Walmart trip... two SUPRISES!

[PrimiToad]

Went by Wally World tonight and picked up a second Metal Gear tonight. This is one is black and just as white and pure as the silver one I bought.
That's three Dorcy's (2 metal gears and one 3 d cell) I've bought in the last month that were all good.

I've won the luxeon lottery so perhaps I can win the Powerball lottery.

 

[flashlightdave]

Whoa! NEED SOME HELP/ADVICE! I bought the Dorcy 3D 1W a few weeks ago and I using it in some installation projects at work when all of a sudden it started heating the batteries up.

I noticed that it only happens when it's been sitting on it's side for a while and it's the batteries that get really hot to the touch. (The first time the light was on and I've repeated it twice with two different sets of batteries; both brand new). It hasn't fallen or gotten banged up or anything. But had I not noticed it the first time I think something more drastic would have happened. Any ideas?

I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks,

flashlightdave

 

[asdalton]

Well, it turns out that the Luxeon inside my Brinkmann headlamp was even better than I had thought: RX0H. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif That "H" Vf bin was going to waste in the original unregulated circuit. It now resides in my Princeton Tec EOS in place of the fugly PYAK that used to be there.

 

[nelstomlinson]

Since we're talking about low-price flashlights, does anyone know anything about the Garrity 3-AAA LED light? Fred Meyers has it for $16 here in town (we don't have a Wally World closer than Anchorage), and I'm wondering if it's worth the money.

All I can find on the web is a sales site which claims that the light has a Nichia LED. No clue how bright it is, unfortunately. It looks cute, but it seems like a pretty big package for 3 little tiny AAAs.

 

[txmatt]

Andrew... how easy was the lux removal from the Brinkmann and install in the EOS? I love my EOS but a whiter LED would be great. I'd be willing to buy a donor Brinkmann and do the swap. Any pointers?

 

[not2bright]

nelstomlinson,

If that Garrity is the one I am thinking of (Garrity Aluminium Nichia 3aaa with the nylon pouch, lanyard, red and blue lenses, and black, blue, and silver anodize) it is no comparison with the Dorcy Metal gear.

The Nichia in there is about as bright as any other single 5mm LED. In fact I have a Coast Mini Moon Lenser 1aaa that is just as bright, but about 8 hours run time. The Garrity is built like a tank, and has a long run time (24+ hours). It is ok around the house in the dark, but mostly useless outdoors. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Get a Luxeon or clone if you can. There are many good online retailers.

 

[nelstomlinson]

[ QUOTE ]
not2bright said:
If that Garrity is the one I am thinking of (Garrity Aluminium Nichia 3aaa with the nylon pouch, lanyard, red and blue lenses, and black, blue, and silver anodize) ...


[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, that's the one.
[ QUOTE ]


The Nichia in there is about as bright as any other single 5mm LED. ... It is ok around the house in the dark, but mostly useless outdoors.


[/ QUOTE ]

That's what I needed to know. Thanks! I'll save my money for something a little better, like maybe an Everled for one of my 4D headthumping flashlights.

 

[not2bright]

nelstomlinson,

I bought the DB-3W for my 3D (http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/diamond_magbulbs.htm) from led-replacement.com (great service!) and it is VERY bright. I would say much brighter than the stock bulb to the eye, and just a bit more throw. On top of this the light is great color and very blinding!

The DB-3W puts to shame the Streamlight Jr Luxeon I have, and that light is 1/4 the output of the Garrity Nichia.

Let me know what you think of the EverLed. I have a 2D M@g that needs a LED.

 

[PrimiToad]

I have that little Garrity Nichia light. It's nice, looks good and appears to be well made. But it's practically useless as far as light goes. If I unscrew the end of the light it's more usefull.

I with it had a 1 watt in it which would make it far more usefull.

 

[Icebreak]

asdalton -

Had to investigate my 3AAA Brinkman head lamp too. Yes, very wimpy switch. Good to know about the nice bin on the star. That explains the good performance. Good to know also if the switch fails I've still got a good emitter to put elsewhere.

 

[ernsanada]

Brinkman 1 Watt Headlamp at Walmart, same price as Dorcy Metal Gear. $20.38 tax included (CA. Tax 8.25%)

Thanks to ImageShack for Free Image Hosting

 

[asdalton]

[ QUOTE ]
txmatt said:
Andrew... how easy was the lux removal from the Brinkmann and install in the EOS? I love my EOS but a whiter LED would be great. I'd be willing to buy a donor Brinkmann and do the swap. Any pointers?

[/ QUOTE ]

Modifying the EOS

The star is very easy to change. I wouldn't bet on all of the Brinkmann headlamps having great Luxeons, though.

 

[ernsanada]

I got lucky on the tint the beam my Brinkman puts out.

-------------------------------------------------------

Beamshot at 7".

Thanks to ImageShack for Free Image Hosting

 

[nelstomlinson]

nelstomlinson,

I bought the DB-3W for my 3D (http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/diamond_magbulbs.htm) from led-replacement.com (great service!) and it is VERY bright. I would say much brighter than the stock bulb to the eye, and just a bit more throw. On top of this the light is great color and very blinding!

The DB-3W puts to shame the Streamlight Jr Luxeon I have, and that light is 1/4 the output of the Garrity Nichia.

Let me know what you think of the EverLed. I have a 2D M@g that needs a LED.

I got the Everled last night, and put it in one of my 4D lights. The light is definitely white, and considerably brighter than the krypton bulb it replaced. The batteries were about half used up, and the light was getting a bit dim and yellow, so the comparison was biased in favor of the regulated Everled. Also, the old, crappy krypton bulbs would never focus properly. This focuses more cleanly (that is, no artifacts, no oddball, offcenter patterns) and about as tightly as the krypton.

[Edit] I forgot to say that the Everled is a side emitter, which is supposed to be the best bet for my focusing flashlight. [/Edit]

I was worried about throw, so I stayed up 'til it got dark. I could see the color of the tops of spruce trees which were maybe 75 feet away. I could see the beam on the tops of the spruce about 150 feet off. I flashed it across a stop sign (maybe 30 feet away?), and dazzled my eyes with the reflection.

Overall, what I think is ``Wow!'', about the performance and price. They're both very high. I'm happy with it, but it'll be a while before I get another for the other head-thumper.

I like the look of the DB-3W, but it's for 3 cell lights, and I don't have any of those.

Nels

 

[pedalinbob]

Was your Everled a high dome or side emitter?

I may be getting one for my sister's favorite Mag.

Bob

 

[nelstomlinson]

Was your Everled a high dome or side emitter?

I may be getting one for my sister's favorite Mag.

Bob

Side emitter, since mine is also a Mag. Mine is 4 cell, but according to Flashlight Reviews, the Everled is a bigger improvement in the 2 cell than in the three, and a bigger improvement in the 3 cell than the 4.