Another MCE light

This time its from... Coleman.

Stats:
500 lumens
5hr runtime (non-regulated),
6AAs.

Its a little more than half way down the page. I actually looks decent too.

http://www.tactical-life.com/online/exclusives/shot-show-day-2/?hp=exclusives_title

Good find, definitely unexpected coming from coleman. Too bad about the lack of regulation. Also having only 1 mode( I think its only 1 mode?), limits its functionality with it being that bright.

2,200 X 6 AA bats = 13,200 mAh / 5h runtime = 2.6A * 1.5v = 3.9w/.93A fed to the MC-E, meaning around 200 OTF lumens \ 245 emitter lumens. For comparison, the Malkoff M60 draws a little over an amp for around 220 OTF lumens.

Good one, Coleman. Anyway you look at it the '500 lumen' rating is a complete fraud. Those '700 lumen' P7 DX lights that put out around 400 are FAR closer to their advertised ratings.

Then again, I might have made a completely obvious math flaw. Feel free to ridicule me if I have

Edit: Ah-hah, it's unregulated. So the 200 OTF lumens is an average, it might start off at 300 or so depending on how much current it can draw out of the AAs before falling to far lower then 200.

Kind of a bad deal for an 'incredible' $80.

Good find. The Coleman light looks OK, but check out that Surefire history museum/display! I hope that someone from CPF at the SHOT Show will be able to share detailed photos of that.

actually looks decent .
but how about the head?

unregulated, unschmegulated

Why would, say, Eneeloop AAs benefit from regulation? Their discharge curve is so flat, you'd barely notice the drop in voltage till the cells were 80 percent empty. No?

Most of my new lights have been AA based, and having a good MCE option is tempting. I like the form factor too. Looks similar, including sideswitch, to a 2D M@g. I guess there is a battery carrier, though it would be nice if there wasn't. Since I would definately be using Eneloops, I'm hoping regulation wouldn't be that necessary.

Re: unregulated, unschmegulated

Paul_in_Maryland said:

Why would, say, Eneeloop AAs benefit from regulation? Their discharge curve is so flat, you'd barely notice the drop in voltage till the cells were 80 percent empty. No?

Click to expand...

+1

I'd be fine with DD on a 3S2P stack, especially if it's in a 2D form-factor.

was using regular AAs for my example. In my opinion, having to buy specal rechargibles for an AA light partially negotates the convenience advantage of AAs, and it seems rare for non-flashaholics to do so. Just my 2 cents

You don't have to buy rechargeables, it's just an option. If you want longer runtime at lower and declining output, stick with alkalines. If you want higher, flatter output, go with NiMH.

The form-factor is what I'm most intrigued by. Obviously, 3AAA DD lights are a dime a dozen, with performance to loath. It's easy enough to piece together a 3AA DD light from parts readily available on CPF, but I'm not a fan of the 3AA series or 1D form-factors. 2D, on the other hand, is quite comfortable to me, but sourcing 6AA (3S2P) -> 2D holder can be tricky. Plus a 2D host is a couple centimeters longer than you actually need for a 3S2P AA pack. I'll be keeping a close eye on this one, just for the potential of the smaller-than-2D size.

I guess, but unless your going to be in situations where you can't buy AA batteries, buying an AA light and then buying rechargeables to use it exclusively with doesn't seem to have many advantages over buying a light in a standard rechargeable size (18650, 28650 etc.) aside from the awkward form factor and lower energy density.

But it could be useful if you were camping etc. and needed to purchase batteries at a gas station.

In a 2D host size, this doesn't seem like a good value - you could put together an XP-G assembly yourself in a Maglight host with a buck driver for cheaper then this, and you'd get regulation + a custom built light.

I'm still interested. Being able to run on alkaline AA's in a pinch has value to me. I don't need another P7/MC-E/SST-50 based light that runs on an Li-ion (or two). The market's full of them. But there's only a few lights based on any of those emitters that run on AA's, and I have yet to be thrilled with any of them.

And, sure, I could build something much better/brighter/cheaper/etc. But that's not always the point. This Coleman might actually be an MC-E based light that a friend or relative could pick up at the local brick and mortar, and can be run on cells available in the same store.

gswitter said:

I'm still interested. Being able to run on alkaline AA's in a pinch has value to me. I don't need another P7/MC-E/SST-50 based light that runs on an Li-ion (or two). The market's full of them. But there's only a few lights based on any of those emitters that run on AA's, and I have yet to be thrilled with any of them.

And, sure, I could build something much better/brighter/cheaper/etc. But that's not always the point. This Coleman might actually be an MC-E based light that a friend or relative could pick up at the local brick and mortar, and can be run on cells available in the same store.

Click to expand...

In general, the market responds to demand. And I'm not convinced there's a huge demand for $80 AA lights. None of the friends and relatives I know would dream of spending over $20 for their lights (except for the ones on this forum). But there may be a market, I'm spouting uninformed opinions and Coleman obviously knows what they're doing

joshconsulting said:

None of the friends and relatives I know would dream of spending over $20 for their lights...

Click to expand...

I imagine your DBS might change a few minds.

gswitter said:

I imagine your DBS might change a few minds.

Click to expand...

I use the DBS for glazed expression. In fact, I get a double glazed expression. Once when I turn it on, once when I tell them the price. I always back it up with the AKOray K-106, a tiny 220 lumen pocket rocket for $13 always makes them jealous again.

Then again, I just see so much more potential on LiIon batteries. The storage density is so many times more then AAs that an AA light just seems a huge waste of weight and space to me in the off chance you'll need to use non rechargeable. I'll take my DBS with a backup box of CR123s in case of an emergency, thank you :twothumbs

NWdude83 said:

This time its from... Coleman.

Stats:
500 lumens
5hr runtime (non-regulated

Click to expand...

Just curious why you state it's non-regulated. Is that your conclusion (by virtue of its omission from the specs) because a flashaholic assumes Coleman would want to highlight such a feature if it had it?

Two less "AA" Batteries and half the price of a Fenix TK40.

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=2000003911&categoryid=1185&brand

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