Need recommendations for a new light ...

[cmeisenzahl]

Hi guys, I've been away for 6 months or so. Just came back to see that Arc is gone? :-(

I've got an Arc AAA that I love, but I'm looking for something bigger to use around the house. I'd like it to use AAA or AA batteries, or maybe C or D. But definitely not the CR123A batteries, I can't recharge them and they're a bit expensive.

I'm not thrilled with the Inova X5, and I'd would ideally like something regulated. I'm not sure if I should get 1 or multiple LEDs, and I haven't ruled out non-LED I guess.

Can anyone recommend some brands/models for me to look at to start?

What fits those specs and is made well, ideally waterproof?

All leads very much appreciated, thanks very much in advance and have a good day!

Christopher Meisenzahl

 

[s0crates82]

Do you need focus or flood?

Is runtime important?

Is brightness important?

Waterproof is a good start, but we need more info to be specific. Otherwise, you're likely to just get a bunch of us trumpeting about our favorite lights person by person, rather than giving you something that'll help you for what you're specifically looking for.

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Christopher,

PeakLEDSolutions.com has come up with a Snow LED that has a much better tint than the white LED's found in ARC AAA's. I recently picked up a brass AAA with 3 Snow LED's and have been very pleased with it.

They do not overdrive their LED's, so you may want to check out the high power versions or can get them to custom an ultimate for you.

Do a search or check the reviews for more comments.

Tom

 

[cmeisenzahl]

s0crates82, good questions ...

>> Do you need focus or flood?

Hmm, probably doesn't make a big difference, but I would probably lean towards flood


>> Is runtime important?

Yes, short runtimes bug me. But I'm much less sensitive to it if I can use cheap/common batteries, especially if I can resharge them (AA or AAA).

I would really prefer a regulated light.


>> Is brightness important?

Yes.


Thanks!

 

[bonvivantmike]

UK eLED 4AA. You can get it from www.brightguy.com.

It isn't my favorite light, but it's one that I always recommend to those who do not have specific tastes. It's waterproof, regulated, rated for use in hazardous locations, has an 11-hour runtime and is sufficiently bright for most ordinary tasks. Even if you have more advanced lights, you should have one of these.

 

[jaa]

I got a quote from Peak on their Ultra High-Power, "snow" 1 led with an Arc-style protoype body. $34.95 shipped. That's going to be my Arc AAA replacement.

But I think Christopher is asking for something bigger to use around the house. How about the UK 4AA eLED? 1 watt, regulated, 10-12 hours advertised runtime, brighter than a minim@g, and cheap ($20 at Brightguy).

 

[Ratso]

I second the suggestion for the UK 4AA eLED. It is a great light for random tasks around the house, emergencies, camping, whatever. For $20, everyone should own one.

 

[357]

I second the UK 4AA eLED recommendation. Its an absolutely outstanding light, at any price. 11 hours of nearly flat regulation. VERY GOOD beam quality, almost no artifacts. Exceptional flood spill, not much throw but for around the house has a great flood beam. All of my UK 4aas have good to very good tints (ranging from slightly yellow to off white (creamy).

As the UK 4aa throws light in all directions, it is the perfect light to "light up" a room. Its NOT useful for long range (throw) applications, though. If you just need it for around the house work, its hard to beat.

At $20 (what I paid for them), they are a steal.

 

[pedalinbob]

and for $6 you can ge the incan drop-in for it and voila! throw!

great little light.

Bob

 

[cmeisenzahl]

What\'s the drop-in? TIA! nt

nt

 

[3rd_shift]

Re: What\'s the drop-in? TIA! nt

Electrolumens Xm3 in the electrolumens forum looks quite promising.
2 AA, regulated and a 3 watt emitter for about 40 bucks.

Wanna go really cheap? Look at the review of a 21 led 3x AAA batteries light in the reviews forum that I did last month.
Those were about 33 bucks shipped for 2 of em. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[asdalton]

I should mention that the UK 4AA eLED uses an intentionally underdriven Luxeon, so it won't be as bright as most other Luxeon lights. It emits about as much total light as five or six 5-mm LEDs, but with better throw and typically better color. (Even though it's not a focused beam, it still throws better than a cluster of 5-mm LEDs having comparable light output.) My 4AA eLED has excellent beam color, but some unlucky people have gotten purplish or greenish ones.