Bonfire 300 lumen headlamp by Bright Medic

Grizzly22 · Aug 12, 2012

Anyone ever heard of this or have experience with this? I don't know much about it myself, but it sounds like Bright Medic is a newer company.

I bought this over on Amazon for about $28. The reviews are excellent, and so far I have been satisfied with it, it met my expectations, especially considering the price. Thinking about buying a second one as the 10 year old likes it when we go out at night time. I can't comment on the battery life yet but so far I'm still on the batteries that came with it. I'm sure some good NiMH rechargeable batteries would make a difference.

Just curious if anyone else has used this or heard much of it.

Szemhazai · Aug 13, 2012

Quite a lot of people... but they have paid $6-8 and nobody claimed that it can give more than 150 lumens

.
i.e. :
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/retrac...e-headlamp-with-strap-black-red-126410?item=4

thecyclops · Jan 18, 2013

Szemhazai said:
Quite a lot of people... but they have paid $6-8 and nobody claimed that it can give more than 150 lumens .
i.e. :
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/retrac...e-headlamp-with-strap-black-red-126410?item=4

That is the knockoff version.If you do your research you will see that bright medic and amazon are the ONLY authorized sellers at this point.The Bonfire has got amazing reviews and a 100% guarantee on their product,no questions asked.Im purchasing one today,per the last few days of research.The light IS 300 lumens from all accounts I have seen that purchased the real deal.That being said,I will post back in a week or so,depending on ship time,to let you know what I think and compare it to a few LED's I have.

thecyclops · Jan 18, 2013

florinache · Jan 18, 2013

Even if there was a 300lm Cree emitter inside, (xp-g or xm-l) and a nice circuit, all you'd get would be around 40 minutes of light out of it on high and around 3,5 hours on lo. Discharging AAA's at 1Ah is not an easy deal.

And I think that they'd be proud of this and we'd know it from their site. But no, inside there is just another "Cree Q3 5W" diode.

Bright Medic is just another cover name for a cheap lights manufacturing Chinese company. Somebody has to buy these lamps, so why not the doctors? They have money, so let's sell to them at triple price

)

thecyclops · Jan 18, 2013

florinache said:
Even if there was a 300lm Cree emitter inside, (xp-g or xm-l) and a nice circuit, all you'd get would be around 40 minutes of light out of it on high and around 3,5 hours on lo. Discharging AAA's at 1Ah is not an easy deal. And I think that they'd be proud of this and we'd know it from their site. But no, inside there is just another "Cree Q3 5W" diode.

Bright Medic is just another cover name for a cheap lights manufacturing Chinese company. Somebody has to buy these lamps, so why not the doctors? They have money, so let's sell to them at triple price )

Its an American company,the rest I am not remotely qualified to post on.That being said they are a very proud american company,and have a 100% guarantee and even offer discounts to those who have bought the cheap chinese knockoffs.
Here is their website.Seems like a young upstart company to me.When you see reviews on amazon,the manafacturer is quick to resond and offer any help available...Im with it.
http://www.brightmedic.com/

rojos · Jan 18, 2013

thecyclops said:
Its an American company,the rest I am not remotely qualified to post on.That being said they are a very proud american company,and have a 100% guarantee and even offer discounts to those who have bought the cheap chinese knockoffs.
Here is their website.Seems like a young upstart company to me.When you see reviews on amazon,the manafacturer is quick to resond and offer any help available...Im with it.
http://www.brightmedic.com/

They also proudly sell Sipik SK68 clones for $17.95!! On sale from their normal price of $24.95 !! :laughing:
And they also sell LED Lenser H7 clones for $34.95!! On sale from their normal price of $49.95!! :laughing: :laughing:

The laughing faces are there you see because a real Sipik SK68 (which itself is a sort of rip-off of the Nitecore Extreme) and a real LED Lenser H7 cost less than that AND the ones on the website you linked are obviously fakes.

This is not the first time that Chinese knock-off lights have been sold at marked up prices by an "American" company. And, unfortunately, I suppose it won't be the last.

thecyclops · Jan 18, 2013

Well,to be honest Im very ignorant to such things,but Im gonna email the manufacturer,to at least see what they say about whay I have read here...

thecyclops · Jan 18, 2013

rojos said:
They also proudly sell Sipik SK68 clones for $17.95!! On sale from their normal price of $24.95 !! :laughing:
And they also sell LED Lenser H7 clones for $34.95!! On sale from their normal price of $49.95!! :laughing: :laughing:

The laughing faces are there you see because a real Sipik SK68 (which itself is a sort of rip-off of the Nitecore Extreme) and a real LED Lenser H7 cost less than that AND the ones on the website you linked are obviously fakes.

This is not the first time that Chinese knock-off lights have been sold at marked up prices by an "American" company. And, unfortunately, I suppose it won't be the last.

