Question for KL3 owners...Ted Bear/Toilet Pig?
- Thread starter Mr. Blue
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Mr Ted Bear
Flashlight Enthusiast
Think of the beams as donuts...
the hole in my k1 is violet, the donut itself is neutral
the hole in my kl3 is white, while the donut itself is green...
at least, that's how my 8 year old decribes it
the hole in my k1 is violet, the donut itself is neutral
the hole in my kl3 is white, while the donut itself is green...
at least, that's how my 8 year old decribes it
Size15's
Flashaholic
Doesn't this depend on the individual Luxeon?
Anyway, I find the KL3 on a three cell SF123A body to be too long for it's output. Call me old fashioned but I demand 200+Lu from my three cell SF123A flashlights. It's HOLA all the way.
A great use of the KL3 tonight was navigating reading the London A-Z. Crystal clear colours - no eye fatigue. I'm running it on an M2.
It's great!
Al
Anyway, I find the KL3 on a three cell SF123A body to be too long for it's output. Call me old fashioned but I demand 200+Lu from my three cell SF123A flashlights. It's HOLA all the way.
A great use of the KL3 tonight was navigating reading the London A-Z. Crystal clear colours - no eye fatigue. I'm running it on an M2.
It's great!
Al
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">I think the statement above is the most important lesson about Luxeons that we seem unwilling to acknowledge.
When someone posts that their Acme LED blaster has a wider beam with soft white light compared to a Tommy LandBlaster LED flashlight which has a tighter spot with violet center and green corona and both lights are driving Luxeon LEDs with collimator, It's not the flashlight! It's the specific light source!
If the KL3 is brighter across the full variation in Luxeons, it has accomplished this either by being driven at a higher current level or effectively keeping the junction temp of the LED below those others being compared. If a Luxeon can vary not only in color as we know but in lumen output from a low of 14 to a high of 30 LUMENS along with a varing Vf of over 10%, does a runtime and beam measurement of one LED out of the population tell us much about the whole population? I don't think so.
Ramble/Rant Mod [off]
- Don
Mr. Blue,
I'm sorry ranted on your post. I'm not mad at anyone but my tone was inexcusable. Sorry again. I guess I was just trying to make a point that with the wide variations in the Luxeons, beam patterns, brightness and runtimes are being atributed to a model of flashlight and implications are drawn that this will be true of all of these lights. In reality, much of these atributes are specific to a particular Luxeon and the phrase, your mileage may vary should apply in capital letters! I vented in frustration at no one in particular.
Your questions are valid but can the answers be conclusively determined by testing a couple of flashlights? My suspicions are that they can't unless there are some glaring differences. For sure, your question regarding the color of the KL3 will be a function of the Luxeon and not KL3 VS KL1.
In my opinnion, Jeff has described two specific Luxeon LED's to you below, not a general description of a KL1 VS a KL3.
It is unfortunate that the Luxeon LED is not easily transportable. It would be very instructive to see comparisons between the different bezels and brands and models of flashlights all based on the usage of the same LED. This would allow for legitimate comparisons and generalizations. As it is, I am concerned that we all want answers that aren't really available or applicable to the whole group at large.
In regards to the KL3 VS KL1, it really would be nice to know if at the expense of using more mass and providing more surface area, a more efficient light source results due to a superior thermal system. The circuit in the KL3 is different than the KL1 and there is likely a difference in the efficiencies at this level with the KL1 on 2 cells and the KL3 on 3 cells. Unfortunately, once two Luxeons are included in the system, it becomes very problematic for us to infer the underlying relative efficiencies.
Again, please accept my apollogies for blasting off on your post. It wasn't a personal attack whatsoever.
- Don
I'm sorry ranted on your post. I'm not mad at anyone but my tone was inexcusable. Sorry again. I guess I was just trying to make a point that with the wide variations in the Luxeons, beam patterns, brightness and runtimes are being atributed to a model of flashlight and implications are drawn that this will be true of all of these lights. In reality, much of these atributes are specific to a particular Luxeon and the phrase, your mileage may vary should apply in capital letters! I vented in frustration at no one in particular.
Your questions are valid but can the answers be conclusively determined by testing a couple of flashlights? My suspicions are that they can't unless there are some glaring differences. For sure, your question regarding the color of the KL3 will be a function of the Luxeon and not KL3 VS KL1.
In my opinnion, Jeff has described two specific Luxeon LED's to you below, not a general description of a KL1 VS a KL3.
It is unfortunate that the Luxeon LED is not easily transportable. It would be very instructive to see comparisons between the different bezels and brands and models of flashlights all based on the usage of the same LED. This would allow for legitimate comparisons and generalizations. As it is, I am concerned that we all want answers that aren't really available or applicable to the whole group at large.
In regards to the KL3 VS KL1, it really would be nice to know if at the expense of using more mass and providing more surface area, a more efficient light source results due to a superior thermal system. The circuit in the KL3 is different than the KL1 and there is likely a difference in the efficiencies at this level with the KL1 on 2 cells and the KL3 on 3 cells. Unfortunately, once two Luxeons are included in the system, it becomes very problematic for us to infer the underlying relative efficiencies.
Again, please accept my apollogies for blasting off on your post. It wasn't a personal attack whatsoever.
- Don
AluminumOvercast
Enlightened
I'm with Al on this. KL3 stays on a 2 celled body. Took it on a recent camping trip and it was superb. Mine is whitish blue throughout.
When I get my backordered KL3 I will test it both ways. If the 3 cell version is 25% brighter than the 2 cell, I'll be inclined to run 3-cell at least some of the time. I also suspect that 3 almost spent CR123's can be more completely depleted together than only two. Maybe it would work even better with two good CR123's delivering the bulk of the input while an anemic third CR123 is totally drained in support. (Before you reflexively make a knee jerk scoff at Mag quality just notice that a Mag 2C isn't all that much bulkier than a a 4-cell SF with 2 1/2 TH.)
Also, I'm increasingly disinclined to run SF CR123 HOLA's requring more than 1.2 V per cell due to 20 minute run times. (Sole exception is with the P61) If my P90 isn't bright enough I can run a Mag 2C with 4 @ Cr123's and a Carley 9.6 V 1.2 A 285 Lu bulb. This is brighter and rounder than a P91 with almost an hour out of 4 cells rather than 20 minutes out of 3 cells.
One of my P91's is currently driven by 7 A NiMHs in a DB8AA. My other P91 may go the same route. Alternatively, I may overdrive the P91 slightly and 50% more efficiently (1 hour out of 6 cells vs. 20 minutes out of 3 cells) by putting it in a DB4AA with 2 * Cr123's.
On the other hand, as long as I have an E2 I typically use a P61 in my 6P. The P61 beam is just too perfect not to enjoy.
Also, I'm increasingly disinclined to run SF CR123 HOLA's requring more than 1.2 V per cell due to 20 minute run times. (Sole exception is with the P61) If my P90 isn't bright enough I can run a Mag 2C with 4 @ Cr123's and a Carley 9.6 V 1.2 A 285 Lu bulb. This is brighter and rounder than a P91 with almost an hour out of 4 cells rather than 20 minutes out of 3 cells.
One of my P91's is currently driven by 7 A NiMHs in a DB8AA. My other P91 may go the same route. Alternatively, I may overdrive the P91 slightly and 50% more efficiently (1 hour out of 6 cells vs. 20 minutes out of 3 cells) by putting it in a DB4AA with 2 * Cr123's.
On the other hand, as long as I have an E2 I typically use a P61 in my 6P. The P61 beam is just too perfect not to enjoy.
