What's your best 2AA led(LS) light?

What\'s your best 2AA led(LS) light?

For my experiences 2AA led lights are the most sufficient light to use everyday without worrying about batteries and bulbs.

There are
Madmax sandwitches
Lambda Illuminator HD
Lambda Illpill drop in
Lambda Illuminator III(not on sale yet)
SL junior... any more??

Since I'm not plenty enough to pay for CR123s, I really need one of them to use as an everyday-use main light. Please recommend me a good bright light among them or other cool 2AA led light if there is.(except for Arc Ls with 2aa. It's too expensive /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif) I don't care about the runtime if it runs over an hour. I want it regulated instead.

Please help me to make a choice. Thanks. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Re: What\'s your best 2AA led(LS) light?

Arc LSH-P ... that is if I get my original back from repair.

Re: What\'s your best 2AA led(LS) light?

welllllll, it depends upon how bright you need.

these are of lights that i own.

since you like regulated, you could use the opalec newbeam. 3led's, about 40-45 lux, and over 9 hours of flat, regulated runtime. not the brightest, but INCREDIBLE runtime.

another is the badboy 400 (or upcoming badboy 300 if you want longer runtimes). mine make 270-300 lux.
i tested them with alkies and got ~75 minutes of flat runtime before falling out of regulation.
with 2100mah rechargeables: OVER 150 minutes in regulation!
and the batteries arent even broken in yet.

though not regulated, the madmax +, madmax wide open and madmax lite will be very bright.

the madmax+..........madmax wide open......madmax lite
<--brighter, shorter runtime.--dimmer, longer runtime-->

good luck!

Bob

Re: What\'s your best 2AA led(LS) light?

Arc LSL for all the usual reasons.

Re: What\'s your best 2AA led(LS) light?

My best 2x AA light is my first run with 2 AA twisty, but since you have excluded it...

My next favorite (and it's close) is the mini mag w/lamda's $20 Q2k ill pill kit, borofloat lens. Total new cost including host is $34. But almost everyone has a few mini-mags laying around, so real cost is $25.

The light output is almost identical to the gold standard LSHP, since the kit include a NX05 collumator, driven by 3 volts, aprox. 350 milliamps. It's no surprise the resulting beam is almost the same. Very friendly light. Both lights output an almost perfect white beam, with a hint of warmness.

I have several other sammies, from MM+ Tbin to BB500 R2h to choose from. I still prefer the above combo as the most usable. Since I only have $25 tied up in this setup, I'm not afraid to bang it around. I'm running it on 2x 2100 milimamp batt, so runtime is exellent and free.

Re: What\'s your best 2AA led(LS) light?

You didn't mention the original CMG Reactor (that I don't recommmend) and the BB sandwich which is what I do recommend.

We don't know what the specs are yet on the SL Jr, but if SL follows its history of overdriving, it might be a bright one. Most reports on the SL 3AA Lux have been good (bright and white), so there's good reason to believe that we'll see a good white LS in the Jr, too. Based on its advertised one hour run time, that also leads me to believe that it'll be overdirven. Someone has reported that it is regulated, but again we don't have specs. The 2AA set up requires a boost circuit, but it could be either voltage or current regulated and some don't consider voltage as really being regulated. Since you only need an hour run time and want bright, this could turn out to be your best buy at about $30.

You say that the ARC is too expensive, but you can buy seconds for $50 and a 2AA tail for $9.95 which is less than what you'll pay for most of the lights that you listed except the new cheaper Ill pill.

The new pill is probably the cheapest that you'll get by with and I think the chart showed about an hour run time, but not as bright as most of the other options. He made this one for the price point - all of his other stuff is top notch.

The Bad Boy is current regulated and available in 300, 400, and 500. More mA is brighter, but less run time. The sweet spot for the BB seems to be the 400. If you want brighter then the 500 will do it and still give you the one hour + run time. A premium LS with the BB will be $45 - $50. If you don't use a Brinkmann host, then get a Kroll for $4.50 and another worthwhile upgrade is a mineral glass lens for $1.50.

Re: What\'s your best 2AA led(LS) light?