And Im am NOT in any way being ugly or an a$$ when I ask this (I have acknowledged several times here that a lot of posters on this site have forgotten more about flashlights than I know)...So,how is it that a 200 lumen flashlight on their site at 17.95/24.95 msrp is laughable,yet I can get a 200 lumen dorcy on amazon for $18 and its not laughable? Or am I waYYYYYYYYYYYYY off here? Ive seen quite a few 150-200 lumen lights with excellent reviews at that price point.

rojos · Jan 18, 2013

thecyclops said:
And Im am NOT in any way being ugly or an a$$ when I ask this (I have acknowledged several times here that a lot of posters on this site have forgotten more about flashlights than I know)...So,how is it that a 200 lumen flashlight on their site at 17.95/24.95 msrp is laughable,yet I can get a 200 lumen dorcy on amazon for $18 and its not laughable? Or am I waYYYYYYYYYYYYY off here? Ive seen quite a few 150-200 lumen lights with excellent reviews at that price point.

I don't know which Dorcy you refer to, but you shouldn't compare two flashlights purely by output alone. An Eagletac D25A Mini, for example, only produces 110 lumens OTF and costs $40, but is worth it for the features and build quality. Output is just one of many factors that need to be compared.

But aside from that, charging $17.95 for a Sipik clone is laughable because the normal price for one is 6 to 7 dollars. Just go on Amazon and search for "Sipik" and you'll see what I mean.

And charging $34.95 for a fake LED Lenser H7 is even more laughable because a REAL LED Lenser H7 goes for $34 on Amazon. The REAL one on Amazon costs less than their fake one!! :crackup:

thecyclops · Jan 18, 2013

rojos said:
I don't know which Dorcy you refer to, but you shouldn't compare two flashlights purely by output alone. An Eagletac D25A Mini, for example, only produces 110 lumens OTF and costs $40, but is worth it for the features and build quality. Output is just one of many factors that need to be compared.

But aside from that, charging $17.95 for a Sipik clone is laughable because the normal price for one is 6 to 7 dollars. Just go on Amazon and search for "Sipik" and you'll see what I mean.

And charging $34.95 for a fake LED Lenser H7 is even more laughable because a REAL LED Lenser H7 goes for $34 on Amazon. The REAL one on Amazon costs less than their fake one!!

The dorcy is the 200 lumen"metal gear",and in fact should be here this evening!!! Fedex smartpost says"in transit"so Im hoping,but maybe tomorrow?
How do you know its a "fake",just by looks,or specs? Either way I emailed the company brightmedic,linked this thread andthey responded within 2 hours.Keep an eye on here,as will I (I am ordering the headlamp in question though,the bonfire) but they said they will respond to this thread within the next day or 2...

rojos · Jan 18, 2013

thecyclops said:
How do you know its a "fake"

Alright. The "200 lumen Mini Bonfire" on Brightmedic's site is what is often referred to as a Sipik clone. It is based on the Sipik SK68 which itself copied the body shape of the Nitecore Extreme. The Sipik, in essence, is already fake, and that makes the Sipik clone a fake of a fake.

Here's a link to the Nitecore Extreme. It has photos so that you can compare.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...eme-Review-RUNTIMES-BEAMSHOTS-COMPARISONS-etc

By-the-way, the fact that a company is selling knock-off Chinese lights at marked up prices isn't big news. It's happened many times before. And I suppose it's bound to happen again.

thecyclops · Jan 18, 2013

rojos said:
Alright. The "200 lumen Mini Bonfire" on Brightmedic's site is what is often referred to as a Sipik clone. It is based on the Sipik SK68 which itself copied the body shape of the Nitecore Extreme. The Sipik, in essence, is already fake, and that makes the Sipik clone a fake of a fake.

Here's a link to the Nitecore Extreme. It has photos so that you can compare.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...eme-Review-RUNTIMES-BEAMSHOTS-COMPARISONS-etc

Again man,I am not questioning you(well I suppose I am,but you know what I mean) I understand what you are saying,and a fake of a fake,lol that is funny if true.Im gonna wait to see what brightmedic has to say about all of this,as long as they come through with their promise of a rebuttal.
But again,based solely on over 116 reviews available for the bonfire headlamp and the apparent 100% guarantee/great customer service Im gonna order...And what the hell,its less than $30!!!

rojos · Jan 18, 2013

thecyclops said:
But again,based solely on over 116 reviews available for the bonfire headlamp and the apparent 100% guarantee/great customer service Im gonna order...And what the hell,its less than $30!!!

Well, beware of Amazon reviews: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/20/technology/finding-fake-reviews-online.html?_r=0

As for that $30 headlamp, you can find listing upon listing of the same headlamp on eBay for about $7.

If you wanted to spend 30-ish dollars on a headlamp, you would have been better off with a Fenix HL21 or a Princeton Tec Eos.

thecyclops · Jan 18, 2013

rojos said:
Well, beware of Amazon reviews: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/20/technology/finding-fake-reviews-online.html?_r=0

As for that $30 headlamp, you can find listing upon listing of the same headlamp on eBay for about $7.

If you wanted to spend 30-ish dollars on a headlamp, you would have been better off with a Fenix HL21 or a Princeton Tec Eos.

