Dereelight DBS-T XR-E EZ900 2MT-M Aspherical owners opinions on a great thrower.

Oztorchfreak

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I have the Dereelight DBS-T XR-E EZ900 2MT-M and straight away the first day I got it I could not wait until dark to try it out.

Well it exceeded my expectations as I have never had an Aspherical flashlight before.

I had to get used to the square type of image of the LED that the lens projected.

This thrower out-throws my Olight SR90.

The way a 3W LED running at just 1.5A can be made to concentrate so much light into such a small narrow beam is amazing.

It is rated between 95Kcd and 100kcd.

If I point the SR90 onto a target around 200 yards away then point the Dereelight Aspherical into the centre of the Olight SR90 beam it is stronger than the SR90.

I also have bought the other Dereelight head with the T6 Pill running at 700 lumens and a Smooth Reflector for converting the Aspherical into a normal use flashlight with Hi, Med and Lo using the original body and batteries.

I bought the 18650 and the 18500 extenders for longer runtime and to make sure the EZ900 runs at 1.5A instead of 1.2A on just one 18650 or two CR123s. Eg 2 x 18650 or 2 x 18500 Li-ions will make the LED run at full power and brightness.

Be aware of that fact and use multiple batteries and not just two CR123s in the short version to make the LED run at the highest amperage and therefore the highest brightness.

1 x 18650 will work, but not at maximum power (use only "protected" lithium-ions).

I was just wondering how other owners are enjoying their new purchase or do they have any criticisms of this fast selling Aspherical light that sells for under $100.

And best of all these lights are upgradeable like Lego sets.
 
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WadeF

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Looks like a cool setup, but you can't put a beam on top of another beam to compare output, you are adding the light together. It looks brighter because you are seeing the DBS hot spot, plus the light from the SR90. You would have to compare the beams independently side by side, not overlapping them. Even overlapping the spill from the SR-90 would add brightness to the DBS's hot spot.
 

Oztorchfreak

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Looks like a cool setup, but you can't put a beam on top of another beam to compare output, you are adding the light together. It looks brighter because you are seeing the DBS hot spot, plus the light from the SR90. You would have to compare the beams independently side by side, not overlapping them. Even overlapping the spill from the SR-90 would add brightness to the DBS's hot spot.

Ok, that may not be the best way of describing the power of this light.

If I point the Olight SR90 at a target for a little while and then swap over to the same target with the Aspherical light the target is noticeably brighter without the assistance of the SR90.

I have done this on the sides of buildings and large signs by pointing the the Aspherical away from the whole beam of the larger SR90 and everyone with me asks how the tiny little light can light up as a spot brighter than the bigger one.

A lot of my mates use a big light like my Olight SR90 or Olight M3X to scour the countryside to find a target.

Once the target is seen through the rifle scope the bigger lights are turned off, which also helps maintain night vision.

Once the approximate position of the target is aquired the Dereelight Aspherical mounted on a rifle is then used to clearly see the target without all of the glare and spill of the larger lights.
 
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Ti²C

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those dereelights are really nice upgradeable hosts, with excellent heat management for a d26 "platform" and they are not too expensive...
 

davyro

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Im with you all the way,i recieved mine nearly 2 weeks ago & i couldnt be more pleased with it.I've just been looking on the dereelight website & i fancy an C2H with aa extender with a smooth reflector & XR E r2 so ill have an edc light with a great throw as well as my DBS T.I'll be using a 14500 in the C2H.
 

WadeF

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The C2H's with smooth reflectors are great compact throwers. :)

I wouldn't be surprised at all that the DBS with a XR-E R2 driven at 1.5A would have more throw and a higher lux value than the SR-90. The SR-90 throws a lot of light out, but it's not as highly focused as the DBS. I was playing with my DBS XR-E R2 1.2A with the aspheric lens set up over the weekend at Photon Fest 18 and it still does a good job of throwing the light out there. I would like to try the new DBS aspheric with the 1.5A driver.
 

Draven451

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Oztorchfreak,

This light has been getting a lot of attention recently. I received mine yesterday and while I have not had a chance to play with mine in the dark yet. From what I have read online I have no doubts that it will exceed my expectations.

I was surprised how well made and built the DBS-T light is. The fit and finish are excellent at this price point. The forward clicky with momentary is awesome! Also being able to switch three modes - low, med and full power is a nice feature. I'm not sure how useful mode selection will be on a light like this but it is nice to have.

