SL Scorpion Question

[Lightmeup]

I was talking to a friend last night about flashlights when he surprised me by mentioning that he had bought an expensive FL on the recommendation of some LEO friend of his about 2 years ago and hated it. Well, it was in his glovebox so he went and retrieved it, and it was a SL Scorpion. Apparently his friend had told him it was an uber bright light that is widely used by cops, so he bought one. Anyway, his complaint was that he hardly ever uses it, but has had to have the bulb replaced twice and the batteries once. I tried the light, and it was dead. I checked the batteries, they were good. So apparently this third bulb had gone bad on him.

I checked SL's website and noticed it's a gas-filled Xenon bulb, MSRP about $6. Apparently the copshop where he bought it has charged him about $8/bulb, and $6/lithium battery. So I can see why he is not happy. I have a little expertise in LED FLs, but have never had a Xenon light. I can't believe cops use these things if the bulbs are that fragile. I did notice that they will eat up a set of batteries in 1 hour, that's pretty rude.

Can anyone tell me if his problem is normal for one of these things? Or what might be going on to cause this? BTW, do you think this is a very good choice for a glovebox light that is used infrequently, that 1 hour burn time isn't much insurance for an emergency light, IMO? Also, it sounds like it might too bright for normal usage?

 

[John N]

You should be able to turn up some reviews of the Scorpion with the search function. Make sure you go way back since I think some of the stuff is probably more than a year old.

I've had a few Scorpions and been perfectly happy with them, given their price.

Issues:

Bulbs. I understand the life of the Scorpion's bulbs is higher than it appears your friend might think optimal, however, a bulb should last for about 5 sets of batteries, NOT 2 bulbs per set. Maybe he dropped it while on or something? That said, while $8 for a bulb might sound high, it is a lot cheaper than the SF bulbs. I recall paying about $6 per bulb online.

Batteries: You want to buy your batteries online. The $6 /ea. at retail stores is a real ripoff. While I've found lots of places online to buy them cheap, I've never found a reasonable price at a retail store. I'm sure lots of people will chime in about various sources, but I find www.surefire.com to work out fine. Their box of 12 is $15. Yes, a set of batteries last about an hour in this light.

Current dead bulb: I wouldn't be so sure. Did you try a fresh set of batteries? I suspect if you checked with a volt meter it may be misleading you.

Other issues. Be careful you don't accidently turn the light on in your pocket, it can melt the lens (and "ouch" you too!). This isn't a Scorpion issue so much as a generic issue with a high intensity light w/a lexan (plastic) lens. The rubber grip can get tore up fairly easily if you don't treat it well. This light isn't super waterproof.

That said, I think the main problem your friend has is expectations. What is he comparing it to? Go find a D cell light that puts out this much light. He's going to end up with a 4 or 5 cell light! The beam is decent, the light is small. The rubber is nice to hang on to. In order to put out this kind of light you need a lot of juice (nothing is free). That gives you the 1 hr runtime.

The other nice thing about these lights is that they put out a pretty constant amount of light for the whole time. Most D cell lights taper off over time.

It's too bad your friend isn't happy, but the light itself isn't bad, it's just different than he expects.

-john

 

[Lightmeup]

Thanks for your reply, John. He said he has never dropped it. That's part of the problem, he says it hardly ever gets used. From what he told me, he should still be going strong his first bulb and also his first set of batteries.

You're right about the light output, it must be quite bright. But I'm thinking that with the one hour burnout time, maybe it's not a great choice for a glovebox emergency light?

 

[JohnK]

Newbies frequently touch the bulb with their fingers while changing bulbs.

The oils, etc. will kill the bulb pronto.

I have numerous Scorpions, and TL-2's (use the same bulb) , and have replaced a bulb only once from it blackening a bit.

 

[rackness]

the scorpion is not an led flashlight it is incandesant. for you friends purpose an led flahlight sounds like it would fit the bill. much longer batt life (depending on the model) and no bulb to worry about burning out on you. the longer batt life models are not as bright but that is not what an emeergency light is about it should be about having enough light to get you out of trouble (or change a tire etc...) and signal for help with. the scorpion is more of a tacticle light it is used for illuminating every little crevise to look for baddies(why leo's use them) the scorpion is a decent light just not for what you friend needs. look into some of the light wave units very good batt life and ample runtime as well as easy to find cheaper batts. check out the led forum for some more infomation on other lights as well there are a ton of good ones out there that you friend would be more than happy with. good luck. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/au.gif

 

[NeonLights]

My Scorpion was the first "real" (non-Mag) flashlight I bought. I've had mine for around three years. I've gone through several sets of batteries, but I;m still on the original bulb. What kind of vehicle does your friend drive? If the light gets bounced around a lot in the glovebox it is possible that the bulb is getting damaged that way.

-Keith

 

[John N]

[ QUOTE ]
JohnK said:
Newbies frequently touch the bulb with their fingers while changing bulbs.

The oils, etc. will kill the bulb pronto.


[/ QUOTE ]

This is a good point. It could be his first bulb problem was a fluke and the second one was self induced.

[ QUOTE ]

I have numerous Scorpions, and TL-2's (use the same bulb) , and have replaced a bulb only once from it blackening a bit.

[/ QUOTE ]

I also have several Scorpions and my experience is similar to JohnK's in terms of bulbs. Of course, I have melted a lens and shredded the rubber... :-)

-john

 

[Blades]

Did the extra bulb quit working also?? Maybe it had 2 defective bulbs in it?? It happens sometimes. I'm still using my first bulb on mine, and I have put maybe 3 sets of batteries in it. I've been happy with mine. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
I have had it about 7 years.


Blades

 

[jayflash]

Greetings lightmeup, the guys gave you a bunch of good advice. Like John N said: don't rely on a voltmeter to test the cells. Check them in the 10 amp range of a meter. This is an "acid test" as it's almost a dead short but a new 123 cell should read over 7 amps.

Sometimes a person will get two bad lamps in a row, but that's unusual. My Scorp is one of my favorites and the original lamp is still good after seven battery changes.

A bright LED light is better for your car.

Keep us posted and good luck.

 

[Niteowl]

This may not apply directly to lightmeup's situation.

When I first got my Scorpion, I had to change the bulb a couple of times. Used a tissue to change the bulb and it still went dim. A call to SL "cleared" things up. I was told that quick on and offs would cause a build up inside the bulb. Sure enough, my bulb was blackened. Carbon? Anyway, once I stoped playing with the Scorpion every chance I got, the bulb stayed clear.

Question: does the same principle apply to Surefire's lamps?

Mark

 

[Size15's]

No, SureFire's are intended to be flashed and strobed. My experience and from what I've read, the SureFire Lamp Assembles last significantly longer.
This must be due to the difference in gass composition and pressure. It may also have to do with the type of Tungsten [alloy] used for the filament...

It is the filament that coating the inside of the bulb envelop which is a Tungsten not Carbon.