How far we've come

[Jash]

My wife just found the first led light I ever bought. Must nearly ten years ago now. I turned it on and thought, O the batteries must be flat. No, that's how bright they were back then and we thought they were great. How far has the little led come in just one short decade. Long live the led.

 

[Oddjob]

My LED light memories don't go as far back as others but I remember when the original Photon squeeze only coin cell light was over $30 in B&M stores.

 

[TorchBoy]

And for what you would pay for a white 5mm LED 10 years ago you can now get a Cree XR-E P4, or for the price of a top spec 5mm LED you can now get an XP-G R5. It doesn't seem that the prices are dropping particularly quickly now, though. Does it have something to do with progress being very slow at present, or is it all just my imagination?

 

[strinq]

Yeah, made me recall the first LED lights in the form of the photon pro which was like eons ago and was won in a little 'put in a coin and turn to get a toy machine'.

Ahhh, memories of being a kid...

 

[ginaz]

i remember my brinkmann longlife. one 5mm LED with a focusing lens. i took it on nighthikes for 2 years and it seemed soooo bright. then the Lux 3's hit and i could get 45 lumens out of one! TY0J anyone?

 

[electromage]

And I remember when Radio S*** charged almost $6 for a single 5mm LED...wait...

Seriously though, you really have to appreciate how much brighter and more efficient LEDs have gotten in a short time. I remember when the first blue and then white LEDs showed up, it doesn't seem that long ago.

I remember when the first 3-5 LED lights came out, there was a company that specialized in them about ten years ago (LEDWave?), and people thought they were amazing.

I just dug up an "old" Photon 3 and compared to my Photon Freedom to the Max, it really looks like it's got dead batteries, but they're brand new.

 

[jk037]

Long may progress continue!

Hopefully in 10 years time we'll be able to look back and laugh at the lights we have now, amazed at how any of us coped before the advent of 1xAA-sized lights able to kick out a thousand lumens for 6 hours

 

[mcnair55]

And it will not be long before we have all got led light bulbs for home use also.The automotive trade are fitting led in many cars already,the company I work for have loads of kitchen lights for the trade all running on led.