pen light

[Facebacon]

i need a new pen light my stremlight sylus pro is starting to get old looking for something with a simple ui ,2xAAA $20-40 dollers STRONG pocket clip, clicky preferred

so far im looking at the LD05 R2

and the preon 2 but its ui its a bit more complex then i need

 

[GaAslamp]

:welcome:

i need a new pen light my stremlight sylus pro is starting to get old

What else is wrong with it? Is it not bright enough for you anymore, or do you just want something more up-to-date? If you have the older model, then the Stylus Pro has been upgraded to the "C4" edition (Streamlight's marketing-speak for an upgraded LED), which should be noticeably brighter. As you know, its UI is about as simple as it gets, with a single mode and a forward clicky switch (light comes on before it clicks into place, allowing for momentary flashing).

looking for something with a simple ui ,2xAAA $20-40 dollers STRONG pocket clip, clicky preferred

As an alternative to the Stylus Pro C4, the EagleTac PN20a2 also has a forward clicky, and in addition has two modes that are selected by the position of the bezel, which is simple and nice because you can leave it on the mode that you use the most instead of having to step through them sequentially. The output of its high mode is a very steady 90 lumens for 1.4 hours, and its low (really a medium) mode is approximately 30 lumens for 5.7 hours. For comparison, the single-mode Stylus Pro C4 has about the same runtime on regulation as the PN20a2's low mode, and also has roughly the same output at the 3-hour mark; the main difference is that the PN20a2's low mode stays at 30 lumens for practically the whole runtime, while the Stylus Pro C4 starts at 48 lumens and gradually declines to 18 lumens by the end (when it drops out of regulation entirely). So the Stylus Pro C4 is brighter for about 3 hours and then it's dimmer for another 3 hours, give or take; the other main difference is that it costs half as much, although both are within your budget.

so far im looking at the LD05 R2

The LD05 has some good qualities, but it has noticeable PWM (ask if you need a definition). Additionally, the switch is a reverse clicky, which means that the light comes on only after you click and release it. Not that there's anything wrong with this, but it's different from how your old Stylus Pro works, and does not allow for momentary flashing, in case it matters.

and the preon 2 but its ui its a bit more complex then i need

The Preon 2 is very nice indeed, with an impressive (for a 2xAAA penlight) 160 lumens for 0.7 hours on its high mode. However, it is less efficient than the others on its medium mode, running for only about 3.3 hours while being only slightly brighter (hardly noticeable in practice). Its regulation is pretty decent--more stable than the Stylus Pro C4, but not as stable as the PN20a2. Its switch, like that of the LD05, is a reverse clicky.

I say go for the Preon 2 if you prefer to have a brighter high mode as well as a long-running true low mode (a couple of lumens for a couple of dozen hours), otherwise go for the PN20a2 if you'd rather have greater efficiency on the medium mode, a more basic UI, and a forward clicky. Or you could go with the Stylus Pro C4, and get a brighter version of what you already have while saving about $20.

 

[LEDninja]

:welcome:

so far im looking at the LD05 R2
and the preon 2 but its ui its a bit more complex then i need

LD05: 32 lm -> 4 lm -> 100 lm (-> 32 lm -> 4 lm -> 100 lm)
Preon: 2.2 lm -> 22 lm -> 160 (-> 2.2 lm -> 22 lm -> 160 -> Strobe -> SOS -> Beacon Hi -> Beacon Lo)
Unless you keep pressing and pressing with your thumb the extra modes of the Preon does not show up. You can treat both as 3 mode lights: LD05 Med-Lo-Hi, Preon Lo-Med-Hi. You should be more worried about whether you use 32 lm or 2.2 lm more. Get the right one and one click will get you there. Wrong one and its click click-click.

You can get the Preon in High CRI which is a much nicer tint than the cool blue of the LD05.

The switch on the Preon is very soft, can be activated accidentally.

 

[GaAslamp]

You can get the Preon in High CRI which is a much nicer tint than the cool blue of the LD05.

That's right, and the EagleTac PN20a2 is available in neutral white, which is not as "warm" as the High CRI Preon 2 (which is the closest in tint to incandescent flashlights) but still "warmer" than cool white (the Preon 2 was available in neutral white as well, but those may have sold out). Which would be best for you is mostly a matter of personal preference (unless you have specific needs), although for outdoors use I would recommend something other than cool white (then again, some folks have the opposite view). Facebacon, if you're interested in the subject of tints, then we can provide examples and discuss it.

