Neutral (4000K-4500K) AA (or converter) light needed

[purduephotog]

I'm looking for 3x LED lights that are AA based and in Neutral tint.

I've seen the JetBeam BA20 but did not see the tint listed.

I would like at least 200 lumens OTF given that I am using this for up close inspections on very dark and very light absorbent systems. The lights would not be on for significant time periods.

I would like to keep the cost of the lights under 50$ a piece; I could go lithium but the cost of the charger and 3 batteries and lights wouldn't be able to get much more than that. I haven't seen too many LED lights with a rupture disk.

Thanks in advance-

Jason

 

[tre]

Fenix LD25 or E31.
Zebralight SC51w (nice and floody) or Zebralight H51w (if you want to clip it on your shirt, use as headlamp, etc). They will be about $7 more than your price cap with cpf discount
Solarforce L2r host (2xAA batteries) with a neutral nailbender drop-in, neutral deerelight drop-in, or other drop-in of your choice.
EagleTac has some neutral models but I think they all use an XP-E which may have too intense of a spot for close up work.

 

[purduephotog]

Fenix LD25 or E31.
Zebralight SC51w (nice and floody) or Zebralight H51w (if you want to clip it on your shirt, use as headlamp, etc). They will be about $7 more than your price cap with cpf discount
Solarforce L2r host (2xAA batteries) with a neutral nailbender drop-in, neutral deerelight drop-in, or other drop-in of your choice.
EagleTac has some neutral models but I think they all use an XP-E which may have too intense of a spot for close up work.

I have to go through a formal quote process... and buy through a broker... so the drop-ins may be a bit more difficult than I'd like.

I'll check those out- thanks!

 

[Potato42]

I have to go through a formal quote process... and buy through a broker... so the drop-ins may be a bit more difficult than I'd like.

I'll check those out- thanks!

Aww that stinks, but I know how it goes. I was going to second the nailbender drop-in recommendation. I'd actually recommend a high CRI drop-in if accurate color rendition is important. Even though it's a "warm" light, white looks white. It's actually much better than my incandescent household lights. Keep an eye on Lighthound, as you can get nailbender drop-ins from them. I mentioned the linger special to Robert on the phone and it sounded like if there's interest he may carry that one as well.

I love my zebralights too so I second that as a good recommendation if the nailbender route doesn't work.

 

[mvyrmnd]

I thought I read on nailbenders sales thread that his low voltage dropins don't fit in the L2r. It might be worth double checking that.

 

[DaveTheDude]

Fenix LD25 or E31.
Zebralight SC51w (nice and floody) or Zebralight H51w (if you want to clip it on your shirt, use as headlamp, etc). They will be about $7 more than your price cap with cpf discount
Solarforce L2r host (2xAA batteries) with a neutral nailbender drop-in, neutral deerelight drop-in, or other drop-in of your choice.
EagleTac has some neutral models but I think they all use an XP-E which may have too intense of a spot for close up work.

You need to exercise some caution with the Fenix LD25 series. There have been many reports of a greenish tint to these emitters. Also, the lights typically only produce about 150 out-the-front lumens. Good hand feel though, and the rubberized grip is solid.

Another option is the Xeno E03 in a neutral tint. This light comes in three flavors; snow white; neutal white, and warm white. The neutral version produces a creamy vanilly beam, but this light is best when using a 14500 li-ion 3.7 volt cell for power.

The Derelight Javelin is about the brightest AA-powered light in commercial production. It still uses an XP-E emitter. No neutral tint option is presently available, but there is an extension tube allowing a 3xAA configuration, allowing the light to produce somewhere in the vicinity of about 260 lumens, with long run times offered in the bargain.

The neutral white EagleTac 2xAA configurations offer more than one light level, so even if it does use an XP-E emitter, the light can be "powered down" to prevent a "too intense" hotspot at close range.

Finally, the new ThruNite Neutron series uses the new XM-L emitter. The hotspot is about 3-4 times the size of a comparagble XP-G emitter, and also produces a generous spill beam. The effect is one huge floodlight. In the 2xAA (1.5v cell) configuration it produces about 330 lumens. The Neutron 1xAA (using a 14500 li-ion 3.7v cell) produces a whopping 500 lumens, although with a shorter run time. Still, if you need to illuminate dark matter (or just objects with low inherent reflectivity), this may be the way to go. You owe it to yourself to al least see if these new XM-L emitters will serve your purpose. There is also a rumor that a neutral emitter offering in the works.

You're pretty much spoiled for choice in this category. Let us know what you finally choose.

