NEW! TerraLUX MiniStar2 EXTREME K2 U bin LED upgrade for AA MiniMag Maglites TLE-5K2!

In partnership with TerraLUX I'm thrilled to announce that BatteryJunction.com will be exclusively launching the new TerraLUX MiniStar2 EXTREME aka TLE-5K2 which utilizes a U bin LumiLED Luxeon K2 LED. The brightest AA MiniMag drop-in made! .

-Up to 80 lumen output (70 minimum, 75 typical)
-Retains focusability of MiniMag AA
-Works with Alkaline, NiMh and Lithium AA's
-Regulated output.
-3-4X the runtime of the standard bulb
-Made in the USA!

As usual coupon code: 'cpf2006' will save you 5% - USPS First Class shipping option for domestic orders will be <$4.

For international buyers we can offer air letter shipping for $5 anywhere in the world but as it's uninsurable the risk is your own. If you want this service please check out at the air parcel rate (will be $15-20) then just send me an EMAIL (NO PM's please) immediately afterwards with your order number and I will adjust your order.

In stock and shipping now!

Order link: http://www.batteryjunction.com/tle-5k2.html


We're exceptionally busy right now so I'm not sure when I will be back to answer questions but I think most of the basics are covered on the website. Beamshots, runtime plots, etc coming when I have time.

Note: This is a 5W LED running at approximately 2.5W as the Maglite's plastic reflector cannot handle, nor can the body dissipate, the heat of the LED running at full output. Additionally 2 AA batteries cannot efficiently generate enough current to run this unit at 5W.

Re: NEW! TerraLUX MiniStar2 EXTREME K2 U bin LED upgrade for AA MiniMag Maglites TLE-5K2!

Matt - This is indeed good news! Thanks for your hard work making this happen - and so quickly at that. You have just saved my MM collection. More tweaking is in order. I only have one request - a reflector that is equal to the emitter. Oh, what the H*ll I will order the K2 anyway. Thanks again. Kirk

Edit: Will the discount coupon be switched to "cpf2007?"

Re: NEW! TerraLUX MiniStar2 EXTREME K2 U bin LED upgrade for AA MiniMag Maglites TLE-5K2!

Up to 80 lumens? From 2 AA's?

The new Jetbeam w/ Cree LED is supposedly 80 lumens from a single AA. At about 1 watt I believe. As opposed to the 2.5 watts of this module. It's sounding to me like the Jetbeam can accomplish about the same light output and runtime with half the batteries.

I am starting to see why people are cree-azy for cree ... Why doesn't Terralux jump on the Cree bandwagon I wonder? I have long been a Terralux supporter and own most of their LED upgrade modules, I'd like to see their take on a Cree light.

Not trying to diss this.. Just finding it interesting... There is probably more to the story that I don't know about, such as the K2 having better color rendition than the Cree, or something.

Re: NEW! TerraLUX MiniStar2 EXTREME K2 U bin LED upgrade for AA MiniMag Maglites TLE-5K2!

Hi Kirk - thanks for your kind words! You actually seem to have read my mind - I just extended the expiration date on the cpf2006 coupon code to 01/2008 and will do a new code later. Shoot me an email and I'll give you a bit of info re: reflector possibilites.

Hellbore - I'd rather not turn this into yet another cree thread (YACT - I coined it here first folks!) but I think it boils down to a few issues: the cree is still relatively untried and has spotty availability, it costs 3-4X as much as a Lux III or K2 and it's output angle sucks for the Mag reflector. I also suspect it would melt the plastic Mag reflector, but I could be wrong.

Remember, TerraLUX products have to be able to be sold at plumbing and electrical supply shops - not just on CPF. The Luxeon name is well known, the K2 now has known stability, reliability and availability and is reasonable priced. Also, from what I've seen the Cree doesn't look like it's gonna ever drop-in to a AA minimag head, but I could be wrong. CPF might be Cree crazy but no one outside opf this forum and industry insiders has ever heard of it. The rest of the public is just realizing LED flashlights exist.

The item we looked at when we started this project was a certain high end drop in sandwich solution which retails for over $60, draws 3W and isn't consumer friendly. Anthony Catalano, the owner and chief engineer at TerraLUX and I felt that we could make something as good/better and sell it for 1/2 the price. A goal that I believe we've attained with the long-awaited release of this item. More efficient, brighter, regulated and 1/2 the price.

