The longest throwing LED flashlight in the world (part 3)

Well thanks to everyones support we now have to start a new thread as Part 1 and Part 2 were getting too big.

Pricing and options in post #2.

The DEFT is, simply put, the longest throwing LED flashlight that money can buy. This light can out-throw many HID lights even some of the 25-35W models that are larger than the DEFT. One of the things that makes it special is the ability to easily swap in new LEDs. All it takes is a couple minutes to swap them out. This makes the DEFT obsolete proof which in this day and age where LED technology is growing by leaps and bounds makes this feature very desirable. The DEFT features a carbon fiber bezel that protects the lens from damage and prevents loss of night vision due to internal back reflections that happen inside optics. The carbon fiber is also beautiful to behold. The ability to use easy to find AA batteries including rechargeable LSD NiMH is also a plus. There really is nothing else on the market that combines all these attributes into one beautiful package quite like the DEFT.
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Official Reviews

LuxLuthor's review

Patriot36's review
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Here is what some of those who own the DEFT have said.

From Patriot "The most impressive thing that unfolded tonight was to witness the DEFT produce higher lux than a 24W HID! That's simply astonishing!"

From Gene. "It's just amazing how far this thing throws. I could almost hear the talk in town the next day about how some mysterious aliens had been projecting beams of powerful light all over the sky! ......
My son who is visiting from out of state was blown away by the DEFT. He commented that if someone had another DEFT a couple of miles away, you could have a saber fight in the sky!"

From LuxLuthor "Suffice it to say that the DEFT BLEW the other two away. I don't just mean it was noticeably brighter than my best aspherics. I actually do mean that it blew them away."
"Here is my scientific 2 word summary: Holy Moly !!!..........
I found myself saying several times that this is almost like having a MaxaBeam in your pocket."


From Choppers "1000% worth the wait...and with your attention to detail I understand why. EVERYONE will be completely satisfied and then some!!!!"

From ChrisDallas "The throw on this sucker is sick, I mean it just goes forever.....My neighbor was playing with it for 15 min or so & he offered me $1000 for it, I would have sold it to him if I could replace it immediately but there's no way I'm parting with it, don't need the money "
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Here are some of my favorite pictures.










This is from 703'/214 meters away.


Next up is the control from 1,261'/384 meters



and now the lighted tower at 1,261'




Next we have the control at 2,407'/733 meters




and the lighted tower at 2,407'






This is the DEFT W/ R2, smooth lens


R2 Diffused

OK. I want you to stop here and compare the picture just above and just below. Below you see the Tiablo A9. What stuck out to me is the dead space that lies mid-range down the beam, in between the spill(which is only good up close) and the spot . In the picture above you will notice how much more light is being thrown and over a larger area. This really helps give you a much better sense of what is going on down-beam.
Tiablo A9





The Raidfire is just to help you with scale.

Re: The longest throwing LED flashlight in the world(part 2)

Prices and features.
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Standard features
DEFT $425
Includes:
Carbon Fiber bezel
Smooth lens with AR/anti-scratch coat on back
Diffused lens
Glow spacer
XR-E R2 WH(this is the LED that gives maximum throw available today)
Easy change pill design so that you can swap in higher bin LEDs as they become available.
1500mA regulated circuitry
Small "pre-collimator" increases throughput by 60%
Fitted Pelican case
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Extra lens with "built-in" diffuser.



It takes the beam from this...and turns it into this.
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I made the diffused lens to broaden the usability of the light and to also allow use of the MC-E LEDs which would otherwise have artifacts in the beam due to the fact that the MC-Es are a multi-die package. With the diffuser in place the beam is buttery smooth with no additional OTF lumens lost as compared to a separate diffuser film. It is also very easy to switch from smooth to diffused or back again with the change taking about 30sec once you get the hang of it.
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Pelican case fitted for the DEFT. These are very nice cases and will protect your investment while also allowing you to carry the diffuser and extra batteries.
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Shipping
Shipping will be calculated using the USPS shipping calculator. There are no extra handling fees for shipping. Insurance is included in the quote I send you and is mandatory. This protects us both. Shipping is roughly $15 to the US $30 to the rest of the world. If shipped outside of the US you will of course be responsible for any duties, excise taxes and handling fees charged by the carrier or customs. *To those ordering outside the US I will be putting the real value of the light for customs. I will not knowingly lie. I hope you understand.Thanks.
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Battery options to power the DEFT

