Observations On WA1111 With 2x 16340 IMR

GreyShark

Enlightened
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Dec 21, 2008
Messages
359
My G4 bi-pin gear all arrived today so after the sun went down I did some testing. My baseline comparison is a BOG Cree Q5 LED drop in. It delivers the kind of performance I look for so it is the standard I hold other lights I'm interested in up to. The test gear consisted of

6P w/ M2 bezel
M2 Centurion
C3 Centurion w/ M2 bezel
KT2 Turbo Head
FiveMega G4 D26 adapter
FiveMega G4 MN adapter
Surefire P91
Surefire MN15
3x Surefire CR123
4x AW 16340 IMR
PILA IBC charger
2x 14mm spacers

I haven't played around with incans much for a very long time though recently quite a few of Surefire's incandescent lamp assemblies have made their way into my collection through various means. What really sparked my interest was the potential of the WA1111 on 2x 16340 IMR. The idea of a 1,000 lumens in my pocket was too good to pass up as I've never owned a light with anything near that level of power. The 200 or so lumens of my BOG Q5 is the brightest I've ever had so this was also my first adventure into the realm of super lights.

I really wasn't sure what to expect when I dropped the pair of AW cells into the G4 D26 equipped M2 and hit the switch. What I hoped for, what I imagined, was some kind of mix between a laser and jet engine exhaust. 1000 lumens sounds like a lot, even if it is bulb lumens. The reality was different. There are practical limits on the beam shape a P60 drop in reflector can achieve even though there's a degree of adjustment to the adapter. The output certainly was intense but not quite what I had expected. Instead of the tightly focussed beam of the BOG Q5 with its deeper reflector the G4 D26 produced a much larger hot spot that was nearly as intense and a larger, much brighter spill. Surprisingly the throw was equivalent.

My original intent for this setup was to have a hand held weapon light will stunning power, even if only for a short runtime. I'm not in the habit of shining an intensely bright light in my eyes but I also don't like using anything unless I know what it can do. The compromise I have come up with is to close my eyes and judge the intensity of the light through my eye lids. It keeps me from seeing spots but still gives me a good idea of what it'd be like on the receiving end. After all I usually can't see anything through my eyelids. I'm not promoting the practice, just stating my method. The BOG Q5 is bright but even though the hotspot of the WA1111 didn't completely overwhelm the BOG's hot spot on the wall it was clearly more intense in this test. I believe seeing this light with the naked eye would be a rather brutal experience.

The WA1111 was very nice in the woods, with its large, bright spill combined with the excellent color rendition and contrast incans are known for. My Malkoff M60w looks cool in comparison. The runtime however is very, very short on the two tiny cells. Brightness drops off rather quickly although it remains very bright for several minutes. I don't feel 2x 16340's do this bulb justice and would recommend 2x 18650 IMR's or AW's new 18500 IMR's instead. For Surefire users the best way to take advantage of the G4 D26 will probably be with a WA1185 in a 3 cell body. I'm going to be ordering some to try out. The nice thing is I am starting to prefer the 3 cell body style more anyway and the 1185's are cheaper than the WA1111's. In any case the Pila IBC recharges these cells quickly. I made my money back on the charger and batteries in one night and I got more extreme performance as a bonus. You can't beat that!

It was becoming apparent that while the WA1111 was putting out a floody beam through the G4 D26 adapter it was still a ton of light. I prefer throw to flood so it was time to try out the turbo head with the G4 MN adapter. The WA1111 was a neat incan in the D26. The turbo head brought the WOW!!!

The MN15 running on 3 primaries in the C3 with turbo head was equal to the BOG LED module. Very useable but not very impressive given the size/weight of the turbo head even taking into consideration the lumens rating of the MN15. The WA1111 on 2x 16340 IMR's in the M2 with turbo head on the other hand was a photonic cannon! It just illuminated more better at a longer range than either of the other two, or even both of them at the same time. This is one area where incans evidently still dominate. In fact I like this set up so much I may go in search of a shock isolated turbo head and possibly even make this my rifle's new light. I don't care about the weight. I'll eat my Wheaties and double my physical training if I have to. The light was that good! :rock:

Finally to keep things honest I tried the the WA1111 in the M2 side by side against the P91 in a 6P, both on a freshly charged set of 16340 IMR cells. The reflectors are also near the same depth. The P91 on IMR's is a very bright incan setup, no doubt about it. I've heard it estimated at 400 to 500 lumens. If held close enough to the wall to get their hot spots down to the same size as the one projected by the BOG module they are both noticeably brighter than the LED. Between the two of them the WA1111 was brighter and threw further than the P91 on steroids. In my book that makes the G4 D26 a worthwhile incan accessory. Once you factor in the cost of replacing a G4 bulb as compared to replacing a P91 lamp assembly it's no contest. I'd reach for the FiveMega adapter every time.
 
Since this referenced the P91 with 2 x 16340 I thought I would give that a spin - put it in my 6P with the one P91 I have (with AW softstart 3 level switch). Bright for sure.

I ran it beside my standard a FM "12P" with 2 AW 18650s (not IMR) and the FM 1794 bulb (also with AW 3 level soft start). Noticeably brighter on the floor of my office - not very scientific.

Once the P91 is shot I've got lots of WA1111 to go over to. Need to get my leef "18P" working on the WA1185..... having some connectivity issues..

Neale
 
Thanks for the writeup! :twothumbs

I've just started to dabble with hotwires, and just completed by ROP LE. I'm piecing together the parts for a Mag85 right now.
 
I can work on that. Any special requests?


Yes please. I beam shot of the 1111 and P91 comparison would be great. I already own three 1111 lights but I am curious to see it in this configuration with another well known set up like the P91.

Thanks and nice write up.
 
Yes please. I beam shot of the 1111 and P91 comparison would be great. I already own three 1111 lights but I am curious to see it in this configuration with another well known set up like the P91.

Thanks and nice write up.

A practical beam comparison between the WA1111, P91, FM1794, WA1185 and some others is here; http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=221970 . Most of the lights were powered either by AW 18650 or C Li-Ion cells.
 
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