[ QUOTE ]
cy said:
...My next favorite (and it's close) is the mini mag w/electrolumen's $20 Q2k ill pill kit, borofloat lens. Total new cost including host is $34...

[/ QUOTE ]
Cy,
I think you mean Lambda's Luxeon with DC/DC for under $20.00 (aka the "EZ LED Mod", "Illuminator Pill", or "Ill Pill").
I don't believe ElektroLumens has ever made a Pill-type kit.
Pat

Re: What\'s your best 2AA led(LS) light?

[ QUOTE ]
treek13 said:
[ QUOTE ]
cy said:
...My next favorite (and it's close) is the mini mag w/electrolumen's $20 Q2k ill pill kit, borofloat lens. Total new cost including host is $34...

[/ QUOTE ]
Cy,
I think you mean Lambda's Luxeon with DC/DC for under $20.00 (aka the "EZ LED Mod", "Illuminator Pill", or "Ill Pill").
I don't believe ElektroLumens has ever made a Pill-type kit.
Pat

[/ QUOTE ]

I stand corrected and have edited my post. Thanks for pointing this out.

Thanks,
CY

Re: What\'s your best 2AA led(LS) light?

[ QUOTE ]
kitelights said:The new pill is probably the cheapest that you'll get by with and I think the chart showed about an hour run time, but not as bright as most of the other options. He made this one for the price point - all of his other stuff is top notch.

[/ QUOTE ]

I respectfully disagree with your accessment that the ill pill is poorly made. Any time you can output an almost identical beam to the gold standard LSHP. Not even looking at the price, that's a quality beam. (As this is based upon one unit, quality may very)

Comments is welcome from any else that have used the $20 ill pill.

Thanks,
CY

Re: What\'s your best 2AA led(LS) light?

The Opalec Newbeam has been an awesome light for me for camping, general use around the house during power outages (48 hour ones), and for evening walks where there are no street lights. I just can't help but love the 9+ hours of useable light.

Re: What\'s your best 2AA led(LS) light?

my two aa led light is a kl4 head on a vitalgear 3x123 body which fits 2aa's, been a good light when i dont want to use 123's, light output is average, not as bright as before, but overall not too bad for the i'm in a pinch with no 123 situations

Re: What\'s your best 2AA led(LS) light?

[ QUOTE ]
cy said:

I respectfully disagree with your accessment that the ill pill is poorly made. Any time you can output an almost identical beam to the gold standard LSHP. Not even looking at the price, that's a quality beam. (As this is based upon one unit, quality may very)

Comments is welcome from any else that have used the $20 ill pill.



[/ QUOTE ]

CY,
Not sure if your LSHP is a dud or not, but I am very sure that my former LSHP is much brighter than Lamda's $20 dropin. From memory, the LSHP is brighter than my MM running at 400mA w/ a Q2 LD. The reason is the HD Lux (also probably better bin ranking also) in the LSHP vs. the LD. Also, most LD that I have seen have a color tint problem.

Re: What\'s your best 2AA led(LS) light?

I wish I had more AA lights to play around with but from what I have my LSHP tops my list.

Re: What\'s your best 2AA led(LS) light?

[ QUOTE ]
uhammer said:[ QUOTE ]
cy said:I respectfully disagree with your accessment that the ill pill is poorly made. Any time you can output an almost identical beam to the gold standard LSHP. Not even looking at the price, that's a quality beam. (As this is based upon one unit, quality may very) Comments is welcome from any else that have used the $20 ill pill.


[/ QUOTE ]CY, Not sure if your LSHP is a dud or not, but I am very sure that my former LSHP is much brighter than Lamda's $20 dropin. From memory, the LSHP is brighter than my MM running at 400mA w/ a Q2 LD. The reason is the HD Lux (also probably better bin ranking also) in the LSHP vs. the LD. Also, most LD that I have seen have a color tint problem.

[/ QUOTE ]
My LSHP is a first and not a dud, it puts out a wonderful useable beam. I'm guessing the draw is aprox. 350-400 milliamps. It's got an almost perfect beam, bright white w/ a touch of warm tint. This is the light that converted me to EDC a light everywhere.

I've got a assortment of sammies in firefly to compare to. Do you think there is a possibilty that the $20 ill pill might be pretty good. Seeing as the beam quality is equal to an LSHP. At least it is with the pill I got.

