jch79
**Do Not Feed The Vegan**,
Overview
First, let me say that this little light is something else... let's start with a picture:
*Lanyard necklace made by greenLED - Thanks Green! Awesome craftsmanship there! :thumbsup:
This is the second Ion I've owned, with the first being an Al version, and the machining and care put into this light is very nice. The twisting action is silky smooth, which is not what I expected. I am still somewhat frustrated with how much the light needs to be turned to go from low to high, but oh well :shrug: - if I thought a light was perfect, I wouldn't have to come to CPF anymore!
Beamshot
Moving on, I am not entirely pleased with the beam quality of the light... Here's a beamshot compared to a McLuxIII-PD UX1K on high:
Ti CR2 Ion XT on left, McLuxIII-PD on right
Besides there being artifacts, the LED is not centered with the reflector, thus making the hotspot slightly off-center (The beamshot is fairly accurate in portraying the off-centered hotspot). Endeavour's statement to this, via PM, is: "LED centering doesn't really matter. I would have thought so as well had I not had perfectly centered Ions with various different beam shading to them. The beam isn't perfect, but as noted in the thread, unless you're white wall hunting it's not a problem in use; That said, I am looking at ways to compensate for the LED variations in future releases." So there you have it!
Here is a photo of the off-centered LED, FYI:
Runtime
Here's the runtime chart, with one test going straight through, not turning the light off - it ended at 32 minutes. The next test was of the light turned on for 15 minutes, then left off to cool for 10 minutes, then on again for 15, etc. That shut off at 35 minutes - not much of a difference IMHO. Both regulated very nicely.
Also, as Enrique said in his info thread, the low setting with RCR2's is much higher than low on primaries - 10 lux with a primary, and 120 lux with the RCR2. That's also something to take into consideration.
*UPDATE 1/10/07 - Thanks to nystrpr, who sent me some CR2 Lithium batteries to do tests with, I've got an updated runtime chart on high! This is how the light seems to have been designed to perform... it makes me really happy to see such great results, but a little sad to see the poor AW RCR2 not given its full opportunity to shine. Anyways, that lithium battery sure looked good!
Note that the battery tested at 4.144 volts for the "straight-through" test, and 4.180 volts for the "intermittent test".
I have to admit that I am dissapointed with the runtime on RCR2's - I wish it was much closer to the 90 minutes Enrique anticipated a primary to run to... although this light was not designed to run RCR2's, Enrique has given the OK to do so. So take the results with that in mind. :shrug:
*UPDATE 2/11/07 Here is a runtime test done on LOW level with the Energizer E2 CR2 Lithium battery, thanks to nystrpr for the battery again! Endeavor advertised ~40 hour runtime on low, although I only got 31.5 hours at a pretty steady 21 lux. Still great, although not quite as advertised.
Conclusion
One more note: while unscrewing the head to change batteries, the retaining ring popped out onto my bed... this is kind of cause for concern, as if I was anywhere dark or outside, this tiny ring would have been lost for good. I'm not sure what the explanation is, but I put it back on, and have changed the battery twice since, with no troubles.
Other than that, as many know, the size and feel of this light is great... the knurling not too aggressive, but still provides a slight increase in grip. The keyring locks nicely in place, but is not so tight as the previous Ion run.
Overall, I'm pleased with the light, aside from the led not being centered and the decreased runtime on RCR2's.
Thanks to Enrique for producing such a fine light, and keeping constant and honest communication to his anxious and happy customers!
Best,
John
First, let me say that this little light is something else... let's start with a picture:
*Lanyard necklace made by greenLED - Thanks Green! Awesome craftsmanship there! :thumbsup:
This is the second Ion I've owned, with the first being an Al version, and the machining and care put into this light is very nice. The twisting action is silky smooth, which is not what I expected. I am still somewhat frustrated with how much the light needs to be turned to go from low to high, but oh well :shrug: - if I thought a light was perfect, I wouldn't have to come to CPF anymore!
Beamshot
Moving on, I am not entirely pleased with the beam quality of the light... Here's a beamshot compared to a McLuxIII-PD UX1K on high:
Ti CR2 Ion XT on left, McLuxIII-PD on right
Besides there being artifacts, the LED is not centered with the reflector, thus making the hotspot slightly off-center (The beamshot is fairly accurate in portraying the off-centered hotspot). Endeavour's statement to this, via PM, is: "LED centering doesn't really matter. I would have thought so as well had I not had perfectly centered Ions with various different beam shading to them. The beam isn't perfect, but as noted in the thread, unless you're white wall hunting it's not a problem in use; That said, I am looking at ways to compensate for the LED variations in future releases." So there you have it!
Here is a photo of the off-centered LED, FYI:
Runtime
Here's the runtime chart, with one test going straight through, not turning the light off - it ended at 32 minutes. The next test was of the light turned on for 15 minutes, then left off to cool for 10 minutes, then on again for 15, etc. That shut off at 35 minutes - not much of a difference IMHO. Both regulated very nicely.
Also, as Enrique said in his info thread, the low setting with RCR2's is much higher than low on primaries - 10 lux with a primary, and 120 lux with the RCR2. That's also something to take into consideration.
*UPDATE 1/10/07 - Thanks to nystrpr, who sent me some CR2 Lithium batteries to do tests with, I've got an updated runtime chart on high! This is how the light seems to have been designed to perform... it makes me really happy to see such great results, but a little sad to see the poor AW RCR2 not given its full opportunity to shine. Anyways, that lithium battery sure looked good!
Note that the battery tested at 4.144 volts for the "straight-through" test, and 4.180 volts for the "intermittent test".
I have to admit that I am dissapointed with the runtime on RCR2's - I wish it was much closer to the 90 minutes Enrique anticipated a primary to run to... although this light was not designed to run RCR2's, Enrique has given the OK to do so. So take the results with that in mind. :shrug:
*UPDATE 2/11/07 Here is a runtime test done on LOW level with the Energizer E2 CR2 Lithium battery, thanks to nystrpr for the battery again! Endeavor advertised ~40 hour runtime on low, although I only got 31.5 hours at a pretty steady 21 lux. Still great, although not quite as advertised.
Conclusion
One more note: while unscrewing the head to change batteries, the retaining ring popped out onto my bed... this is kind of cause for concern, as if I was anywhere dark or outside, this tiny ring would have been lost for good. I'm not sure what the explanation is, but I put it back on, and have changed the battery twice since, with no troubles.
Other than that, as many know, the size and feel of this light is great... the knurling not too aggressive, but still provides a slight increase in grip. The keyring locks nicely in place, but is not so tight as the previous Ion run.
Overall, I'm pleased with the light, aside from the led not being centered and the decreased runtime on RCR2's.
Thanks to Enrique for producing such a fine light, and keeping constant and honest communication to his anxious and happy customers!
Best,
John
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