PALight and Pak-lite Outputs?

[JerryM]

Does anyone have information as to the outputs of these two lights in the various modes? PALight Survival L.E.D. and the Pak-Lite Super Glow with White LED Bulbs.

Thanks,
Jerry

 

[CarpentryHero]

PALight is one 5mm Nichia so my guess would be 10-12 lumens on hi, .05 on low?

 

[JerryM]

Thanks, that is not bad considering the long run times.
Jerry

 

[CarpentryHero]

Not bad at all :thumbsup: I own three for around the house

 

[Gregozedobe]

My (very rough) guesses are:

Pak-lite: Low 1-2 lumens, High 8-10 lumens

Survival: Locator Glow 0.05 lumens, Low 2-3 lumens, High 10-12 lumens

The beam patterns are very different, the Pak-lite has a wide floody beam, while the Survival has a very narrow, focussed beam standard (I swapped in a flat lens for flood which is much more useful around the house.

 

[CarpentryHero]

My (very rough) guesses are:

Pak-lite: Low 1-2 lumens, High 8-10 lumens

Survival: Locator Glow 0.05 lumens, Low 2-3 lumens, High 10-12 lumens

The beam patterns are very different, the Pak-lite has a wide floody beam, while the Survival has a very narrow, focussed beam standard (I swapped in a flat lens for flood which is much more useful around the house.

What size of lens? And which models of PALight ?

 

[Gregozedobe]

What size of lens? And which models of PALight ?

17mm plastic lenses from Flashlightlens dot com (I wouldn't use glass lenses, as you have to push hard to press them all the way in and the glass ones might break).

17mm lenses fit Star, Selector and Survival models, and will probably fit all PALight models, as they all have the same rubber body. The 17mm plastic lenses also work with the Safe-Light Handyman model as well (but slightly tighter fit).

Diffuser lenses are also available if you want a more even, floodier beam. They are quite cheap, so get a few different lenses to try out.

I like my PALights. I have several stashed around the house as emergency lights if the power goes out, the always on "Locator Glow" makes it very easy to find them if needed.

 

[JerryM]

Thanks, Gregozedobe. I appreciate the information. I admit that I find the Pak-lites more expensive than I want to pay. I don't hike and do those things anymore so I was thinking about power outages, but most LED lights with low mode do a good job for several days.
The Pak-lite looks as if it would break if dropped on the bulbs while the PALight is very rugged.

Regards,
Jerry

 

[eh4]

To me the real appeal of the Pak-lite IS it's extremely minimal design (but with a quality switch and efficient circuit and leds!). The thing truly weighs next to nothing, and while the assembly seems quite durable to me I still would not want to drop it on it's leds with the weight of a 9V behind it.
And I do wish that they were priced more like a cracker jack box prize, I'd buy a bag of them and give one to everyone I know... but I wouldn't want them to skimp on the switch, or the leds, or the circuit in that case... so per gram and per lumen it is probably the most expensive light I'll ever buy. I'm going to buy at least one more for a spare, completely worth it to me, in fact I'm gonna go ahead and get the orange one with included lithium 9V.

The Pal-Lites are going to weigh more, and they take up more space, but the rubbery body looks like it would shrug off being dropped over and over, or left with a 4 year old for that matter.

 

[Gregozedobe]

If you find the price of the Pak-lite a bit too high then have you considered making your own ? There a several threads here on CPF about doing just that. You can then choose your own LEDs and adjust the illumination level to exactly what you want (by using different resistors). IIRC The Pak-Lite doesn't have a fancy circuit, just some resistors. Or you can buy kits from ledsales.com.au for $Au 7.00 (plus shipping).

I prefer the Pak-Lite with the GITD material (rather than the coloured heads), as it is easier to find in the dark for a while after you switch it off (I have considered gluing a small tritium tube between the two LEDs as a better marker).

 

[JerryM]

I had not considered making one. Thanks for the suggestion.
Jerry

 

[eh4]

Thanks also here, I'm interested in a number of these diy projects in good time. For a last resort light the pak-lite is already perfect, the slight blue tone to the leds no doubt is connected with their amazing brightness for their draw (the test I started with a pre-depleted 9V from an old smoke detector shows the pak-lite on low at only 1/10th of a mili amp, and on high at nearly a miliamp).
I will make one, will probably make handfuls at different voltages before it's all old hat, but I doubt that I'll end up with such a tight finished product, with the runtimes, secure fit to battery, and quality switch. -Not without spending much more in time and materials anyways... all in good time.

BTW, I am however seriously considering potting the leds on the outside with some clear two part, self leveling epoxy. just take a little tape around the periphery to protect the switch indent area and form a lip to hold the epoxy.

 

[reppans]

It just rec'd a pair in yesterday, they were just on a $5-off spring sale. Gotta thank the guys on the Zombie thread for doing the runtime tests. I just ceiling bounced them against my other low lumens lights and would put low at about 0.7-1.0 lumens and high around 12-15 lumens, most closely matching my Revo on low and med.

I definitely think its worth it as the ultimate back-up option. One thing it sorely needs, however, is a fitted plastic case. Switch is easily bumped to on, LEDs suject to scuffing, and it's too nice package to separate from the batt.

 

[Retinator]

For what it's worth, the only issue I've had with PAKlites is the cap popping off the battery when dropped.
The only issue I've had with PALlights (Survival) is the lens popping out on a drop, only happened once and it was easy to pop back in.

I'd say the Pak lites cap are more prone to popping off.

They're all fun cheap to feed lights!

 

[CarpentryHero]

I may try and do an emitter swap on a PaLight, is it easy to get to the emitter?

 

[Gregozedobe]

I'm not sure. It is easy to get to the board that has the LED (and all the electronics) mounted to it (just pull the hard plastic inner body downwards and it comes out of the rubber outer body), and it looks like the board MIGHT come off the hard plastic inner body if you unsolder the two connections for the battery. But you won't know until you try it. What sort of emitter did you want to try ?

 

[Quiksilver]

Mine came today.

They are certainly different!

Pretty useful for around the house as well as being able to use 9V batteries is a huge plus.

I wouldn't mind a more sturdy 'host' though. Mine can be pulled apart without too much trouble.

They'll do their job well, I am sure. Finally I have capability of turning 9V cells into illumination.

Thank you PALights.

 

[Big_Ed]

I have a couple PAK-Lites on my night stand. One is standard power, one is high output version, both are glow tops. I love these little lights. Easy to find in the dark, they don't roll away when you put them down, and are absolutely perfect for midnight trips to the bathroom. Whenever I travel, I take one so I have a convenient light at the hotel.

My very first LED light was a PALight, back in the late 1990's. Nice little light. I noticed that the LED got bluer and bluer over the years, I suspect because the always-on feature might have put a bit of wear on the LED. I bought another one, but still have that first one. I'll never get rid of it.

 

[nightshade]

Great coffee table, power failure lights. Using 6 AA to 9V adapters works well. It's easy to mod adapters for magnet mounts, flexible arms, etc. etc. with these too.

 

[tobrien]

My (very rough) guesses are:

Pak-lite: Low 1-2 lumens, High 8-10 lumens

Survival: Locator Glow 0.05 lumens, Low 2-3 lumens, High 10-12 lumens

The beam patterns are very different, the Pak-lite has a wide floody beam, while the Survival has a very narrow, focussed beam standard (I swapped in a flat lens for flood which is much more useful around the house.

thanks a lot for this, I had been looking all over their site and couldn't find any output numbers. while I do realize you're giving rough guesses, i appreciate them!

so the Survivor is their strongest offering?