Walmart 84 cent lights disappearing...

nerdgineer

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CPFer Hondo noticed that his Walmart seems to be replacing their normal 84 cent 2AA light with a different 84 cent model by Rayovac. I just came back from 3 local Walmarts and this seems to be the case at mine as well.

This won't mean anything to people who aren't using the 84 cent lights for the SMJLED PR bulb or for mods, but for those who are, you might want to go out and pick up a few.

The new 84 cent light doesn't have a faceted reflector (although many other potential hosts do); but more importantly, it may not hold CR123's and does not lend itself well to shortening like the old model, so you can't use it to make a Buckalite.

There are also some other Buckalite II possibilities I'm working on which will also require the same host. If anyone else is thinking along these lines, they might want to get to a Walmart and catch a few before they disappear...
 
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PlayboyJoeShmoe

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Re: Walmart 84 cent lights disappearing?

Makes me think of a light I saw at Dollar General that looked like it would make a decent host. But that wasn't a fat PR bulb I was looking at...

The 84 cent lights are damn nice for that price!

Also should your light flicker, check the piece that connects battery + to bulb... I found that was what was making my Everled flicker.

The good lights have "United-Outdoor" on the package.
 

Walt175

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Re: Walmart 84 cent lights disappearing?

I went to my local Walmart tonight to get one for that mod, and all they had was the Rayovac. :awman:


If anyone has an extra and they want to get rid of it, let me know.
 

schiesz

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Re: Walmart 84 cent lights disappearing?

None at my local walmarts fo rthe last week either. :awman:

schiesz
 

Hondo

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Re: Walmart 84 cent lights disappearing?

Yeah, I had driven a ways to two other Wallys looking for these, and all I found was one blue one (anyone else find blue?) on the back of the hook of Ray-O-Vacs. Unlike my other blue and black ones, this one had a cheesy switch, where the whole metal strip slides back and forth with the switch, so you are dragging it under the metal ring in the tail. Works fine so far, but feels real rough, and lacks a postitive "click" like the other switch. Also not a candiate for the CR123 mod.

Don't know which I will miss more now, these or the old Dorcy 1AAA with the clear lense and reflector. There are still a few of those left for six bucks at Wally world around here (back of the hooks), and ACO, ACE and Murry's Auto Parts all had old ones, for more money. Wish I had had more warning to stock up on these, like I have on my Dorcy's. When I saw the "new model" Dorcy, I did not expect the old one would be produced any more - the new one removed machining operations from the battery tube, a cost savings.
 

nerdgineer

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Re: Walmart 84 cent lights disappearing?

I was doing some quick searching to see if I could find some other host which might also work for a Buckalite (or future Backalite II). I found the Eveready Industrial 2AA light which LOOKs a lot like the old 84 cent Walmart light - and may be the inspiration for the Walmart light's design.

So, I don't know if the Eveready has the essential features which made the Walmart light such a good host (specific internal and external dimensions). However, there's a chance it might be in which case the Buckalite at least hasn't disappeared, it just became a 4 Buckalite.....:mecry:

I think I've seen the Eveready's at some dollar stores, maybe. If anyone can confirm that the Eveready works for the Buckalite conversion or finds some other cheap suitable host, I'd be interested to know...
 

Lit Up

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Re: Walmart 84 cent lights disappearing?

they probably shipped them all over to my local store seeing as how dirt cheap and plastic encompasses like 90% of the flashlight selection there. :rant::mad:

Thank God for online shopping.
 

carbine15

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Re: Walmart 84 cent lights disappearing?

anyone know about the rayovac 2 D chome ones and if they have metal reflectors? I almost picked one up today. It was Blue.
 

Lit Up

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Re: Walmart 84 cent lights disappearing?

carbine15 said:
anyone know about the rayovac 2 D chome ones and if they have metal reflectors? I almost picked one up today. It was Blue.

Nope, sorry. The only Rayovac 2D's I have are the industrials with the battery life led indicators by the head. PR base drop-ins in these would be painfully easy to access. the whole assembly unscrews leaving you with the bulb,
like a candle mode.

I was outside earlier comparing the throw of it to a Dorcy 3D 1 watt and laughing.
 

nerdgineer

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Re: Walmart 84 cent lights disappearing?

Hondo said:
...all I found was one blue one (anyone else find blue?)...
Yeah, the last ones I found were also blue ones. Not my favorite color but I took 'em anyway.

Y'know, I NEVER thought I'd be trying to stash 84 cent Walmart lights....:shrug:...but I really like my Buckalite and don't want to go to the trouble of finding another host...
 

Ken 222

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Hondo, I sent you a pm friday night. They're yours if you want them.

I have a few in the garage but I'm gonna try to go by Wal-mart later today and see if there are more.

Walt175, the ones I have say United-Outdoor. I'd be happy to send you one when I have time. Pm me your addy and I'll get it to you.

