Palm Blaze K2 vs. a RadioShack luxeon Flash Light

[LedSanders]

I am new here and just wish to thank everyone here for the great reviews

Shop Around!

About 6 months ago I bought a flash light w/ a Luxeon LED from Radio Shack

It has spent most of that life in my pocket or the glove box of my truck.

I wish I had known then about CPF cause it would have saved me $20 and from buying a cheap light!

After looking around for a new light because the Battery clamshell in the radio shack flashlight started
to disintegrate. (a fact that is in on radio shack's www in many reviews there.)

the Palm Blaze was about $10 more with S&H

and is much better (No clamshell to fall apart)

Both are very bright but the Palm Blaze (Being the Smaller of the two)
is most definitely brighter!

Both have new batteries and are the same distance from the wall!

Links to more info on both of these Lights can be found Below

The PalmBlaze K2
http://www.goldengadgets.com/product_info.php?products_id=325

The Radio Shack Special
http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...r=1&origkw=Luxeon&kw=luxeon&parentPage=search

:welcome:

 

[Gunner12]

I'd suggest a LED light with the current gen LEDs. They are at least twice as efficient as the previous gen LEDs so for the same power, the newer LEDs have double or more output.

Current Gen LEDs: Cree XR-E P4-R2 bin, Seoul P4 U-bin, Luxeon Rebel 80 and 100.

Last Gen LEDs: Luxeon I, III, V, and K2.

How much do you want to spend?
Output?
Batteries?
Size?
Modes?

If you could wait till next month to get the light, you could shop at Dealextreme or Kaidomain. Look in the Cree/Seoul/Rebel(Links go to DX) section for lights getting good reviews. They are on Chinese New Year vacation right now and won't be back for a while.

I'd suggest reading the Welcome Mat to help explain a lot of the terms you will see around here.

Those are two good lights to start off the hobby. I'd keep the Radioshack light for mods. Drop in a current gen LED and a 18500 Li-ion rechargeable battery(a 18650 might also fit with a bit of trimming) and you should be quite happy with the output (this 1AAA light has around the same amount of light as the Maglite 4D).

:welcome:

Enjoy your stay!

 

[LedSanders]

Thanks for the tip I am sucker for a flashlight especially a bright flashlight

Out of the Current Gen Led's What do people mostly recommend!

I have been known to spend $100+ on a spotlight so if it were really bright I might be inclined to spend that on a flashlight

Brighter the Better I work security at night & I volunteer for the local FD and Search and rescue so a good bright flashlight is what I like!

 

[Gunner12]

The LEDs are all similar on output. Usually, the Cree is the brighter and whiter one but usually has a ring of dimmer light around the hotspot. The Seoul usually has the smoothest beam. The Rebel usually has the warmest beam. They are used in various lights from under $10 to over $1000.

Look at the Dereelight CL1H. I'd also recommend buying AW's 18650 batteries and a charger with the light. Or if you want 150+ meters of projection form a single LED light, look at the Dereelight DBS. Dereelight is in China so they are on vacation right now.

The stores here are still open though. Look at the Fenix L2D-CE Q5, it should make a good all propose light. 8% off coupon at Fenix store is "CPF8". The T1 would be bigger, brighter, and has a forward clickie isn't as versatile as the L2D.

There are also many other lights that you might be interested in.

Do you have C/D maglites? If you do, I'd recommend looking at Malkoffdevices drop-ins. They are the brightest single LED drop-ins for the maglites that I know of.

 

[LedSanders]

I will check into the Malkoffdevices drop-ins
I do have a 3D Mag

 

[LedSanders]

 

[LedSanders]

 

[Gunner12]

^opps triple post ^

Sign up for his email list(if you haven't already), the drop-ins usually sell out within hours(he usually only has a handfull at a time).

 

[LedSanders]

will do
I'm not sure why it posted 3 times

 

[Khaytsus]

Boy that is one ugly beam, and they're listing it as a feature!

 

[woodrow]

You mean to tell me that the Shack doesn't have the latest and greatest tech there....next you will tell me that there are cheaper places to buy 123a batteries! :tinfoil:

This forum is great. You find out about all kinds of cool lights here, that most of the world have never even heard of. I know the palmblaze is not a cree light...but I still think it is a pretty cool light though...and bright too.

 

[LedSanders]

I'm in the process of modifying the Radio Shat special with a Cree XR-E Q5 LED I got off DealExtreme.com as soon as it shows up i will finish it and upload some pictures. I hope all works well, if so my 20 Lumen "Radio Shat Special" will be pushing 200+ Lumens

 

[Gunner12]

Well, the easiest way would be hook up the LED directly to 3 AAA batteries(no resistors or drivers). Runtime would be really short, but it would also be bright. Just make sure the LED is at the right height for focus.

I'm guessing you will get the LED in about a month.

200 lumen at the emitter would be around 140 out the front after you add losses. That's still quite a bit of light.

Good Luck!

 

[LedSanders]

Done And Done

Before

After

Luxeon Star & Cree Xlamp

Ready to go into light!

a little paint later

 

[Gunner12]

It actually looks dimmer(should be a good difference in output). Did you change anything other then the LED and is the LED focused correctly?

 

[LedSanders]

Im going to try a few things
I need to put a new switch in it still cause its still going through the driver board for the luxeon star that may be the problem!

it is as focused as I can get it!



EDIT:

before

after with stock driver board 3 x AAA Coppertops

After without the driver board, 1 x LIR123A 3.0v 1000mAh

 

[yellow]

instead of using the battery eating Blaze, get a Fenix P3D (or T1, if You like forward clickie).
They are much nicer made, offer better materials, are brighter with some additional spill, consume half the current AND offer lower setting (less bright - longer runtime)

they also have a driver circuit which keeps the output the same over almost the total runtime (a feature one starts to like as soon, as one has a light that does it).
99 % of the 3 AAA lights generally suck

PS. give us a shot of the Cree inside the reflector (= from the front), if You did not change anything to the reflector, it will sit on the metal ring of the Cree, while the led should reach a bit inside.

 

[Gunner12]

Is there a resistor in the light?

The LED might have a different input voltage, so a higher voltage battery would make the light brighter. Also AAA batteries stink at high currents.

 

[LedSanders]

the cree bulb burnt out today I think there may have been a problem with the led itself I was reading on dx and there are reports of bad leds being sold!

 

[LedSanders]

instead of using the battery eating Blaze, get a Fenix P3D (or T1, if You like forward clickie).
They are much nicer made, offer better materials, are brighter with some additional spill, consume half the current AND offer lower setting (less bright - longer runtime)

they also have a driver circuit which keeps the output the same over almost the total runtime (a feature one starts to like as soon, as one has a light that does it).
99 % of the 3 AAA lights generally suck

PS. give us a shot of the Cree inside the reflector (= from the front), if You did not change anything to the reflector, it will sit on the metal ring of the Cree, while the led should reach a bit inside.

Thanks for the tip That Blaze Burnt up the other day I am not too happy I bought two of them and one has already bit the bullet!


Did you mean the L1T fenix?

I haven't been able to get much farther than this last pic as to taking it apart!