CMG Reactor 2 or 3?

[ReconTech]

Which is nicer? The 2AA using the Lithiums, or the 3AA that can use regular alkalines and be bright?

Also, best place to buy this light from, either 2AA or 3AA?

 

[ramptapult]

Just got Reactor 3 today. Not at all impressed w/ pea green color and overall brightness. Reactor 2's are notoriously green, but offer the chance of using lithiums to be bright. I like the smaller size of the 2. Call it a push or the lesser of two evils.

 

[ReconTech]

Hhmm, it seams like maybe the Reactor just isn't as good as I was hoping. A Galyans has the Reactor 2 down here for $29.99, so maybe I'll go check it out...

I just like the idea of a Luxeon Star flashlight..

 

[The_LED_Museum]

The first Reactor I got had that yucky rotten dog pee green color, but the second did not - and neither did the Reactor 3 I got a week or two ago. Both the newer 2 and even newer 3 have a bluish-white color characteristic of good LS LEDs. So if the Reactor 3 still has that rotten ****-like color, then the LED tint from Lumileds is still luck of the draw.

 

[doubleganger]

I really like my Reactor 3 and would recommend it to anyone. After 5 hours on (NOT right out of the charger) 1800 nimh batteries it is not much dimmer than my R2 or inretech on fresh lithiums. Maybe I just got a good one.

 

[ReconTech]

But are they really that green? I'm going to go try a Reactor 2 tommorrow, how much dimmer is the R2 with lithium compared to a R3?

 

[Anarchocap]

Just get a 3 AA LGI from Mr. Bulk. No green, just blinding white light. I'd get a Mad Max, Bad Boy, or Inretech before I got a CMG Reactor.

 

[Eric S]

I was just comparing most of these lights today over David`s (Pocket Lights.com). His Reactor 3 was brighter than my MM and BB 500. Both of our Reactors on lithums match the MM for color (no blue hue) and brightness. My LGI was diffinatly brighter than all. He hadn`t seen one before and was impressed at it`s brightness

I would recommend the Reactor 3 over the Reactor. It is going to be brighter at 4.5v vs 3to 3.6v lithims in the Reactor, plus it should have a runtime advantage on 3 alks.

Eric

 

[ReconTech]

True, mind posting a link to the LGI? (I'm sure I have it somewhere, probably just really tired still)

 

[doubleganger]

LGI site: http://darkgear.com/mrbulk/

The LGI is a really, really nice light and is noticeably brighter than the Reactor 3, at the cost of a good bit of runtime. It just all depends on what you want the light for. The down side is that Charlie makes the LGI on an intermittent basis so you have to wait till he makes a batch and get in line to preorder before he runs out, or possibly you could get him to do a special request, I'm not too sure about that though.

 

[Anarchocap]

Just send him an e-mail and he'll let you know what's up. I caught him at a good time and he had an 800-luxer just waiting like a virgin in white for my $55 PayPal! Schwing. I was on top of that before Charlie could refresh his browser!

As far as I am concerned it was a very good buy.

 

[John N]

I got a Reactor (2) and liked it so poorly I broke it open to steal it's LED for a modified flasher.

The form factor seems pretty goofy with the honkin plastic head and small body.

The mechanism in mine was very unrelable (agreed, this is evidently fixed in newer versions).

Mine was seriously pea green.

It looked cheap.

I would say that a much better solution (although more expensive) would be a 2AA Maglite w/a BadBoy, MadMax, Ill Pill, etc.

I did a BadBoy 400mA with a Kroll tailcap and glass lens and I think it is a much better solution. In hindsight, I might have went with the BB500mA, but a minor detail.

-john

 

[ReconTech]

How many lux does the Reactor put out? How about a lux reading from a variety of LS flashlights? I like being able to use Lithiums (cold weather light, etc) in my lights... I like lithium much better than NiMH or NiCd... of course my stinger and ultrastinger are just dandy with NiCds...

Hhmm, maybe a beamshot comparison between a Reactor2, Reactor3, and LGI, and Arc LS?

 

[ReconTech]

Ok, update:

I bought a Reactor2 finally from Galyans, $29.95....

Anyway, they had 9 Reactors, and I went through every single one of them, and 1 out of the 9 was VERY green, the rest were nice, slight green on the outside ring, but otherwise beautiful.

Definatly brighter than the Brinkmann Rebel, but I realize it is a different light entirely, considering the lens on the Rebel produces a very definate round and crisp hot spot, and the Reactor has a "flood" type beam, but very bright...

They also had the CMG infinity Ultra, sheesh, maybe on next visit...

 

[BuddTX]

Yea, but Craig, you HAVE to know that they special hand pick the absoulte best to send to you. If I made flashlights, I would do that!

Originally posted by The LED Museum:
The first Reactor I got had that yucky rotten dog pee green color, but the second did not - and neither did the Reactor 3 I got a week or two ago. Both the newer 2 and even newer 3 have a bluish-white color characteristic of good LS LEDs. So if the Reactor 3 still has that rotten ****-like color, then the LED tint from Lumileds is still luck of the draw.

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[haertig]

Originally posted by ReconTech:
Anyway, they had 9 Reactors, and I went through every single one of them, and 1 out of the 9 was VERY green, the rest were nice, slight green on the outside ring, but otherwise beautiful.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">They let you open all those up and test them out? Aren't they packaged in that sealed plastic that requires heavy duty scissors to cut open?

 

[ReconTech]

No, they are in blister type packaging that you can open right up and close up perfecly, doesn't need any type of blade. Otherwise, I would have been SOL...

On a side note, I'm still very happy with it. I like being able to use Lithium batteries.