LedLenser V² Lithium

[Kiessling]

Hi.

To act according to my nostalgic addiction /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif , I am presenting a new LedLenser light:

The V² Lithium

It is the smallest light in the V²-Series to date and uses - surprise surprise - a CR123 lithium battery to power a 1W or 3W LS. Which one, I do not know.
Here's a comparison shot with an Arc LS and a SF L4 for size reference:

The V² Lithium is machined from aluminium, and the machine work is of a good quality as we have come to expect from LedLenser; nothing too stellar, but ok. The most interesting element here is the knurling ... it is perfect. It consists of diamond-shaped little pyramids that are very grippy but not at all rough ... just the right mix:

The light has a pushbutton switch at the tailcap that has a "reverse" momentary, meaning a momentary-off and not -on /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif . In additin to that, the ligth cannot stand on end, another /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif .
There is a lanyard attachment. No thumbsdown here.

At the front end we find a Fraen LP optics that is not protected by a lens. behind the optix there is a semi-translucent blue plastic sleeve that produces - when the device is lit - a soft blue glow emitting from the circular holes in the bezel that are so typical of LedLensers. This is an exceptionally cool design feature, but in fact pretty useless. Fortunately it is not too bright to produce any glare. Look at the first pic to get the impression.

The interior of the light is of good quality, too, all contacts are gold-plated and well worked-out, no rattle, and all the parts seem to be quite solid:

The biggest concern I have is waterproofness, or the lack thereoff. This thing does not even have o-rings!!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif
I really hate /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif LedLenser for this ... their lights are not bad, but this flaw is unacceptable !!!!

IMHO this light has to be regulated, or at least voltage boosted, but I did not vivisect it to find out. The runtime of relatively constant brightness - at least to my eyes - is at least 2h, but I did not do a real runtime test, I got tired on the road.

Output-wise you can expect everything you know of a typical square Fraen LP beam. It is pure white in this light as with all of the modern LedLensers, especially the V²-Series. It is not a scorcher, but does well against an Arc LS, a FireFly MkI, etc.

Summary:

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif good machine work
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif knurling
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif output and tint
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif runtime
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif very cool design with blue-glownig bezel lights
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif clicky
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif gold plated contacts

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif not weatherproof
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif cannot stand on end
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif no lens
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif blue bezel lights might disturb someone
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif could be smaller

I paid €39 on ebay for this little marvel /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif.

bernhard

 

[luxlover]

Excellent review of a light that is not so excellent. Are you going to sell "this little marvel", since it isn't so marvelous? How about saving your Euros for a SureFire U2? Now that happens to be an excellent idea!

 

[Kiessling]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I will put it in my big box full of LedLensers, Jeff /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
It is not THAT bad, you know ... it is just not Arc or SF or even a McLux ... It is just a good medium quality light.
If I were my Mom for example, I'd buy this light and be happy with iut for a long time (except when I realize the battery cost /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin07.gif)
And the U2 ... is certainly the most important production light of the year. No way I will miss this one! No way!
bernhard

 

[luxlover]

You are a sensible man. Maybe you should not wait to the last minute, and start shopping for a bigger box! These boxes get filled quickly with our many useful (and useless) purchases. Be a good son, and buy your <font color="pink">Dear Mom</font> a very small (females like small) LED based light, and supply her with the 123 batteries forever!

Being that you are a true and genuine lover of lights, I certainly hope that when the U2 will be delivered by the stork, there will be a lot of love left in you for it.....

 

[Stainless]

Kiessling:
Do you know of a good (english language) site for the LED Lensers?

 

[Kiessling]

Stainless, I do not even have a good German site /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Seriously ... use www.zweibrueder.com to view the available models with good pics, you can read the battery configurations, too. The rest of tbe "info" is grossly hyped and generally speaking BS /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif . But the pics are cool.

Then you have:

http://www.tranquilityimages.com/ccs/index.shtml
http://pumaknives.com/?n=store&b=41&pl=200

They are all more or less a shame.

and then there is that thread of Kevin of COAST introducing his selection of LedLensers. they are the distributor in the USA. Have a look in the dealers section.

bernhard

 

[chrisse242]

Well thats what I call understatement. I once saw a thread started by some unknown german guy dealing with most of the led-lensers. I think it was at a forum called cpf or something like that. The members name was something like keisling, keysling or... can't remember. I can't think of any information that can't be found there.

found it: led-lensers

EDIT: Bernahrd what happened? All pics are gone?

 

[Kiessling]

ah ... that old thread. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
yeah, was quite a lot of work, but it is outdated and lacks the newer, better LedLensers AND it has lost the fight against imagestation /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
if a thread like this should be of interest again just let me know, I can try to make some sort of reference table or quick-finder for LedLenser lights to identifly them and learn about the basic features.

bernhard

EDIT: no, not gone. Imagestation just won't show them any more ... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif
Anyway, as I said, the thread ist mostly outdated ...

 

[Stainless]

[ QUOTE ]
Kiessling said:
Stainless, I do not even have a good German site /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


[/ QUOTE ]
Good one. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crackup.gif

Seriously; I was all over the main site the other day, and even with the pages "translated" into english, the site was still difficult to navigate.

I diid see the post in the dealers section by Kevin of Coast - and had already recommended that he put up a GOOD webpage of all the LED Lenser products that he disrtubutes.

