Hi guys ! :wave:
I have my brand new ICON Rogue 2 for a little more than a day now. Normally, this would be too early to write something about a light, but as CPF lacks some info about those lights, here are my first impressions.
Lots of
... so guys on dial-up, sorry.
I got the titanium colored Rogue 2 from HongKong via
and it arrived in a clamshell package including the lanyard and 2 Energizer AA batteries. The light looks like this:
The first thing I noticed was, obviously, the size. It is bigger than you expect a typical 2xAA light to be. However, the second thing I noticed is the weight. It is much less heavy than it looks due to the very special shape of the body that has huge cut-outs and is sort of triangular.
The body has fine "ribs" or machining groves all over it which helps to avoid a slipping grip and feels kinda groovy
. The whole light is very comfortable to hold an use due to the shape and size, but it is as a consequence not that easy to pocket. The ergonomics are among the best I have ever witnessed for a general utility light.
The rear button is bog and easy to find and operate. Some pics of the machining:
Notice the ribs on the body and the relative lack thereof on the head.
Upon wanting to look inside I noticed it has no tailcap. It's only the head that seperates from the body. The threads look and feel great, the o-ring engages with a feeling just like an E-Series SF light.
The batteries fit relatively snug, I don't know if you can use rechargeables as I don't have any and as I don't know what the driver will do with them
The reflector is stippled, the lens feels like lexan and looks glued in. The LED looks like a Cree which corresponds to the advertising of a Q5 Cree.
The whole light feels like a quality light and not shabby or flimsy at all, but of course my observations are purely subjective and just assumptions as I didn't have the time to really test it for any length of time.
One problem I see is the lack of an anti-roll feature. Perhaps not for me, but if people like my wife and my mum will use this ... I see dents from the impact on the floor and I am sure that the dear ladies will blame it on the light, of course.
A part of the positive impression is generated with the switch. It has a very nice tactile and audible feedback ... which brings us to ... the most critical point ...
The Interface
It doesn't need many words ... like the E1B, that's it.
You click it on ... high mode. You click off an on again ... low mode. After a little time in off-mode it resets and comes on high again.
Same game with momentary. You start with momentary high, you can release the switch (blink it off) and press it again for momentary low. And continue the cycle ad nauseum if you so desire.
Fortunately for me, it has a KISS interface. My wife was able to use it to its full poptential in seconds. It passed the test.
I haven't discovered any nasty things like strobe, SOS or whatnot.
Here's a size comparison with well-known lights:
SF E1B, SF L1, SF G2 yellow, SF E2L, SF M3T, Photon Freedom
Now ... Business
Since it came with alkalines, it will be used with alkalines in the test against the other lithium-powered bad boys.
On first sight, the beam is perfect. No artifacts at all. Upon second inspection, you see some hint of "Cree Rings™" when you shine it at about 50cm on a white wall. At a greater distance ... perfect beam. The hotspot is medium size and blends smoothly in the spill which is relatively narrow compared to other lights. I like that, this makes the spill more efficient. Overall I very much appreciate the beam profile as being useful and efficient.
As for tint ... I'd say perfect white a tiny little bit on the cool side. But I really don't care for tint, and YMMV as always.
Here's a little shootout in my living room. The lights are aimed in the upper corner to be able to compare the spots. For the corona, look at the shadows of the leaves in the upper right corner, on the pictures on the wall and the lamp.
The white balance was set to "auto", all other settings were locked.
Let's start with the Rogue 2 on high:
Followed by the SF P60L in a C2:
And a SF L1 on high:
My L1 has a relatively large spot, so there's a big chance yours will be tighter and brighter.
Next, a SF A2 incan:
We're on auto-WB, which is why the incan doesn't look sickly-yellow and the LEDs won't look blue-green.
And a McGizmo Ti-PD from the first run:
Notice the more "classical" beamshape of the Rogue compared to the oval incan or the TIR beam of the L1. It is more collimated in spill and spot than the P60L which is a good thing.
In the end ... I think the Rogue compares well with those lights shown, which means the 100lm figure could very well be accurate.
Here we have to comparisons of low modes. First, the Rogue 2 and the SF L1 with the same settings as the pics above:
Roughly comparable besides the radically different beamshapes.
