Review of the $3.50 Wal-Mart 2AA Ray O Vac

[jusval]

Ok, so I wanted to have a little fun with a review of just about the cheapest 2AA Incan I have seen. See us poor folk need light too, even if it's only enough light to let us know we are still in the dark.

Rayovac 2AA-B SBW

2AA Krypton
OAL 152mm
Body DIA 26mm
Head DIA 40mm
KPR bulb 2.4V .7A

All plastic, with rubber overmold grip. Package states Rubber & Aluminum. The Aluminum consists of a very thin band slid over the front of the body. It's all plastic except that band (decoration only).
Forward Push button on body near head.
Head has reflector & lens glued in. Head twists 1/2 turn for removal. Batteries slide in body from front. Bulb is held in head. 1/2 turn twist removed bulb holder. Bulb pulls out.
$3.50 at Wal-Mart.

Replacement KPR bulbs are rated at .54A and 1.08W I wonder why they are lower rated than bulb in flashlight?
I bought the Xenon rated at .8A 1.92W to see if it's any brighter. That's my mod.

Now for the beam shots.

Rayovac Stock Halogen bulb.
I had to use Duracell Alkaline, because the Rayovac's in the package were DEAD!

Rayovac Xenon Bulb with the Alkalines

Now with Tenergy NiMh Rechargeables and tha Xenon bulb

From about 5 feet with the Xenon/NiMh combo.

The photos aren't good, but in real life, the Xenon made a Noticeable difference when I put it in. The NiMh's didn't make any noticeable difference.

Ok, there you have it. It has a narrow beam, with very little halo. It has artifacts and that outer ring looking like the Sun's rays, but the Xenon helped that a lot. It's not good for much more than a few feet, but with the NiMh's and the Xenon, it will be in the glove box. Good enough to see a Rattler in front of you, on the sidewalk and good enough to see the engine compartment is the car dies.
Not much good for anything else, but hey, for $3.50?? Whatchawant??

 

[hyperloop]

Nice, but there's a lot more you can do with a cheap 2xAA too, check this but i need to get a glass lens for the head and its back ordered, darn.

 

[mdocod]

NIMH vs Alkaline comparison should be done over the course of the run. Initial brightness is usually about the same or slightly better on alkaline cells, but let them run for 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, things change pretty quickly.

--------

Just slap a pair of 14500 size protected li-ion cells in there and a Mag 6 cell xenon bulb. You'll then have a $29 flashlight, but it'll look innocent and be as bright as a 6D mag.

Eric

 

[Icebreak]

I liked your review and your modification. It looks significantly brighter. It does the job you want it to do very well. It's plenty bright to handle all kinds of tasks. The NiMhs, as mdcod indicated, will give you a flatter output. Cool. I like it.

 

[ampdude]

The Rayovac PR xenon bulbs have never been as good as the Maglite or Dorcy ones.

I recommend upgrading any two cell alkaline or nimh with the Dorcy PR 2.4V 0.93A xenon bulbs found at Sears.

 

[jusval]

Hey,

Thanks for the options. I probably won't do any more with it, after all it's just a $3.50 flashlight. I did it more in jest than anything else. Really, many of us will dream of doing one of the awesome mods, but many will never have the funds, knowledge or ability to do some of the stuff y'all do. It's great that some of you make custom stuff for others, but many of us will never scratch out the bucks for the truely great lights & if we did, we would probably mess it up.

The nice thing is that some of you really help to keep the price down on things, so we can do some mods inexpensively and so many of you help others out..... :thumbsup:

I did it more to show that really, a cheap flashlight can work in a pinch when you have nothing else.... That, and to just have a little fun with the thread... I don't like being too serious, especially as I get older........ Makes me constipated..........:toilet:

 

[nitesky]

Thanks jusval (and everyone else)! Call it a jest, call it practice, call it fun. I liked it.

 

[Icebreak]

Thanks jusval (and everyone else)! Call it a jest, call it practice, call it fun. I liked it.

+1

 

[lctorana]

Fun, cheap, useful and practical.

The Osram on the right will not last long, as its lens & reflector will melt soon. But it's OK in short bursts. It has the Pelican 3854L bulb (yes, the "RoP-Low") and is powered by two AW 14500 cells. Not a cheap mod, but a fun little hotwire. Gives some high-pressure Xenon lights a run for their money.