I sure wish some other pill owners would chime in.

Re: What\'s your best 2AA led(LS) light?

I only have one LS 2AA. Minim*g with Madmax+.

It's a goodie!

Re: What\'s your best 2AA led(LS) light?

I think InReTECH's 2xAA Mini-Mag drop-in is a viable option here.
The unit is direct-drive, so use lithium AA cells at your own risk.

Re: What\'s your best 2AA led(LS) light?

Thankyou very much for your responses.
Here I have to clarify how bright I need.
Actrually I love the runtime of opalec but it's too dim for my usasge.
What I need is a beam with good spot(which could light up 65 feet distance) and enough spills. About the brightness of LSH-P with a CR123.
I have an old minimag so it would be great if the BB sandwitch or illpill has identical brightness to LSH-P.

I heard Madmax R2H is also regulated with about 90minutes of runtime... Isn't it correct? How bright is it? And what about MM Q3?

Thank you.

Joseph

Re: What\'s your best 2AA led(LS) light?

Cy - I never said that the $20 pill was poorly made. I don't have one, so my assessment was made from the chart on Lamba's site and his comments in threads. According to the chart, it appears that this pill is quite a bit less bright than the other options being discussed. Lamba said that this module was made for someone wanting to try a drop in, but didn't want to spend the higher cost on what have become premium modules (ie, entry level). When someone asked what the difference was between this and one of Wayne's modules, he replied that it was less efficient (less run time and, or not as bright). So, everything that I said was accurate. Why would you assume that just because I referred to his other stuff as premium (which it is and there is a BIG difference in them and the $20 pill), that that means I think his entry level module is junk?

BTW, my original post was not in response to yours. I had started that post, left it, and didn't finish it until later. So, I didn't read yours until after I had posted. Based on your comments, it made me regret not having ordered one before he ran out of them. I think alot like you do, placing value on things that don't cost as much, but perform as well as things that do.

Joseph - The R2H will be brighter than an ARC LSHP. How much brighter depends on what module you have in on. The MM comes in MM lite, MM, and MM+. The MM is voltage regulated, not current regulated. The MM will dim, the BB won't. My standard MM R2H will give me about 90 minutes of bright light, but much more of good usable light after that. The MM+ about 60 minutes and then more good light after that.

When you say 65 feet, do you mean able to see something at 65 feet or able to illuminate something at 65 feet. There's a BIG difference.

The R2H is an excellent choice, but it'll be very difficult to find one. They just aren't available anymore. Your only chance is to find one on B/S/T. A Q3 is the next bin down from the R, but only if it's a high dome. If it's a low dome, it will not have nearly as much throw. The last letter (like the H) is the forward voltage (vF) and will affect run time. The H is a very desireable low vF.

If the ARC LSHP is the standard that you want, then I'd recommend a High Dome Q binned Luxeon on a standard MM or a BB400. Get both the NX05 and LP Fraen optics and you can switch them out to get the beam that you prefer. The NX05 is what's in the ARC; the Fraen will greatly out throw it, but with less flood. If you're primarily using it for 65 feet, then I'd recommend the Fraen.

Don't go too nuts over the decision. It might be your first, but it won't be your last.

Re: What\'s your best 2AA led(LS) light?

I only have one 2AA light that will meet Joseph's specs, but I'm probably cheating. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif It's a LuxIII with a SWOK bin, not a 1 watt. It's in a minimag host with NX05 optics and a madmax+ converter. I've added my hi/low kroll so I can run it at lower levels. It pulls almost 1 amp from the L91 batteries.

It will light up the yard across the street from my fronmt yard. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Just to add to the discussion of the Ill pill... I bought two of them. They are quite nicely made. They both worked without problems, though when I switched it to an older host I had to decrease the diameter of the pill by a few thousandths of an inch. Both of mine have a very definite blue/purple tint. Both are low dome. Neither are as bright as my LSH-P. They remind me a lot of the Surefire L1 before I modded it.

Daniel

Re: What\'s your best 2AA led(LS) light?

How much did it cost Daniel? Must be cool!
Haha.. I'm not familiar with modifying a light anyway.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon6.gif