To better illustrate the point, another comparison of those two with different camera settings:
L1 vs Rogue 2
And another:
First the Rogue ...
Then the L1 ...
... notice the tighter beam of the L1 where the Rogue shows more of the second lower pic on the wall the the lamp whereas the spot from the L1 is fatter. Note again that my L1 might have a larger and less intense spot than yours.
The level spacing is ideal for all-around tasks. High is bright enough for almost anything and low is just right, too. It is not low enough for our "night vision preservers", but it is a nice general utility low level.
In the end ... everything is subjective, and after such a short period of time I can only offer my opinion on the light, nothing more:
What I liked
- great ergonomics due to the innovative body
- KISS interface, everyone can use it
- perfect beam
- good brightness and level choice
- choice of AA batteries for "normal people"
- feels solid and like qualitycaution: assumption )
- the cut-outs can double as a potatoe peeler in emergency situations
What I didn't like
- choice of AA batteries for me
- high "rolling away and kissing the floor"-potential
- Not easy to carry in a coat pocket due to size
IMHO this light is perfect the "normal" persons and "normal" activities. It ain't tactical ... not for those guys
... and there are lights that are smaller and weigh less.
However, this one is a quality light at an affordable price that can be used by everyone including my mum. It performs nicely and uses common batteries, nothing elusive and no strange rechargeables. It is a light that doesn't demand anything from the user and is there to serve. The sacrifices made in transportability more than pay off in ergonomics, especially if you don't take your light with you like 99.99% of all people do.
I like that, I appreciate it. I will buy some of those and give them away for family members and friends. Perfect compromise and they will not be challenged by a light, they will use it when they need it instead. This is innovation in ergonomics and usability that goes unnoticed by most people.
For me as a flashaholic, I can admire the design and the thought that went into it. To fully embrace it as a "perfect light" it would need things that aren't included in the concept (as I suspect I am not the target group for this one) or in the price ... like a sapphire lens, lithium batteries and HA. But I admit that despite it using AA cells, I like it more than I would like to post in the open forum. After all, I have a lithium-reputation to loose. I would really dig a pimped version "for the CPFer" though.
bernie
I have my brand new ICON Rogue 2 for a little more than a day now. Normally, this would be too early to write something about a light, but as CPF lacks some info about those lights, here are my first impressions.
Lots of
I got the titanium colored Rogue 2 from HongKong via
The first thing I noticed was, obviously, the size. It is bigger than you expect a typical 2xAA light to be. However, the second thing I noticed is the weight. It is much less heavy than it looks due to the very special shape of the body that has huge cut-outs and is sort of triangular.
The body has fine "ribs" or machining groves all over it which helps to avoid a slipping grip and feels kinda groovy
. The whole light is very comfortable to hold an use due to the shape and size, but it is as a consequence not that easy to pocket. The ergonomics are among the best I have ever witnessed for a general utility light. The rear button is bog and easy to find and operate. Some pics of the machining:
Notice the ribs on the body and the relative lack thereof on the head.
Upon wanting to look inside I noticed it has no tailcap. It's only the head that seperates from the body. The threads look and feel great, the o-ring engages with a feeling just like an E-Series SF light.
The batteries fit relatively snug, I don't know if you can use rechargeables as I don't have any and as I don't know what the driver will do with them
The reflector is stippled, the lens feels like lexan and looks glued in. The LED looks like a Cree which corresponds to the advertising of a Q5 Cree.
The whole light feels like a quality light and not shabby or flimsy at all, but of course my observations are purely subjective and just assumptions as I didn't have the time to really test it for any length of time.
One problem I see is the lack of an anti-roll feature. Perhaps not for me, but if people like my wife and my mum will use this ... I see dents from the impact on the floor and I am sure that the dear ladies will blame it on the light, of course.
A part of the positive impression is generated with the switch. It has a very nice tactile and audible feedback ... which brings us to ... the most critical point ...
The Interface
It doesn't need many words ... like the E1B, that's it.
You click it on ... high mode. You click off an on again ... low mode. After a little time in off-mode it resets and comes on high again.