Ken
 

Hondo

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Re: Walmart 84 cent lights disappearing?

nerdgineer said:
I was doing some quick searching to see if I could find some other host which might also work for a Buckalite (or future Backalite II). I found the Eveready Industrial 2AA light which LOOKs a lot like the old 84 cent Walmart light - and may be the inspiration for the Walmart light's design.

So, I don't know if the Eveready has the essential features which made the Walmart light such a good host (specific internal and external dimensions). However, there's a chance it might be in which case the Buckalite at least hasn't disappeared, it just became a 4 Buckalite.....:mecry:

I think I've seen the Eveready's at some dollar stores, maybe. If anyone can confirm that the Eveready works for the Buckalite conversion or finds some other cheap suitable host, I'd be interested to know...

nerd: Made a run tonight after finding the above light at Home Depot for $3.94. Good and bad news. Does look to be the light they copied, but it fits the AA's better, and won't take the CR123. Good for AA use, bad for Buckalite conversion, but not too bad. There are four wide ribs inside, and by the time you cut it off, access should be good to grind those back for a nice fit to the CR123. With the Dremel drum you used for the cap threads extended in the chuck, I think you can reach half of them from each end after cutting.

Here is the real bad news: The PR SMJ bulb throws a donut hole, small, but irritating, in one of the two lights I bought. More good news, I found a way to fix it. The bulb needs to go forward just a HAIR. Beats me how to do it in this head assembly, but it is easy to mod the bulb itself. I got a skill knife blade under the aluminum dome of the bulb and started to wedge it up from the PR base flange. It only takes maybe half a millimeter on my light to fix it, and you don't want to go too far or you will break the positive wire from the circuit to the bulb base inside (I had one apart, found out the hard way). But it has plenty of slack for this trick. My beam is a little bigger hotspot than the Wallmart light, so a bit less throw, but now it is perfectly even. The other light had no donut, but I tried the extended bulb in it to see what would happen, and it gives a little tigher spot. Not quite as tight as the Wallmart light, but enough to notice.

BTW, the switch on these is a slider, but a good one, it works just like the ones on the Ray-O-Vac 2D Industrial, with the switch moving over two fixed rivet heads. I just wish it didn't make contact quite so early in the switch movement, could come on in a pocket - 84 cent light wins again!

So it looks like the mod can live on, for a few more dollars and a little more effort to do. Apart from the lighter touch on the switch, I will say that the Eveready light feels more robust, especially the threads.
 

nerdgineer

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Re: Walmart 84 cent lights disappearing?

Hondo, thanks a lot for making the effort to find all that out for us. I will keep checking out the usual sources for a cheap $1 or less host so I can try to maintain the original principle of the Buckalite. But as my remaining Walmart lights disappear to friends and family members, I will be reassured knowing that there is at least this option out there for more Buckies.

It is just too ironic to me that as soon as I found a good use for what was the cheapest of lights, it started to disappear and may become another of (my view only) the "lost treasures" lights, along with the old model Dorcy 1AAA at Walmart, and others. If you 'da told me this 2 weeks ago, I would have thought you were smoking crack....
 

PlayboyJoeShmoe

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Re: Walmart 84 cent lights disappearing?

I think it in my best interest to head down to Cleveland tomorrow and buy all they have left.

If certain people find out though, I'll be put in the rubber room!!!

I have one running now with an Everled and a 17500. It's NICE!
 

Lit Up

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I just got back from my local store. Didn't see any either. Just a bunch of cheap 2D types.
 

AshA4

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I just made one of those buckalite's this morning. It's kinda funny how small it is :rock:
 

PlayboyJoeShmoe

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From the Cleveland and Livingston Walmarts I was able to grab 11 more 84 cent "good" 2AAs and 2 2 cell M*gled drop ins.

So far the M*gleds only fit M*gs.

I had two of the 1W from the Craftsman 3AAA light, and now one of them is powered by a 17500 in a blue 84 cent 2AA. NICE!

If SMJLED PRs are anything, these are gonna be COOL lights!
 

nerdgineer

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PlayboyJoeShmoe said:
...If SMJLED PRs are anything, these are gonna be COOL lights!
You will NOT be disappointed....:grin2:

I got one of those big straws they use for boba tea, slit it lenthwise and wrapped a piece around the 2AA batteries in the 84 cent Walmart light to reduce battery rattle as that light is a little loose inside (which is why it'll fit CR123's - which don't rattle).
 

Nomad

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My SMJLED PRs came in, I had ordered two. One is in the buckalight mod, and the other is in an unmodded 84 cent light, these LEDs rock...seriously they're great and you can't beat the price.

As a side note, I got my grubby paws on a nite ize mag 2-6 cell LED, it won't work in the buckalite, sits too low.

edit: It WILL work as far as giving off light, but it sits too low to focus properly, it's allllllll flood and it looks like some of the light is wasted inside the flashlight body.
 
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