 

[Tbone559]

Check out the Bright Strike EPLI...I love mine!

 

[hiuintahs]

I'm kind of interested in another pen light (2AAA) too. I like the size. I've tested the run time of the Streamlight Stylus Pro (C4), and Terralux LS80. I'd really like to check out the EagleTac PN20a2.

I've got a chart of the Stylus Pro vs the Terralux. The test was run with freshly charged Eneloops. For a $20 light the Stylus pro is pretty decent. The output might not be the best current regulated but the efficiency over the run time was real good. If only they could put an easier to press tail switch in there. The beam of the Terralux LS80 was quite warm tint and that may be one of the contributors to the lower efficiency. I know the $40 lights will be better regulated (square output) but not necessarily more efficient (area under the curve) than the Stylus Pro.

 

[hiuintahs]

From the above graph the average output of the Stylus Pro was 1880 lux for 375 minutes. By my estimation from my light box setup that is 33 lumens. But as you can see it starts out higher, then levels off before dropping to zero. You get a good 6 hours. Now if the EagleTac PN20a2 will dish out 30 lumens for that long but in a straight line I think I'd be interested.................That's basically what you get with these lights that cost more plus the multiple modes.

 

[GaAslamp]

I've got a chart of the Stylus Pro vs the Terralux. The test was run with freshly charged Eneloops. For a $20 light the Stylus pro is pretty decent. The output might not be the best current regulated but the efficiency over the run time was real good. If only they could put an easier to press tail switch in there. The beam of the Terralux LS80 was quite warm tint and that may be one of the contributors to the lower efficiency.

Have you tested them on alkaline cells? In my experience, the TerraLUX LightStar 80 runs better on alkalines than eneloops (I guess it prefers the higher voltage).

I know the $40 lights will be better regulated (square output) but not necessarily more efficient (area under the curve) than the Stylus Pro.

That's right, the efficiency of the PN20a2 is very similar to that of the Stylus Pro C4 (the OP may have the older, less efficient non-C4 Stylus Pro) except that it gets down to its stable output level sooner and holds there more steadily and for a bit longer. For further comparison, the Preon 2 is far less efficient on its medium mode, which is slightly brighter but has half the runtime (on eneloops); on the other hand, its high mode is much brighter (at least going by the numbers) while being reasonably efficient. It's interesting that even on medium the Preon 2 runs much better on eneloops, while the LightStar 80 runs much better on alkalines. :)

Now if the EagleTac PN20a2 will dish out 30 lumens for that long but in a straight line I think I'd be interested.................That's basically what you get with these lights that cost more plus the multiple modes.

According to the following review, it settles down to about maybe 27-31 lumens or so (after the conversion to lumens):

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?285300

Also of interest, I would think, are the beamshots in selfbuilt's PN20a2 review above, which show how different the PN20a2 is from the Preon 2 in a way that we haven't considered until now. The beams of the Stylus Pro C4 and LightStar 80 would be somewhere in between those extremes, I believe.

Finally, look at selfbuilt's Preon review if you haven't already:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?258156

 

[hiuintahs]

GaAslamp, thanks for the comments and links.

I have not tested the LightStar 80 on alkalines. That would very interesting if it did perform better with them than Eneloops.

I did get my hands on a Preon P2 and had issues with the run time on medium. Not sure if it was just the one I had or it's that way with all of them. I could not graph it with the other lights because it would have blotted them out. It was doing something weird like a PWM between 900 and 4000 on my graph above, with an average of 1980 for all data points. Run time was only 222 minutes which confirms with me what you said that the P2 is less efficient on medium. And that kind of bothers me because typically the lower outputs are more efficient. At any rate, I could not see the light flicker with my eyes, but the meter was sure picking up something.

I have noticed on another EagleTac light that I have is very well regulated. Selfbuilt's test also show that too with these 2xAAA lights. The only disappointment with the PN20a2 might be the beamshot being too tight. I kind of like them a little more floody. Thanks for pointing out the links. Goes to show that it's almost impossible to get the perfect light the makes one happy in all aspects............but its sure fun acquiring them just to find out :devil:.