mightysparrow
Enlightened
I received my Sunlite Slim2 2xAAA penlights on Thursday, and I feel compelled to let the forum-members know that I am very happy with this light. The quality and performance appear to be top-notch all around.
This light is only 4.5 inches long by 0.50 inches in diameter, yet it holds two AAA batteries. It can do this thanks to a very small powerhouse of a LED module, which serves as the bezel, measuring only about 0.25 inches long. The module unscrews to allow entry to the battery compartment. The body of the flashlight has relatively thick walls and enough weight to give the light a very solid heft. It feels very substantial in your hand, although it is amazingly compact for a 2xAAA light. Sunlite says the body is made of Type III anodized aluminum, with copper heatsinking and a copper reflector, to dissipate heat. Nice quality!
There are indented circles around the light, beginning in the middle and going toward the rear. They improve one's grip of the light, and the last indentation toward the rear holds the very substantial metal pocket clip in place, so it doesn't slide backwards or forwards down the length of the light. The pocket clip seems to stay put in general - it doesn't slide around circumfrence of the body easily, either, avoiding a problem with many other penlights of lesser quality.
The light is operated by a "forward clicky" switch located at the rear. The switch is covered by a rubber switch boot that feels as substantial as the other components of the light. I don't get the impression that the rubber boot will wear out easily. The switch has momentary-on capability. If you press in the switch lightly, the light will come on. It will shut off when you release pressure on the switch. Pressing in the switch with more pressure will turn on the light until you press the switch fully again. There is a softly-audible clicking sound when you turn the light on for "constant" light. Pressing the switch for momentary on is noise-less.
The LED module/bezel appears to be made of stainless steel, and it is not colored like the body. The lens is of a quality glass and is recessed, to help protect against damage. An earlier version of this light had little holes around the bezel, but the light I received has no holes in the bezel, which I prefer. The bezel is engraved with the phrase, "Slim3W" on two sides.
The website of Sunlite Science & Technology, Inc. (www.powerLEDlighting.com) says the light puts out 60 lumens. I do not know if that output was measured at the emitter or out the front of the light. However, the runtime should be decent with two batteries installed, I'm guessing. The website says the light emits over 20 hours of useful light. I haven't done any run-time tests. I'm not Selfbuilt, I'm sorry.
However, I can tell you that, to my eyes, the light output is amazing for the size of the light and AAA cells used. I am very impressed. The beam quality is also wonderful. It appears to have a very solid, non-ringy, smallish hotspot of very neutral white light, with a large area of spill. I have no beamshots, but at about six feet from a wall, I am guessing that the total beam diameter is about three feet or a little less, and the hotspot is about eight inches across. A very powerful and useful little tool, in my opinion, given the amount of light put out and the quality and size of the beam and hotspot.
There are many options you can choose to sort of custom-build your Slim2 light. You can choose the color of the body (black, blue or red), and you can also choose the color tint of the light output (cool white, neutral white, red, blue or green). You can also order optional flexible heads or a 1W color LED head.
The light weighs 1.5 oz. with batteries, according to the website.
One interesting difference to note between this light and many others is that the batteries are inserted with the positive nub of the battery toward the rear of the light. I will make a note to remember this when I change batteries, as there is no mention on the Sunlite website of reverse-polarity protection in the design.
In addition to all of the above-mentioned qualities of the Slim2, the current price of this light also helps to make it an outstanding value, in my opinion. They are currently priced at $34.00 per light, absent any optional parts being added. Shipping on the site is free for orders over $30.00, so I paid nothing for shipping. Yay! Shipping was by USPS and was prompt. The light comes in a padded envelope. The little form-fitting box for the light includes a plastic wrap covering the whole light, with a plastic switch boot cover and instructions. My lights also came with two AAA batteries in them. Very classy.
I've never written a review in this detail before, but I wanted to let you all know that this is a heck of a great little light by any measure, and the reasonable price and free shipping make it a rare value in today's market, in my view.
