pedalinbob
Flashlight Enthusiast
stumbled upon these last night. $3 for a pair.
earlier this year, i was on a quest to find the best inexpensive 2d incan. why 2d and inexpensive? i wanted to outfit my family with decent lights that had a familiar form factor and good runtime.
things got busy, and i shelved the search.
i had purchased only 3 lights, 2 of which were 2d: dorcy boss 2d, rayovac industrial (tiawan made) 2d, and a dorcy boss 4aa.
the dorcy's only cost about $6-$7 each, and the rayovac was about $5.50.
to my surprise, the only light that performed well completely stock was the dorcy 4aa. it has a bright, fat beam, grippy rubber body, lanyard with spare bulb attached, clicky switch, water resistant, and nice faceted reflector. batteries included. some people find these lights for $3. (i couldnt, darnit!) i think this is the best deal for an incan, period. it gets even better with a xenon bulb!
of the d-cell lights, the dorcy boss 2d was similar in construction/features to the 4aa.
i quickly grew frustrated by the performance of the 2d lights. the beams were dim, and the suppied bats were dorcy brand--and they dont appear to be alkalines.
dorcy 2d: well, i tried energizer bats: an improvement.
then i tried a xenon bulb: HUGE improvement. lux (at 1 meter) readings jumped from 500 to 800.
though i tried both dorcy xenons and magnum star xenons, i preferred the beam of the dorcy bulb. bonus: the dorcy bulbs are brighter and MUCH less expensive.
the beam is pretty nice: smallish, smooth round hotspot with a broad, bright spill.
nitpicks: the dorcy is a chunky, heavy light. but it should be very tough with the rubber coating.
result were similar with the rayovac--except the slide switch is flaky. when pushed completely forward, the light output is dimmed a bit...move the switch back a bit, and you get full brightness. the switch is stiff--my wife couldnt even turn it on--it seems to be loosening up with use.
if not for those listed flaws, i would really like the rayovac. positives: smaller/lighter than the chunky dorcy, holds spare bulb in the head, and beam is decent (but more swirly than the dorcy).
i know, im being very picky--but i am a flashaholic!!!
next in my quest: try paulr's suggestion for the 2d halogen, try the koehler brightstar, and try to find some great deals on the 2d and 4aa boss. perhaps i will try the 3d rayovac industrial.
summary: the dorcys are great lights. the 4aa is a real winner.
if you need a 2d, the boss is pretty darn good. $6 for the light, and $1.50 for an improved bulb. not bad at all.
to be continued...someday.
Bob
earlier this year, i was on a quest to find the best inexpensive 2d incan. why 2d and inexpensive? i wanted to outfit my family with decent lights that had a familiar form factor and good runtime.
things got busy, and i shelved the search.
i had purchased only 3 lights, 2 of which were 2d: dorcy boss 2d, rayovac industrial (tiawan made) 2d, and a dorcy boss 4aa.
the dorcy's only cost about $6-$7 each, and the rayovac was about $5.50.
to my surprise, the only light that performed well completely stock was the dorcy 4aa. it has a bright, fat beam, grippy rubber body, lanyard with spare bulb attached, clicky switch, water resistant, and nice faceted reflector. batteries included. some people find these lights for $3. (i couldnt, darnit!) i think this is the best deal for an incan, period. it gets even better with a xenon bulb!
of the d-cell lights, the dorcy boss 2d was similar in construction/features to the 4aa.
i quickly grew frustrated by the performance of the 2d lights. the beams were dim, and the suppied bats were dorcy brand--and they dont appear to be alkalines.
dorcy 2d: well, i tried energizer bats: an improvement.
then i tried a xenon bulb: HUGE improvement. lux (at 1 meter) readings jumped from 500 to 800.
though i tried both dorcy xenons and magnum star xenons, i preferred the beam of the dorcy bulb. bonus: the dorcy bulbs are brighter and MUCH less expensive.
the beam is pretty nice: smallish, smooth round hotspot with a broad, bright spill.
nitpicks: the dorcy is a chunky, heavy light. but it should be very tough with the rubber coating.
result were similar with the rayovac--except the slide switch is flaky. when pushed completely forward, the light output is dimmed a bit...move the switch back a bit, and you get full brightness. the switch is stiff--my wife couldnt even turn it on--it seems to be loosening up with use.
if not for those listed flaws, i would really like the rayovac. positives: smaller/lighter than the chunky dorcy, holds spare bulb in the head, and beam is decent (but more swirly than the dorcy).
i know, im being very picky--but i am a flashaholic!!!
next in my quest: try paulr's suggestion for the 2d halogen, try the koehler brightstar, and try to find some great deals on the 2d and 4aa boss. perhaps i will try the 3d rayovac industrial.
summary: the dorcys are great lights. the 4aa is a real winner.
if you need a 2d, the boss is pretty darn good. $6 for the light, and $1.50 for an improved bulb. not bad at all.
to be continued...someday.
Bob