The aspherical head is BIG and it kind of reminds me of those bobble headed toys/dolls with the small bodies and big heads :)

So when you factor the cost to performance/build/functionality/Lego-able ratio at $100 usd this is a hard package to beat! :thumbsup:
 

Oztorchfreak

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The C2H's with smooth reflectors are great compact throwers. :)

I wouldn't be surprised at all that the DBS with a XR-E R2 driven at 1.5A would have more throw and a higher lux value than the SR-90. The SR-90 throws a lot of light out, but it's not as highly focused as the DBS. I was playing with my DBS XR-E R2 1.2A with the aspheric lens set up over the weekend at Photon Fest 18 and it still does a good job of throwing the light out there. I would like to try the new DBS aspheric with the 1.5A driver.

It just does what it has to do and does it well.

And that is throw heaps of light down a narrow beam.
 
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Oztorchfreak

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Oztorchfreak,

This light has been getting a lot of attention recently. I received mine yesterday and while I have not had a chance to play with mine in the dark yet. From what I have read online I have no doubts that it will exceed my expectations.

I was surprised how well made and built the DBS-T light is. The fit and finish are excellent at this price point. The forward clicky with momentary is awesome! Also being able to switch three modes - low, med and full power is a nice feature. I'm not sure how useful mode selection will be on a light like this but it is nice to have.

The aspherical head is BIG and it kind of reminds me of those bobble headed toys/dolls with the small bodies and big heads :)

So when you factor the cost to performance/build/functionality/Lego-able ratio at $100 usd this is a hard package to beat! :thumbsup:

The Hi, Med and Lo will come in handy on it like when you change heads like I did and put a T6 Pill with a Smooth Reflector on it and then you have a completely different normal flashlight.

Obviously while the Aspheric is on that thing you would only want to use High only.

And if you want to put another head or pill in the future as they make better LEDs and drivers you can.

I think Tiablo have some catching up to do in this game.
 

Draven451

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So you MUST run 2x 18650/18500's to get full power? 2x CR123 won't give full power to the EZ900?

Jay611j,


That is correct you need to run Li-ion cells in either 2x 18650/18500 or 2x 16340 to achieve full power with this light. The 2x CR123 do not have enough voltage to drive the LED to full power/brightness.
 

Jay611j

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Jay611j,


That is correct you need to run Li-ion cells in either 2x 18650/18500 or 2x 16340 to achieve full power with this light. The 2x CR123 do not have enough voltage to drive the LED to full power/brightness.
Thanks for the reply. I guess I'll have to get 2x 16340's, I want to keep it as small as possible.
 

bpollard

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Im seriously considering getting one of these too, but im going to get the Javelin body so i can run 3xAA's in it (to use my existing charger). with the adaptor and asherical head of course.
do you think this will still perform well? how in comparison to the Li-ion cells?
 

Oztorchfreak

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Im seriously considering getting one of these too, but im going to get the Javelin body so i can run 3xAA's in it (to use my existing charger). with the adaptor and asherical head of course.
do you think this will still perform well? how in comparison to the Li-ion cells?


This is an Excerpt from a Flashlight site helping you decide what all the parts and examples are in the Dereelight range.

[h=2]Dereelight Decision Guide[/h]
The Dereelight LED flashlights are available in a wide variety of configurations to suit individual preferences. Things such as the number of output levels, type of batteries used, and brightness bin of the LED are all variable. While this configurability is a fantastic feature of the Dereelight line, it can also be very confusing. Hopefully this guide will help you select the version that best fits your needs!


Before we start, let's go through some common flashlight terms:
Throw - How far the beam shines. The more throw, the better that distant objects can be illuminated. Throw is measured in "Lux".
Hotspot - The very center portion of the beam. When the beam is shined on a flat surface, the hotspot is the small circle of very intense light at the center. The hotspot is what illuminates objects that are out of reach of the beam's "spill".
Spill - The portion of the beam just outside of the hotspot. The spill is less bright than the hotspot, and it illuminates a wide area around the hotspot. The spill is what illuminates the immediate vicinity.
Tint - The tint is the side of the color spectrum that the LED's beam leans toward. All of the LED flashlights here put out brilliant white light, but some are "warmer" tinted, and some are "cooler" tinted.
Lumen - A unit of measure of the total light output. If you could gather all of the light emitted from the flashlight, and package it into a box, that's what lumens would measure. Don't confuse the lumen rating with how far the light will shine. Lumens will give you an idea of how well the flashlight will light up a room.
Lux - A unit of measure of brightness. Actually lux is more involved than that, but we'll keep it simple here. When you see lux measurements, the number tells you how bright the brightest portion of a flashlight's beam is. It doesn't measure the whole beam, just the brightest spot... usually in the center of the beam. Lux tells you how far the beam will shine (throw).
Pill - Also called an LED module, driver, light engine, etc. For the Dereelight flashlights, the pill is a small, threaded brass module that serves as a heatsink and contains the circuitry to power the LED. The LED is factory mounted on top of the pill. To change the pill in a Dereelight flashlight, simply remove the head of the flashlight and unscrew the pill from the bottom of the reflector. Install a new pill and reinstall the flashlight's head... it's that easy!

1) Determine how you want to use your flashlight. Do you need to spot objects at great distances, or do you want something for indoor and backyard use? How small do you want the flashlight to be? In general, the farther a flashlight throws, the bigger and deeper the reflector will be... this translates to a larger flashlight.
The DBS-T M model with the XR-E R2 LED will throw the farthest out of all the Dereelight flashlights.
The DBS-T XM-L throws a bit less, but has more overall output (lumens). Its hotspot is larger, and the "spill beam" is brighter. It also uses twice the battery power, and is best when used with one of the optional extension tubes to use more batteries.
The DBS-T XP-G models offer a beam that is somewhat of a blend of the above two lights. They throw about the same as the XM-L versions but use half the battery power.

The CL1H is great for medium distance work, up to a couple hundred feet away. It's not quite as focused as the DBS, and its hotspot is larger. It is much smaller, however, about the size of a Surefire 6P. It still out-throws most other lights in its size range... a fantastic performer! It's a great light for belt carry, or clipped to a jeans pocket.

2) Determine how many output levels you want. Dereelight flashlights (and pills) come in versions that have either three output levels (High/Medium/Low), or only one output level (High). The C2H is by itself, it has four levels. The three output level versions are nice because you have the option for full bright when you need it, and the lower two levels for when you don't need as much light. The lower two levels will conserve battery power, allowing for longer runtimes. The single level versions are great for tactical work (law enforcement) or any other time you want the flashlight to come on at max output every time.
If you want three output levels, pick a version that has a "3" in the designation. For example: 3SM or 3SD.
If you want only one output level (High), pick a version that has a "1" in the designation. For example: 1S or 1SM

3) Determine what type of batteries you want to use... CR123 non-rechargeables, RCR123 rechargeable Li-Ion, or 18650 rechargeable Li-Ion.
3SD and 1S versions: One 18650 battery ONLY
3SM versions: 2 x CR123 or 2 x RCR123. With the optional extension tube, can also use 2 x 18650 or 3 or 4 CR123 non-rechargeable batteries (depending on the max input voltage listed)
1SM-2 versions: One 18650 battery, 2 x CR123, 2 x RCR123. With the optional extension tube, can also use 2 x 18650, 4 x CR123, or 4 x RCR123.



Here are a few examples:

DBS V3 3SD XP-G R5 = Three brightness level version of the DBS V3, takes a single 18650 battery only, and features the Cree XP-G R5 LED

CL1H V4 1SM-2 XP-G R5 = Single brightness level version (high only) of the CL1H V4, can use multiple battery choices, features the Cree XP-G R5 LED

For reference:
1S = Single brightness (High only), single battery (18650 battery)

1SM-2 = Single brightness (High only), multiple battery choices... 1 x 18650, 2 x CR123a, 2 x RCR123. Or with the appropriate extension tube, either 2 x 18650, 2 x 18500, 3 x CR123a or RCR123, or 4 x CR123a or RCR123

3SD = Three brighness levels (High/Medium/Low), single battery (18650 battery)


3SM = Three brighness levels (High/Medium/Low), multiple battery choices... 2 x CR123a or 2 x RCR123. Or with the appropriate extension tube, either 2 x 18650, 2 x 18500, or 3 or 4 x CR123a or RCR123 batteries may be used, depending on the max input voltage listed (the 3SM XP-G can use 3 or 4 CR123a batteries, but not 4 RCR123 batteries. The 3SM MC-E versions generally have a lower max input voltage, so check the label on the back side of the reflector, some versions have a 9 volt limit, so three CR123a batteries would be the max allowed).
 

Oztorchfreak

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More information describing the twist function of the DBS-T light, and (talks about "upcoming 1.5A pill").

The T stands for Twist, and these models are essentially a combination of Dereelight's previous multi-level and single-level flashlights. These new T models are replacing the previous DBS V3 and CL1H V4 models.

The T models combine Dereelight's single-level and multi-level interfaces into one flashlight, and either interface can be accessed by simply tightening or loosening the head! If you want to use the light in a tactical situtation, tighten the head until it's snug. The light will function as a single-level light, staying in the High mode.

