Sam's 3 Watts Lexeon III(?) Element Flashlight 2 for $26

Went to Sam's today. As usual I checked the usual locations for flashlights. Could not see any Luxeons. Later I saw a few of them in the clearance section but with I think the regular price of $26 for the pair. :-( The package says 80 Lumens. A couple questions:

1. Is Sam's discontinuing this light? Are other Sam's doing the same thing?

2. If they are being discontinued, are these good enough that I should buy a pair? I have two pairs of the 1 Watt version. They were cheap, well built and reasonably powerful. They have the best switches among all my flashlight (Streamlight 4AA LED PP, Fenix L2D, Led Lenser, River Rock).

3. Are they really 80 Lumens? I could not find the review on FlashLightReviews...or is it just me.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Was it one of these? Definitely not 80 lumen but closer to 50.

Or you could buy two of these, or these, for a cheaper price, but the switch is on the tail. The Sam's club light is still pretty good for the price, and you don't have to wait for shipping.

Gunner12 said:

Was it one of these? Definitely not 80 lumen but closer to 50.

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I am not sure. I cannot tell from the picture. They used to have a 1 Watt version, but then later they switched to a 3 Watt version.

Watts is meaningless.

katx said:

I am not sure. I cannot tell from the picture. They used to have a 1 Watt version, but then later they switched to a 3 Watt version.

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The 3 watt version is different. I don't own any of the new 3 watt version so beyond explaining that the review posted above was for a different light, I can't help you.

Technically, there is no "1 Watt" or "3 Watt" or any other watt rated LED. A LED can be driven at any wattage (some will go Poof when overdrive them too hard). The watt rating you see is mainly to attract buyers. The MiniMagLED says it is a 3 watt LED, all that means is that thew LED is a Luxeon III. It is only driven at about 1.5 watt.

Usually 1 Watt = Luxeon I, 3 Watt = Luxeon III, 5 Watt = Luxeon V and 6.5 = Luxeon K2.

The 7,8,9 Watt and up ratings you see on some other lights are usually false and if the LED is driven at such voltages, it will dim quickly, produce a lot of heat and the run-time will be very short.

While I'm at it, most of the lights with a lumen rating are not what come out the front. Some Ebayers state Cree and Seoul lights as 210-240 lumen output. While that is very possible when the LED is driven at 1 amp and about 3.7V, only about 70% of the light comes out, and most flashlights don't drive their LEDs that hard. Many companies state maximum at-the-emitter lumens. Some others completely ignore that and state whatever they want(Ebay). Surefire, Streamlight, Pelican, HDS and a few others state minimum out the front lumens. For example, a Surefire A2 is rated at 50 lumen but there is actually more the 60 lumen of output.

Either way the Sams Club Light should still be a good light. If you don't like it, you could always modify or return it.

Or you can go to RadioShack and buy one (the old 1W version) in a "one pack" for $29.99! I doubt those things will ever sell.

Roger

The Element is a wonderful flashlight. Great for a gift or for the kitchen drawer. Highly recommended.

z96Cobra said:

Or you can go to RadioShack and buy one (the old 1W version) in a "one pack" for $29.99! I doubt those things will ever sell.

Roger

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Gotta agree with you Roger, it seems those things have been hanging around on the racks since the late 90s... heh,heh,heh