4x4Dragon
Flashlight Enthusiast
Let's just save a little reading time for you and some writing for me and just let me hit you with this to start off:
Let's start with the obvious, the build. The light is built like a TANK! Stainless Steel people. This light will almost certianly outlive you. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif In regards to quality, I don't think you could get much better. Well maybe a mineral glass could be a consideration, although I did mistake the polycarbonate lens for glass. The polycarbonate used is nice and clear and i have yet scratch or even haze it with my numerous 'dustings'(I hate a dusty lens) Machining seems to be perfect and the threads all turn smoothly and snugly, although some more lubrication may be in order for the O-ring on the head. Tailcap fits on just as well as the head, and the removable lanyard/keyring attachment still has not ceased to amaze me. The precision in which it screws into the tailcap is something to admire, which brings me to something even cooler I noticed on the light.... accessory and modularity potential.
In addition to the Line-Loc adapters available from Peak that can be screwed into the tailcap, the brass contact slug seems to have had much thought put into it.
As you can see the little brass slug runs all the way through the tailcap-is exposed with the lanyard/key attachment off. It can be adjusted or taken out altogether. The owner of Peak says this was done for 2 reasons:
1) To allow adjustability for differenc sized cells, Nimh for example
2) To allow the future use of a 'tactical-style' switch.(i took that to mean perhaps a pressure-switch for a weapons mounted light but it may just end up being a clickie)
In addition I've thought of a couple more possiblities for accessories:
1) An optional battery pack(single or multipe D cells) that can be plugged into the light via the threaded tailcap opening
2) A charger/charger cord that would allow the user to recharge the battery without having to remove the battery itself, and this might also open the way for a Li-ion version of the Kino Bay.
As it stands now, the Kino Bay can run on 1.5volt Akalines, 1.2volt Nimh, or 1.7volt Lithiums. Alkalines seem to be the least favorable, especially compared to Nimh, due to their shorter runtime at higher brightness. By my eye, with an alkaline Rayovac Maximum Plus, the Kino Bay dropped in brightness or at least noticable brightness in approximately 45 minutes. But it did manage to still be putting out Arc AAA(not new version) after 12 hours.
Well now that you've stayed tuned for this long, how about some beamshots? Better yet, beamshots using different battery types in a comparo with a Madmax(1watt) equipped Micromag(single AA Minimag)...:
Micromag with 3volt Lithium vs. Kino Bay with Nimh(right)
Micromag with 3volt Lithium vs. Kino Bay with Alkaline(right)
Micromag with Alkaline vs. Kino Bay with Nimh(right)
Micromag with Alkaline vs. Kino Bay with Alkaline(right)
Same as above but underexposed.
Real-world distant shots at approximately 10 feet:
Test-scene with full flash
Micromag with 3volt Lithium
Kino Bay with Alkaline
Micromag with Alkaline
Kino Bay with Nimh
Below shots are of both lights using Alkalines, underexposed.
Micromag
Kino Bay
In above beamshots, background wall is a shad of green so therefore it may throw off the true beam colors. The Micromag Madmax has a slight purplish hue to it while the Peak Kino Bay is absolutely and perfectly WHITE.
All in all Peak Led Solutions has done a GREAT job with what I believe to be the first widely available 1xAA Luxeon light and they've done it at a fair price.
Let's start with the obvious, the build. The light is built like a TANK! Stainless Steel people. This light will almost certianly outlive you. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif In regards to quality, I don't think you could get much better. Well maybe a mineral glass could be a consideration, although I did mistake the polycarbonate lens for glass. The polycarbonate used is nice and clear and i have yet scratch or even haze it with my numerous 'dustings'(I hate a dusty lens) Machining seems to be perfect and the threads all turn smoothly and snugly, although some more lubrication may be in order for the O-ring on the head. Tailcap fits on just as well as the head, and the removable lanyard/keyring attachment still has not ceased to amaze me. The precision in which it screws into the tailcap is something to admire, which brings me to something even cooler I noticed on the light.... accessory and modularity potential.
In addition to the Line-Loc adapters available from Peak that can be screwed into the tailcap, the brass contact slug seems to have had much thought put into it.
As you can see the little brass slug runs all the way through the tailcap-is exposed with the lanyard/key attachment off. It can be adjusted or taken out altogether. The owner of Peak says this was done for 2 reasons:
1) To allow adjustability for differenc sized cells, Nimh for example
2) To allow the future use of a 'tactical-style' switch.(i took that to mean perhaps a pressure-switch for a weapons mounted light but it may just end up being a clickie)
In addition I've thought of a couple more possiblities for accessories:
1) An optional battery pack(single or multipe D cells) that can be plugged into the light via the threaded tailcap opening
2) A charger/charger cord that would allow the user to recharge the battery without having to remove the battery itself, and this might also open the way for a Li-ion version of the Kino Bay.
As it stands now, the Kino Bay can run on 1.5volt Akalines, 1.2volt Nimh, or 1.7volt Lithiums. Alkalines seem to be the least favorable, especially compared to Nimh, due to their shorter runtime at higher brightness. By my eye, with an alkaline Rayovac Maximum Plus, the Kino Bay dropped in brightness or at least noticable brightness in approximately 45 minutes. But it did manage to still be putting out Arc AAA(not new version) after 12 hours.
Well now that you've stayed tuned for this long, how about some beamshots? Better yet, beamshots using different battery types in a comparo with a Madmax(1watt) equipped Micromag(single AA Minimag)...:
Micromag with 3volt Lithium vs. Kino Bay with Nimh(right)
Micromag with 3volt Lithium vs. Kino Bay with Alkaline(right)
Micromag with Alkaline vs. Kino Bay with Nimh(right)
Micromag with Alkaline vs. Kino Bay with Alkaline(right)
Same as above but underexposed.Real-world distant shots at approximately 10 feet:
Test-scene with full flash
Micromag with 3volt Lithium
Kino Bay with Alkaline 
Micromag with Alkaline
Kino Bay with NimhBelow shots are of both lights using Alkalines, underexposed.
Micromag
Kino BayIn above beamshots, background wall is a shad of green so therefore it may throw off the true beam colors. The Micromag Madmax has a slight purplish hue to it while the Peak Kino Bay is absolutely and perfectly WHITE.
All in all Peak Led Solutions has done a GREAT job with what I believe to be the first widely available 1xAA Luxeon light and they've done it at a fair price.
