,
it must be feeling a bit neglected. :mecry:


Haven't seen ANY of these Eveready Dolphin models
in any stores or catalogs for many, MANY years now.

Even 6volt (4-F cell) Lantern batteries can be challenging to find.
(quality ones, not the "hollow" 4-D cell "cheaters")


And don't even ASK about the 8-F cell battery. :candle:



Glad to hear Eveready Dolphins are still going strong
in the Land Down Under.

_

 

[missionaryman]

I modded mine to 7C ROP low - try it if you haven't very impressive.

 

[lctorana]

I modded mine to 7C ROP low - try it if you haven't very impressive.

+1.
Glad you 've posted about this. The "Roar of the Dolphin", I call it, except I used 7 x 4/5 A ex-laptop cells in mine.

This is a classic reversible mod. You hide your cells inside a dead 4F battery case (plenty of room for a NTC if you wish), swap the bulb, and that's it.

I plan to go up to 8 cells + 2.2 ohm NTC one day - LL's data indicates that the 3854L can handle it.

 

[missionaryman]

hey that's a great way of doing it.

I think after 7 cells you're going into roughly 20w territory and you'll melt the reflector

 

[Rat6P]

I remember once years ago my Dad put a 6volt motorcycle battery inside a dolphin. Man that was bright and with a good runtime.

 

[lctorana]

I remember once years ago my Dad put a 6volt motorcycle battery inside a dolphin. Man that was bright and with a good runtime.

When you think about it, that's exactly what the Dolphin Rechageable is.

And yes, it IS bright.

 

[TxShooter]

The local Woolworths had three of the new Mark VIs, all in yellow. Didn't get a good look, but it appeared that the adjustable stand was missing. Priced at $17.95 each, plus another $12 or so for the 6V alkaline 4F.

 

[lctorana]

According to the press release I read, they have only been released in yellow.

Oh, and the battery? Shop around. You can do much better than that.

 

[cernobila]

Not into these types of lights, but in our supermarket today I just saw a Dolphin 108 MK5 for AU$19.99 without a battery.....sounds a bit high for an old model......

 

[Fusion_m8]

What flashlight commercial was it a few years ago that had a baseball pro doing homeruns with a yellow flashlight(with black rubber boots) being shot out of automated baseball launcher???

Tried to google, but can't seem to find it...