pedalinbob
Flashlight Enthusiast
i am interested in the junior as well...
anyone else think the tailswitch looks like a kroll?
Bob
anyone else think the tailswitch looks like a kroll?
Bob
Need suggestion on AA Luxeon
- Thread starter Gman
- Start date
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I still think the best light to fit the original request for a bright 2AA luxeon with reasonable run time is the T-bin luxIII sandwich. Use the stock switch rather than the kroll. The sandwich retainer works great and the unit stays put when changing batteries. It is bright, white, and 2AA lithium, NiMH, alkaline, or heavy duty works great. With the MM wide open option it is not overpowered. If the price is too much, then go with the 1 watt at $30.00.
Paulr, he has units down to 400mA. Do you consider that high powered? In fact I like my 400mA, it is not quite as bright as my 123A cell powered lights, but a lot brighter than the 4AA lights mentioned above.
As far as the Kroll goes, I haven't had any issues with the lights I have, but they seem to be the only game in town. Consider Peter was using them on his lights. If you have problems you can always throw away the Kroll - it isn't too expensive.
Also note that Gman specifically asked for a AA light with qty 2 prefered, up to 4 if needed.
[Edit: I re-read the post. He said 3, not 4.]
Cannon50, yes, there is the option of the retainer switch. I prefer not to use mine, but it is a good point that you do have that option.
What we really need is someone to make something like the Mag AA housing but with a Surefire style switch and a housing pre-set up for a sandwich.
-john
As far as the Kroll goes, I haven't had any issues with the lights I have, but they seem to be the only game in town. Consider Peter was using them on his lights. If you have problems you can always throw away the Kroll - it isn't too expensive.
Also note that Gman specifically asked for a AA light with qty 2 prefered, up to 4 if needed.
[Edit: I re-read the post. He said 3, not 4.]
Cannon50, yes, there is the option of the retainer switch. I prefer not to use mine, but it is a good point that you do have that option.
What we really need is someone to make something like the Mag AA housing but with a Surefire style switch and a housing pre-set up for a sandwich.
-john
For the CPF members that find the various Sandwiches hard to pick from and the information spread out through CPF history, you can't really go wrong with any of the Sandwiches. All are better than a stock MiniMag by far!!! The brighter they are the shorter the runtime, just like other lights. You don't have to use the Kroll switch or the mineral glass, these are just "bells & whistles" to trick out your MiniMag.
I have read about the sandwiches since they had colors for names and I have had most of the different versions. I have had 32 Sandwiches and the reason I'm saying all of this is just to let you know that I've had some hands on experience with them. My favorite is the BB750 Lux3 "T" with NiMH batteries. I have given my family members seven MM+Q3, one BB500, three BB400 and maybe more but this is all that comes to mind. The ages have ranged from a 7 year old grand-son to my 85 year old step-mother. None of these have any means of retaining the Sandwich all get used and some of them get heavy use. There hasn't been anything but praise from their owners. Some of these people have ARC LS, Surefire, ElektroLumens Blaster, NewBeams etc to compare with.
INHO the best value right now is the MadMax Lite for $30
Here's a list to give you an idea about brightness and runtime.
MM+ = 800ma =1.25 hour runtime
BB750=750ma = 1 hour approximate
BB650=650ma =?
MM = 500ma = 1.5 hour
BB400=400ma = 2 hours
MM Lite=400ma=3 hours
In my experience they seem to run longer than this and one of my brother-in-laws said he tracked a deer for three hours with a MM+Q3 using alkaline batteries.
You can check the vairous runtime charts if you need more accruate numbers, but this should give you an idea.
I have read about the sandwiches since they had colors for names and I have had most of the different versions. I have had 32 Sandwiches and the reason I'm saying all of this is just to let you know that I've had some hands on experience with them. My favorite is the BB750 Lux3 "T" with NiMH batteries. I have given my family members seven MM+Q3, one BB500, three BB400 and maybe more but this is all that comes to mind. The ages have ranged from a 7 year old grand-son to my 85 year old step-mother. None of these have any means of retaining the Sandwich all get used and some of them get heavy use. There hasn't been anything but praise from their owners. Some of these people have ARC LS, Surefire, ElektroLumens Blaster, NewBeams etc to compare with.