Re: NEW! TerraLUX MiniStar2 EXTREME K2 U bin LED upgrade for AA MiniMag Maglites TLE-5K2!

Well, when you're right you're right... I have been personally trying to buy Cree XR-E LED's lately and finding it very hard to even buy them!

My family and friends all think LED lights are pointless and don't understand why I like them. They don't know the name Luxeon yet and may never know about Cree.

Anyways This looks like a great module, I could really use this for one of my mini-mags...

Hellbore said:

Up to 80 lumens? From 2 AA's?

The new Jetbeam w/ Cree LED is supposedly 80 lumens from a single AA. At about 1 watt I believe. As opposed to the 2.5 watts of this module. It's sounding to me like the Jetbeam can accomplish about the same light output and runtime with half the batteries.

I am starting to see why people are cree-azy for cree ... Why doesn't Terralux jump on the Cree bandwagon I wonder? I have long been a Terralux supporter and own most of their LED upgrade modules, I'd like to see their take on a Cree light.

Not trying to diss this.. Just finding it interesting... There is probably more to the story that I don't know about, such as the K2 having better color rendition than the Cree, or something.

Click to expand...

There's no doubt that Crees are the start and part of the next wave in LED technology improvements. With that said, I think Terralux has had their K2 Maglite upgrades in developement for a little while now and most likely just before this whole Cree craze started. None the less, this is still quite an upgrade for the old Minimags and a better performer than their own LED version. If you've got an old MiniMag lying around, this looks to be the best commercialy available drop-in for it at the moment. I wouldn't be surprised if Terralux eventually moves on to Cree or other yet to be released LED technology. But it looks like they've spent some good time on R&D with their current K2 upgrades and now finally making them available. I'm anxiously awaiting mine as I've got an old MiniMag that's screaming for a makeover...

Re: NEW! TerraLUX MiniStar2 EXTREME K2 U bin LED upgrade for AA MiniMag Maglites TLE-5K2!

As Jeff/ace0001a, knows, but is too polite to post, we've been working on developing this project for about 6 months. TerraLUX isn't a hobby manufacturer, it has to be right the first time. Also, in order to get to the pricing that I felt was market appropriate I had to commit to purchasing half of the initial production run before the development began in earnest.

MattK said:

Remember, TerraLUX products have to be able to be sold at plumbing and electrical supply shops - not just on CPF. The Luxeon name is well known, the K2 now has known stability, reliability and availability and is reasonable priced. Also, from what I've seen the Cree doesn't look like it's gonna ever drop-in to a AA minimag head, but I could be wrong. CPF might be Cree crazy but no one outside opf this forum and industry insiders has ever heard of it. The rest of the public is just realizing LED flashlights exist.

The item we looked at when we started this project was a certain high end drop in sandwich solution which retails for over $60, draws 3W and isn't consumer friendly. Anthony Catalano, the owner and chief engineer at TerraLUX and I felt that we could make something as good/better and sell it for 1/2 the price. A goal that I believe we've attained with the long-awaited release of this item. More efficient, brighter, regulated and 1/2 the price.

Click to expand...

Yeah I totally agree that sticking with a tried and true technology is a good way to go. Luxeons have the good track record so I understand why Terralux doesn't see the need to be on the bleeding edge at the moment. Developing a good product that works, is affordable and can be sold in more places makes sense for both Terralux and their customers. Though honestly I have yet to see any Terralux products at any of my local stores here in Central California. Seems whenever I go to Target or Walfart, I always see the not-so-spectacular-performing Nite Ize upgrades. That's not to say they don't serve their purpose either, just saying I wish I'd see other flashlight upgrade brands out there. No worries though, as I like shopping online anyways. So here's looking forward to getting my MiniStar2E!!

Re: NEW! TerraLUX MiniStar2 EXTREME K2 U bin LED upgrade for AA MiniMag Maglites TLE-5K2!

I saw Terralux in a local store but I can't remember if it was Ace or what store it was.

Any Terralux products I have bought though have been purchased online.

Re: NEW! TerraLUX MiniStar2 EXTREME K2 U bin LED upgrade for AA MiniMag Maglites TLE-5K2!

You're more likely to see TerraLUX upgrades in auto parts stores, plumbing and elcetrical supply houses -businesses that cater to tradespeople rather than bix box mass consumer joints like walmart.

Re: NEW! TerraLUX MiniStar2 EXTREME K2 U bin LED upgrade for AA MiniMag Maglites TLE-5K2!