I havent ordered it yet and I do have an energizer 7LED 58 lumen headlamp and just recently received a Black Diamond Cosmo 2013 edition 70 lumen.Havent really tested the cosmo (I am tomorrow hopefully going night hiking tomorrow for a few miles)
Although I do have a thread about it on here,in this forum.

rojos · Jan 18, 2013

thecyclops said:
Im purchasing one today

thecyclops said:
I am ordering the headlamp in question

thecyclops said:
Im gonna order

thecyclops said:
I havent ordered it yet

:shakehead

thecyclops · Jan 18, 2013

So I see that my genuine questions and naiveness is funny to you.Ill not be rude or say anything else.Good luck with life.

rojos · Jan 18, 2013

thecyclops said:
Good luck with life.

Thanks! I appreciate it. Best of luck to you as well. :thumbsup:

AnAppleSnail · Jan 19, 2013

Let's see how the lamp is. But the 3xAAA driving a few-mode circuit with an overstated lumen claim has been around since power LEDs got cheap. You'll get about half the claimed lumens, and the output at the end of the claimed runtime is going to be quite dim. This isn't a knock on any company in particular, it's just the facts of physics with lighting. It might work well as a light, but I won't feel good trusting my safety to something made by a manufacturer with no scruples about lying badly.

3xAAA alkaleaks (Because alkalines leak) represents about (400 mAh available at high drain, 1.5v, x3) 1.8 watt-hours. And if LEDs are at almost 120 lumens per watt, that means you get about 216 lumen-hours out of some AAAs on high (216 lumen for one hour, or fifty for four hours). The facts are that most Cree LEDs really only produce 300 lumens at the diode when driven at 1A, reduced somewhat for temperature. Driving alkaleak AAAs flat-out tends to give you a sharp discharge curve. After about ten minutes at an amp, the batteries can't deliver much voltage anymore. The LED gets dimmer and takes less current, giving longer runtime as the output drops. The short version is: Buy two and turn one on. You won't notice it getting dimmer until you turn the second one on after ten minutes. Wow! It's like the new one is 100% brighter... Or the old one is 50% dimmer.

If they minded the opinions of informed people, they wouldn't lie so poorly. Since they don't care for the opinions of those who are qualified to judge their products, that tells me a lot about their stuff, doesn't it?

PS: Aspheric headlamps LOOK really cool when you first use them, but they aren't much fun in mid-range distances. UP-close the flood is great, and far away the thin beam works well, but it's really tough to search a yard efficiently. You could blast more lumens ad infinitum, but half are thrown away inside the lamp, and another half go into the sky, and you can do the math from here.

thecyclops · Jan 19, 2013

AnAppleSnail said:
Let's see how the lamp is. But the 3xAAA driving a few-mode circuit with an overstated lumen claim has been around since power LEDs got cheap. You'll get about half the claimed lumens, and the output at the end of the claimed runtime is going to be quite dim. This isn't a knock on any company in particular, it's just the facts of physics with lighting. It might work well as a light, but I won't feel good trusting my safety to something made by a manufacturer with no scruples about lying badly.

3xAAA alkaleaks (Because alkalines leak) represents about (400 mAh available at high drain, 1.5v, x3) 1.8 watt-hours. And if LEDs are at almost 120 lumens per watt, that means you get about 216 lumen-hours out of some AAAs on high (216 lumen for one hour, or fifty for four hours). The facts are that most Cree LEDs really only produce 300 lumens at the diode when driven at 1A, reduced somewhat for temperature. Driving alkaleak AAAs flat-out tends to give you a sharp discharge curve. After about ten minutes at an amp, the batteries can't deliver much voltage anymore. The LED gets dimmer and takes less current, giving longer runtime as the output drops. The short version is: Buy two and turn one on. You won't notice it getting dimmer until you turn the second one on after ten minutes. Wow! It's like the new one is 100% brighter... Or the old one is 50% dimmer.

If they minded the opinions of informed people, they wouldn't lie so poorly. Since they don't care for the opinions of those who are qualified to judge their products, that tells me a lot about their stuff, doesn't it?

PS: Aspheric headlamps LOOK really cool when you first use them, but they aren't much fun in mid-range distances. UP-close the flood is great, and far away the thin beam works well, but it's really tough to search a yard efficiently. You could blast more lumens ad infinitum, but half are thrown away inside the lamp, and another half go into the sky, and you can do the math from here.

I appreciate the response very much.I suppose my concern was (as one of the posters here stated....several times....with his hand on the bible...and very rudely I might add) is this a Chinese knockoff that this company is marking way up,or is this a genuine american company,with good build quality and a good headlamp as stated by the company,many reviews and its others have copied them?
Honestly as far as doing research on the company,reviews,their customer service response time and guarantee,they seem legit,but Im a noob here I know and do value the opinions of the posters. If they are lying about everything (trusting my safety,as you said,is also a concern) ,then I suppose I could have spent $30 a little more wisely...thanks again for the response.

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