Mr Ted Bear
Flashlight Enthusiast
Overview
For starters, checkout Kenshiros SuperLights Shootout website .
From SS#1, we learned a number of things
1) Basically two kinds of lights, the one's that illuminate, and the one's that throw.
2) HIDs are like exotic animals… the Maxabeam and MegaRay are the most rare, capable of throwing distances which exceed the visual acuity of the human eye.. It is nice to know there are lights that can throw 1500 yards, but without binoculars, who cares? These lights are for special applications, and don't address my needs as an illumination device (hey, I'm just a civilian flashaholic !!!)
3) The top dogs from SS#1 were the McCulloch X990 and the KumKang v2. If you want to know why these were the best lights, read the SuperLights Shootout website
4) In the beginning of 2005, we had SS#2 and the introduction of the Havis Shield HID, the SureFire Beast, the WolfEyes Crocodile, and some very interesting suuperlight mods. In the end, the X990 and KumgKang came out on top.
5) Now, 12 months later at year end 2005, we have some new kids on the block: Rayzorlite, Rayzorbeam, XeRay, and the COSTCO HID (mid 2005). The Thor 10 and Cyclops 15 million CP units will also be included for reference.
So, will the XeRay (50 watt), and the Rayzors (35/50 watt mode) surpass the reining champions? And what about the COSTCO HID? With it's 9" reflector, one would expect it to ace the competition, but will it?
Methodology
Performance FIRST !
The shootout will compare apples to apples, and oranges to oranges. Meaning, first we will compare the units at the 35 watt level, and then in round 2, look at the units that advertised 50 watt output. Then, the summary will look at all the units combined; might be that some of the 35 watt units perform on par with the "new kids" at 50 watts.
Details will then follow...
Performance is #1, but there are other factors which can influence the buying decision. Size and weight for starters. Water resistance (or lack of) is another. Runtime also is a critical factor (runtime vs lumen tradeoff?) How hard is it to charge, and how long. Then there' s the intangible tests, like a 36 inch drop ...
Anyways it won't be long now...
As a side note, I would offer the following:
Kenshiro (and his wife) arrived yesterday afternoon bout 4:30. We spent a hour or so, reviewing the "new units", and then dinner. We then proceeded to the "range" to take pictures, and followed up the session debriefing over coffee. By my watch, Kenshiro probably got home just past midnight.
Bright and eary this am, Kenshiro and I were on the phone. It was only a 4 1/2 hour conversation, at which time, both of us had to do things.
What I am trying to say is that there is more to this shootout than meets they eye. It took less than an hour to take the pcitrues.... and more than 10 man hours have been spend anyalying them... and still no finished review
For starters, checkout Kenshiros SuperLights Shootout website .
From SS#1, we learned a number of things
1) Basically two kinds of lights, the one's that illuminate, and the one's that throw.
2) HIDs are like exotic animals… the Maxabeam and MegaRay are the most rare, capable of throwing distances which exceed the visual acuity of the human eye.. It is nice to know there are lights that can throw 1500 yards, but without binoculars, who cares? These lights are for special applications, and don't address my needs as an illumination device (hey, I'm just a civilian flashaholic !!!)
3) The top dogs from SS#1 were the McCulloch X990 and the KumKang v2. If you want to know why these were the best lights, read the SuperLights Shootout website
4) In the beginning of 2005, we had SS#2 and the introduction of the Havis Shield HID, the SureFire Beast, the WolfEyes Crocodile, and some very interesting suuperlight mods. In the end, the X990 and KumgKang came out on top.
5) Now, 12 months later at year end 2005, we have some new kids on the block: Rayzorlite, Rayzorbeam, XeRay, and the COSTCO HID (mid 2005). The Thor 10 and Cyclops 15 million CP units will also be included for reference.
So, will the XeRay (50 watt), and the Rayzors (35/50 watt mode) surpass the reining champions? And what about the COSTCO HID? With it's 9" reflector, one would expect it to ace the competition, but will it?
Methodology
Performance FIRST !
The shootout will compare apples to apples, and oranges to oranges. Meaning, first we will compare the units at the 35 watt level, and then in round 2, look at the units that advertised 50 watt output. Then, the summary will look at all the units combined; might be that some of the 35 watt units perform on par with the "new kids" at 50 watts.
Details will then follow...
Performance is #1, but there are other factors which can influence the buying decision. Size and weight for starters. Water resistance (or lack of) is another. Runtime also is a critical factor (runtime vs lumen tradeoff?) How hard is it to charge, and how long. Then there' s the intangible tests, like a 36 inch drop ...
Anyways it won't be long now...
As a side note, I would offer the following:
Kenshiro (and his wife) arrived yesterday afternoon bout 4:30. We spent a hour or so, reviewing the "new units", and then dinner. We then proceeded to the "range" to take pictures, and followed up the session debriefing over coffee. By my watch, Kenshiro probably got home just past midnight.
Bright and eary this am, Kenshiro and I were on the phone. It was only a 4 1/2 hour conversation, at which time, both of us had to do things.
What I am trying to say is that there is more to this shootout than meets they eye. It took less than an hour to take the pcitrues.... and more than 10 man hours have been spend anyalying them... and still no finished review
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