INHO the best value right now is the MadMax Lite for $30
Here's a list to give you an idea about brightness and runtime.
MM+ = 800ma =1.25 hour runtime
BB750=750ma = 1 hour approximate
BB650=650ma =?
MM = 500ma = 1.5 hour
BB400=400ma = 2 hours
MM Lite=400ma=3 hours
In my experience they seem to run longer than this and one of my brother-in-laws said he tracked a deer for three hours with a MM+Q3 using alkaline batteries.
You can check the vairous runtime charts if you need more accruate numbers, but this should give you an idea.
Quickbeam
Flashlight Enthusiast
Here's a quick link to the Luxeon lights I have reviewed...
http://flashlightreviews.home.att.net/reviews/reviews_index_luxeon.htm
Hope this helps... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
http://flashlightreviews.home.att.net/reviews/reviews_index_luxeon.htm
Hope this helps... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
John, 400 mA to the LED is over 600 mA from the batteries once they've run down a bit. Yes, that is high powered, especially for zinc-carbon AA cells. You really can't think of them as being like AA alkalines. They're more like AAA's in terms of capacity and performance. As for throwing away the Kroll, please remember the premise of this thread! We're not talking about a light for a flashaholic in the US, we're talking about a light for an ordinary non-flashaholic in a country whose economy is limited enough that they can't get any size of batteries except for AA's. Where the heck are they going to get a replacement Kroll if they throw away the original one?
The last thing we want to do is subject the poor recipient to the hassles of ordering replacement parts from faraway lands. We want a light that's as maintenance-free as possible, and that has a stingy appetite for battery current. (One presumes that the specification of an LED light is partly because it's inconvenient to even get replacement PR incandescent bulbs over there).
We haven't heard much from the original poster since the thread started, so I'm still wondering just how the light is going to be used. However, I had sort of a similar decision to make recently--I wanted to send a light to a friend in Romania--and chose to send a CMG Infinity (an Ultra might have been better, but I happened to have an extra Infinity). The Ultra and the 4AA eLED really do seem like the two best choices given the requirements if I've pegged them correctly.
The last thing we want to do is subject the poor recipient to the hassles of ordering replacement parts from faraway lands. We want a light that's as maintenance-free as possible, and that has a stingy appetite for battery current. (One presumes that the specification of an LED light is partly because it's inconvenient to even get replacement PR incandescent bulbs over there).
We haven't heard much from the original poster since the thread started, so I'm still wondering just how the light is going to be used. However, I had sort of a similar decision to make recently--I wanted to send a light to a friend in Romania--and chose to send a CMG Infinity (an Ultra might have been better, but I happened to have an extra Infinity). The Ultra and the 4AA eLED really do seem like the two best choices given the requirements if I've pegged them correctly.
Gman
Enlightened
I had no idea my query would bring forth such a huge amount of information. Ah well, it's why I came to the pros in the first place.
Special thanks to Brightnorm and Quickbeam who've always been knowledgable and helpful to me in the past. And thanks to paulr who clearly understands the battery issues at hand. I've ordered the SL Jr and should have it next week. If I'm not happy with it I'll try the MM Lite. Thanks again to everyone...
Special thanks to Brightnorm and Quickbeam who've always been knowledgable and helpful to me in the past. And thanks to paulr who clearly understands the battery issues at hand. I've ordered the SL Jr and should have it next week. If I'm not happy with it I'll try the MM Lite. Thanks again to everyone...
Gman, cool, let us know how you like the SL Jr. In particular it would be great if you could go to a dollar store and get a pack of the cheapest, NON-alkaline AA cells you can get, and test the SL's runtime. That's something I've been wanting to do for the 4AA eLED and for the CMG Ultra, but I keep not getting around to it.
