So I put the SMJ-PR2 from Lamda in a new 2D Mag. Whats the fuss about?

You would think with all the praise I've seen about them, it would be awesome. I have to say that I'm not that impressed. I was expecting MUCH more output. Would it be significantly brighter with lithiums? The good thing however, is the runtime should be insane with this thing, making it a great power-outage light to reflect off the ceiling. I also plan to put it on the nightstand in case I gotta club something in the middle of the night.

However, now that I have this 2D Mag, I'm feeling the "modding" itch. Any suggestions would be appreciated! I would like to stick with LED mods...

I have a few of those led drop in's and for what they are I love them. You are correct they aren't super bright and they aren't suppose to be. They are great replacements for flashlights with junky incan bulbs that you can stash around the house for emergencies. I have had very good results using a cheapie coleman 2D host for these bulbs. This host produces a very nice spot and plenty of spill for navigating around the house.

KDOG3 said:

You would think with all the praise I've seen about them, it would be awesome. I have to say that I'm not that impressed. I was expecting MUCH more output. ...

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I tried the SMJLED PR2 bulb in an older 2D Maglite and was disappointed. I had higher hopes for that Maglite as a decent chassis, deserving of a bright emitter.

I then moved the SMJLED PR2 to an inexpensive, yellow, plastic 2D RayOVac Industrial flashlight and am happy with the results. That's because it improved the plastic RayOVac to a point which makes it useful as an emergency light in my truck. The SMJLED PR2/RayOVac has a generous amount of spill and will last for a long time -- just the right combination for changing a flat tire or looking around inside the pickup truck bed in the dark.

In a sense, the metal Maglite outclassed the SMJLED, which was more evenly matched with the RayOVac.

Sounds quite similar to a NiteIze C/D drop in. Except that the NiteIze seems only to work well with a focusing light like a M*g. I have a NiteIze in a 4D that should ROCK if the power goes down!

My problem with this setup is the color temp. It's way to blue for me. I compared it with the 1watt Luxeon I robbed from the Craftsman 3aa light and it seems to be almost as bright, but the dark blue color makes it seem darker than it is. :thumbsdow

I actually put it into the Craftsman light I took the Luxeon out of and it's not to bad in there... Maybe the reflector size?

Ya you read that right I took a LED out of the Craftsman to use in the Mag and took the LED I bought to use in the Mag and put it in the Craftsman and both lights are better this way...:lolsign:

PlayboyJoeShmoe said:

Sounds quite similar to a NiteIze C/D drop in. Except that the NiteIze seems only to work well with a focusing light like a M*g. I have a NiteIze in a 4D that should ROCK if the power goes down!

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IMO the SMJ is brighter & better. My Nite Ize went bye-bye right after I bought it and the SMJ is in a dedicated 2D Ray-O-Vac Industrial for my three-year-old to play with. I'd go for lambda's multicell drop-in for 3+ cell lights if they turn out to be @ 10% brighter. That would be just right for my use.

The Mag focusses it far too tightly, try it in something else.

I have recently purchased and tested both the Nite-Ize (NI) C/D LED and The SMJLED PR2. The only thing they have in common is price.

The NI LED is very low output. It's primary feature is runtime and the ability to run from 2-6 cells. It is great in my dorcy 4 cell dome lanterns as emergency lighting, but doesn't really have much else going for it besides low price.

The SMJLED PR2 is fine performer in my military anglehead 2D flashlights. The overall output seems slightly less than the incan bulb, but not much. The color of the LED is very white. There is only the slightest blue tint in my sample. Far superior to the yellow/orange output of the incan bulb (especially after running the batts down a bit). The hotspot and spill are similar between bulbs. The $10 price (free shipping and $9 on additional LEDs) was the clincher. I placed another order for 6 more of these bulbs just this evening. (shipping was lightning fast on the original order). They will be going in my other 2 angleheads, and any other 2 cell light that I just quit using because of mediocre performance (I have a box full of these). Many of my emergency kits (for the kids/wife/car) use small 2 AA flashlights (lithium batts), to provide extended shelf-life and no worries of battery leakage. The performance of these lights after the batts drain is not always the best. This LED replacement bulb should give whiter light for more hours than the incan option. I will soon be testing this bulb in these lights to see how they perform without an adjustable reflector. I'm not too worried about beam artifacts since I use clear contact film on the lenses as a diffuser.