Same game with momentary. You start with momentary high, you can release the switch (blink it off) and press it again for momentary low. And continue the cycle ad nauseum if you so desire.
Fortunately for me, it has a KISS interface. My wife was able to use it to its full poptential in seconds. It passed the test.
I haven't discovered any nasty things like strobe, SOS or whatnot.
Here's a size comparison with well-known lights:
SF E1B, SF L1, SF G2 yellow, SF E2L, SF M3T, Photon Freedom
Now ... Business
Since it came with alkalines, it will be used with alkalines in the test against the other lithium-powered bad boys.
On first sight, the beam is perfect. No artifacts at all. Upon second inspection, you see some hint of "Cree Rings™" when you shine it at about 50cm on a white wall. At a greater distance ... perfect beam. The hotspot is medium size and blends smoothly in the spill which is relatively narrow compared to other lights. I like that, this makes the spill more efficient. Overall I very much appreciate the beam profile as being useful and efficient.
As for tint ... I'd say perfect white a tiny little bit on the cool side. But I really don't care for tint, and YMMV as always.
Here's a little shootout in my living room. The lights are aimed in the upper corner to be able to compare the spots. For the corona, look at the shadows of the leaves in the upper right corner, on the pictures on the wall and the lamp.
The white balance was set to "auto", all other settings were locked.
Let's start with the Rogue 2 on high:
Followed by the SF P60L in a C2:
And a SF L1 on high:
My L1 has a relatively large spot, so there's a big chance yours will be tighter and brighter.
Next, a SF A2 incan:
We're on auto-WB, which is why the incan doesn't look sickly-yellow and the LEDs won't look blue-green.
And a McGizmo Ti-PD from the first run:
Notice the more "classical" beamshape of the Rogue compared to the oval incan or the TIR beam of the L1. It is more collimated in spill and spot than the P60L which is a good thing.
In the end ... I think the Rogue compares well with those lights shown, which means the 100lm figure could very well be accurate.
Here we have to comparisons of low modes. First, the Rogue 2 and the SF L1 with the same settings as the pics above:
Roughly comparable besides the radically different beamshapes.
To better illustrate the point, another comparison of those two with different camera settings:
L1 vs Rogue 2
And another:
First the Rogue ...
Then the L1 ...
... notice the tighter beam of the L1 where the Rogue shows more of the second lower pic on the wall the the lamp whereas the spot from the L1 is fatter. Note again that my L1 might have a larger and less intense spot than yours.
The level spacing is ideal for all-around tasks. High is bright enough for almost anything and low is just right, too. It is not low enough for our "night vision preservers", but it is a nice general utility low level.
In the end ... everything is subjective, and after such a short period of time I can only offer my opinion on the light, nothing more:
What I liked
- great ergonomics due to the innovative body
- KISS interface, everyone can use it
- perfect beam
- good brightness and level choice
- choice of AA batteries for "normal people"
- feels solid and like quality
caution: assumption )- the cut-outs can double as a potatoe peeler in emergency situations
What I didn't like
- choice of AA batteries for me
- high "rolling away and kissing the floor"-potential
- Not easy to carry in a coat pocket due to size
IMHO this light is perfect the "normal" persons and "normal" activities. It ain't tactical ... not for those guys
However, this one is a quality light at an affordable price that can be used by everyone including my mum. It performs nicely and uses common batteries, nothing elusive and no strange rechargeables. It is a light that doesn't demand anything from the user and is there to serve. The sacrifices made in transportability more than pay off in ergonomics, especially if you don't take your light with you like 99.99% of all people do.
I like that, I appreciate it. I will buy some of those and give them away for family members and friends. Perfect compromise and they will not be challenged by a light, they will use it when they need it instead. This is innovation in ergonomics and usability that goes unnoticed by most people.
For me as a flashaholic, I can admire the design and the thought that went into it. To fully embrace it as a "perfect light" it would need things that aren't included in the concept (as I suspect I am not the target group for this one) or in the price ... like a sapphire lens, lithium batteries and HA. But I admit that despite it using AA cells, I like it more than I would like to post in the open forum. After all, I have a lithium-reputation to loose. I would really dig a pimped version "for the CPFer" though.
bernie