MattK said:

Hellbore - I'd rather not turn this into yet another cree thread (YACT - I coined it here first folks!) but I think it boils down to a few issues: the cree is still relatively untried and has spotty availability, it costs 3-4X as much as a Lux III or K2 and it's output angle sucks for the Mag reflector. I also suspect it would melt the plastic Mag reflector, but I could be wrong.

Remember, TerraLUX products have to be able to be sold at plumbing and electrical supply shops - not just on CPF. The Luxeon name is well known, the K2 now has known stability, reliability and availability and is reasonable priced. Also, from what I've seen the Cree doesn't look like it's gonna ever drop-in to a AA minimag head, but I could be wrong. CPF might be Cree crazy but no one outside opf this forum and industry insiders has ever heard of it. The rest of the public is just realizing LED flashlights exist.

The item we looked at when we started this project was a certain high end drop in sandwich solution which retails for over $60, draws 3W and isn't consumer friendly. Anthony Catalano, the owner and chief engineer at TerraLUX and I felt that we could make something as good/better and sell it for 1/2 the price. A goal that I believe we've attained with the long-awaited release of this item. More efficient, brighter, regulated and 1/2 the price.

Click to expand...

The problem at CPF is that we are "educated".
The problem at CPF is that the K2 has been a "flop".
The problem at CPF is that the reference is now 70l/W at least for an emitter.
The problem at CPF is that this emitter is available for $10 or less.
The problem at CPF is that a Mag has to be modded far beyond a bulb change.
The problem at CPF is that a complete flashlight with the previously said reference LED is known to be available from $29.

Anyway, good luck

Re: NEW! TerraLUX MiniStar2 EXTREME K2 U bin LED upgrade for AA MiniMag Maglites TLE-5K2!

glire,

Maybe this product is not for you, but be fair to Matt K. He understands the product's place in the market, and I don't think he's said anything inaccurate here.

Just because CPF members flock to the absolute newest product, doesn't mean other products can't also be great new entries and satisfy the greater majority of the public in a cost effective way that is easy for them to implement.

Remember, most people considering this device are still burning tungsten and wasting their money on manganese dioxide.

Re: NEW! TerraLUX MiniStar2 EXTREME K2 U bin LED upgrade for AA MiniMag Maglites TLE-5K2!

MattK has taken a risk by posting here, I assume he knows that (maybe he should have posted in the manufacturer/dealer forums).
I don't intend to offend anyone. If you feel it then I apologize.

Re: NEW! TerraLUX MiniStar2 EXTREME K2 U bin LED upgrade for AA MiniMag Maglites TLE-5K2!

Still, this dropin module *might* be for me.
I tried to educate a friend/colleage with LED flashlights, he just bought a black 2AA Mag...
Oh man, I must be a bad professor
I have no other option now than to offer him this module :santa:

Re: NEW! TerraLUX MiniStar2 EXTREME K2 U bin LED upgrade for AA MiniMag Maglites TLE-5K2!

I think the key here is that the Cree is a horrible match with Mag reflectors.

TerraLUX is doing a good job at making regulated drop-ins that are the best regulated output compared to other drop-ins on the market. (although not a huge enough leap for some CPFers.)

Re: NEW! TerraLUX MiniStar2 EXTREME K2 U bin LED upgrade for AA MiniMag Maglites TLE-5K2!

Will this run okay on 1 x 14500 lithium?

Re: NEW! TerraLUX MiniStar2 EXTREME K2 U bin LED upgrade for AA MiniMag Maglites TLE-5K2!

I think it sounds great!
I mean, 70L for $30, in an inexpensive, familiar and replaceable body. Runtime should be decent.

Nice! I am all about "bang for the buck."

Re: NEW! TerraLUX MiniStar2 EXTREME K2 U bin LED upgrade for AA MiniMag Maglites TLE-5K2!

How does this drop-in compare to the 2AA and 3AA MagLEDs ? I bought a TerraLUX a few years back and I have been very pleased with it.

Re: NEW! TerraLUX MiniStar2 EXTREME K2 U bin LED upgrade for AA MiniMag Maglites TLE-5K2!

Face said:

Will this run okay on 1 x 14500 lithium?

Click to expand...

Matt, this would be the key for me also - if you could test this at some point (1x14500 lithium + 1 dummy AA) in a 2AA mmag. My hope would be that the underdriven @ 3.0V K2 would end up a little brighter @ 4.2V =)

shouldnt this be in dealers corner?????????????????