My AAA lights runtime test...

scout24

Flashaholic
Joined
Dec 23, 2008
Messages
8,869
Location
Penn's Woods
Apologies if this has been done to death, if not, enjoy! Starting at 6:10 pm today, a bunch of AAA's running on USA made Duracell coppertops dated 2016, turned on for the following picture and will be left on until they are as run down to match my Titan on low, which for me is the lowest practical low for my use. Pictures to follow as practical from my end, what with chasing four kids, two cats and a dog around. :)

The contenders: L-R, Fenix EO1, Arc AAA-P, Peak Matterhorn, Ti AAA Killer w/ AlTi-N coating, McGizmo Sapphires, one original, and one High CRI Mule w/ Nichia 036 emitter.




June-20_1618.jpg
 
Done to death...Yes but so, lets do it again:naughty:
 
Why does the Ti AAA Killer already looks like it "killed" the AAA. The dimmest of the bunch according to the last picture. For a light that expensive I'd absolutely be pissed if 3 hours of runtime depleted the battery like so.
 
Last edited:
Why does the Ti AAA Killer already looks like it "killed" the AAA. The dimmest of the bunch according to the last picture. For a light that expensive I'd absolutely be pissed if 3 hours of runtime depleted the battery like so.

It is running at 2-3x the power level, I expect. (90 mA)
 
Okay, CPF is back up and running, so we can post again! 3 still running... Killer quit at 4hrs, I thought something was wrong with the cell or the light, so I ran it again. Same result. Tried it with an Energizer Lithium, ran 4 1/2... This is the 90ma. 5 die led, and it did get warm, but I was a bit surprised by the runtime. Sapphire high-cri bit the dust at around 14 hrs, followed closely by the original Sapphire. The photo below is from right around hour 26, with my Titan as low as it goes for comparison. Matterhorn, as last time, is still the brightest. This is a power level 1 light, Peak's lowest, and as white a tint as can be. I know they are roughly twice the cost of the EO1, but if you really can't live with the purple, I think it is a great option. Personally, I own two EO1's, and ordered another one over the weekend. Purple is not so bad in real-world use, IMHO.

June-21_1718.jpg
 
Taken this morning, on my kitchen counter. 35+ hours. Arc is noticeably dimmer than the other two, not quite down to Titan levels...

June-22_0308.jpg
 
Here's the latest- 47hrs. 45min... EO1 and Matterhorn hanging in there, Arc now similar in output to the Titan on low. Lest anyone think the others are really bright, that's my Ti Quark AA on moonlight mode. We'll call it 48hrs. for the Arc AAA-P, and see where the others wind up. Quark and Titan will be in all subsequent pictures.:)

June-22_1606.jpg
 
Very impressed with the Matterhorn! The E01 is also impressive, but the Matterhorn has had a lot more output during this test. Where is the best place to order one? :p
 
Last edited:
Killer quit at 4hrs, I thought something was wrong with the cell or the light, so I ran it again. Same result. Tried it with an Energizer Lithium, ran 4 1/2... This is the 90ma. 5 die led,

It's not surprising that a 90 ma light runs half as long as a 45 ma light, etc.
 
:thumbsup:Brandon- CR2's will be next weekend... WadeF- Matterhorn can be ordered directly from Peak, their phone # is either in their subforum or the website, peakledsolutions.com (I believe...) Matty is a much nicer tint with about the same beam and initial brightness as the EO1, and can be ordered in a bunch of different power levels and body styles. This is an Al. lug body, power level1, snow white led. They start at around double the price of the EO1. Good kit! I had no idea it would give the EO1 a run for it's money in runtime, this is, however, back-to-back tests of such. Given my normal usage of this type of light, I can't imagine when I'd change the battery because it ran down. It would probably die from old age first...
 
What is the difference between the Matterhorn and the Eiger? Both around the same price range... and both are AAA size lights. Is it just the body style? Different LED's? Does the Matterhorn have a longer runtime?
 
Thanks for the test.
The battery in my Matterhorn has yet to run down from the sporadic usage it gets. I picked up an Eiger level 6 and after reading this, it makes me curious.
 
What is the difference between the Matterhorn and the Eiger? Both around the same price range... and both are AAA size lights. Is it just the body style? Different LED's? Does the Matterhorn have a longer runtime?


The Eiger is the update to the Matterhorn. Physically, they are identical. The difference is the Eiger uses a power LED (originally a Rebel 100, now and XPG R5), while the Matterhorn uses a 5mm LED. Either can be ordered in different power levels (Eiger in a choice of 8, Matty in choice of 3, plus you can choose 1 or 3 LEDs - for the Matty). Both are great choices that can cover a variety of needs...I almost forgot...you can choose from a selection of colored LEDs (for both the Eiger and Matty), too. Lots of options...

EDIT: The Matterhorn has been discontinued for all, but UV and IR applications, per Curt, below, in Post #29.
 
Last edited:
The Eiger is the update to the Matterhorn. Physically, they are identical. The difference is the Eiger uses a power LED (originally a Rebel 100, now and XPG R5), while the Matterhorn uses a 5mm LED. Either can be ordered in different power levels (Eiger in a choice of 8, Matty in choice of 3, plus you can choose 1 or 3 LEDs - for the Matty). Both are great choices that can cover a variety of needs...I almost forgot...you can choose from a selection of colored LEDs, too. Lots of options...

Thank you very much for answering my question.

Would you happen to know which light will run the longest between the two? To narrow it down, I would be referring to the Peak Eiger power level that is equivalent to the 3LED Matterhorn... So between the two, which one will give my AAA cell the best run for it's money?
 
Taken this morning, on my kitchen counter. 35+ hours. Arc is noticeably dimmer than the other two, not quite down to Titan levels...

June-22_0308.jpg

I am very surprised with the Peak Matterhorn myself. On their site, it is quoted at 12 hours for the hp version... but you are already past 48hrs at this point... how long is the Peak's Moonlight mode (after the 12hrs of quoted full power runtime)?
 
The Matterhorn-ish light I tested had a very long tapering "tail" which I guess could be useful in some situations. Usually the runtime spec for good lights is from the time you turn on the light, until its brightness reaches 50% of when it started. That was fairly sensible for incandescent lights since they shifted towards orange as they got dimmer, and once it got past 50% most of the energy was going into the infrared where it was invisible. With leds, the light stays useful at ridicuously low levels, like 1% and even lower, and you can run a light for an awfully long time at 1%.
 
The Matterhorn-ish light I tested had a very long tapering "tail" which I guess could be useful in some situations. Usually the runtime spec for good lights is from the time you turn on the light, until its brightness reaches 50% of when it started. That was fairly sensible for incandescent lights since they shifted towards orange as they got dimmer, and once it got past 50% most of the energy was going into the infrared where it was invisible. With leds, the light stays useful at ridicuously low levels, like 1% and even lower, and you can run a light for an awfully long time at 1%.

Do you think the 3LED Matterhorn will have equivalent, if not the same runtime as the single LED being tested above? The light being produced after 48hrs from the Matterhorn is mind-blowing truthfully, and I am on the verge of buying the 3LED, but I want to get some questions answered first before jumping the gun. Bumping back to a question I had above, if you were to guess which light will outlast one another.... a level 1 Peak Eiger, or the Snow White Peak Matterhorn (1 LED), which will be your pick/guess?
 

Latest posts

Top