Any Alkaline AA will work but the in regulation time is about 30 minutes with trailing output from there for another hour or so. I do not recommend these as they can leak and ruin the light but do give you the option to run to the corner store and grab a pack if in desperation.

eneloop or Duracell LSD NiMHs AAs work in the DEFT but can be tight. Runtime is about 1hr15min in full regulation. This is my personal favorite as it is the cheapest and best for the environment.

Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA
These are primaries(nonrechargeable) and will give you 2 full hours in regulation. After that it enters a moon mode for several hours. This is the best option if the light is going to be used only occasionally or for emergencies as the batteries have excellent shelf life. This is also the best option if long runtime is needed.
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These lights are very labor intensive. Since it does take me a while to make them there will be a delay from when you show interest and when I can get it done. If you are interested but will not be visiting this site very often I suggest that you either make sure your e-mail address is up to date in your CPF contact info or PM me with it so I can contact you when your turn comes around.

Please do not PM me asking me to add you to the list. I will use your post in this thread to decide order. To get in line post that you are interested and if possible the options you would like. I accept payment with check but there will be a delay for it to clear. I prefer paypal and after confirming your order will send you an invoice when the time comes for me to build your light.

There is a 1 year warranty on the light. This is primarily for the circuitry and o-rings. The carbon fiber bezel is covered if it is a manufacturing defect* but not warranted against breaking since it is not designed to handle hard impacts.

*Although I strive for perfection I do not claim to make absolutely flawless lights so every light can be expected to have some unique "character marks". If you are in doubt of the quality I produce then PM members who already have my lights for more.


If you have any questions let me know. Thank you, Michael




The Build List

1 Gene paid shipped
2 BMF paid shipped
3 LuxLuthor paid shipped
4 radu1976 paid shipped
5 Choppers paid shipped
6 Karlthev paid shipped
7 Aircraft800 paid shipped
8 zoran R2 , CF , + diffused lens, case paid shipped
9 Cowley paid shipped
10 Wolfstyle paid shipped
11 PhantomPhoton paid shipped
12 Tanasit R2, CF paid shipped
13 Daz CF, R2, diff, case, paid shipped
14 Chris Dallas case, R2, CF, Diff., to Canada paid shipped
15 Addictedmatt paid shipped
16 jefft diffused lens, case paid shipped
17 southpaw R2, CF, + diffused lens, case paid shipped
18 steed77 R2, CF paid shipped
19 darkpeak CF, R2, int. paid shipped
20 kit R2, CF, to Canada paid shipped
21 LuxLuthor paid shipped
22 Kapak Q2 5A , diff. lens, CF, to Canada(insured), MC-E M bin WH ,delete glow powder, case paid shipped
Patriot36 R2, CF paid shipped
KHT R2, CF paid shipped
makapuu R2 paid shipped
Punchinello R2 paid shipped
Parker VH R2, diff paid shipped
tx101 R2 paid shipped
Lips paid shipped
HKJ R2, case, diff., MC-E? int. paid shipped
looman R2, diff paid shipped
Lunal Tic loaded paid shipped
BenjiBot R2, case, int paid shipped
sancho886 paid shipped
torcher paid shipped
HanzoTheFlashlight R2, Diff., case, Blackout paid shipped
ironmang paid shipped
mendhammarsh R2, Case paid shipped
zx5go paid shipped
jblackwood paid shipped
dps paid shipped
Flea Bag case, R2WH, diff, International shipping paid shipped
analogguy paid shipped
fiftycalibre paid shipped
gncamama paid shipped
nightvision paid shipped
DTUB Q5, paid shipped
ez78 paid shipped
jahxman paid shipped
windstrings paid shipped (except for the case;-)
Dark Vapor paid
jsholli paid
markdurling paid
racerX paid
dcaprilia paid

