Anyone Heard of this "Cobalt" Brand Flashlight?

I normally despise the 3xAAA format, but I've been offered a quantity (several dozen) of these lights at an attractive price. The seller is far enough away that I don't want to make the drive without a little background information from an independent source.

The brand is "Cobalt", and it's a 3xAAA light with a single "1-watt" LED. The only online referece that I've turned up is an expired auction http://www.rockbottomauctions.com/Auction/APViewItem.asp?ID=562889 , where the output is referenced as 45 lumens. This implies that it might be an older Luxeon emitter, but that's just a guess.

Anybody ever seen one of these lights up close, or found another online reference? Is it direct-drive, or does it contain electronics? Any other information available?

thanks!

It looks to be a variation of the Dorcy Element.

Willing to bet its DD. I have never seen a cheap 3AAA that wasn't.

Anyhow, good luck and I hope I am wrong. (I can't imagine owning more than one 3AAA light.)

Thanks guys,

Yahoo search doesn't turn up much on the Dorcy Element, any idea what the emitter is?

Direct drive is what I figured, it makes sense in a 4.5-V light with only one output level. In such a light, a series resistor is about 80% efficient as a "driver", and you wouldn't do much better (if as well) using any other method. You don't get as good of regulation, though.

funkychateau said:

Thanks guys,

Yahoo search doesn't turn up much on the Dorcy Element, any idea what the emitter is?

Direct drive is what I figured, it makes sense in a 4.5-V light with only one output level. In such a light, a series resistor is about 80% efficient as a "driver", and you wouldn't do much better (if as well) using any other method. You don't get as good of regulation, though.

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thats assuming it even uses a resistor. many are pure DD... not even a resistor to limit current. These designs rely on the Alkaline chemistry (high internal resistance) to limit current. Thats not all together terrible... except for the fact that alkalines have horrid discharge curves (at best), and depending on the emitter used, NiMH cells will pass too much current and risk over-heating the LED. (a condition known to plague many 3AAA lenser designs, for example).

Curious... what are you planning to do with 5-6 dozen of these?:huh:

If you can get them for less than $5 each, it might be worthwhile. In my experience, those cheap lights aren't worth paying much for.

Tekno_Cowboy said:

If you can get them for less than $5 each, it might be worthwhile. In my experience, those cheap lights aren't worth paying much for.

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+1

kramer5150 said:

Curious... what are you planning to do with 5-6 dozen of these?:huh:

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If they are decent emitters and not too shabby quality, I figured everyone I know will get them for birthdays and stocking-stuffers. And maybe I'll take a few of them apart and use the emitter/reflector heads to make some sort of hi/lo lighting array for my bike. I'm a gadget nerd, so I'll think of something

Got 'em

Well, it was a 300-mile round trip, but I now have about 100 of these babies. It was all or nothing, after investing $50 in gas

Anyway, they are pretty solidly made (not thin-walled junk), with decent threads, and the output seems just a hair less than my Fenix L1P. They have a slightly purple tint to the beam.

I was expecting some cheap-charlie no-name batteries, but was pleasantly surprised to see that they included Duracells in the package.

I'll probably use about 10 or so of these lights for parts for my multi-beam bike light, and sell the rest on the marketplace or Craigslist.

Use a 18500 in it.

R@ndom said:

Use a 18500 in it.

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How would that work in place of the 3xAAA in a direct-drive light?

Went to my local Lowe's store this evening and luck would have it ... I found the "Cobalt" branded flashlights but the one package that caught my eyes had a 90 lumens labelling on it. Just wondering if the ones I saw are the updated version of the light.

sims2k said:

Went to my local Lowe's store this evening and luck would have it ... I found the "Cobalt" branded flashlights but the one package that caught my eyes had a 90 lumens labelling on it. Just wondering if the ones I saw are the updated version of the light.

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Hey Sims,
Actually at Lowes, it's Kobalt. Decent light, but many claim it's overpriced.
The brand in question here is Cobalt. I saw a few at OSH. Didn't recognize the 1 Watt LED as a Luxeon or Cree. And my phone couldn't get even a near decent picture.





Didn't have long, wife was in clothing store nearby and called me for an opinion.

btw, Funky, are these the ones you got? Please post pix and review.

danielo_d said:

Hey Sims,
Actually at Lowes, it's Kobalt. Decent light, but many claim it's overpriced.
The brand in question here is Cobalt. I saw a few at OSH. Didn't recognize the 1 Watt LED as a Luxeon or Cree. And my phone couldn't get even a near decent picture.

Didn't have long, wife was in clothing store nearby and called me for an opinion.

btw, Funky, are these the ones you got? Please post pix and review.

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Yes - the product and packaging, right down to the included batteries, appear identical.

I've never done a flashlight review, but I'll see what I can come up with, and will try to get a better-focused picture of the LED. I have some other lights I could use in a beamshot comparison (if I can find an accessible wall - my screen name describes my housekeeping skills), but no metering to actually quantify output.