JiL DD Rev (UP) - Good buy in the long run?

[voodoogreg]

thanks gold, i did and as much as like the idea, the runtime is(on paper)shorter then 1.3 by a good bit. And since I have a HDS the 1.3 is fine stock. I don't know if I got a good bin or what but it's much brighter the my LSH-P, run's longer then that and my KL-1 so if anything
I would build a fire~fly with it. VDG

 

[Solstice]

Ok LowWorm, My Jil DD (Up) came yesterday (thanks jaques!) and here are my thoughts as promised:

Size: As many have said and shown in pictures, this light is small. Of course, small is a relative term, as this light is a behemoth compared to a coin-cell/button cell light. IMHO, to say it's smaller than an Arc AAA is not really true since its only a bit shorter and a lot fatter. To get the idea, it's almost exactly the same lenth as a AA battery but noticeably fatter than one. Still, this is about as small as a luxeon light could get with any kind of decent runtime under current technology. It looks like the little baby offspring of my HDS.

Ergonomics: the thread action is quite smooth and the finish looks flawless- no problems here. My only complaint concurs with what others have already stated- there is not enough knurling (especially toward the front where one would instinctively grip to rotate) on the bezel to easily turn the light on and off with one hand. Also, the light retains partial contact (resulting in flickering) easily- it must be unscrewed a good full turn or two in order to be locked out or else even a slight press on the bezel can turn it on. This could be a good thing, however, if you really needed to blink the light in an emergency.

Beam: The beam is virtually perfect. Similar to HDS pattern with a slightly bigger/less focused hotspot. The TWOJ emitter in mine produces a very nice slightly warm white light. As the battery is new, this light is quite bright. I'm almost tempted to let it run down a bit as it's still too bright for reading in the dark.

Overall, I am glad I got this light and look forward to seeing how will use it in the future. I'ts not going to replace the Arc AAA rev4 on my keychain mainly because it's not as easy to turn on with one hand and I find the shape of the Arc fits with my keys better. However, I discovered that an old accessory that I recieved with an "Uzi" 1AA light- a "collar" attatched by a pivoting ball-and-socket joint to a spring clip- fits this light nicely and gives me a small, clean-tinted light that I can clip to something and shine anywhere.

If anyone knows the size of the O-rings that can fit into the grooves on the bezel and make it easier to turn with one hand, that info would be greatly appreciated.

 

[LowWorm]

Super review, Solstice. I like the idea of a "baby HDS" and think when I get mine (Warren, waiting five days for shipping is torture!) I'll like how it complements my Arc AAA-P as you say it does.

 

[Solstice]

Just thought I'd update my former observations with my impressions after a few days of EDC. The short of it is, I really like this light!. I have kept the accessory I mentioned earlier on the light permanently. It can be seen here with the light with which it was purchased (which I believe to be a rebranded Dorcy AA with a few minor differences- finish, etc.):
http://www.eknifeworks.com/webapp/eCommerce/product.jsp?Mode=Cat&Brand=&CatalogName=&PriceStart=&PriceEnd=&Feature=&Cat=15&SearchText=Uzi&Submit.x=3&Submit.y=5&list=50&range=1&order=Default&SKU=UCZF6BK
Note that the clip accessory is made of a rugged ABS plastic and actually seems to be of a better quality than the AA light itself- there is nothing fragile about it and it works great. The collar is loose on the battery pack/tail of the Jil DD but expands to fit very snuggly on the head. With the clip attatched, the Jil can be clipped to a belt/shirt/pocket/cord/bedsheet/anything and can then be positioned to point at virtually any angle for hand's free closeup work or reading. I also find that with the clip tucked into the side for storage, it makes it much easier to turn the light on and off by using the clip as a sort of grippy tab- you turn the tail (which has milled flats and is much easier to grip than the head), or hold the tail and push the clip against your body to operate the light.

It's truly wonderful to have such a portable, versatile closeup light with great tint and long runtime. The luxeon remains surprisingly bright even after some heavy use. Assuming the runtime holds up to claims as I continue to play with it, I expect this light to be my go-to travel companion.

 

[LowWorm]

[ QUOTE ]
Solstice said:
It's truly wonderful to have such a portable, versatile closeup light with great tint and long runtime. The luxeon remains surprisingly bright even after some heavy use. Assuming the runtime holds up to claims as I continue to play with it, I expect this light to be my go-to travel companion.

[/ QUOTE ]

Solstice, have you tried your DD outside yet? From your posts, it sounds like it works great for lots of different indoor applications, but I'm curious if it's any good for outdoor use.

 

[Solstice]

So far, the Jil DD is still bright enough to use outside for walking and general medium distance illumination. It's not a powerhouse, but it holds up better than expected- definately better than any of my 5mm lights I own (probably because it is both brighter and has no blue tint to which the eye is less sensitive). In HDS terms (I have a Basic 60) I'd say it's a little brighter than the secondary level (listed at 2 lumens) but not as bright as the primary (10 lumens). Note that the tint is warmer than my HDS with just a hint of yellow/brown, whereas my HDS looks about as "white" as can be. It's not obvious unless comparing side by side, and the warmer tint, while perhaps not as aesthetically pleasing, is actually better for reading (less eye-strain).

ps. Sorry for widening this page of the thread with my link. I tried using the Url feature several times with slightly different entries but I couldn't get it to work. I'd seriously suggest looking into the product on the link especially if you were considering getting the $30 accessory from Warren- this does the same thing, and for $17 (or maybe less if you look around on the web) you also get a perfectly decent 1AA Dorcy clone you could give to a budding flashaholic /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif.

 

[Perfectionist]

where can you buy one of these ??

 

[LowWorm]

Warren (LiteMania) sells them in the Dealer's Corner:

JiL Limited Edition
Jil DD Rev (UP)

I'm still not clear on what the difference between these two versions is....

Also, if you wanted the 1.3w, LightHound sells that stateside. As is, it takes about three weeks before you'll get yours from Warren.

 

[goldserve]

I'm trying to hold myself from buying another 1.3W and modding it with a TYOH and FLuPIC. I already have two of these and I can't pull myself to use them! They are too nice for keychain EDC!!

FYI: I get mine in about 1.5 weeks from Warren shipped to Canada.

 

[Solstice]

LowWorm- the Limited Edition has a TWOH bin LED instead of a TWOJ- that means a lower forward voltage, which is more in line with what a directly driven CR2 puts out. Therefore, the TWOH version will be brighter than the regular DD when driven off a regular CR2 cell.

For rechargeables (which aren't recommended at all for the DD, though some people use them) the very lowest Vf bin you could go is a K bin. A J bin would be really pushing it and an H bin would be smoke before very long.

 

[2dim]

Thanks for clarifying bin info on using CR2 and RCR2.