kramer5150
Flashaholic
Had a great time last night with PCC, BC and gswitter on a little bay area night hike... heres some commentary I posted on BLF...
Yeah this ones definitely an XML thrower.
It noticeably out-threw my HD2010 (T6 @ 3.5A, 45-50K lux), with a tighter, more concentrated beam at any distance. While the HD2010 beam is tight, it will open up and spread out at ~150-200 yards. The Stanley beam remains more tightly concentrated at much farther distances (approximately 100+ yards beyond that). These are all ball-park distances.
The instructions say to fully charge the light for 6 hours before using it for the first time. It should be noted that I only gave it about 3-4 hours. So impressions above were made on the partially depleted Lithium battery inside. I let it charge overnight and I woke up this morning with the red flashing LED turned on solid green. Indicating a full charge.
bigchelis noticed my LED is slightly off-center. There were 2-3 of these on the shelf and I picked the one with the best centered LED. On a white-wall the beam spot is a _*very*_ slightly egg-shaped. But in the field its not noticeable.
Its definitely got some mass to it as well. Its not just an empty plastic shell. So I think there is some heatsink cooling mass inside the light. I only really used it for spot-on bursts last night, but the outer heatsinks never really got warm. It was also very cold out for the first 1/3 of the night with a strong swirling wind. But it warmed at least 10-15 degrees for most of the evening. This light never got noticeably warm to the touch. I hand-carried it very comfortably for the last half of the hike, spot-lighting targets off in the distance and comparing it with the HD2010. Its DEFINITELY MUCH lighter than the Stanley HID, and much easier to pack and hand carry.
I'll be taking it apart and posting lots of pics later today.... but out of the box this ones a winner. At $50 its unmatched as an XML thrower. You will have to spend probably $100-$150 to get another XML light that throws this far (if one even exists in that price range).
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Some disappointing news on the DIY front... I was unable to get the light apart. I easily removed the plastic kick stand, rubber handle grip, rubber bezel boot and all the screws easily enough. But the clamshell halves could not be separated. I pried and wrenched the two halves (like I always do when salvaging laptop-pack cells)... but the bugger simply wouldn't pull apart. At one point I was afraid I had damaged/loosened the pivot joint of my Spyderco, I was bending it pretty good. No dice on this one. I was able to loosen it a bit and re-adjust the rubber gasket around the lens. But in the process I got some loose dirt/debris on the reflector.
So I can't tell what battery this light uses, or exactly how the heatsink thermal design works.
Yeah this ones definitely an XML thrower.
It noticeably out-threw my HD2010 (T6 @ 3.5A, 45-50K lux), with a tighter, more concentrated beam at any distance. While the HD2010 beam is tight, it will open up and spread out at ~150-200 yards. The Stanley beam remains more tightly concentrated at much farther distances (approximately 100+ yards beyond that). These are all ball-park distances.
The instructions say to fully charge the light for 6 hours before using it for the first time. It should be noted that I only gave it about 3-4 hours. So impressions above were made on the partially depleted Lithium battery inside. I let it charge overnight and I woke up this morning with the red flashing LED turned on solid green. Indicating a full charge.
bigchelis noticed my LED is slightly off-center. There were 2-3 of these on the shelf and I picked the one with the best centered LED. On a white-wall the beam spot is a _*very*_ slightly egg-shaped. But in the field its not noticeable.
Its definitely got some mass to it as well. Its not just an empty plastic shell. So I think there is some heatsink cooling mass inside the light. I only really used it for spot-on bursts last night, but the outer heatsinks never really got warm. It was also very cold out for the first 1/3 of the night with a strong swirling wind. But it warmed at least 10-15 degrees for most of the evening. This light never got noticeably warm to the touch. I hand-carried it very comfortably for the last half of the hike, spot-lighting targets off in the distance and comparing it with the HD2010. Its DEFINITELY MUCH lighter than the Stanley HID, and much easier to pack and hand carry.
I'll be taking it apart and posting lots of pics later today.... but out of the box this ones a winner. At $50 its unmatched as an XML thrower. You will have to spend probably $100-$150 to get another XML light that throws this far (if one even exists in that price range).
..
.
.
.
Some disappointing news on the DIY front... I was unable to get the light apart. I easily removed the plastic kick stand, rubber handle grip, rubber bezel boot and all the screws easily enough. But the clamshell halves could not be separated. I pried and wrenched the two halves (like I always do when salvaging laptop-pack cells)... but the bugger simply wouldn't pull apart. At one point I was afraid I had damaged/loosened the pivot joint of my Spyderco, I was bending it pretty good. No dice on this one. I was able to loosen it a bit and re-adjust the rubber gasket around the lens. But in the process I got some loose dirt/debris on the reflector.
So I can't tell what battery this light uses, or exactly how the heatsink thermal design works.
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