CPF 2005 Special- Impressions

I thought a separate thread to discuss impressions of the flashlight in use might be in order.

I just received mine, put a partially discharged battery that had been in my McKinley into it and I must say......

That's one kick-*** flashlight!!!!

Still daytime, but in my partially darkened bedroom it's distinctly brighter than my Caribbean, noticably brighter than my EDC U60 (at 60 max) and seems to be about the same output as my Gladius. I'm impressed.

The batteries are on the charger and I'm waiting for the sun to go down. :wow:

S.

Tell us more! Is the heat that bad?? 130 degrees says MJ!

any chance of some outside beamshots of it compared to EDC 60? i been debating getting one. they look nice but i'd really like to see what its like compared to the HDS EDC 60.

Unfortunately, I can't post beamshots at this time, but I'll see what I can do. I did a closer comparison with the U60, and my impression is that it's slightly brighter, but very close, a lightmeter would be needed to really tell the tale. The hotspot is a tad smaller on the CPF, but it has a larger spill. It easily lights up a large room. Outside it was illuminating trees 75 yards off in a suburban-snow bright environment. Out in the dark country I have no doubt that it'd be a 100 yard throw light. I would love to see Flashlightreveiws.com numbers on this. It is much brighter than the Caribbean.

In terms of heat, well.....I've got the CPF05 and a Caribbean and an infrared thermometer, so I ran a test. I let each stabilize at room temp, balanced them on their tails pointing up and turned them on. I measured the temp every min for the first ten, then again at 15. Here are the results at 0-5-10-15 minutes:

Carib: 57-86-96-102

CPF05: 57-84-94-101

Yep, the CPF actually ran a bit cooler, though a couple of degrees isn't anything to worry about. I also touched the lights at ten, and handled them at the end of the test. There was no subjective difference in temperature. At the end of the test, the CPF was still kicking the Carib's butt and very comfortable to hold. I have no explaination as to the difference between this and MJ's results, but my measurements seem to be accurate when I held the light. The light could not have been close to 130, so perhaps I got a good one. BTW- about 10 min after the test, the the head was cool to touch, so the heat sink was working well in terms of linking the heat to the head.

After the test, the CPF had about 20-25 minutes on the battery so I compared it again with the U60 for brightness. Still about the same, though perhaps it was now just a shade dimmer. Again, so close you'd really need a meter to tell for sure.

I'll stand by my rating: One Kickass Flashlight

Sarius said:

I have no explaination as to the difference between this and MJ's results, but my measurements seem to be accurate when I held the light. The light could not have been close to 130, so perhaps I got a good one. BTW- about 10 min after the test, the the head was cool to touch, so the heat sink was working well in terms of linking the heat to the head.

One Kickass Flashlight

Click to expand...

Sarius,

Thank you for the info, I would like to add to this to help everyone understand better. When we perform are test we put all of our units threw extreme measurements. For example we might test the heat with out any heat sink and then with and so on. Are statement is to inform you that "it can" reach "up to" 130. In over all when we place specs like this we take the worst case info that way when it does better then what we say the customer will be happy.

So yes under the conditions Sarius has test his unit I agree with him.

MJ

Good to know, MJ,

So it would seem that under the conditions of normal usage, with the light as delivered, heat is not an issue. I would then suspect that I didn't get some 'super-bin' led, and just being warm in the hand is what one could expect as normal for this model.

BTW: I would suggest that this light plus a HO McKinley would make for a heck of a nice set!

I received my CPF special yesterday...I'm VERY impressed! For a non-custom 1X123 cell light (I mean RCR123), hell, for ANY 1XRCR123 cell light, this thing is an absolute "retina scorcher"! The only two lights I've compared it to so far are a SS Mediterranean, and a Pentagonlight L2.

First, the Mediterranean: In a nutshell, the CPF Special absolutely blows the Mediterranean away...there's no other way to put it. I don't have a lux-meter, but to my naked eye the CPF Special seems to be damn near twice as bright in the hotspot; the difference is THAT apparent! The beams and spill light are just about identical in size and shape due to both lights having the same reflector/bezel. There's not much more to elaborate on in regards to the Mediterranean. BTW, the 123 cell in the Mediterranean was fresh.

Next, the PL L2: From a distance of about 15 feet, onto the proverbial white wall, the hotspot of the CPF Special is almost IDENTICAL in intensity to the PL L2, with a VERY slight edge going to the L2. Considering that the L2's reflector is almost twice the diameter of the CPF Special's reflector, this is nothing short of AWESOME! Also, the L2's hotspot at fifteen feet is only about 2/3 the size of the CPF Special's hotspot...so the Special's hotspot is bigger and almost identical in intensity to the L2's. Again, this is unmetered...just to my naked eye. A true test with a lux-meter may prove me entirely wrong, but I don't think so. Another thing to note: I have put textured WriteRight on the lens of my CPF Special (...it goes on the lens of virtually every light I own that has a smooth reflector). Without the WriteRight, I'd hafta say that the hotspot of the CPF Special is EVERY bit as bright as the hotspot of the L2. However, I'm not gonna take the WriteRight off to find out because I'm starting to run low on it, and the textured WriteRight is getting extremely hard to find! In the throw department, the CPF Special throws every bit as far as the L2, and lights up a bigger area at a distance (I'm basing this on a tree that sits about 150 feet behind my house, lit up by both lights with very little ambient light to affect the "test").

