Just Got a Streamlight Argo

[wualta]

I needed something to search the dank, and I do mean dank, recesses of the X-Wife's (the truth ain't out there) basement, where all my bicycle tools and parts had been archaeologically buried. Even the Petzl Tikka Plus wasn't doing the job, and the ammonia fumes (don't ask) would've killed the simple mechanical switch of the focused but primitive Energizer headlamp. To find the buried treasure, I needed.. a Luxeon, and a Luxeon in a properly designed reflector. But which of the surprisingly few Luxeon headlamps would do the job without 1) impoverishment of yrs truly or 2)going dim after 15 minutes or 3)crushing my skull with its massive battery pack?

I read all the CPF postings I could find and settled on the one that no one seems to like, the Argo. It's also known as the Aggro, apparently, since in some owners it inspires rage, which makes life interesting. Never one to simplify my life if there's a comically humiliating alternative, I found Brightguy to have both a good price and a goofy Edison-base yellow mascot. Sold!

Well, guess what? The Argo's really nifty. Much brighter than the Aurora/Tikka+, it's also by far the whitest of any of the flashlights I own. The Reactor Mk.I introduced us to greenish, the Streamlight Luxeon Task-Light was lemon flavored, and the Dorcy Luxeon (uses the same 3AAA carrier as the Argo) has the damnedest electroluminescent-nightlight lime-sherbet color you ever saw. Looking at the Argo in bright sunshine, it still looks white. Call me lucky this time around.

It's not as near-weightless on the forehead as the Tikka+, but it's not uncomfortable. Light falloff is gradual around the hotspot, which is very bright.

Bright enough to cut right through the murk, and I found some parts and tools I'd missed with the Tikka and Aurora. The Argo's plastic head gets rather warm after 30 minutes, but there's no danger of a meltdown. I'm trying 750mah nimh cells just to see how much runtime I get, but the light is regulated, so even with alkalines output is constant, though short (1 hr) at full bright. Digital camera owners know: short runtime on alkalines? Switch to The Secret of NIMH.

All screw threads (head, battery case) are O-ringed, so nighttime rainstorm tire-changing should be feasible. All that and tight regulation too-- what more could you want? Maybe a smoother beam. It's good, but could be improved.

Oh yes: referencing Quickbeam's review, mine's a grey-button Argo.

I'm still waiting for the rage to overtake me, but so far all I feel is a kind of perverse paternalism. Tell me; do I look feverish? am I unwell?

Far too happy for west Michigan,

Walt Brand

 

[chumley]

Walt, thank you for a detailed and positive review of the Argo. I figured that it isn't as bad as some of the people here think it is. If I had to what you did, I think I would have used my PT Vortec, it is damn bright for a headlamp. I am going to wait a bit longer before getting a LS based headlamp, but I am sure that the manufacturers are going to work out the bugs, they are only out with the first generation of high output leds.

 

[wualta]

Glad you liked the review, offbeat as it was.

What some people don't like about the Argo is, ironically, what they say they want in their lights, regulation. Any high-current-drain application with regulation using alkaline cells is doomed to disappoint, as owners of digital cameras know all too well-- the battery voltage sags as internal resistance goes up, current output takes a dive, the battery drops out of regulation and the device shuts off. NIMH (in this case, not the National Institute for Mental Health but rather nickel-metal hydride, though they could be related after all) provides a way out. I intend to do a run-time test using my 750mah Energizer (Sanyo) cells; I'll bet they run longer than alkalines, even though their mah rating is lower. We'll see.

Haven't tried the Vortec. Is it regulated?

I'm thinking of trying the Argo as a bike light, appropriately enough.

 

[chumley]

No, the Vortec is old low tech, no regulation unfortunately. But, it is very bright with fresh batteries, especially lithium AA's. I tried it with NIMH's and it is bright, but somewhat more yellow. I look at the Argo as a good start, that will be improved as Streamlight does more research.

The only thing that stopped me from getting it was that it uses AAA's , instead of AA's.

 

[Phaserburn]

wualta, very interested in your NIMH runtime tests vs alkalines. 1 hour on high just won't cut it for me. I wish they designed this usit with an AA pack in the back instead of AAAs in front.

 

[wualta]

Gentlemen: Your wish is my command. Running a straight runtime test right now. Already at 1:25 on HI and the first LED in the little "fuel gauge" is still lit.

While we wait for the Argo to suddenly go dark, let me describe this particular test. These are 3 fairly new (6 months) Energizer (nee Eveready) 750mah AAA cells, probably made by Sanyo, known among the digital camera crowd as some of the best nimh cells. They just came out of the Energizer 30-minute "smart" charger (ie, each cell has its own charging circuit or "channel" with individual sensing of the state of charge of that cell). In a sense, this is a bit unfair, since rechargeables are at their very best fresh from the charger. On the other hand, this charger can be run from a car cigarette lighter, and the charger is fast (much less than 30 minutes for AAA cells), so it's conceivable these cells would be used this way.

Okay! darkness at 1:29:52. Can we restart?..Yes-- it comes back on HI-- I immediately throttle down to LO to see how much more runtime you get after the cells fall out of regulation on HI. The red "you ain't got much left" LED is lit.

Darkness on LO at 4:56. So you get nearly 5 more minutes of reduced light before the cells fall out of regulation again. If I give them a rest and let the light cool off, I'll bet I can start the light again... Okay, 3 minutes rest and the light starts on HI. Throttle down to LO... dark again at 1:23. Not bad. And in about 10 minutes the cells can be recharged. So not stellar, but not too shabby either. Considering its size and weight, this is about as good as this type of light is going to get. We'll have to wait for 1000mah AAA nimh cells, which should be coming along any day now, to make this into a 2-hour light.

However, it would be a nice touch if mfrs would give us an external power supply connector on these lights. Then if you want to run the Argo from your Cine 60 battery belt... forget that "AAs on the back of the head" baloney.. Talk about runtime!

It must be disconcerting to have the Argo just snap off the way it does without even dimming. There is no "moon" mode. The darkness is instantaneous and total.

The charger, by the way, was on sale at Target last week for about $25. It handles AA and AAA nimh only. Its power supply wall wart has a switching-type power supply which may drive all the radios in the vicinity nuts-- but you can then actually hear it working. It starts and stops, using (I'm guessing) the Russian "negative pulse" method of fast charging.

Has anyone (like Roy) done a runtime test using alkalines for comparison?

Walt Brand

 

[Bullzeyebill]

How about running this test with different NiMH AAA's as a comparison to the Energizer cells. Isn't there a way to run a wire to the circuit and use an external power source?
I will ask the tech at my local SL warranty station/store.
Bill