Did some shopping today... (pics)

So i got up in the morning today and went on a trip to Menards and Walmart. Thought i'd see what i was missing out by always bypassing the flashlight aisle.

So i got to Menards and went to the flashlight section. They had a decent selection, including a Energizer 2AAAA. Yup, a double barrel AAAA. I bought it without noticing that it was AAAA, not AAA. So i'm not opening it and its going back tomorrow. Pretty nice shape and size though. They had some Garrity lights, but nothing of interest. They also had only a couple of Dorcy flashlights.

I bought the Energizer 2AAAA, two N-cells (1.5V each) and a pack of 2100mAh AA NiMHs for my camera.

Then i got to walmart, where i saw the Brinkmann lights and the Dorcy everyone was talking about. Bought one of those, and also bought a 2pack of Rayovac "High Intensity" bulbs - 2.6V, 0.3A, 0.78W.

Here's a shot of everything, including my Solitaire.


I got the N-cells and the Rayovac bulbs to test out a mod idea i had - a very simple one, if it would just work. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

My idea was to put two of these N-cells together in the AAA compartment for a 3V source, and just replace the normal Solitaire bulb with the Rayovac one for a much brighter and more useable small and attractive light.

... if wishes were horses... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif

The N-cells not only added up to more than the length of a single AAA, but they are also thicker. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohgeez.gif So that idea was stillborn. Anyone want to buy a couple of brand new Energizer N-cells cheap? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

Then i opened up the Dorcy 1AAA 1LED. Cheap construction, let's see how it does with the Solitaire's battery. WOW its bright! I immediately unhooked the Solitaire from my keychain and put the Dorcy in its place.

The only thing i don't like about the Dorcy is the fact that you have to screw and unscrew the bottom to switch it on and off. Too prone to switching on in the pocket, IMHO.

The light is kinda purplish, but i kinda expected that since very few white LEDs are actually pure white.

I didn't open the Energizer 2AAAA since i'm returning it. It sure would've been nice to compare the beam though /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif





So all in all, a decent $ 6 spent on the Dorcy, a total waste of money on my stillborn mod idea. What do you think?

You're done, you're an addict. Say goodbye to the family or drag them into you're ugly little world. It is all down hill from here.

So sad, chunking your old friend aside like that, or maybe now thatone can go the family! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

The dorcy beam looks pretty passable. The mag beam resembles a jack o-lantern. I see two dark eyes, a bright spot for the nose, and a huge grin. Nice pumpkin color too. I think you have discovered a new seasonal application for the mag. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

David <><

Forgot to mention... the distance between light and wall was 9ft.

Did the output of the dorcy suprise you ? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif The wallmarts here do not have that dorcy.They look like a handy light I find the flood from a single unfocused 5mm very useful. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif