pedalinbob
Flashlight Enthusiast
I purchased a Superbright a few months ago. It went dead, and the owner of Safelight sent me a new one (kudos to James!).
I just got around to tinkering with the old one: it was only a bad LED...and guess what? It will nicely drive an SSC, and it doesn't appear to get hot!
Now I have to choose from the LEDs I have on hand: Nichia CS (oldie but a goodie), SSC (amazingly bright, requires a reflector or optic, but I have an old cut-down NX05 which will probably fit in the head of the light--and the beam is very nice), or Luxeon (still like 'em).
So far, I am leaning toward the Nichia or SSC. The Nichia is a simple drop-in. The SSC is a bit more work to get it soldered in place and to fit the optic (it MUST sit below the rim of the bezel because I cannot stand glare from unshielded LEDs--and I'm not sure yet if it will).
A few random thoughts.
The rubber case came off by sliding a long nail between it and the plastic body, and spraying hair spray between them. Makes the rubber slick enough to remove it (nice trick for handlebar grips).
The original LED which died does not appear to be a Nichia CS. It appears to be a bit larger, and something wasn't right from the start--the beam was quite blue, and output appeared to be a bit low.
The switching is nice! With the usual Superbright, it goes low-high-flash-off. You can turn it off from any level by holding down the button for a couple of seconds. BUT, there are two-bright-flashes prior to turning off. This is annoying!
This Superbright has identical switching. However, you can hold the button down and it simply shuts off without the flashes! Very nice! I am not sure if Safelight changed them or what...
Anyway, gotta go feed my son.
I miss this place...
Bob
I just got around to tinkering with the old one: it was only a bad LED...and guess what? It will nicely drive an SSC, and it doesn't appear to get hot!
Now I have to choose from the LEDs I have on hand: Nichia CS (oldie but a goodie), SSC (amazingly bright, requires a reflector or optic, but I have an old cut-down NX05 which will probably fit in the head of the light--and the beam is very nice), or Luxeon (still like 'em).
So far, I am leaning toward the Nichia or SSC. The Nichia is a simple drop-in. The SSC is a bit more work to get it soldered in place and to fit the optic (it MUST sit below the rim of the bezel because I cannot stand glare from unshielded LEDs--and I'm not sure yet if it will).
A few random thoughts.
The rubber case came off by sliding a long nail between it and the plastic body, and spraying hair spray between them. Makes the rubber slick enough to remove it (nice trick for handlebar grips).
The original LED which died does not appear to be a Nichia CS. It appears to be a bit larger, and something wasn't right from the start--the beam was quite blue, and output appeared to be a bit low.
The switching is nice! With the usual Superbright, it goes low-high-flash-off. You can turn it off from any level by holding down the button for a couple of seconds. BUT, there are two-bright-flashes prior to turning off. This is annoying!
This Superbright has identical switching. However, you can hold the button down and it simply shuts off without the flashes! Very nice! I am not sure if Safelight changed them or what...
Anyway, gotta go feed my son.
I miss this place...
Bob
