Non-metallic 4AA light to replace SF G2 ?

Martin · Aug 2, 2006

I wonder if there's a 4AA LED light with the beam quality and intensity of a Surefire P60 asy.
Something non-metallic, waterproof, regulated LED driver to run off MiMH and Alkalines.
Anyone knows such a light ?

The difficulty I see is to dissipate the heat from a 3 W or 5 W LED in a plastic-body. Possibly this requires a metallic head at least.

Planterz · Aug 2, 2006

Streamlight Propoly 4AA Lux. "Only" a Lux one, but quite possibly the brightest one around. Heat isn't an issue. Run it on NiMHs and you get 5 hour runtimes. Best of all, it's only about $35.

DUQ · Aug 2, 2006

Here is my vote.

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/streamlight_propolyluxeon.htm

Coop · Aug 2, 2006

Planterz said:
Streamlight Propoly 4AA Lux. "Only" a Lux one, but quite possibly the brightest one around. Heat isn't an issue. Run it on NiMHs and you get 5 hour runtimes. Best of all, it's only about $35.

make that $23 from fox-intl.com

Handlobraesing · Aug 2, 2006

Keep in mind the original poster is in Deutschland

Coop · Aug 2, 2006

ah yes... but even with international shipping I bought mine from fox for less than $34...

I'm from the netherlands...

victory · Aug 2, 2006

+1 for the pro-poly. they do hold up very well in extreem environments. just about everyone at my firehouse has one strapped to their helmet.

TigerhawkT3 · Aug 2, 2006

As soon as I read the OP, I knew it described the SLPPL4AA perfectly. Apparently, so did everyone else.

It's a great light. You'll love it. It's $25 plus shipping at fox-intl.

Brighteyez · Aug 2, 2006

As others have pointed out the SL PP 4AA Lux seems to fit the bill for your needs except for the waterproof requirement. If you meant water resistant, like the G2, then this light would fit your needs. With the exception of the Mag LED modules, there are no lights where the LED counterpart will equal or surpass the output of the incandescent version, however for throw purposes, the Streamlight will come pretty close to what a P60 assembly will do. Best of all, the Streamlight uses a Luxeon, not a Luxeon III, so the battery consumption is less enabling a longer run time. And you need not be concerned with the heat, this light does use a metal reflector in it's lamp assembly.

Martin said:
I wonder if there's a 4AA LED light with the beam quality and intensity of a Surefire P60 asy.
Something non-metallic, waterproof, regulated LED driver to run off MiMH and Alkalines.
Anyone knows such a light ?

The difficulty I see is to dissipate the heat from a 3 W or 5 W LED in a plastic-body. Possibly this requires a metallic head at least.

Penguin · Aug 2, 2006

The Streamlight ProPolymer 4AA Luxeon is a very nice light, and with a $34 dollar price tag (shipped overseas!) It's quite a steal. But it wont produce the amount of light the P60 does. Instead, go for a Princeton Tec 40, with a Maglite 4C/D Xenon bulb. It produces more light than my E2e's MN03 (I dont have a P60 handy) and has a much hotter hotspot. For the price, it can't beat it! If you dont mind losing some of the SF's beam quality, the PT40/Xenon combo is perfect as your G2 replacement
PT40 ~ $15.00
Mag Xenon ~ $2.00

gadgetnerd · Aug 2, 2006

The other 4AA polymer light which no-one's mentioned yet is the UK 4AA eLED. Doesn't have the perfect beam and throw of the Streamlight, but it runs for twice as long, with perfect regulation. It's also smaller and waterproof. $34 at pocketlights - http://www.pocketlights.com/uk4aa_eled.asp

I'm a big fan of both torches.

Martin · Aug 2, 2006

Near perfect consent, I'm impressed.
The SL PP 4AA is rated at 40 lm and uses a Luxeon I, so I assume it's not as bright as a P60. Still it seems to be a must-have, a best-in-class, a to-be-classic, a great and very useful light.
So how can I resist at the current exchange rate.
After a year, why not consider an LED upgrade to meet the 60 lm with the latest LED.

Penguin, your PT40 / bulb upgrade is a great find. I thought all lights in this class used odd lamp assemblies, but this is the exception. Incan is not exactly what I am looking for, but since a replacement bulb is so affordable and portable, I will follow this path. I already found some PT40 on local EBAY, I'll wait for a deal. Do you know what maximum lamp power the reflector will stand ? Does the light develop a critical pressure inside its body when running at elevated outputs ?

Thanks to everyone for fast and professional help !