It IS an interesting product line - I do hope that the marketing (and the battery options) can be tweaked for the north American market.

 

[Kiessling]

http://www.ledlenser.com/

try this one ... they have lots of LedLensers and at least some amoubnt of info AND they are in the USA.

IMHO LedLensers are not bad, they are medium quality standard-user lights in the "cool-design" class. they just do not meet our hardcore criterias on CPF.

bernhard

 

[Kiessling]

battery options:

some rechargeable lights are coming, especially a NiMh 5W torch ...

... as well as some 3xAAA powered lights and 1xAA and 1xAAA as well. It seems they are learning.
It would be about time for them to learn that 70% of our planet are water and that our lights must be protected ... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

Regulated 3W lights on C-Cells are in the pipeline, too:

Based on the abundance of different models and the enormous spread of those lights Zweibrueder Optoelectronics must really be one of the major players in the flashligth world nowadays I wonder ... ???

bernhard

 

[Stainless]

[ QUOTE ]
Kiessling said:
IMHO LedLensers are not bad, they are medium quality standard-user lights in the "cool-design" class. they just do not meet our hardcore criterias on CPF.
bernhard

[/ QUOTE ]

Interesting that you should comment on our "hardcore criterias on CPF". I recently realized that when I get a new light, I tend to look for - and focus on - the 5% or 10% of a design which is not PERFECT in my opinion - rather that upon the 90 plus % of what is right. Which is kind of silly, considering that most of what I buy did not - nor could not - have even existed even a few short years ago. I guess that is a symptom of flashalcoholism.

Having said that; COMPETITION is a fact of life in the manufacturing world. Statements like: "It would be about time for them to learn that 70% of our planet are water and that our lights must be protected ... " should serve as a wake up call to someone. I CAN buy lights at K-mart for about five dollars... lights that are waterproof, float, and have reliable switches!

 

[Kiessling]

good points, and I wish you luck with your $5 lights that float ... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif ... plan to use them in the bathtub as a replacement for the little yellow duck /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin07.gif ? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
bernhard

 

[chrisse242]

I just found a shop in germany that already announces the new models. They will be available from july and the cost in this special shop seems rather high for me.
The modells with one aa or aaa are going to be sold at 29,99 euro at this special shop and from the experiences we have made, they won't be able to compete with the arc aaa or aa. (regarding water-resistance and overall quality).
For the average consumer this really is going to be a milestone. The arcs aren't well known in public, the led-lensers are, and these are going to be the first generally available led-lights with one aaa or aa.
The shop I was talking about also annoounced one of the rechargable modells. A luxeonI driven at spec with charger and runtime of about three hours. (Seems much more reasonable than what they always told about their non-rechargeable modells but still a little to high.) Price: 89,90 euro.


Chrisse led-lensers from german shop

 

[indenial]

They are at least water-resistant, if not waterproof, I'd say! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Kiessling]

Well ... MY LedLensers (except the V16) are certainly not waterproof ... maybe Coast changed something or the newer ones are now watertight ... or they put them under water and they continued working since there are no electronics despite water flushing in ? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin07.gif

German members may also look at:

www.artools.de
(ask for the newer ones, he will get them for you)

Chrisse ... agreed ... this is indeed a small revolution for the standard consumer ... and they won't even notice it ! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

bernhard

 

[Stainless]

[ QUOTE ]
Kiessling said:
good points, and I wish you luck with your $5 lights that float ... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif ... plan to use them in the bathtub as a replacement for the little yellow duck /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin07.gif ? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
bernhard

[/ QUOTE ]

Bernhard:

Who needs luck if one has $5 and access to a Wal-Mart?

Another $5 would buy me a higher draw bulb and a pair of lithium AA cells to power it!
Not the same "cool" factor as the LED Lensers, but it does float in water hot enough to fog my camera lens. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

I think I have one of those somewhere Stainless...

Perhaps it deserves another look?

Ledlenser/Coast lights cost a bit much for me... but if relly cool ones show up....

 

[Kiessling]

Stainless ... this floating thing of yours, one might call it a flashlight /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif, is a real problem /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif. It is plain unfair that $5 make a reliabel waterproof torch while $(a lot more) won't do the same, even if a lot cooler design etc. is applied. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif
thanx for the reality-check /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

PJS ... this V² Lithium I presented in this thread is quite nice, but the one and only LedLenser for me is still this one:

The V16 ... ultra-slim ... *very* stylish ... watertight ... lithium powered ...

bernhard

 

[Stainless]

[ QUOTE ]
Kiessling said:
Stainless ... this floating thing of yours, one might call it a flashlight /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif, is a real problem /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif. It is plain unfair that $5 make a reliabel waterproof torch while $(a lot more) won't do the same, even if a lot cooler design etc. is applied. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif
thanx for the reality-check /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

bernhard

[/ QUOTE ]

Reality check - what can I say? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

(I DO NOT mean to belittle the world famous German engineering!!! Does the Mercedes company make flashlights? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif)

I guess "reality" is that different technologies produce different products. Now if the makers of my "floating thing" begin producing Luxeon based lights, then... well then who knows what might happen?

BTW: I very much appreciate all the information that you have posted about LED Lenser in this and in previous threads.