CalgaryGuy
Enlightened
Has anyone did any stress test on any Surefire LED light? Extreme cold, extreme hot, 50 feet drop, etc ... and maybe even EMP?
Stress Test on Surefire LED Lights?
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Size15's
Flashaholic
I did some experiments years ago comparing runtimes between SureFires at 'room temperature' and those that had cooled down to about -25C in the industrial freezer store room of the supermarket I used to work for. They were incandescents though. Perhaps a search of CPF would find the posts...
A recent poster dropped his SF four feet. SF said this voided warranty and charged him for the repairs, so I'd say that 50 feet is far beyond their design ambitions...
Come to think of it, 50 feet is beyond even the standard Casio warranty for the G-Shock - they went for a 10m drop onto a hard surface, on the grounds that any longer would have certainly killed the user, so he wouldn't care if his watch didn't work any more.
ACMarina
Flashlight Enthusiast
My Surefire L4 (when it was in L4 form) did. I worked in Aquatic Maintanance, and it worked:
-in a Sauna at 120 degrees
-in "the pit", where the filters were stored at roughly 60 degrees
-in the snow at 32 degrees
-on the bottom of the pool, 78 degrees, 12 feet
-in the hot tub, 104 degrees, 3 feet
No problems. I have also thrown it around, even breaking a car window with it during fire prevention week demonstrations, and it still worked just fine.
Except for the waterproof part, though, I can say most of the same things about my Dorcy AAA that I carried until I lost it. LEDs, on the whole, are entirely dependable in these regards. I don't have a way to test an EMP, though, so you'll have to do that on your own..
-in a Sauna at 120 degrees
-in "the pit", where the filters were stored at roughly 60 degrees
-in the snow at 32 degrees
-on the bottom of the pool, 78 degrees, 12 feet
-in the hot tub, 104 degrees, 3 feet
No problems. I have also thrown it around, even breaking a car window with it during fire prevention week demonstrations, and it still worked just fine.
Except for the waterproof part, though, I can say most of the same things about my Dorcy AAA that I carried until I lost it. LEDs, on the whole, are entirely dependable in these regards. I don't have a way to test an EMP, though, so you'll have to do that on your own..
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=176054
Here's a CPF member who really "went the extra mile" no pun intended to test his Surefire G2L. Lots of great pics, too.
Here's a CPF member who really "went the extra mile" no pun intended to test his Surefire G2L. Lots of great pics, too.
Size15's
Flashaholic
I don't recall that thread but perhaps there is a difference between SureFire deciding to warranty a deliberately dropped product compared to an accidentally dropped product. I'm pretty certain that an accidental drop would be sorted out by SureFire.
Al
ACMarina
Flashlight Enthusiast
I had some off-brand batteries smush the contact of my KL4 head, and told the Surefire rep that directly - they replaced it..
Illum
Flashaholic
I dunno if this constitutes as any matters in testing but for an application of playing racketball in the dark with the L4 clipped to a chain link fence count as a stress test?
there was a slight breeze that day and used up two fully charged AW 17670s [about 2 hour runtime]...I'm fairly certain the luxV wasn't too happy but didn't say anything
the head was untouchable, no arguing on that part, with the clip securely fastened to the chainlink I actually felt noticeable warmth on the chainlink. no problems from then to now, except a dink in the bezel when I tried to remove it, an instinctive release from the heat and down on the silicate asphalt it goes:shakehead
hopefully some one reading this won't cook up a "to the death" test of a KL4 he didn't want and 10/20 AW 17670s he may have and see how much heat it takes to kill one :candle:
there was a slight breeze that day and used up two fully charged AW 17670s [about 2 hour runtime]...I'm fairly certain the luxV wasn't too happy but didn't say anything
the head was untouchable, no arguing on that part, with the clip securely fastened to the chainlink I actually felt noticeable warmth on the chainlink. no problems from then to now, except a dink in the bezel when I tried to remove it, an instinctive release from the heat and down on the silicate asphalt it goes:shakehead
hopefully some one reading this won't cook up a "to the death" test of a KL4 he didn't want and 10/20 AW 17670s he may have and see how much heat it takes to kill one :candle:
grnamin
Enlightened
For a moment there I thought this was about Scientologists using Surefires for stress tests.
Craig from the LED museum puts his lights through "The Punishment Zone"
http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/ledleft.htm
In particular: "The vacuum test :green:" and "The smack test :sick2:". Surefires always seem to hold up very well. He does these tests so you don't have to :twothumbs
I don't think he does hot/cold tests but I guess the batteries and LED would be the limiting factor.
http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/ledleft.htm
In particular: "The vacuum test :green:" and "The smack test :sick2:". Surefires always seem to hold up very well. He does these tests so you don't have to :twothumbs
I don't think he does hot/cold tests but I guess the batteries and LED would be the limiting factor.
tussery
Enlightened
Way off topic, but do you by chance also post over at CalgaryPuck?
Paladin
Enlightened
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2006
- Messages
- 585
Somehow tonight my KL5/Leef2x18650/Z48 flew from my grasp and landed about 10 or 12 feet away on an asphalt surface. Must have landed on the tailcap first, as it lit up upon impact. One slight scuff on the bezel, lens is intact, otherwise no apparent damage except to my ego for being stupid prior to it taking flight during a dog walk. Using the lanyard would have prevented the "flight testing" event. No harm, no foul!
Paladin
No harm, no foul!Paladin
CalgaryGuy
Enlightened
If you're talking to me, I only post here.
Lightguy27
Enlightened
Well I did a test on batts not to long ago. I took a single aa, black $23.00 River Rock light from target to test Alkaline VS. Lithium. I put a alkaline battery in my freezer ( It's a Subzero, model 736tc) which despite it's name was a modest 4 degrees fahrenheit. I let the light with an alkaline energizer e2 titanium, which is the best alkaline cell, sit for 15 minutes. The same was done to the same light, which I let sit out for a half an hour to get back to room temp. , with an energizer e2 Lithium batt. The results were that the Alk. batt took 9 mins. out in room temp. to work, ( when I took it out I turned the clikie on and left it). The lithium cell worked as soon as I took it out though.So the winner was the Lithium.
Great test by the way!! I could never do that to one of my lights. And as a reference, In Suefire's Illumination products 2007 catolog that I have there is a story that someone dropped an L4 250 feet off a cliff onto rocks. The body was a bit dinged up and the lens was shattered but it still fired right up. Now does this make me want to throw my L4 off a cliff, no but it tells me that I have a damn tough light.:thumbsup:
Great test by the way!! I could never do that to one of my lights. And as a reference, In Suefire's Illumination products 2007 catolog that I have there is a story that someone dropped an L4 250 feet off a cliff onto rocks. The body was a bit dinged up and the lens was shattered but it still fired right up. Now does this make me want to throw my L4 off a cliff, no but it tells me that I have a damn tough light.:thumbsup:
