Dorcy "tacticool" 3AAA

The new Dorcy 3AAA Luxeon K2 light, the one with a built-in battery checker in the tailcap, looks interesting. It's got a big, wide and deep, reflector with a Luxeon K2 TFFC at the center - I was checking them out at Target for $30 (hoping against hope that it'd ring up at a clearance price, but this was one of their new ones) and pleasantly surprised to see the signature dot pattern at the center of the emitter.

Problem is it's 3AAAs in a cartridge (and not a Fivemega!) which implies abysmal runtime. Anyone have any idea how the AAAs will hold up under load if they're alkalines? NiMH (Eneloop)?

Still, for my grandfather, this may be hard to beat - between the 120 lumens, and the built-in battery checker, it seems very user-friendly.

IMHO its over-priced at $30 / ea.

You can get any of the P60 drop-ins from that place... R2=$13.72, P4=$10, Q5=$13. Add a superfire host for $9, protected cells and a 4.2V cutoff charger for $16 more. Or invest in some USA made primaries.

I may be biased though, I am not a fan of direct driven 3xAAA lights.

I don't understand the value-add of the battery checker. I mean... can't you just look at the light out the front and tell when the batteries are done?:thinking:

I've previously posted that I had this light and tested it. It draws 1.27amps from freshly charged NiMH and through the window only has 85 lumens actual measured output in a real integration sphere and meter. With the reflector and window taken off it measured 100 lumens. Plus its a pretty narrow beam without much useable sidespill.

It might last 30 minutes on alkaline batteries, its not bad, but there are better for that price range.