From here up is the build list

From now on this sale will continue as follows. It will be a first come first served sale. That said I don't want to take on a bunch of payments at one time. So to control that I will post that X amount of spots are open for payment to move from the interest list to the build list. The first to respond in this thread with a or similar will get the spots. Here is the hard part. I am also trying to make this as fair as possible. I don't want to penalize the people that have waited so patiently, and had the foresight to get in line when they did, by having someone that may have just come on the list get a place on the build list before them just because they happened to be on CPF when I opened up the spots. So... once I open up the spots you will have 2 days to claim your spot. For example if I post that I am opening up 3 spots for payment and Joe, Bob, Sven, and Bubba post to claim those spots, only the ones who are highest on the interest list would get moved to the build list, and that, only after payment was made. Once you "claim" your spot I will contact you on the payment details and find out what options you want. I understand the financial difficulty some of you are facing and this system should help you and me both. First off I will not have to spend time PMing individuals who may not be ready to pay just yet. Also instead of bumping you down the list, like has had to happen so many times, you will keep your spot and just jump in when you are able. I hope this all makes sense and seems fair to everyone here. If you have a better idea let me know. Thanks, Michael

From here down is the interest list.

Cowley
mesa232323
resistance1 q5 wc, mce wh, case
JetskiMark
white light MC-E WH, R2, Diff
Sampolainen R2, M bin MC-E, case, Int. shipping
KDK
tricker
paulsl R2, case, diff., MC-E M
JohnTz R2, case
partizan
Rinspeed R2
BurkStar
Gary123
crizyal Diff
Byrdlips
300winmag case, Diff., R2 WH, international shipping 8-15
Whisper R2 WH international shipping with insurance
nfetterly R2 WH, MC-E 6C, Diff., insurance, case
PsychoBunny R2, case, diff., ins. (e-mail addy PMed on 4-10-09)
HarborMaster Diff, MC-E WH, Case
zemmo R2 WH, diffuser, MC-E WH, Ins., case
Pontiaker R2
clone7
Photongun R2, int.
BUMBKLAATT
ehallspqr case
neoro R2, international, diffuser lens
Nitro R2 WH
d1dd1 Int.
hornady708
cowboyway
Fat Boy
carbonmetrictree 2 DEFTs
AngeloR2 WH, MC-E 430lm WH, Diffuser lens, (+ International Shipping - Italy - and Insurance)
rkJr
xucchini case
416sw
Ratton R2, case
blackbalsam R2, case
rusky
ironmang
troller_cpf
Th232
nMotion96
Joe_torch
netprince
Deathdealer
DanguS emailed Aug 9th
reptiles
Karlthev
ledcarry
Noctilion
jimmiej480 via PM and e-mail 10/14

Re: The longest throwing LED flashlight in the world (part 2)

Well it has been a little while since I shipped the last round of lights and some of you may be wondering what the hold up is with the next round. I am making some production changes. Due to some prodding by Glenn7 I decided to revisit the additional optic idea I had mentioned some time before. I did a quick and dirty test with my light meter. I did a ceiling bounce of two DEFTs one with the additional optic and one without.
Benefits of additional optic
(1)With the additional optic there was 60% more light getting out.
(2)There is a huge reduction in chromatic aberration.
(3)It now throws slightly farther.
(4)The field of view is bigger due to a larger projected die size.
(5)Increased versitility due to the added ability to be a full flood with the LED still protected.


This first shot is of a Raidfire Spear as a frame of reference.


Next we have the DEFT without the optic.


This is the DEFT with the optic.



This shows both side by side on some trees about 500' away. W/O on the left and with on the right.


This is the DEFT with the head removed using only the additional optic.