 

[Federal LG]

Fenix LD25 or E31.
Zebralight SC51w (nice and floody) or Zebralight H51w (if you want to clip it on your shirt, use as headlamp, etc). They will be about $7 more than your price cap with cpf discount
Solarforce L2r host (2xAA batteries) with a neutral nailbender drop-in, neutral deerelight drop-in, or other drop-in of your choice.
EagleTac has some neutral models but I think they all use an XP-E which may have too intense of a spot for close up work.

Excuse me but... "SC51w (nice and floody)" only in the F (frosty lens) series, right? I mean, I just bought one SC51w and I don´t want a floody light...

SC51w is not floody, right?

 

[srfreddy]

Well, it isn't a throw monster, but the beamshots show it as having a decent sized hotspot.

 

[purduephotog]

Hrmm... well, the EPR Is in for the Fenix LD25- I don't know where they'll source them, though. Sigh.

Is it THAT hard to get solid cree color bins? I mean I know I go insane trying to figure them out (which is why I'm seriously loving Bridgelux for the undercabinet lighting I'm building) but really....

 

[chenko]

Xeno E03 (1xAA) and E06 (2xAA).
Both come in cool, neutral or warm. Neutral tinted ones sport XP-G led in R5 efficiency class, which is the best efficiency you can find today in neutral white tint.

 

[B0wz3r]

Excuse me but... "SC51w (nice and floody)" only in the F (frosty lens) series, right? I mean, I just bought one SC51w and I don´t want a floody light...

SC51w is not floody, right?

It's not floody in the sense it has a well defined hotspot that will project for some ways, but it is floody in the sense that the angle of the beam it throws is wider than any other light I currently have, so the size of the cone of light it produces is larger than any of my other lights. (I consider it to be a 'hybrid' light because of this, not pure throw, but not pure flood either.)

In spite of this, mine still does throw pretty well, although that's not my preferred use for it. As my primary EDC I use a piece of DC-fix on it to spread the hotspot and it looks a lot more like the F version's output as a result.

 

[flatline]

Excuse me but... "SC51w (nice and floody)" only in the F (frosty lens) series, right? I mean, I just bought one SC51w and I don´t want a floody light...

SC51w is not floody, right?

It's beam shape is pretty similar to the ITP A3 EOS, so there is a hot spot, but it's big compared to the spill and won't have the throw of lights with a tighter hot spot like the Quark series.

If you were hoping for a thrower, you will be disappointed.

It's an ideal beam for inside use and short range outside use (say, less than 50 feet).

--flatline

 

[purduephotog]

We ended up purchasing 4x LD-25 Fenix units.

I have to be honest- I am really disappointed.

Only 2 units are close to identical. Of the other two, one is redish tinted and the other is greenish tinted and much dimmer. I'm going to (since I'm bored) see about running them all through an integrating sphere and a spectralradiomater. The one that is red and the one that is neutral are squential serial numbers.

I just lost ALOT of faith.

-and I'm not even going into the beam artifacts on the center spot. Total spent, about 300$... won't be using that company again.

 

[Dsoto87]

Someone clearly stated earlier to steer clear of the LD25s... so why did you still invest $300 in them?

 

[purduephotog]

Someone clearly stated earlier to steer clear of the LD25s... so why did you still invest $300 in them?

That note came a bit too late to stop the EPR process Things move slooooooow.

Otherwise I was given drop-ins which I can't purchase through a buyer ... and LiIon options which I didn't feel like fighting ESH for approval on.

Oh well. 50% success isn't too bad.

 

[Brasso]

Should have gone with Zebralight as so many recommended. Try the SC51w or SC51c next. It's hard to beat them for tint and beam. Even the much more expensive lights rarely match the Zebra's in those area's.

 

[purduephotog]

Should have gone with Zebralight as so many recommended. Try the SC51w or SC51c next. It's hard to beat them for tint and beam. Even the much more expensive lights rarely match the Zebra's in those area's.

Yep, should've. No google product searches for the PN though. Looks like a nice light... maybe next time if I deploy more in the field- I'm not a fan of fancy clicky GUIs right now- although the 'low' option may make me try the light for our fieldwork (under comm stations).

 

[Fusion_m8]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned shiningbeam, I've just purchased the single AA Romisen RC-G2 II with an improved driver, forward clicky and neutral white LED from his website for less than $20 shipped to Australia.

 

[mazingerz9]

Should have gone with Zebralight as so many recommended. Try the SC51w or SC51c next. It's hard to beat them for tint and beam. Even the much more expensive lights rarely match the Zebra's in those area's.

+1
But I'm holding out for when they finally come out with a flashlight with knurling.
I still have my H501w floody to play with until then.