By the way I believe that the UKE 4AA eLED may be lighter with four AA cells (because of its plastic body) than the SL Jr. is with three AA cells (because of the SL Jr.'s heavier metal body). The UKE is also somewhat shorter, because of its 2x2 battery configuration, but it is of course wider.
By the way I believe that the UKE 4AA eLED may be lighter with four AA cells (because of its plastic body) than the SL Jr. is with three AA cells (because of the SL Jr.'s heavier metal body). The UKE is also somewhat shorter, because of its 2x2 battery configuration, but it is of course wider.
Hi Paulr,
Ah, I didn't catch the part about where the light was going to be used. That considered, I agree the MM+sandwich is a bit too fussy. In fact, I think the MM would be too fussy.
With this new understanding, I looked at the PT, UKE and SL again (since I have them at hand).
I would probably select the PT except it uses a dinky O ring. I think you'd really want a bit more heavy duty seal.
The SL 4AA 7LED has a slightly larger O ring, but still not as good as the UKE lamp(s). The flood is very useful for close up stuff and the switch works easily. Probably not a bad selection.
The UKE has a much better O ring than the others and feels a lot smaller in the hand. The thing that is annoying is the switch. It is very stiff with no feedback. The other thing is as you pointed out, a switch is something else to maintain. So... I'm thinking a MiniQ40 w/eLED module. The other thing about this is the Q40 moves the O ring farther forward and omits the vent. I'm thinking both things would help add a bit to the reliability.
I'd also consider (As Paulr also recommended) the CMG Infinity Ultra or Infinity (regular). Certainly if I was traveling to such a place this is a light that would be on my must_take list.
Gman, I would consider what Paulr said about the Kroll switch. I have some and while I haven't had any problems, they are cheapo plastic thingies and I wouldn't put them in a critical light. My understanding is the Jr uses this switch.
Also, I wouldn't consider the MM (even w/o the tailcap) for this kind of duty either. It's got a lot of parts and isn't super waterproof. If I did take a MM in this situation, it would be with a Newbeam which would give decent runtime with the batteries available.
So, all considered, I would recommend the UKE MiniQ40 w/eLED and a CMG Infinity.
Sorry for the ignorance, but what does CIS stand for?
-john
Ah, I didn't catch the part about where the light was going to be used. That considered, I agree the MM+sandwich is a bit too fussy. In fact, I think the MM would be too fussy.
With this new understanding, I looked at the PT, UKE and SL again (since I have them at hand).
I would probably select the PT except it uses a dinky O ring. I think you'd really want a bit more heavy duty seal.
The SL 4AA 7LED has a slightly larger O ring, but still not as good as the UKE lamp(s). The flood is very useful for close up stuff and the switch works easily. Probably not a bad selection.
The UKE has a much better O ring than the others and feels a lot smaller in the hand. The thing that is annoying is the switch. It is very stiff with no feedback. The other thing is as you pointed out, a switch is something else to maintain. So... I'm thinking a MiniQ40 w/eLED module. The other thing about this is the Q40 moves the O ring farther forward and omits the vent. I'm thinking both things would help add a bit to the reliability.
I'd also consider (As Paulr also recommended) the CMG Infinity Ultra or Infinity (regular). Certainly if I was traveling to such a place this is a light that would be on my must_take list.
Gman, I would consider what Paulr said about the Kroll switch. I have some and while I haven't had any problems, they are cheapo plastic thingies and I wouldn't put them in a critical light. My understanding is the Jr uses this switch.
Also, I wouldn't consider the MM (even w/o the tailcap) for this kind of duty either. It's got a lot of parts and isn't super waterproof. If I did take a MM in this situation, it would be with a Newbeam which would give decent runtime with the batteries available.
So, all considered, I would recommend the UKE MiniQ40 w/eLED and a CMG Infinity.