Anyway, there you have it! In a nutshell, the CPF Special...pound for pound and inch for inch (...in my "layman's" opinion) is an absolute STEAL at the price offered up by MJ and the good folks at Peak. With the included RCR123 cells and charger (that also includes a 12 volt adaptor for your vehicle!), it gives a LOT of guilt-free lumens at a fantastic package-deal price. If you haven't jumped on one of these yet, I strongly urge you to do so before it's too late!

One more item to note...when used with a standard 123 cell, the output of the CPF Special is VERY useable. In fact, if you're not lookin' to impress the S#*! out of yourself or others, the output on a standard 123 cell is ample enough for just about anything you'd need a task light for! It's easily bright enough to be a "walk the dog" light, "change a fuse" light or "kick around the campsite" light...with a VEEERRRYYY long run-time. IMHO, all around, the CPF Special is a winner, and a "must have" light! YMMV...

PJD

Thanks Sarius, PJD for your reports so far :thumbsup: i'm really looking forward to receiving mine!

I ordered the CPF 2005 Special (Rainier Special), and received it in two business days. The shipping charge was $3.85. That is great service.

The only other Peak light I have to compare it with is the Mediterranean. So I will focus my comments on comparing those two flashlights.

The Rainer Special and Mediterranean appear to be the same size and weight. The size and shape of the bezels appear to be identical.
The heat issue is not a problem for me on either flashlight.

The Peak Rainer excels when used with the rechargeable higher voltage battery (the rcr123a). The bright spot is larger on the Ranier Special than on the Mediterranean, whether using an rcr123a or cr123a in the Mediterranean, and the light cast by the Ranier Special is much brighter and it has a better throw. I do not have anything to measure light output, but the difference is very obvious. The light output for the Ranier Special is nothing short of amazing under existing LED technologly for the size and runtime of the light.

On the other hand, using nonrechargeable batteries, the cr123a, the Mediterranean is significantly brighter. If only nonrechargeable batteries could be used, and light output were the most important factor, the Mediterranean would be the clear winner.

I have mixed feelings about using rechargeable batteries in flashlights (I love them in photo equipment). Rechargeable batteries obviously are a lot cheaper to use in the long run, they may be more environmently friendly, and they put out a higher voltage and thus can yield a brighter light. On the other hand, using chargers is a real pain. I have so many different chargers for different devices that I have to label the chargers and cords to keep them straight, and obviously need space to store them. Using rechargebles also requires a lot more maintenance. Imagine if all of your flashlights used only rechargable batteries, particlularly if you have a lot of flashlights. Given the drain of rechargeable batteries when not in use, you would be constantly charging batteries or trying to use flashlights with dead or drained batteries. As a result, I like having a few flashlights that excel on rechargaeble batteries, for their advantages, but would not want too many.

For the above reasons, I like both the Mediterranean and Ranier Special, the former using a nonrechargeable battery and the latter using a rechargeable battery.

I would also like to thank Peak for the pricing on the Ranier Special. It is quite a light for the price.

Dogliness said:

I ordered the CPF 2005 Special (Rainier Special), and received it in two business days. The shipping charge was $3.85. That is great service.

The only other Peak light I have to compare it with is the Mediterranean. So I will focus my comments on comparing those two flashlights.

The Rainer Special and Mediterranean appear to be the same size and weight. The size and shape of the bezels appear to be identical.
The heat issue is not a problem for me on either flashlight.

The Peak Rainer excels when used with the rechargeable higher voltage battery (the rcr123a). The bright spot is larger on the Ranier Special than on the Mediterranean, whether using an rcr123a or cr123a in the Mediterranean, and the light cast by the Ranier Special is much brighter and it has a better throw. I do not have anything to measure light output, but the difference is very obvious. The light output for the Ranier Special is nothing short of amazing under existing LED technologly for the size and runtime of the light.

On the other hand, using nonrechargeable batteries, the cr123a, the Mediterranean is significantly brighter. If only nonrechargeable batteries could be used, and light output were the most important factor, the Mediterranean would be the clear winner.

I have mixed feelings about using rechargeable batteries in flashlights (I love them in photo equipment). Rechargeable batteries obviously are a lot cheaper to use in the long run, they may be more environmently friendly, and they put out a higher voltage and thus can yield a brighter light. On the other hand, using chargers is a real pain. I have so many different chargers for different devices that I have to label the chargers and cords to keep them straight, and obviously need space to store them. Using rechargebles also requires a lot more maintenance. Imagine if all of your flashlights used only rechargable batteries, particlularly if you have a lot of flashlights. Given the drain of rechargeable batteries when not in use, you would be constantly charging batteries or trying to use flashlights with dead or drained batteries. As a result, I like having a few flashlights that excel on rechargaeble batteries, for their advantages, but would not want too many.

For the above reasons, I like both the Mediterranean and Ranier Special, the former using a nonrechargeable battery and the latter using a rechargeable battery.

I would also like to thank Peak for the pricing on the Ranier Special. It is quite a light for the price.

Click to expand...

Hi DogliDude, Thanks for your great comments. I noticed you also have the Amilite and Orb Raw on order, fellow addict. Can you give us a heat comparision of the Orb (is yours a three watt??), Amilite, and CPF special when you have all three? I'm interested in brightness, and heat output. . . Gracias!

onthebeam said:

Hi DogliDude, Thanks for your great comments. I noticed you also have the Amilite and Orb Raw on order, fellow addict. Can you give us a heat comparision of the Orb (is yours a three watt??), Amilite, and CPF special when you have all three? I'm interested in brightness, and heat output. . . Gracias!

Click to expand...

Thanks onthebeam. I have the three watt Orb on order. I received the Amlite (shipped directly from South Korea, and arrived fairly quickly). I will post a comparison of the Amlite, Orb Raw and Peak CPF Special for brightness and heat output when I receive the Orb.

onthebeam said:

Hi DogliDude, Thanks for your great comments. I noticed you also have the Amilite and Orb Raw on order, fellow addict. Can you give us a heat comparision of the Orb (is yours a three watt??), Amilite, and CPF special when you have all three? I'm interested in brightness, and heat output. . . Gracias!

Click to expand...

onthebeam...in the LED Forum, I've done a comparison between the CPF Special and three other lights, one of which is the AmiLite. Although there are no beam shots or pics, I think you'll be able to get a pretty clear picture of how AWESOME the CPF Special is compared to the others! One thing I omitted from the comparison is heat build-up. The CPF Special does get warmer (and gets there quicker) than the Amilite, but not by much. Also, holding onto the CPF Special slows down the heat build-up significantly, as well as with the AmiLite.

PJD

Anyone ordered Momentary Brass Switch? If so how do you like it?

I ordered it, but haven't received it yet. I'll post my impressions on receipt. I'm a relative newcomer to LED lights and will state my opinions objectively.

steveH said:

I ordered it, but haven't received it yet. I'll post my impressions on receipt. I'm a relative newcomer to LED lights and will state my opinions objectively.

Click to expand...

Newcomer . . . that is for sure. Folks Steve here went from a couple of months ago saying people were crazy for paying more than $20 at lowes for a light to ordering this. I am so proud of him. . . . . sniff, sniff . . . all grown up and buying $100 dollar pocket face melters.

good on ya Steve,
rgc

Yeah, it was rgc who convinced me that the Peak CPF Special was a stupendous choice. I can't wait to get it. Thanks for the advice, rgc.

The more I use the CPF Special, the more I like it. It has already become one of my favorite flashlights.

I am having hard time resisting this one :sigh:.

Well I guess I'm the first to post a problem. The Rechargeable LiIon batteries wouldn't fit in my CPF special. They are a bit wider, also a bit longer, than the primary CR123.

battery don't fit! Thats as far as she goes:


Kind of defeats the purpose of having a light that comes with RCR123s. On the other hand it works fabulously on primary CR123s. Brighter than I expected, very usable. I got a good bin too, very white!

All is not lost however, I happen to own another peak CR123 light. I think its called a McKinley. The rechargeable batteries fit OK in that one, although the extra length causes the O-ring to partly expose when switched off.

So now I have a CPF extra special Multi color. The old body without the plug is also a 1/8 shorter as well and smaller is better. Anyway it will do until warranty service kicks in.
MJ, MJ, R U out there?

Hey.. those're some spiffy color combinations there I just got mine last night and have been diligently "testing" it since

I can say that the batteries that came included with my CPF Special fit, but the ones I already had do not, although they in turn do fit into my Caribbean body. no biggie i suppose. I still have 2 RCR123s per light

I also notice the o-ring sticking out on my CPF special, but if i put it on the Caribbean body, it won't stick out. I wonder if the cut of the little black thingy at the negative end of the body might be slightly longer in my special than is in the caribbean body... maybe i might have a multi-colored light like yours =) ... too bad the "CPF Special" is printed on the body and not the head

anyway, it's a bright little critter, and i'm very impressed. brightness is great, and throw is excellent for a light of its size too. it's also much lighter than i expected, comparing it to the caribbean.