5w lights - which, where, how ?

Gungrefjaert

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I'm slowly getting rather hooked by all this talk of super lights. There's just one small problem. I live in Denmark and around here no one sells anything worth spending money on. I've decided, since a 5w LS should give me the brightest, not too big, flashlight I'll see if I can get one from overseas.
From which companies will we see quality 5w's coming in the near future? I saw Streamlite has one coming up. Does anyone know of others ?
 

Drakonchik

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There's talk of a 5w LS from Surefire, which will arrive on the market . . . . who knows when.

One thing you can be sure, it'll cost plenty $$, or Kronars, as the case may be.

Do you still have Kronars, or did they get Euro'd?

Edit: Ah, I see the Kronar yet lives, but for how long?
 

x-ray

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The only mainstream manufacturers I know of that have 5w LS's in the pipeline are Streamlight & Surefire.

Have you looked at elektrolumens Blaster V and Blaster VI 5w flashlights ?

They are extremely well built and international shipping is not a problem.
 

Gungrefjaert

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Hmmmmmm. Looks like I have to find my self a well paid job.
The VI might just end up coming my way.

Drakonchik - Yes we still have kroner here. I don't know for how long though. It would be easier if we had the same currency as the rest of the EU.
 

FalconFX

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If you're not willing to wait, Elektrolumen's Blaster series is the way to go right now. Any one of the numerous modders here can probably make you a 5W based light; at a premium, of course...
 

Gungrefjaert

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I'm thinking of making one, if I can find the 5w luxeons in Denmark. I should be able find a few geeks round here who can help me make the circuit.
I'm thinking of using a small silver plate as a heatspreader and solder it(with silver) to a copperheatsink.
Maby I can make the head the heatsink ??
Damn. 14 days ago I installed a semi-homemade watercooling in my PC (which cost my way to much). Now I smell a new project coming up. Guess my wife will love that project too :)
 

shipinretech

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The InReTech HELIOS and MEGA6 are available and use 5W parts. I reccomend the HELIOS if you are just looking for a lot of light since it can be either a spot or a flood or both. We use a substantial aluminium heatsink.

We ship anywhere the rule of law is respected as well as France. We do not ship to areas of civil unrest or terrorist activity, although we will certainly do business with relief agencies who work in those places. (If you would like to discuss politics, I would be happy to do so apart from business.) We employ veterans and people with special needs.
 

Gungrefjaert

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I found a place in germany who sells the 5w LS. I think I'll make one myself instead. Helios and Mega6 are way too big for my use. I need a flashlight which is very bright and goes in the front pocket on my backpack, which is not very large. A bit bigger than, or maby even twice the size of a MiniMag is the target.
Thanx for replying.
 

shipinretech

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I do have to admit that the HELIOS is a very large solution. You might be surprised at the brightness of our AA Mini-MAG adapter. On fresh batteries we crank out a lot of light, and adapter keeps putting light out for about as long as there is power in the battery.

If you absolutely must go with a 5W solution, I cannot emphasize strongly enough the critical need to have a bulletproof heatsink. If you have the machining skills, I suggest that you couple the LED to the case of the flashlight to maximize thermal dispersion and surface area. The white 5W is not nearly as stable as the 1W parts, and overtemperature events make the problem much worse.

I wish you luck with your 5W project, but I urge you to consider carrying a backup light until you are sure you have the bugs worked out.
 

paulr

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Take a look at the Elektro Lumens Blaster 6. Although it's sized for two D cells it can run on three 123 lithiums. With a battery tube sized for the lithiums it would meet your size goal, if that tube could handle the heat.
 

paulr

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Also, unless you really want an LED, you might also consider an incandescent like a Surefire or a Tec 40 (polymer 4AA light about as bright as a Surefire). The Surefires are smaller than the 2AA Maglite; the Tec40 is about 2x the size but less than 2x the weight because of its polymer construction.
 

ledfanfromjuno

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My favorite 5 watt light is the megaclops 5 watt SE by lambda. http://home.mchsi.com/~lambda/pastsales.htm
I think it cost me $100 which included shipping but I'm not sure. It is my favorite flashlight. It outcasts everything else I have including my helios. It also illuminates everything at close distances as easily as anything else I have. It's like a mini car headlight.
 

Gungrefjaert

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Thanx all. I think I'll try my luck with a home build. It might end as toast, but what the .... it's worth a go.
If I ever end up getting one done I'll post some pics.

shipinretech -
I've spend quite alot of time reading about heatsinks for computers. With a bit of thought I might be able to use some of that in a flashlight. The solutions I have seen in flashlights aren't really that good as far as I can see. It might be a bit hard to make it good looking and effective without a boost in productioncost tho.
 
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