Sorry for the ignorance, but what does CIS stand for?
-john
Gman
Enlightened
John, it's the Luxeon Jr. Not available yet? The folks I ordered it from claim it'll ship next week. I'd better check into this.
CIS is the Commonwealth of Independent States. Rather than bore you with the details just think of Russia and a few of the former Soviet Union satellites. In my case it's Ukraine, my fiance is Ukrainain and I spend summers doing research and photography work in and around the Chornobyl accident site north of Kyiv. (These are the Ukrainain spellings of the words.) Luxeon lights are unknown over there and many people have country summer cottages where a reliable flashlight is a must. Such an item would be a unique and treasured gift. I admit I'm a tad worried about the switch but I'll hope for the best.
CIS is the Commonwealth of Independent States. Rather than bore you with the details just think of Russia and a few of the former Soviet Union satellites. In my case it's Ukraine, my fiance is Ukrainain and I spend summers doing research and photography work in and around the Chornobyl accident site north of Kyiv. (These are the Ukrainain spellings of the words.) Luxeon lights are unknown over there and many people have country summer cottages where a reliable flashlight is a must. Such an item would be a unique and treasured gift. I admit I'm a tad worried about the switch but I'll hope for the best.
If you really want a 2aa Luxeon light, another one you can think about (definitely expensive but a much higher class light than any we've talked about except the Arc) is the Longbow Eco. It's new and that's probably why it didn't come up before. But Longbows are terrific lights. Their finish and presentation will make it clear that the recipient is getting something really special.
Gman
Enlightened
Paul, are those the ones Bulldog has in stock? Never heard of them. Special indeed, your tallking about a light that cost twice the average Ukrainian's monthly salary. I see the 2 AA is 25 lumens while the SL Jr is supposed to be 30. Do you think SL is hyping that figure?
From my experiences with Streamlight and the positive reviews i've read i doubt you'll have any problems with the SL Jr. Luxeon. I plan to order one myself. As far as the tailswitch goes, are you guys sure its a standard Kroll? I guess for extra redundancy you could always bring a spare tailcap.
DBrier
Enlightened
[ QUOTE ]
John N said:
...The UKE has a much better O ring than the others and feels a lot smaller in the hand. The thing that is annoying is the switch. It is very stiff with no feedback. The other thing is as you pointed out, a switch is something else to maintain. So... I'm thinking a MiniQ40 w/eLED module. The other thing about this is the Q40 moves the O ring farther forward and omits the vent. I'm thinking both things would help add a bit to the reliability.
I'd also consider (As Paulr also recommended) the CMG Infinity Ultra or Infinity (regular). Certainly if I was traveling to such a place this is a light that would be on my must_take list.
...So, all considered, I would recommend the UKE MiniQ40 w/eLED and a CMG Infinity.
-john
[/ QUOTE ]
All good info. If I was going to a place like you describe, those are the two I would take.
If you are worried about the switch, the UK 4AA eLED can be turned on and off the by using the head instead. For the price from Bright Guy, I would send him two, just in case something happened to the first.
John N said:
...The UKE has a much better O ring than the others and feels a lot smaller in the hand. The thing that is annoying is the switch. It is very stiff with no feedback. The other thing is as you pointed out, a switch is something else to maintain. So... I'm thinking a MiniQ40 w/eLED module. The other thing about this is the Q40 moves the O ring farther forward and omits the vent. I'm thinking both things would help add a bit to the reliability.
I'd also consider (As Paulr also recommended) the CMG Infinity Ultra or Infinity (regular). Certainly if I was traveling to such a place this is a light that would be on my must_take list.
...So, all considered, I would recommend the UKE MiniQ40 w/eLED and a CMG Infinity.
-john
[/ QUOTE ]
All good info. If I was going to a place like you describe, those are the two I would take.
If you are worried about the switch, the UK 4AA eLED can be turned on and off the by using the head instead. For the price from Bright Guy, I would send him two, just in case something happened to the first.
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