MiniMag and Nexstar Lamp - Measurement Results

[rlhess]

I've been refining my testing a bit and have borrowed the office Minolta T1 illuminance meter.

I have two essentially identical MiniMag lights (well, four, really, but these two are the newest). I put a Brinkmann Nexstar lamp in one and either a Mag or Brinkmann regular lamp in the other.

The Center Beam Candlepower measured at two feet and corrected for inverse square loss is:

"stock" lamp 280 cd drawing about 300mA
Nexstar lamp 576 cd drawing about 460mA

Definitely worth the effort and not yellow, either. It is much whiter.

Brinkmann ships w/o charging shipping! $2.50 per lamp, two per package.

Cheers,

Richard

 

[kubolaw]

Hi Richard -

Thanks so much for this measurement. I "knew" the NexStar bulb improved performance over the stock lamp, but wasn't sure if I was being overly swayed by the whiter light. Now I really know how much better the Brinkmann lamp really is.

Thanks also for posting your LI, X5, and Arc LE measurements. For a while I was kicking myself for missing out on the Illuminator run (and the Lambda's later MiniMag "pill"), but now that I see that the NexStar lamp is still about 2.5 times brighter, it still seems that incandescent is the way for me to go. (Of course, I'll still get in line for Lambda's mods)

John

 

[rlhess]

Ahhh, but Center Beam Candlepower ISN'T the whole story. Beam spread (which I didn't do on the MiniMag with either lamp) is VERY NARROW with either lamp. The Lambda is much wider as is the Surefire compared to the LX. Wider is often better.

Lambda's Pill would be a good choice in my opinion (assuming it's essentially the same as the Brinkmann-based Illuminator that I have)--better than the Brinkmann Nexstar Lamp (as it also is less likely to fail), but since I have an Illuminator and an E2e and an LX the Mags are relegated to utility, infrequent usage and the 2x light output of the Nexstar lamp is useful, but if a MiniMag were an EDC light, I'd go with the Illuminator Pill.

Cheers,

Richard

 

[lemlux]

Richard:

Have you measured or do you intend to measure the readily available Radio Shack 2.5 V 0.43 A MiniMag replacement bulb?

 

[kubolaw]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by rlhess:
Ahhh, but Center Beam Candlepower ISN'T the whole story. Beam spread (which I didn't do on the MiniMag with either lamp) is VERY NARROW with either lamp. The Lambda is much wider as is the Surefire compared to the LX. Wider is often better.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I wholeheartedly agree with the benefits of beam spread, but for my purposes (poking around in the dark regions of closets or suspended ceilings, the occaisional nighttime foray into the yard, etc), I like the longer throw and additional brightness of the incandescent lamp. For me, narrower is better if it can be brighter. Even the NexStar lamp feels to me just barely sufficient at times, so I'm hoping I can successfully capitalize on lemlux's research into compatible Welch Allyn lamps.


<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by rlhess:
Lambda's Pill would be a good choice in my opinion (assuming it's essentially the same as the Brinkmann-based Illuminator that I have)--better than the Brinkmann Nexstar Lamp (as it also is less likely to fail), but since I have an Illuminator and an E2e and an LX the Mags are relegated to utility, infrequent usage and the 2x light output of the Nexstar lamp is useful, but if a MiniMag were an EDC light, I'd go with the Illuminator Pill.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This actually brings up something that I've been curious about. I've read a number of posts that have talked about MiniMag bulbs failing, but I've never experienced that myself. I've EDC'd my MiniMag attached to my keychain for I think 2 years now and only replaced one bulb (the original one), not because it failed, but because I got some of the NexStar lamps. I'm not a LEO or extreme athlete that subjects the light to a lot of everyday stress, but I have dropped my keys (and therefore, the attached light) many times (onto asphalt and concrete, a couple of times when powered on) without incident, so I've always felt very confident in the durability of my MiniMag. I'm just wondering, when people talk about the MiniMag lamp failing, is it just during general use or some more severe conditions? I agree that an LED will be much more robust, but it just seems to me that the incandescent lamp will provide excellent reliability in normal usage (particularly since a spare lamp hides in the tailcap).

John

 

[Shawn Dodson]

What the heck is Lambda's Pill and where do you get one? Thanks!

 

[Lux Luthor]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Shawn Dodson:
What the heck is Lambda's Pill and where do you get one? Thanks!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

See this thread in the LED mod forum.