TerraLUX

[14C]

Anyone gotten a TerraLUX drop-in on or fac built /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gifyet?

I have the MaxStar2 (tle6)on order for my MAG 3C.

I already have a white EverLED and am very happy with it.

I sent a message about the TerraLUX MiniMax-3AA to a user looking for a luxeon in the $ 25 range and am looking at one of those too.

 

[grayman4hire]

Let us know how you like the MaxStar2. $45 dollars is a little to much for me to spend on a light bulb, eventhough it's one bad *** bulb.

 

[14C]

I will..I really like the EverLED for my MAG 3C..rated at 1.2 watts (what they say)..side emitter..I think I bought the polarity unprotected bulb..but no matter..for $ 40 it was worth it...nice replacement..I had been spending around $ 6.00 for the krypton bulbs

 

[greenLED]

Check this out. I've been using my MiniStar2 for about a month now. I've had my Minimag on for about 40 minutes and the body only gets "luke-warm", not hot to the touch. As a comparison, I think a minimag body will get as warm if you hold it in your warm hand for a while. The beam is very uniform and you can do a bit of focusing. I agree with Quickbeam, the beam is most tightly focused as soon as the light comes on.

The only "bad" (?) think I noticed in my module were two small blotches on the circuit board; looks like the soldering tip melted a bit of the board. OK, so it's just me being picky, it doesn't affect the light quality whatsoever.

The biggest plus for me was the price. You can't beat $25 for a great quality drop-in Luxeon. It'll make your maglite 1000x better.

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Greenled,

I think the MiniStar2 is pretty good as well.

I still think there is a problem with the heat dissipation. The reason your light does not get hot after 40 minutes is because there is very little transfer of heat from the circuit board to the flashlight body.

If you put the light in candle mode and let it run for 15 minutes and then try to push the switch in with your fingers to shut the light off, you will burn your fingers.

The thing gets hot and does not transfer that heat. It stays at the LED and circuit board.

My concern is that in repeated long term use, the LED will age faster than it needs to.

I use mine mostly in "momentary on" use and do not worry about it. If I need a light for an extended period of time, I grab a different light.

Tom

 

[greenLED]

Hi SilverFox,
Good point, thanks for redirecting my attention to the LED's "health". I wonder if a very small amount of thermal epoxy on the bottom surface (forming a ring) of the MiniStar would help tranfer heat to the flashlight's body. It might also be worthwhile removing the anodizing (filing it ever so slightly?) from the top edge of the flashlight to favor heat conduction. Would this help some?

 

[14C]

FYI: several more authorized dealers have been added to the Terralux site but I'm still waiting on my MaxStar2 from TW. No dealers have them yet as far as I can tell. The Diamond Replacement bulb 3 W turns out to give the EverLED a run for it's money in the Mag 3D in everything except color and it focuses to a tight hotspot better than the EverLED. I just with there was SOME documentation on the things. I am going to send one to Craig for a review in a few days.

I am waiting with anticipation for the MaxStar2 and for darkzero's sputtered reflectors.

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Greenled,

I am not sure what you could do to improve the heat transfer.

The way the switch is set up, you end up with an air gap between the switch and the body of the light when the light is on. Air and plastic tend to be insulators rather than allowing free heat transfer.

I also am awaiting the MaxiStar2, but am afraid it is suffering from similar heat related issues. This is just a guess on my part, but you have to consider that if we are seeing some elevated temperatures with the MiniStar2 with 1 LED, and the heat source is doubled without adding a good heat sink...

I am curious what kind of beam pattern the MaxiStar2 will put out. It should be interesting.

Tom