The SMJLED PR2 won't blow away a 3 cell mag-lite, but it's no door knob either.

Comparison between SMJLED PR2 and Superbright 1v-5v LED Bulb PR2, similar to Nite-Ize (NI) C/D LED.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/114655

Hey, I forgot I had one of those military angle head flashlights, I'll have to try that out.

I put one of mine into an old military angle head. It seems better then the original bulb. I use it as my car's beater light.

I pulled the diffuser from my military anglehead and was amazed at the tight focus of the SMJLED PR2 bulb. It was a nice tight hotspot with a dimmer, but gargantuan spill. (As a note, I remove the extension ring from the lens end of my angleheads to permit more spill beam). I should have taken it outside and to see how far it would throw, but I think it would be no slouch here for a modest bulb. With the small/shallow reflector on the anglehead I was a bit concerned about focus, especially a donut hole in the beam. No worries here.

I put the diffuser back on and prefer the larger, more diffuse, hotspot. As a work/utility light I much prefer a broad, smooth, flood. The SMJLED in the anglehead did not dissapoint. I still believe the incan with fresh batts puts out more overall light, but the LED is much whiter and should provide a significant advantage with regards to batt life and bulb life.

I used this combo around the house last night to complete my pre-sleep chores (find and toss out cats, bathroom rituals, and securing the house). The LED anglehead was superb. It worked nicely as a ceiling bounce light in the bathroom. Not too much light. Not too little light. To quote Goldilocks, "Just right".

IMHO, the SMJLED PR2 is the best upgrade available for a military anglehead flashlight (when considering cost, batt life, bulb life, bulb ruggedness, simplicity of upgrade, and pure all around utility). If you have an anglehead, try one of these bulbs and some clear contact paper as a diffuser (be sure to remove the extension ring if you want flood). If you don't have an anglehead, I'd encourage you to pick one up and do an LED upgrade.

My angleheads had pretty much been relegated to the back of the shelf for emergency use. I like it so much now, that it will definitely see the "light of day" more often. Errr... more "day to day" use. Uhhh...."Night to Night" use. (much better).

Cheers, TR

I have been putting these in various 2C flashlights which I view as the ideal host for these. The smaller non-mag style flashlights are small enough to fit in a jacket pocket and are just as bright with this bulb. I love the tight hot spot for throw with a very wide spill.

Oh YESSSSS! I just put it in my plastic 2D military anglehead light and its fantastic. The reflector isn't mirror finished - its more of a "diffused" reflector and the output is perfect. A nice small, but soft hotspot with gorgeous spill. If I wasn't so lazy, I would post a beamshot for it. With the 60+ hrs runtime off 2Ds', this is definetly my new disaster/power outage light.


Now my 2D Mag is available for some "modding" Care to point me in the right direction?

KDOG3 said:

Now my 2D Mag is available for some "modding" Care to point me in the right direction?

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Thanks for the thread. I was about to do as you did...buy several SMJLED PR's and a new 2D Mag.
Sad to read it's not meeting expectation.

I did the 3D Mag mod with a Craftsman Endureable 1W Lux PR. I was very happy with the results. It out throws my Electrolumens Blaster 3P 3W Lux.
I coated the bulb base and mounting collar with heatsink compound to help its lifespan, and powering the Lux with NiMHs.
This should also help by not running it so 'hot'.

You can mod the tailcap to accept 3C's in your 2D Mag, and have a shorter-framed thrower.

The SMJ-PR2 makes a cheap Flashight even better,