All in all a very good upgrade. I agonized over whether or not to offer it only as an option. I decided to just make it a standard part on the light because I realized nobody in their right mind would want the DEFT without it. And if it was an option that would only further complicate an already very complicated build as I would then have to keep track of one more variable. I am raising the price by $15 to account for the extra work and materials involved. In order to make this work right we have to have set the light up for it in the first place. That means that it will unfortunately not be something that your can retrofit with few exceptions. It might work on some of the earlier lights. It's complicated but it has to do with how we set up the copper bases in the lights.
A big thanks to Glenn7 for pushing me to make the monster even more potent. As a note to all who have already sent in payment you will not be required to pay the extra $15 and your lights will be shipped with the new design.

One other production change is an upgrade in the quality of the resin used with the carbon fiber. It is stronger and more heat resistant. As a note to any current owners(and future for that matter) be careful not to leave your light in a hot car during the summer. The heat in a car can be very intense and can soften the plastic and resins used in the bezel. The new stuff is much better but I would still avoid it. Thanks everyone, Michael

Re: The longest throwing LED flashlight in the world (part 2)

Interesting tinkering!

Re: The longest throwing LED flashlight in the world (part 2)

But Glenn7 hasn't got one yet to brag about :mecry: you are turning him into a lesser man around this hood :candle:

Michael,
Count me in for the new lens even if it means a longer wait. Let me know of any additional money owed.
Thanks.
Bob

Hot damn, I can't wait to see what else you have in store when it comes my time pay :thumbsup:

Parker VH said:

Michael,
Count me in for the new lens even if it means a longer wait. Let me know of any additional money owed.
Thanks.
Bob

Click to expand...

Same here.

Also, thanks to Glenn7 for being the catalyst for the design improvement.

Re: The longest throwing LED flashlight in the world (part 2)

Glenn7 said:

But Glenn7 hasn't got one yet to brag about :mecry: you are turning him into a lesser man around this hood :candle:

Click to expand...

Sorry Glenn. It has taken a while to get the master copy done and then to make molds that work right. I have spent a lot of time on it. You have been more than patient throughout this whole process. It really would not have happened if you had not pushed me to do it. Thanks.

Hey just wanted to say that I've been using my new MC-E 4A the past couple nights and I absolutely LOVE it. While it doesn't throw quite as far as the XR-E R2 WH pill, it sends out a more useful searchlight beam. It works very well for sweeping a large school field (1000'+) for example. :twothumbs
I can't wait for you to eventually get a more aggressive driver for the MC-E. I'll be buying one and another MC-E pill as soon as you have them available.

Also, I don't know if my DEFT is too old to get a secondary optic or not. Is there anything I can check for to see if mine is compatible? If it is, I'm ready to send more money your way to ship one up here to me.

Thanks for your dedication to the project and for putting up with us crazy flashaholics.

PhantomPhoton said:

Hey just wanted to say that I've been using my new MC-E 4A the past couple nights and I absolutely LOVE it. While it doesn't throw quite as far as the XR-E R2 WH pill, it sends out a more useful searchlight beam. It works very well for sweeping a large school field (1000'+) for example. :twothumbs
I can't wait for you to eventually get a more aggressive driver for the MC-E. I'll be buying one and another MC-E pill as soon as you have them available.

Also, I don't know if my DEFT is too old to get a secondary optic or not. Is there anything I can check for to see if mine is compatible? If it is, I'm ready to send more money your way to ship one up here to me.

Thanks for your dedication to the project and for putting up with us crazy flashaholics.

Click to expand...

Glad you like the MC-E 4A. That is a wonderful tint bin isn't it? Are you using it with the smooth or diffused lens. Don't know if you noticed or not but it came with my new method of etching the glass dome on the LED itself. That allows you to use it with the smooth lens for increased throw. I have been waiting on parts to come for the upgraded drivers.

I don't know if your light will work with the new optic or not either. It is sort of hit or miss. There are several variables and the only way to know for sure is to try it. The main problem comes from the fact that the range of motion between the head being screwed all the way down and the head being wobbly is about 180°-360°. It is different for every light due to variance in the tolerances. When you add the optic the head needs to be able to rotate in/clockwise about 340° to still be in focus. That said I just did a test to see what would happen if you kept the focus the same as stock and just added the extra lens. Although not in focus the beam was quite pleasing. There is some chromatic aberration but it's not bad and the beam has a softer transition from the spot. It is a round beam.
I'll see if I can get some pictures up tonight.

