Got My Micro Illuminator!!! Pictures and Beamshots

[ufokillerz]

Yes i got a Micro Illuminator, but not from Lambda, I got it from Mr. Bulk in his Selling off Half His lights sale. So don't be suprised if you don't have yours yet, You will be happy when yours shows up. Mine is a pre-production model because it doesn't yet have Arc-mania and lambda Plated into the board, as well as the missing gold plating.

My pictures always come out green, so ignore the greenish shots, the Micro-Illuminator is very white and bright for its size, and considering that it runs on the common AAA cell, its a damn good light.

And thank god i was one of the first 5 people to see Mr.Bulks feeler and called dibs =).
Sorry the Group shot came out bad, i didn't use Flash.

 

[MR Bulk]

Wow, look what it did to the Arc LE. That's an LE we're talking about...

 

[BuddTX]

I bought the other Micro Illuminator from Mr. Bulk, and I have to agree with what ufokiller (nice pic's bty!) and Mr Bulk say.

This is one impressive light!!

OK, I have brighter 1 watt Luxeon Star flashlights (most of them from Mr, Bulk!).

But, for the size, WOW! It has (sadly) replaced my ARC AAA 3.1 LE as my keychain light.

Comparing this to any single nichia keychain light, is soo unfair to the nichia. This thing ia beyond description, for a single AAA sized light.

When I first joined CPF, there were like a billion posts about the ARC AAA light (this was before ARC had it's own forum). Everyone raved about how nice this light was, and how they couldn't live without it, and that everyone should have one on their keychain.

I have purchased 2 ARC AAA's, a CPF version, and a 3.1 LE version, and the 3.1 was almost twice as bright as the first one, and I have been very happy with my ARC for almost two years.

BUT, this light has replaced my ARC, and I am venturing to say that the Lambda Illuminator will probably replace the ARC on your keychain. (While I have no specific knowledge, I would bet money that Peter and the folks at ARC are working on something for the future of their AAA product . . .)

Now, to be fair to the ARC AAA, this light is over 2.5 times more expensive than an ARC AAA LE, and that price is a very low, "hobbiest" CPF price.

The funny thing about this light, is that it might actually be TOO bright sometimes! (did I just say that, really? - You can never have a light that is too bright!)

Seriously, for reading a restaurant menu, or signing a Credit Card receipt, this light might actually be too bright! I might actually slip on a Inova Microlight on my keychain for softer light (and becuase it is soo small).

AND, the physical body of the brinkmann light is very nice too! The lock out tail cap, very nice. It IS a little bigger than my Arc, so if size is an issue, you might want to check the dimensions before purchasing.

I can't emphasise enough how bright this light is, and impressive it is, for the size.

You are going to want one of these on your keychain!

 

[StoneDog]

Two quick questions - 1) is the beam adjustable at all and 2) is there a way to lock out the tailcap button so that it could be carried in a pocket?

Jon

 

[LightBright]

Another quick question - How long does it run (total time)on a alkaline or Nimh AAA?

 

[ufokillerz]

[ QUOTE ]
StoneDog said:
Two quick questions - 1) is the beam adjustable at all and 2) is there a way to lock out the tailcap button so that it could be carried in a pocket?

Jon

[/ QUOTE ]
there is a lockout for the tail cap as with other brinkman legend products. i don't think these things are focusable considering how they are built.

 

[ufokillerz]

[ QUOTE ]
LightBright said:
Another quick question - How long does it run (total time)on a alkaline or Nimh AAA?

[/ QUOTE ]
i would take lambda's words on it about runtime since i only use my flashlights intermittently.

http://home.mchsi.com/~lambda/microil.htm

 

[BuddTX]

To support what ufokiller said:

No it is not focusable, but mine has an almost perfect beam with a nice secondary corona. It is almost perfect, and I mean like, surefire perfect.

Also, here is a quote from Lambda / ArcMania's Micro Illuminator web page:
======================================
Yes, that's right, 2 to 3 hours of bright, continuous light, followed by a survival mode that provides an additional 8 to 10 hours of useful low level light from just one AAA battery.
=========================================

 

[FalconFX]

2-3 hours of runtime on this guy on 1 rechargeable NiMH is quite enough for me, especially since it's 3-4x brighter than an Arc LE...

 

[Mr. Blue]

is the R4 a special version or will they all be like that? if it is a special version...how does the "standard" compare?

 

[Roy]

AS soon as I get one, I'll do a run-time plot on it! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[BuddTX]

UPDATE:

I LOVE this light! BUT, you have to really into lights to want to carry this on your keychain. I miss my ARC AAA for the size.

While it is only about an inch longer than my ARC, and the thin part is just barely noticeably larger in circumfrunce, and the bezel head is about 2 times larger than the Arc, it is noticably larger when carrying the keys.

BUT, the light that comes out of this light more than makes up for the extra weight. Massive amounts of light, compared to a single Nichia light. And a REAL BEAM! Nicely focused too!

Referencing the R4 model, I do not have that one, mine is one step lower in grade than the R4, but I am very happy with the color (very very white) and light output of my model.

I do know that Lambda posted that the delay in producing these lights, is waiting for a source a very high rated Luxeon Stars, so, without speaking officially, based on what I read, and knowing Lambda and ArcMania's repuation, the LS LED's will be a very high quality rated bin!

 

[FalconFX]

Wohoo... Waiting for the day...
Looks like the "R" bins are slowly but surely starting to appear more...

 

[StoneDog]

I've been out of the forums for a month or so now. What's the story on these guys, are they still waiting for high quality LS's?

Jon