Re: Coleman Max Cree at walmart
recently purchased these following two lights through the Coleman Website using the FAMILY STORE entrance and the password FAMILY -- using the Coleman Website Family Store the price is $30.09 vs. $59.99 and $35.12 vs. $69.99 for the 1xCR123A and 2xCR123A lights, respectively -- quite a savings to say the least. [in my limited experience, the Coleman Family Store has OFTEN, not always, the lowest prices on anything Coleman to be found in either brick-and-mortar, or virtual/web stores].
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/ColemanCom/subcategory.asp?CategoryID=24756
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=4347-712&categoryid=24756
these are both eXponent line gear, so, supposedly their top-o-the-line.
observations (having only played around a wee bit w/the 2xCR123A & drained dry a Duracell in the 1xCR123A):
1. aggressive appearance which disguises a thin wall Aluminum tube which uses a plastic insert to hold the battery/batteries. this light has the O.D. (outside diameter) one might typically find in a 3xAAA flashlight using the common three AAA cell battery carrier - think some Dorcy and Streamlight flashlights here, or some Streamlight and Chinese headlamps.
2. nice mode selector ring (RED-LOCKOUT-WHITE)
3. tailcap switch click turns ON and OFF (if selector ring NOT in lockout)
4. tailcap switch half-presses within, oh...maybe...1.5sec or so, cycles through HI-LO-FLASHING-and-back-to-HI. [bummer, WHITE begins w/HI; dbl-bummer that RED *BEGINS* with HI - not very well thought out, esp for the RED]. Burntimes for the two lights are the same for both: WHITE HI = 1.5h; WHITE LO = 6h; RED HI=15h; RED LO=50h.
5. Coleman claims identical burntimes for both the 1xCR123A and 2xCR123A model. How can this be? well, the 2xCR123A model claims 165lumen o.p. (output) on WHITE HI vs. the 1xCR123A model's 115lumen o.p. on WHITE HI. personally, can't measure either lumen or lux o.p., but the 2xCR123A is much, much brighter than the 1xCR123A light. however, on HI and LO RED, they appear to be identical in brightness in both models. this would mean that the Coleman is mistating the 2xCR123A RED burntimes and they are really much longer, *OR* the electronics do a poor job getting all the juice out of the 2xCR123A cells. if anyone would like some other "eyeball" side-by-side comparisons, please post back and i'll do my best to accomodate your requests over the next few days if i have the lights and the time. so sorry, that i don't own a camera.
6. LOW white modes, when compared on a white wall with programmed NovaTac EDC 120P lights, appear to be about 30lumen and 45lumen respectively to the unaided eye. HI white was not really possible to compare adequately due to the spill of the NovaTac *AND* Coleman lights - in other words, i'd need a larger white wall [getting closer didn't tell me much as all lights were so bright]. so, my guess is that the WHITE HI lumens claims are reasonable - as far as most Mfr. claims for such things go.
7. WHITE beam pattern is wonderful, IMO. a central hotspot, minimal (almost non-existent) corona on my units, and a VERY BROAD and still bright spillbeam. these are ideal lights for lighting up most of a room or a broad path outside. i'm really rather impressed with the beam quality on both of my units.
8. RED HI is MUCH, MUCH TOO bright for use in preserving one's dark adaptation. RED LO is much better, but still really is TOO bright still. RED LO ought to be RED HI, and RED LO ought to be much, much lower in intensity. RED HI is much dimmer than WHITE LO, however, in part due to the wavelength of RED light vs. "WHITE" light.
9. while i didn't keep track of burntime, the 1xCR123A seemed to burn for at the very least the Mfr. claimed amount of time (i used a lot of WHITE LO, plus some WHITE HI, and tried out the RED HI and LO modes). since i didn't do any hard and fast quantitative burntime testing, to put my pleasure with this flashlight's burntime, in perspective, i'm always disappointed and NEVER have achieved Mfr. claimed burntimes for any Black Diamond LED headlamp i've owned/own. plus, i always seem to realize how short the burntime is with BD headlamps. i didn't pick up on this and experience the same disappointment with the Coleman eXponent flashlight. i really rather pleased with my first use.
all-in-all, these lights have turned out to be pleasant surprises. even though the overly large O.D. of the lights is a slight disappointment (makes EDC-ing, while NOT problematic, not optimal either), they do have a nice feel in the hand (NOT a heft, there isn't enough Al for that, being so thin walled) and are neither too heavy, nor too lightweight. i'd still prefer a slightly smaller O.D., but these make for an interesting and not objectionable, IMO, feel in the hand.
any questions? just Post back and i'll try to address them.