Penguin · Aug 2, 2006

Martin,

Xenon bulbs on average are more prone to instalflashing when driven too hard, if you use NiMh, many report good things overdriving a 3-cell Krypton bulb, just let the NiMH's rest overnight after a charge to lower the voltage. The bulbs never lasted very long for me when I would overdrive the 3-cell Krypton. Good luck to you! But for the ultimate in bulb life longevity and durability, your best bet would be one of the UK4AA or PP4aaLux suggestions.

Mundele · Aug 2, 2006

Martin said:
Near perfect consent, I'm impressed.
The SL PP 4AA is rated at 40 lm and uses a Luxeon I, so I assume it's not as bright as a P60. Still it seems to be a must-have, a best-in-class, a to-be-classic, a great and very useful light.
So how can I resist at the current exchange rate.
After a year, why not consider an LED upgrade to meet the 60 lm with the latest LED.

Penguin, your PT40 / bulb upgrade is a great find. I thought all lights in this class used odd lamp assemblies, but this is the exception. Incan is not exactly what I am looking for, but since a replacement bulb is so affordable and portable, I will follow this path. I already found some PT40 on local EBAY, I'll wait for a deal. Do you know what maximum lamp power the reflector will stand ? Does the light develop a critical pressure inside its body when running at elevated outputs ?

Thanks to everyone for fast and professional help !

I love the SL 4aa luxeon but I also love my PT40. Buy two or three extra bulbs. it took a couple to find a "good" one that worked for a while (until I tried it with lithiums) Stock bulb works great with lithiums. I think the number was KPR103 or XPR103 (rayovac bulb from radioshack).

Martin · Aug 5, 2006

Just ordered the SL PP 4AA from Fox. It was USD 25 + 12 for the shipping. I will let you know what I get.

Gadgetnerd: The UK 4AA eLED I've actually bought 2.5 years ago and used heavily since then. It held up very well but I didn't like so much the narrow beam and the poor cooling of the LED. Today I even consider it dim. Having spent time on this forum I became aware of the alternatives, so I think it's a good time to retire the eLED. Hell, it's actually long overdue. Using a light for 2.5 years is not what a CPF-member would want to do.. My eLED is doing fine on EBAY. A SL JR Luxeon has taken its place temporarily.

gadgetnerd · Aug 5, 2006

Martin said:
Gadgetnerd: The UK 4AA eLED I've actually bought 2.5 years ago and used heavily since then. It held up very well but I didn't like so much the narrow beam and the poor cooling of the LED. Today I even consider it dim. Having spent time on this forum I became aware of the alternatives, so I think it's a good time to retire the eLED. Hell, it's actually long overdue. Using a light for 2.5 years is not what a CPF-member would want to do.. My eLED is doing fine on EBAY. A SL JR Luxeon has taken its place temporarily.

I hear ya Martin, I actually retired mine from front line service quite a while ago. Mainly due to the poor beam quality - if they just made a high dome version I'd still be using it (I didn't have issue with the LED cooling since I didn't use it for long periods). Not to say it's a crap torch, but I guess the Streamlight pretty much blew it out of the water for brigthness and beam quality. I really mentioned it just for the sake of completeness!

Still, I'd rather have an eLED than a number of other torches I won't mention here. It's cheap, rugged, reliable and runs for a long time. It's also ugly so no-one will steal it

Martin · Aug 6, 2006

The eLED's side emitter + flat reflector design is what makes it so compact. Actually, it's my only flashlight that follows this concept. Now what I really appreciate is that it received 7 bids and is currently at EUR 18 with 4 and a half days to go. It will probably sell for more than my new SL PP 4AA cost me. So I must say, the eLED is a light that really never let me down !

If the UK folks would come up with the high dome + deep reflector design that you wished, if they could increase the light power and introduce a second light level, if they could add a flip-over diffusor, then they could well have the edge over the SL again.

Martin · Aug 19, 2006

Received my SL PP 4AA Luxeon from Fox International just yesterday.
My first highdome reflector light, and the reflector is really deep unlike TIR optics. The beam is narrow, very white and bright. Solid construction, washable, economical, I like it.
I used it right away in lighting up the bottom of a well where I was fishing for debris. The beam was just perfect for this.
Thanks for recommending this light !

Illum · Aug 19, 2006

the PP use a parabolic reflector, which eliminates beam artifacts unlike conventional smooth reflectors, but the drawback is big throw, little flood. Personally I'd recommend having a separate light for flood.

Lighthouse one · Aug 19, 2006

Just got my Streamlight 4AA pro poly from Fox INtl. What a great light! Almost as bright as my Striker VG...and a much nicer throw pattern. Absolutely the best light for cost I own! Go for the 3 c version if you can take a bigger size light.

Non-metallic 4AA light to replace SF G2 ?

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