The purple torch is a Duracell 2AA, the cheapest 2AA I could find. It is powered by a pair of cheap 14500 (sku 3435 from the shop we may not link to) which cannot power up the 3854L - the protection is too aggressive for that. However, the 6-cell Mag Krypton LWSA601 bulb is a match made in heaven for this torch and batteries, and I had one or two spare after upgrading my 6-cell Maglites. So here we have a torch that is nearly as bright as a standard 6-cell Maglite, for less than a tenth of the cost.

 

[Icebreak]

Nice, lctorana. Those faceted reflectors work well as can be seen by the output of so many MR 16 lamps all over the world.

 

[Cydonia]

Xenon bulbs definitely help. NiMh really helps by allowing output without the voltage sag which leads to rapid dimming. Together these 2 things make a huge difference. Start adding more cells for higher voltage and a neat "sleeper" mod can result. The big box stores routinely (seasonal) have sales where maglites are sold at amazing low ball prices. Be on the lookout for such sales... especially after the holidays. A few bucks more and you could get a nice host for projects.

 

[Mr Happy]

One of the best bulbs for a 2 AA cell light is this one:

http://www.servicelighting.com/EiKo-57138-KPR138-B3-5-Miniature-Incandescent-Light-Bulb

It's 2 volts, 1.2 amps designed for rechargeable lights, but it works nicely in regular lights powered by NiMH cells. Don't try AA alkalines, it will kill them. I can often find this bulb in ACE Hardware stores.

One of the other things to look out for in 2 AA lights is mechanical simplicity. When running off such a low voltage, every mechanical connection, switch, or spring adds resistance and reduces output. One of the best lights I have found is a 99 cent glow-in-the-dark light from Fry's. Simplest construction possible. I put one of the above bulbs in them with 2 AA NiMH and it makes a great handy light.

 

[mdocod]

Sometimes it is fun to go back and appreciate how useful the amount of light from a stock little 2 cell light can be, and just a simple switch to NIMH can give it the runtime needed to make it practical and rewarding to use. I often find myself picking up a lower powered or less expensive light to enjoy. Reminds me that any light is better than no light, and the eyes can make great use of very little. Also, the more ordinarily flashlights bring back memories of my flashaholic days as a young boy, who would ride his bike to radioshack, and spend allowance and money from mowing yards on a flashlight or a pile of leds and batteries to play with.

 

[jusval]

Also, the more ordinarily flashlights bring back memories of my flashaholic days as a young boy, who would ride his bike to radioshack, and spend allowance and money from mowing yards on a flashlight or a pile of leds and batteries to play with.

When I was a kid, there weren't any LED's

Heck, there weren't any flashlights either, we just carried torches, Real Torches!

 

[nitesky]

When I was a kid, there weren't any LED's

Heck, there weren't any flashlights either, we just carried torches, Real Torches!

I remember those days. The candlepower discussions involved real candles. Then there were the old debates of one big torch versus several candles and whale oil vs. kerosene.

 

[chewy78]

must of been the stone age:nana:

 

[socom1970]

:huh: A world without flashlights????

 

[roymail]

jusval, if you want to do something useful with that 2AA Rayovac light, invest $10.00 one of these 1 watt Luxeon PR bulbs. Nice beam brighter than incandescent that runs a long, long time on NiMH eneloops.

http://www.dorcydirect.com/p-86-41-1642-15-v-8-volt-1-watt-led-module.aspx

The Dorcy or SMJLED (I have 2 of each) or other PR based led bulbs are a nice addition to standard inexpensive flashlights that are bright enough to use for many tasks around the house. And, by the way, don't throw out those duracells or energizers when they won't power up your digicam any longer. They'll work great in these PR based lights for a good while.

 

[Icebreak]

I don't know about that little side emitter, man. I can put 3X123 in a budget AA flashlight with a KPR112 for a ~200 lu classic mod. One of lctorona's looks like a 300+ lu job. The OP's might be pushing 40 lu. I've got an old WWII aspheric flooder that will do 180lu easy. Maybe the 40lu LED SE would be brighter in the LED forum. I don't know.

Feats of strength: The hunting of the royal white wall.

Mag 4C XPR103

Pertrix Lion

Feats of strength: The lighting of the village produce.

Mag 4C XPR103

Pertrix Lion

Here's the mighty midget mercenary laying about his rewards.

And a bonus shot. A glowing yellow bell pepper.

 

[csshih]

I like that sunburst beamshot