Goose neck Rebel 100 at Sears for $24

[degarb]

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_03493677000P?keyword=34-93677&sLevel=0

I got this light last night gooseneck light. The gooseneck offers some interesting posibilities.

And so, much of the night, I was comparing it to my Browning Rebel 100 Nitro, My Colman Max 3 AAA modded to 4 AA (with variable-resistor) wrist light, and colman xr-c 77lm superthrower from walmart. Looks like a cool Rebel 100, a bit cooler than the rebels from Browning. She has about 8 degree of a hotspot (roughly same as coleman max xr-e) with close to flood of the colman/slightly brighter hotspot.

My best current reading with 3 new AA cells was 400 to 500 milliamp, and 200 milliamps after 5.5 hours running straight with 3 NiMh. (8 hr runtime on package, ha, ha.)

Color rendering was average, a fair bit better than one of the Coleman max that I have, worse than the browning rebels. Throw was about the same as the Coleman Max, but half that of the 77lm xr-c 3 AAA thrower from wallymart.

Running this light and coleman max in parallel off same battery, the rebel was brighter by far. Either this means that it is more efficient or just has lower resistance (less efficient). I don't know. help?

It is being driven at a higher amp level than Coleman Max, and so brighter, much brighter. Probably more efficient.

Cons: No controller, just a tiny resistor. The screwdown on/off tube is a flakey at times making proper contact. The biggest drawback to me in the light is lack of any setting other than high. (I am unsure how to modify it with a variable resistor, unless I just solder wires into head and velcro mount onto a 4 AA holder from radio shack and hot glue some elastic and velcro to make an arm band. But then, I loose the goose neck.)

Interestingly, Sears seems to be going the Rebel route on many new lights. But with Rebels with an apparent lowly 25 lumen per watt on a few lamps, to over 100 lumen per watt with this light.

 

[degarb]

Forgot to add the goosneck can be removed and head screwed into battery holder, for a conventional 3 AA flashlight.

 

[mikekoz]

I had one of those and returned it. It was not nearly 160 lumens after comparing it with my other lights. It had a nice clean beam, and was not dim by any means, I was just expecting more. I also thought the build quality of the light reminded me of something I would pick up at Dollar General! . I guess I was expecting more out of something with the Craftsman name on it!

Mike

 

[darknessemitter]

Probably not a Rebel 100; appearently most retail lights are using bins as low as the Rebel 50 due to limited availablility of the higher bins.

Which is sad, because I like the design of that light, though I wish it was a 2xAA instead. I kind of like the feel of the Dorcy tailcap switch, even though it's not waterproof.

 

[degarb]

The hotspot is indeed blown away by a Cree xr-c 75 lumen Colman (walley), or the Energizer. But is brighter than the Coleman Max xr-e at any drive level I tested.

At over 5 hours run time, it probably brighter than the Coleman Max xr-e headlamp. I think the knee jerk is to assume this a low bin. Since they have many absurdly low bin Rebels in lamps.

Not sure how to get lens out to see what the board has printed on it. The Browning ditro has rebel 100 on it. I am guessing pop out lens push reflector and chip forward to look at it. Some glue to put back. Doesn't look easy.

I probably should hold my tongue or fingers until more testing done, with another multimeter and some paper over lens to cancel out the subjective.

 

[276]

theirs this one for a bit more www.led-worklight.com/product/MXN0040
link may not go straight to it just click on work lights then workstar 440.

 

[defloyd77]

Look at it under a magnifying glass and see if it has the TFFC waffle look.

 

[degarb]

theirs this one for a bit more www.led-worklight.com/product/MXN0040
link may not go straight to it just click on work lights then workstar 440.

The workstar is a two cell 90 lumen. Sear's is three cell, rated 160 lumen. My estimate is 1.44 to 1.8 watts on new batteries. (3.6x .5 or 3.6 x .4, per limited 14 year old $100 multimeter that can now only round to 100 milliamp if over 200 milliamp, if indeed accurate.)


As far as waffle test, what is a asphic lens? http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=199156 I am guessing you are saying tiny pin holes in led if 100. Think I see in browning. But yet crack open and break light permanently, so I can't see close enough on the sears light.

 

[defloyd77]

An asperic lens is basically a magnifying lens. If you see the waffle it's a Rebel 80 or higher if I'm not mistaken.

 

[degarb]

An asperic lens is basically a magnifying lens. If you see the waffle it's a Rebel 80 or higher if I'm not mistaken.

I took a magnifying lens off my 1 watt Nichia Jupiter. Took lens off Browning Nitro (which doesn't use a focusing reflector) then shown through onto ceiling, At certain point, I could see a waffle pattern that looked like a grid of pin points. Did same on Sears 34-93677 and do believe I saw the same pattern, once out to a couple of inches. (I would need to melt out front plastic lens from the aluminum head to get the star out inorder to put under mag glass.).


How would you tell a Rebel 80 from 100? I say now it is very likely a Luxeon Rebel 80 at 1.8 watts with 3 rechargeables, but perhaps they targeted 2 watts using 1.5 volt non-rechargeables--more voltage would push more current. Indeed, this would give them the 160 lumen rating. The 160 lumen claim and waffle I see, tell me a Rebel 80 at two watts initially, Too convenient.

 

[Flashfirstask?later]

Sears stores in Canada seem to be selling this light sale at $14.99 when reg is $29.99. sears.ca link

I wonder if it is the same light as sears.com says 8 hr while the Sears.ca and at store says up to 20 hours.

 

[Blacklight]

Just a general comment to somethign said above. Driving an LED harder (higher drive current), is not more efficeint, due to droop. just wanted to correct the comment up top about efficiency.

 

[Flashfirstask?later]

Sears stores in Canada seem to be selling this light sale at $14.94 when reg is $29.99.

I wonder if it is the same light as sears.com says 8 hr while the Sears.ca and at store says up to 20 hours.

On sale again at half price and it may in clearance table/bin at an additional 15% off.

 

[degarb]

I cut mine neck at somethinglike 11 inches, amazing gooped it to some home made elastic with velcro glued on, for a head band. I then soldered on a 3 watt 25 ohm rheostat dimmer and glued/soldered some wires (I recommend a discontinued car cell phone curly cord. This connection I was sure to goop on amazing goop thick as a failure area.) that can connect to a battery pack worn on body. I opted for 4 AA's attached to elastic to be worn like necklace under shirt.

With new battery setup, I tested the rheostat and set at 300 milliamps for default (edge up as batteries die.). It clearly blows away the lux 1, and lux 3, for brightness/size of hotspot/color rendering, at same drive level. It is brighter than my Seoul p4 with rough 8 degree reflector. Testing it against the silver core Cree with identicle beam pattern (hotspot and corona): at all drive levels, hotspot is as bright or brighter than the Cree, while corona may be a little brighter on cree.

I find it irritating that Sears has so many low bin Rebels, and don't tell us what bin of Rebel this is. Also, other goosenecks that look like this light may not have same emitter, nor bin. While it makes a comfortable headlamp, I don't know why they just don't make a high bin headlamp and sell it.

 

[likeguymontag]

I disassembled this light. There is no drive circuitry in the head. What you see at the bottom of the reflector and top of the battery tube is the "star" to which the led is mounted. There is no thermal path from the star to the head Don't try to disassemble the head, btw. The clear lens is damn near impossible to remove, even destructively.

Current limiting is provided by a 1 ohm resistor in the tailcap under the spring. The chip does have a waffle appearance that I guess indicates the TFFC process? Still, three cells, 1 ohm, 160 nominal lumens? I'm thinking this isn't a very high-binned part.