New guy looking for small and bright Lights.

[jwalker497]

I am new to this forum and I need your help. I got a few Fenix lights (P1D and P2Ds) and am amazed at these little devices so now I am looking for even smaller and brighter lights.

I've searched a little and read about the Ord and Draco and drake but I it seems to confusing to me and I need someone to dummy it down for me.

I dont know much about whats out there other than what I read searching here. Basically, I want to know some models and basic info about them, ie dimensions, lumens, price, where to buy, etc?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Gunner12]

I'm not sure how much the Drake/Draco purchasing thread would help but here it is.

Think around AAA sized light(or smaller for the Drake) and lots of output, programmable level, and small Li-ion battery.

You can also look at the Orb lights.

I think you can get over 100 lumen for most of them(depending on which one you buy).

:welcome:

 

[jwalker497]

Is that it, the Draco and the Orb??

1. Are there any others?
2. Can someone give me the basics of these 2 and any others you know, I need to just know, dimensions, lumens, price??

I read that draco page and it was too confusing and the lumens were not listed. Thanks.

 

[Patriot]

The LOD Q4 (still available but discontinued) and LD01 Q5 are both very bright for their size. Many of us run them on rechargeable li-ion 10440 batteries and get well over 100 lumens for short bursts. On the down side heat builds up quickly and it draws a lot of current from the battery. Lower output settings can still be selected keeping the light task friendly.

 

[Alan_P]

The Raw NS, Wee and Drake take rechargable batteries only.

The Wee is the smallest at 34mm (1.3 inches). It is a slingle level light. If you purchase it you choose 100 or 50 or 25 lumens. It is direct drive and will get dimmer as the batteries discharge. You can also buy the other drivers, it is very easy to change them, they just drop in. This light has no hot spot. It will light up a room beautifully but take it outdoors and it is very limited. A great keychain light.

The Drake is just a hair larger. It has a hot spot and is more useful outdoors. If I shine my Drake on a wall and compare it to the 100 lumen Wee it looks much brighter. The interface it the most complex and the most flexible of the three lights. The light contains a small computer chip. There are five states that the flashlight can be in. When you turn it on the first time it comes on in state 1. THis is burst mode or the brightest. After about a half a second the light will blink. If you turn it off after the blink it will turn on in the same state. On the other hand if you turn it on and off quickly the next time you turn it on it will come up in the next state. It takes some practice but once you get it it is very cool. State 2 is a user defined brightness. There are about 10 steps between minimum and maximum. Again when you enter state 2 it will blink in about a half second. Turn it off after the blink and the next time you turn it on it will come on in state 2. If you turn it on after the blink then next time it will come up in state three or minimum. If in state three you turn it off and on quickly you will go into state 5 which sets the user defined brightness for state 2. The lighe brightness will ramp up and down and will remember where it was when you turn it off. Ordering the Drake is not as hard as it looks. Choose the complete kit option to include batteries and a charger, also choose the shipping and insurance if you want it they pay through paypal.

The Raw Ns is bigger and takes the next size rechargable battery. It is 45 mm long. It is unregulated with a simple two level switch. Twist the light and it turns on low. Twist some more and it switches to high. When you order this light there are several hi/low combinations. The brightest high is 200 lumens. low will give you many hours of runtime.

You can purchase the Orbs at http://web.mac.com/Lummii/Lummi2/Lummi_Home.html

The nexty step up in size would be a Cr2 based light. I have a Aeon. It is 55 mm long. It will NOT run on a Li Ion just primaries. It is fully regulated. Puts out 114 lumens and will run 1 1/2 hours on high. It puts out about 10 lumens on low and will run 40 hours on low. These run about $200.

Alan

 

[11mongo11]

Hey everyone,

Im new here, too. the small light I have is a Streamlight Keymate. I am amazed at the brightness. $10. Three button batteries. LED. I like this light a lot!

 

[Alan_P]

Hi and welcome.

There are lights mentioned in these forums that are not available locally. Beware, the bug will bit you eventually. Hold on to your wallet.

The keymate is a cool little light and for the price it is well worth it. The lights mentioned in this forum can be on another level. For instance here is a comparison with the Aeon.

Output- The keymate produces about 10 lumens. Impressive for a small light. The Aeon produces 10 lumens on low. On high the Aeon produces 114 lumens. Quite a difference.

Runtimes. The two lights state runtime based on a different criteria. The keymate is not regulated. As the batteries drain the light dims. The keymate that I have gives a runtime based on no more usable light. At that poin you will probably have replaced the batteries long ago. The Aeon is fully regulated in both high and low modes. In these forums runtime is typically defined as the output decling by 50%. The eye does not notice this level very much. A regulated light will typically appear to run at full brightness and then die quickly. The Aeon will run at a constant brightness for 1 1/2 hours on high or 40 hours on low.

Price. The Aeon is about $200. Clearly the keymate wins here.

Alan

 

[D-Dog]

Since we have mentioned other lights which are not the easiest to locate and buy, I would like to put in my $0.02 for my favorite keychain light the Jil Lite Intelli. The entire light runs off of a rechargeable CR2 battery and, like the Draco, contains a small computer ship which allows for a good deal of customization (chaning output levels, strobe rate, order of light modes, etc). With the stock emitter, the output is around 70-75 lumen high and low is dark enough (it has 20 output modes (thats why you program the 3 you like most)) to not hurt totally dark-adapted eyes, which I think is great for camping, etc. The battery, a 3.7 volt 300-350mAh CR2 provides around 15 min on max, 1 hr on power level 15 (a good high), and more than 5 hours on low (depends on what you like low set at. I have used the light everyday for the past 2 years and can say it is by far the durable light I have ever had, surviving numerous drops from 4-5 feet onto concrete, as well as temperatures ranging from the single digits (farenheit) to almost 100 degrees. I even ran it through the washer once and it still looks just as good as the day I got it. The HA-III is just amazing. Oh yea, if you mod the light by shaving the metal reflector a little and replacing the stock emmiter with a Cree, you can easily get 120 lumens from a light less than 2 inches long

 

[jwalker497]

Where did you get it?

 

[zx7dave]

CR2 powered Seoul P4 light that amazed me was the MJP Extreme Micro. I got mine at Lighthound.com but they do not seem to carry them now. here is what they look like..the entire light is about the size of a CR123 battery..just slightly longer...
http://blog.goo.ne.jp/popos735/e/087130cabce7462f31c2222cb1a1870d

 

[D-Dog]

Where did you get it?

first off, here is what one looks like http://ledmuseum.candlepower.us/fifth/jildd.htm

I was lucky enough to pick it in a Christmas giveaway two years back. It has been my every day carry since then and it looks to have a lot of life left in it (especially if you take good care of it by cleaning the threads/lube, rotating batteries to slow aging and blowing out any dust b/c the head isn't sealed when you have the casing open)