SunForce 25 Million Candlepower HID Rechargeable Spotlight

[cccpull]

Are the reflectors the same between the incan and HID?

They look the same except the incandescent has an H4 bulb mount, but if he's buying a kit (unless he has parts laying around) he would just order an h4 hid kit. Otherwise it would be $89.99 for the Sunforce HID plus the HID kit.
This guy has a thread on it. Here.

 

[Nanomiser]

Why don't you just get the 10Million CP model as a host, which is a lot cheaper (on sale 24.99) and the case is exactly alike. Unless you're thinking you might be able to just swap the ballasts.:thinking:

If dimensionally the basic feature are equal than using the 10MCP version is definitely the way go; good tip!

It appears to be a bit more involved than ballast swapping so I need to make sure that the host I use will accommodate all of the new parts.

Thank you for the link to spc's HID modthread it was very informative. :thumbsup:

 

[Locoboy5150]

If anyone is interested in one of these monsters, here it is:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200342907_200342907?cm_sp=RVC-_-Product%20Page-_-Products

Hmmmm...looks promising! Should I get one guys?

 

[pinebluffbill]

I just bought the SunForce 25 Million Candlepower rechargeable HID spotlight, and I am totally shocked by it, as it out throws my AmondoTech Titanium Mega Illuminator/Costco HID! I would have never expected there to be a metal halide HID light that could possibly even equal the Mega Illuminator in throw; I only bought this SunForce because I wanted to have a light with a blue beam that could out throw the POB (which it does easily), so I am very surprised that it can out throw the Mega Illuminator, even though it is by an extremely small amount.

Its beam is as narrow as it gets with a very bright little pinpoint hotspot, and tight small corona around it. It throws unbelievably far, and easily lights up objects in the 1000 yard range. It out throws every other large spotlight I have ever owned. The beam it makes in the sky is remarkable; it is like a blue laser like parallel ray of light that extends up forever, and kind of reminds me of an advertising searchlight just because it is so tightly collimated. It puts a perfect round spot on distant objects, and its beam pattern kind of reminds me of how the beams from short arc xenon lights look, based on the pictures I have seen (of course the 25MCP will not realistically compare to a short arc xenon).

The beam color is very deep blue and appears in the 6500K-8000K range. I believe it is a 35W HID. It has two switches; the top one toggles the light on and off for standard use, and the lower switch operates the light directly from a 12V source when you have its 12V DC car charger plugged into the DC port. Otherwise, the lower switch does not operate the light. Use only the lower switch to operate the light from its 12V DC cigarette lighter adaptor cord, and make sure the DC cord is plugged into the lower port.

This light has a runtime around 40 minutes, and it uses twin 6V SLA batteries. It has a charge status indicator that lights red when it is charging and green when it is full. It can be both charged and run directly from its 12V DC car cigarette lighter adaptor cord, however the charging indicator will not light with this method.

It feels featherweight to me compared to some of my other large lights, and is even lighter weight than the Vector Power On Board HID even though its physical dimensions are larger. It has an 8'' reflector, and is not as large as the Mega Illuminator, which is why I am so amazed that the 25MCP appears to out throw it. It also out throws the Professional's Favorite 20 Million Plus candlepower spotlight.


Pictures:

Beamshots:


Control:

Shining at a house down the street:

Shining at nearby tree to show beam pattern:

I highly recommend this SunForce HID spotlight to anyone looking for the longest thrower possible, and I think it is the new budget king of throw in spotlights. The SunForce 40 Million Candlepower HID spotlight got a review as being "more of a flood than spot light" which is the reason I never bought that one as I am only interested in extreme throw if I am going to carry around a large and heavy light, and I have been very satisfied with the Mega Illuminator in that regard. I think this SunForce 25 Million Candlepower HID could possibly be the longest throwing 35 watt HID ever available.

The difference in throw between the Mega Illuminator and SunForce is very small and not easy to notice, but no matter what I shine the two lights at it appears to me that the SunForce is putting a slightly brighter spot on the object (such as a distant tree). I tested them against each other extensively tonight, and the result was always the same, in favor of the SunForce. That being said, I would still recommend the Mega Illuminator over it from a practicality standpoint, as the Mega Illuminator has a much longer runtime and its 4200K bulb gives much better rendition which can make it more useful. The Mega Illuminator also has a much larger and brighter corona around the hotspot. The only instance that I would recommend the SunForce over the Ti Mega in would be if you need something lightweight and easy to carry, but otherwise I think the Mega Illuminator is still a better, more reliable, more useful light, and I think it is still a better choice than this SunForce.