I am not compensated and have not been compensated in any way by Sunlite Science & Technology, Inc., and I have no connection to the company or its employees, aside from being a customer.
This light is only 4.5 inches long by 0.50 inches in diameter, yet it holds two AAA batteries. It can do this thanks to a very small powerhouse of a LED module, which serves as the bezel, measuring only about 0.25 inches long. The module unscrews to allow entry to the battery compartment. The body of the flashlight has relatively thick walls and enough weight to give the light a very solid heft. It feels very substantial in your hand, although it is amazingly compact for a 2xAAA light. Sunlite says the body is made of Type III anodized aluminum, with copper heatsinking and a copper reflector, to dissipate heat. Nice quality!
There are indented circles around the light, beginning in the middle and going toward the rear. They improve one's grip of the light, and the last indentation toward the rear holds the very substantial metal pocket clip in place, so it doesn't slide backwards or forwards down the length of the light. The pocket clip seems to stay put in general - it doesn't slide around circumfrence of the body easily, either, avoiding a problem with many other penlights of lesser quality.
The light is operated by a "forward clicky" switch located at the rear. The switch is covered by a rubber switch boot that feels as substantial as the other components of the light. I don't get the impression that the rubber boot will wear out easily. The switch has momentary-on capability. If you press in the switch lightly, the light will come on. It will shut off when you release pressure on the switch. Pressing in the switch with more pressure will turn on the light until you press the switch fully again. There is a softly-audible clicking sound when you turn the light on for "constant" light. Pressing the switch for momentary on is noise-less.
The LED module/bezel appears to be made of stainless steel, and it is not colored like the body. The lens is of a quality glass and is recessed, to help protect against damage. An earlier version of this light had little holes around the bezel, but the light I received has no holes in the bezel, which I prefer. The bezel is engraved with the phrase, "Slim3W" on two sides.
The website of Sunlite Science & Technology, Inc. (www.powerLEDlighting.com) says the light puts out 60 lumens. I do not know if that output was measured at the emitter or out the front of the light. However, the runtime should be decent with two batteries installed, I'm guessing. The website says the light emits over 20 hours of useful light. I haven't done any run-time tests. I'm not Selfbuilt, I'm sorry.
However, I can tell you that, to my eyes, the light output is amazing for the size of the light and AAA cells used. I am very impressed. The beam quality is also wonderful. It appears to have a very solid, non-ringy, smallish hotspot of very neutral white light, with a large area of spill. I have no beamshots, but at about six feet from a wall, I am guessing that the total beam diameter is about three feet or a little less, and the hotspot is about eight inches across. A very powerful and useful little tool, in my opinion, given the amount of light put out and the quality and size of the beam and hotspot.
There are many options you can choose to sort of custom-build your Slim2 light. You can choose the color of the body (black, blue or red), and you can also choose the color tint of the light output (cool white, neutral white, red, blue or green). You can also order optional flexible heads or a 1W color LED head.
The light weighs 1.5 oz. with batteries, according to the website.
One interesting difference to note between this light and many others is that the batteries are inserted with the positive nub of the battery toward the rear of the light. I will make a note to remember this when I change batteries, as there is no mention on the Sunlite website of reverse-polarity protection in the design.
In addition to all of the above-mentioned qualities of the Slim2, the current price of this light also helps to make it an outstanding value, in my opinion. They are currently priced at $34.00 per light, absent any optional parts being added. Shipping on the site is free for orders over $30.00, so I paid nothing for shipping. Yay! Shipping was by USPS and was prompt. The light comes in a padded envelope. The little form-fitting box for the light includes a plastic wrap covering the whole light, with a plastic switch boot cover and instructions. My lights also came with two AAA batteries in them. Very classy.
I've never written a review in this detail before, but I wanted to let you all know that this is a heck of a great little light by any measure, and the reasonable price and free shipping make it a rare value in today's market, in my view.
I am not compensated and have not been compensated in any way by Sunlite Science & Technology, Inc., and I have no connection to the company or its employees, aside from being a customer.
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