Re: Paul Kim's PK-PR1
Here's 2 of them DK.
Congrats bykfixer... a pair of bouncing baby twins.
It went down something like this...
I'm sleeping comfortably when PR-1 on the bedside table starts flopping around and flashing.
Me: "What?!?!"
PR-1: "mailmans here"
Me: "shut up and go back to sleep"
5 minutes later...
Same thing only 2 flashes of light in my face....
Me: "What!?!"
Big Bro FL-2: "Mailmans here, get up and see if the baby's here!"
Me: "ok, lemme get some coffee and take a leak"
Go to mailbox and yup box is here.
Set it on counter and do my first thing in the morning things.
I get back and these knuckleheads are trying to burn a hole in the box.
Me"stop it!, you'll kill the baby... move, let me do it"
Chorus: "ok, ok, sorry Dave"
Chorus: "take a pic, take a pic!"
Me: "let me clean up the peanuts guys"
Ever since they've been bugging the crap out me with suggestions...
"Take a pic with a Solitaire, do some beam shots, try the microstream clip...."
Some thoughts:
Easy enough to open the box.
You know it's a PK when a normally 4 sided box has 3 sides.
Crack it open and insert a Rayovac
Note the flat, easy to use keyring.
PK even thought of that. Just the right stiffness in the flat ring where the ends are just right for grabbing while the flatness allows ease of key being slid over it.
Brass spring on the inside of the smooth barrel.
Very light orange peel.
Note the light is round, but still has anti-roll. See there are cuts all over the place. Like the PR-1 the slices cause it to resist rolling without an actual anti-roll look.
Twist the head counter clockwise a few degees to turn it on.
Twist clockwise to turn it off, repeat counter clock-wise for low...
Twisting to on closes the gap and completes the circuit.
Simple genious (as usual)
Twist a few more degees from off for no turn on concerns.
Loved the end treatment.
Another Kubotan by the Photon King.
Suitable for framing brochure.
After wrinkles are ironed out anyway...
Solitaire: Meet your new King.
With the PR-1 sibling
Versus a bunch of vintage goodys.
The beam you ask?
The tint is pretty close to the PR-1 and FL-2. PK says 6500 in the brochure. But it seems more like 6437.5 or in others words a very white beam with an ever-so-slight hint of warm. Think beam from an ROP'd Mag with fresh off the charger rested batteries.
Folks: it's a triple a light with a tiny reflector. So it aint gonna signal an airplane. But the deep reflector will amaze how far it actually throws. Right up there with the PR-1 on medium. Light up stuff you wanna see for 75' or more easy. Great when you aint sure what went bump at the other end of the average home.
The narrow reflector causes more a pencil beam look versus the more floody looking PR-1 on medium.
The beam on high
Low
You'll note a slight tint change... to the warmer end of the kelvin scale.
This is another home run by PKDL. At $36 the average user may say "too much". But what you get for $36 is a Mag Solitaire sized flashlight with a giant output. A solid piece of craftsmanship that will continue to amaze your friends for a good long while.
The CNC'd edges are crisp enough to provide sure grip while not feeling sharp at all. When you hold it the weight is noticed yet it is still a gram counter:
With the PR-1 you first notice how many grams are
not there. With the PL-2 you notice how many are.
It is noted as getting very hot. Well I noticed it gets warm after a couple of minutes. Not a scorcher, like it doesn't blister you or anything...
But when PK says not for use of extended periods I figure using it for... say tying a fishing lure knot is ok. But for use under the hood for the life of an hour or so of a Rayovac will be cooking the emitter and reducing the LED lifespan to about the same as an overdriven light bulb... hours instead of years.
This thing will make a great back up to the PR-1, which is a great backup to the FL-2.
With PKDL lights 3 = 3, but being prepared is what it's all about, right?
Throw pix and wall shots later...
It's later.
I did some total size of beam pix with the PR-1 and PL-2. All settings used for that.
Then a couple of pix to show the PL-2 out throws the way floodier PR-1.
I was pleasantly surprised how far it threw well.
PR-1 vs PL-2 high beam:
Huge!
Pencil with good spill
PR-1 on medium:
Hard to tell it isn't still on hi beam
PL-2 vs PR-1 low beam:
Plenty useable at 25'
Mighty bright for 10 lumens.
The throw surprised me.
PL-2 high setting
PR-1 nearly 2x brighter medium setting
More area lit for less distance.
Somebody used the word 'conical beam' to describe the PR-1. Great word.
I hope somebody can think of one just as accurate for the PL-2 beam. It's not a pencil, yet not a flooder.
For now I'll call it "the gnarliest 1aaa flashlight beam I've ever seen"
I'll use it a few days and share some thoughts in a later post.
So......
Should we start a PL-2 thread or merge one? Or just keep 'em separate?
Mine is more towards the yellow side which i much prefer(slight) over any blue tint normally associated with CW.