Overall I think the SunForce 25 Million Candlepower HID spotlight is an excellent light and a great buy. I love the way its super tight blue beam looks. It is great for cloud bouncing, and I think this light is a perfect choice if you are just looking for an HID to have fun with. Otherwise, the Mega Illuminator is a more useful light IMHO.

i just received mine in also. i like the new features and is one heck of a thrower. i like the switch on top of the handle and it is unbelieably lightweight for its size. one doesn't need the carry strap.

 

[Locoboy5150]

For those that have this Sunforce HID spotlight, do the included 12 V-DC and 110 V-AC charging systems stop charging when the two 6 V batteries are fully charged or do they just keep overcharging them?

 

[andromeda.73]

truly impressive, and the price is even more!

 

[kramer5150]

For those that have this Sunforce HID spotlight, do the included 12 V-DC and 110 V-AC charging systems stop charging when the two 6 V batteries are fully charged or do they just keep overcharging them?

No replies?
I don't own one, but I would be completely surprised if the charging system is nothing more than a 12V ~.35A wall wart, that direct charges the SLA cells. The only budget spotlight(s) I am aware of that actually do have legit charging circuits are the POB-HID and stanley models. But even then I think they are just voltage monitoring devices... no CC/CV. So its just a time based charging circuit in the sunforce. Whether or not it damages the cells, depends on the charge rate (amps) and just how long you leave it plugged in.

The instructions should give you some rough guidelines for charging times.

A simple mod you can do is wire up a deans plug and charge it with your BC112C. Just make sure to terminate the charge at~14.5V.

**edit**
12V and 6V SLA cells are used in all kinds of applications. From childrens riding toys to millitary to medical. Google search "12V charging circuit"... there are several DIY links, complete with schematics and follow up commentaries.

re-terminate one of these with the right plug and youre all set.
http://www.batteryspace.com/leadacidsmartcharger10afor12vleadacidbatteryworldwideuse-1.aspx

Word of caution... I dont know how well a higher current 12V charger works with 2x6V in series, without a cell balancing circuit. That topic is probably worth a whole new discussion thread in itself.

 

[ScottFHall]

Charging: nope, mine has never reached a state where it arrives at full charge and turns itself off.

What you have is a red led next to the ac charge port--there is not one on the dc charge port. When you attached the wall wart male tip to it, the red led glows. That simply indicates that juice is flowing.

On the wall wart itself, there is a green led and a red led. The green lights to full strength when you plug the wall wart into the wall. The red is a "load indicator": if you have a low or no charge on the internal batteries, the red led glows not at all. When charge is up, the red glows very bright like the green next to it. What you have in this, I think, is simply an analog device. I don't think this is a smart digital device that will detect 12 volts reached and truly do a cut off.

 

[M@elstrom]

I would be completely surprised if the charging system is nothing more than a 12V ~.35A wall wart, that direct charges the SLA cells.

Somebody had their "weetbix" this morning, you're on the money 100% both my rechargeable spotlights (now HID) came with said "wall wart" transformer/charger... considering the price point I wouldn't expect anything else :thumbsup:

 

[Nanomiser]

Charging: nope, mine has never reached a state where it arrives at full charge and turns itself off.

What you have is a red led next to the ac charge port--there is not one on the dc charge port. When you attached the wall wart male tip to it, the red led glows. That simply indicates that juice is flowing.

On the wall wart itself, there is a green led and a red led. The green lights to full strength when you plug the wall wart into the wall. The red is a "load indicator": if you have a low or no charge on the internal batteries, the red led glows not at all. When charge is up, the red glows very bright like the green next to it. What you have in this, I think, is simply an analog device. I don't think this is a smart digital device that will detect 12 volts reached and truly do a cut off.

+1

The manual says to charge it for 20 hours at which point the red light should be fully lit indicating "no load" or fully charged.

 

[Locoboy5150]

OK, thanks guys for the information. It sounds like the included charger has to be watched from time to time. I have a peak detecting 12 V SLA battery charger that I'll use for my Sunforce HID spotlight when it arrives. I'll just make an adapter plug for it.

Do the batteries come precharged or did you have to charge them up before your first blast of light?

 

[ScottFHall]

Mine arrived pretty close to fully charged. I think it's best to not turn it on at first: put it on the charger overnight and light it up the next night. Or test how many volts those batteries show out of the box before you turn it on.

I've heard it said that rechargeable batteries hold the most and last the longest IF they initially get really juiced up hard before you use them.