BTW Thanks DM for starting the new thread for me. I was shocked as I didn't know it was coming but I had figured we were near that point.

Well, I raise my glass to numbers 4-55 on the current run for this amazing light. At least we'll be getting a nice added feature on our DEFT!

Parker VH said:

Michael,
Count me in for the new lens even if it means a longer wait. Let me know of any additional money owed.
Thanks.
Bob

Click to expand...

As I said in the first post on this all lights from here forward will have the new optic. I did not feel it was right to ask everyone to pay for it since you already paid up and it was my decision to implement this right away and across the board. I will gladly accept a payment to cover the extra part but it is not required. Thanks!

300winmag said:

Hot damn, I can't wait to see what else you have in store when it comes my time pay :thumbsup:

Click to expand...

I have quite a few new design ideas that have yet to be seen. I don't know what will be available by the time yours comes around but as I have said before if I ever see a way to improve the product I will do it as soon as possible.

jblackwood said:

Well, I raise my glass to numbers 4-55 on the current run for this amazing light. At least we'll be getting a nice added feature on our DEFT!

Click to expand...

Its actually from 25-. I have been holding back on sending lights out while I reconfigured everything. :thumbsup:



I'm going to have to get those pictures up tomorrow. I'm trying to work at getting to bed earlier. :tired: Good night folks.

Well I'll just have to try it then.
I've been using the MC-E with the smooth lens as I noticed it had the etched dome. I"ll try it with the textured lens sometime too for a more soft & fuzzy hotspot within the next day or two.
Yes 4A is a very nice tint. I'll have to give some thought to what I want my next MC-E tint to be.
Good to hear progress is moving forward on the beefier MC-E drivers.

So, how much for the 2ndary Optic + shipping? It should get to me in time for the get together. If you have them ready to go.

Can't wait to see what else you have coming. Had any luck sourcing some larger emitters? :devil:

Hey M...you may want to reduce some of those page one photos down to thumbnails, as most have seen them by now at full size, and when coming back to check on shipping update, it does take quite a while to load them all. Just a suggestion. Click on my Destructive Testing thread to see what I mean with all those thumbnails, it still loads fast.

Ditto for me. I would gladly pay for any additional cost as a result of R&D driven upgrades. This sort of striving for better performance and refining the design cost time/money, as a result in people are getting a better product. I can't wait to see what's in store with higher output drivers/LEDs.

Parker VH said:

Michael,
Count me in for the new lens even if it means a longer wait. Let me know of any additional money owed.
Thanks.
Bob

Click to expand...

Thanks for the payment. That is very kind of you.

PhantomPhoton said:

So, how much for the 2ndary Optic + shipping? It should get to me in time for the get together. If you have them ready to go.

Can't wait to see what else you have coming. Had any luck sourcing some larger emitters? :devil:

Click to expand...

$15 for the optic and $2 for 1st class or $5 for USPS Priority.
I still have not managed to get my hands on those emitters. It's about time to bug them again.

LuxLuthor said:

Hey M...you may want to reduce some of those page one photos down to thumbnails, as most have seen them by now at full size, and when coming back to check on shipping update, it does take quite a while to load them all. Just a suggestion. Click on my Destructive Testing thread to see what I mean with all those thumbnails, it still loads fast.

Click to expand...

Thats a very good idea. I will do that as soon as I can. Thanks

Hopefully it works. I'll let you know how it goes (or maybe have to ask a question about it) when it gets here to me.

I went out last night and got a shot of the beam as it would look as a retrofit. What I did was keep the light at the same position as it was when it was in focus without the additional optic and just added the optic in. This is what it would look like if you add the new optic to an older light that cannot be screwed inwards anymore.

The farther in you can screw the head the more defined the beam will become with the new optic.