After much testing, I think I've found the 2C cell Brinkmann to my liking the best. Again, the Brinkmann rubber grips always get points right away (gets real cold here). Although not as tightly focused as the MagLite reflector, the 2C reflector makes a smooth beam with good throw. Also, the side barrel clickie switch with momentary on is a welcome feature.
While not the little pocket carry light the Illuminator next to it is, the 2C is fairly small and comfortable to hold. Heavy aluminum construction provides enough mass and surface area to keep the 5 watt Luxeon nice and cool at full power and beyond. The SE needs to be mounted at the proper height offset to get the perfect focus.
Not much fair about the comparison, but the little 2AA Illuminator puts up a vain fight against it's new big brother.
The wall shot really shows the difference here. The 2AA Illuminator is great for looking behind things, like when wireing the stereo up, and other such tasks like it was designed to handle. But it's new big brother Mr. LI5 can take on much bigger chores as a true primary EDC.
I must say Lumileds really deserves some credit here, as these new 5W Luxeons are just the purest and brightest white light source I've ever seen. Even the newer 1 watt SEs are simply amazing in color and brightness.
AND, No, I'm not selling these, yet. A lot more pre-work needs to be done, and 5 watt parts are scarce right now. This is just a look at what could be possible........
While not the little pocket carry light the Illuminator next to it is, the 2C is fairly small and comfortable to hold. Heavy aluminum construction provides enough mass and surface area to keep the 5 watt Luxeon nice and cool at full power and beyond. The SE needs to be mounted at the proper height offset to get the perfect focus.
Not much fair about the comparison, but the little 2AA Illuminator puts up a vain fight against it's new big brother.
The wall shot really shows the difference here. The 2AA Illuminator is great for looking behind things, like when wireing the stereo up, and other such tasks like it was designed to handle. But it's new big brother Mr. LI5 can take on much bigger chores as a true primary EDC.
I must say Lumileds really deserves some credit here, as these new 5W Luxeons are just the purest and brightest white light source I've ever seen. Even the newer 1 watt SEs are simply amazing in color and brightness.
AND, No, I'm not selling these, yet. A lot more pre-work needs to be done, and 5 watt parts are scarce right now. This is just a look at what could be possible........