 

[Locoboy5150]

Thank you everyone for all your opinions, answers, and tips about this Sunforce HID spotlight. Thanks to all your posts here in CPF, I'm also a *very* happy owner of one of these spotlights and I absolutely love it. Thanks guys for helping me make one of my best ever light purchases.

lovecpf

I had a question about something. This is my first ever HID light so this may be a common thing, but I'm not sure. When my bulb is going through the usual warm up time, the hot spot of my beam sometimes quickly twitches or wiggles back and forth a teeny tiny bit. As soon as the bulb warms up fully after about 30 seconds and the bulb is at full brightness, then the movement completely stops.

Is this normal? It doesn't bother me at all since it doesn't affect the light in any way, but I was just curious.

Also, how do you get the batteries out of the light body? They're really tight in mine even after I remove the battery access door from the rear of the body.

 

[Locoboy5150]

By the way, this is the battery charger that I use for all my SLA battery charging needs:

http://www.batteryspace.com/leadaci...adacidbatterywith3stagesfloating.aspx#reviews

I've been using it for about 2 years now and it works just fine for me.

 

[Locoboy5150]

Today I was wondering if I could shim the bulb in my Sunforce 2996HID spotlight to get a tighter hot spot. I didn't even bother with making the shims just yet. I loosened the bulb and moved it back in the reflector while observing the change in beam pattern on a white wall.

The simple answer is don't bother with trying to make the beam any tighter if you have one of thse Sunforce HID spotlights because with the bulb mounted flush in the reflector without any shims, that's as tight as it will go. Adding any shims will only widen the beam pattern. If you want a flood type beam, then adding shims will help out though.

So, mine will remain stock as far as the beam pattern goes. I absolutely *love* the throw that this thing has! :twothumbs

 

[Locoboy5150]

Oh, one other thing that was mentioned earlier. The reflector in the Sunforce 2996HID does not look the same as the reflector in the Sunforce 10 mcp halogen spotlight. That question was brought up before in this thread.

When I zoom in on the photo of the halogen spotlight here:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/...30674_200230674?cm_sp=RVC-_-Footer-_-Products

...and I look at the reflector where the bulb is, that area looks flatter and larger in diameter than the same area on my HID spotlight. That probably explains why the HID version has such a tight beam pattern and it throws and throws like crazy even though it only has a 35 W HID system in it. My Peak PKCOTH has a reflector that is shaped like the Sunforce halogen light in that same area and it produces a very floody beam pattern, especially compared to my Sunforce 2996HID.

The outer plastic case and bezel look the same on the two, but the reflectors sure look different to me. Keep in mind though that I only have seen the HID light in person and I'm only comparing that to the online photo of the halogen light.

Anyway, that's just something to keep in mind if anyone is looking to build their own HID spotlight from the reflector and body of the Sunforce halogen spotlight.

 

[ScottFHall]

Yeah, I find those batteries are in there very tight on mine, too. I feel best taking them out by opening up both ends and kind of pushing and pulling them with the intention of eventually getting them to come out of the back. Each time they have eventually and there doesn't seem to be anything obviously binding.

 

[SemiMan]

Looking at how dim those street lights are at one mile compared to your "reflection" of your HID makes me think something is up with your beamshot.

I expect that possibly you are hitting a road-sign or similar that is painted or coated with retroreflector material. Otherwise the streetlights would be much brighter in comparison.

I still think it is a great thrower, but I am just thinking about reality.

Semiman

 

[Locoboy5150]

I spent this past weekend in Monterey, CA. My girlfriend got a great deal on a super fancy hotel that faced the Monterey Bay on one side and Cannery Row on the other. Our room (which we got for free) faced the bay. There were no lights on the bay at all. I brought my Sunforce 2996HID spotlight along and opened it up over the pitch black Monterey Bay.

The weather conditions weren't wonderful because the fog and drizzle were rolling in. Still the light threw way out there over the dark water. It was especially fun shining it on the water's surface and seeing it reflect off of the eyes of surfacing sea otters. They would pop their heads out of the water, peek around, and then dive back down. The Sunforce spotlight lit up some of their little heads when they were waaaaaaay out there.

Unfortunately, the amount of moisture in the air prevented me from testing out my spotlight's full throw potential, but still it went really far out there. It also attracted the attention of a few other hotel guests that were strolling by down below and asking me about what light I was using.

...just some more night burning fun with this new Sunforce HID. Given the $90 price, it just cannot beat in terms of throw distance. :twothumbs

 

[ScottFHall]

Looking at how dim those street lights are at one mile compared to your "reflection" of your HID makes me think something is up with your beamshot.

I expect that possibly you are hitting a road-sign or similar that is painted or coated with retroreflector material. Otherwise the streetlights would be much brighter in comparison.

I still think it is a great thrower, but I am just thinking about reality.

Semiman

Hmm. That's interesting. I'll have to get out the telescope and look over there in the daytime. I assumed I was hitting a big white wall but not a gigantic reflector.