Slightly loosen the head and it'll function as Dereelight's previous 3S model multi-level flashlights. In this mode, quickly half-press the tail switch (from the on position) to cycle through High, Medium, and Low. Mode memory is still there, so it will remember the level you're using and will come back on in that level the next time.

Also new are the improved head design with large cooling fins for effective heat removal from the LED for higher brightness and longer life, and a threaded screw-on clip design that is more durable and secure.

As always, these models are performers! The Cree XP-G R5 LED's are driven at 1.2 amps to deliver 300+ out the front lumens, and Dereelight's XP-G reflectors offer exceptional throw performance and beam quality.
**Update** We also have a Cree XR-E R2 LED version driven at a whopping 1.5 amps! This one has the most focused beam, and the most throw. I'm measuring around 33,000 - 35,000 lux at one meter!

Also available with Cree XR-E R2 LED for maximum throw, and Cree XM-L LED for gobs of overall output!


They're available in:
"M" format for 2 x CR123a or 2 x RCR123 batteries (or 2 x 18650 / 2 x 18500 / 3 x CR123a with appropriate optional extension tube)
"S" format for a single 18650 battery
 

aerosmith9110

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Jay611j,


That is correct you need to run Li-ion cells in either 2x 18650/18500 or 2x 16340 to achieve full power with this light. The 2x CR123 do not have enough voltage to drive the LED to full power/brightness.


How about 2x Aw ICR 123 750mah? since it basically same voltage as its bigger brothers.... will it produce the max brightness?
 

Streak

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I asked Jay about the drive current and battery configuration of the DBS-T. He said the following:-
1.5 amp LED drive current is standard on current models.

The extension tubes are popular add-ons. They only add extra runtime, the max brightness stays the same.

Your findings seems to contradict this? I am not sure what to expect once mine arrives!
 

Oztorchfreak

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How about 2x Aw ICR 123 750mah? since it basically same voltage as its bigger brothers.... will it produce the max brightness?

I was also wondering what AW ICR 123s were too.

They seem to be a normal protected Li-ion battery.

Here is some information on them.

[h=2]Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery Notes[/h] This is a look at the AW ICR 123 750 mah lithium ion (LI) rechargeable cells that I use every day in a 4sevens Quark 123, a state of the art, single-cell LED flashlight. I have two AW ICR 123 cells whichI use alternately to power this light.
The AW ICR 123 battery has built in integrated circuit (IC) over-discharge (OD) protection Does it work? Yes. I have used these cells to the point where the OD protection kicked in somewhere between 2.5 to 2.8 V under load. A meter shows that after a few minutes, the cell gradually recovers to a resting voltage of 3V. There is a concensus on CPF that this is the correct behavior for an OD circuit. At the same time most consider running down an li-ion cell this low to be damaging to the cell's longevity. Some of the more hard core CPF'ers would even throw out a cell that has gone this far. What I'll do is to do whtat most people do; continue to use the cell, rely on the built in protection of the AW, and replace the cell if it's longevity drops unacceptably. Otherwise the conventional wisdom of CPF is that the AW is about the best cell for longevity. It would follow that this could be because of its OD protection aka PCB (for printed circuit board). I think the AW is a good overall value for a rechargeable cell for lights.
 

rdrfronty

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From my personal experience, I find the Dereelight DBS and the SR90 to be pretty equal in throw. I tested them recently with myself being on the receiving end of a 2075ft target of nice treeline. Both were able to throw a decent amount of light on the treeline. Other than the much different spot size at that distance, the intensities looked pretty equal. Just guessing, I'd say they could have gone maybe 200-300 feet or so before petering out to under 1 lumen. But at 2075ft, they both produced very useable light. About like my preon 0 does at maybe 25ft away.
 

Oztorchfreak

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If you buy the pill for multiple batteries and only use a single 18650 the EZ900 LED will not work at full brightness in this configuration.

1 x 18650 supplies an input voltage to the pill of around 3.7V whereas the multiple battery configuration supplies the pill with around 7.4V or 8.4V hot off the battery charger.

Buying the multiple battery pill means you intend to use 2 x 18650s or whatever in this flashlight and the pill will be expecting to see the higher input voltage of 2 x 3.7V (7.4V) or more from the extra battery installed.

The pill for multiple batteries needs one of the battery extenders to raise the voltage to the LED.

This lower brightness of the LED only running at 1.2A only happens if you are using the multiple battery pill.

If for instance you run 2 x 18650s or 2 x 18500s etc the LED will be driven at 1.5A and therefore full brightness.

This problem with choice of battery configurations only seems to apply when using the XR-E-EZ900 LED fiited. The EZ900 LED runs on 1.2A or 1.5A depending on the configuration you have chosen.


Cheers
 
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