Any such thing as a GOOD, low current PR2-base LED?

Bimmerboy

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I've been looking around specifically for a 2 cell version with fairly low power consumption, and have no idea if any of them are any good. Nite eyez, Dorcy, generic Chinese, etc. Any advice on junk to stay away from as well?

I'm probably overthinking this as I have an ancient PR2 MJLED that still works awesomely. It's angry blue, but runs forever in a 2D light. Just wondering what experiences some of you may have had with these things in recent years. Looking for good/decent quality, somewhat low lumens, and long run time.

This is basically to put in a Fulton anglehead to help round out my collection of SHTF, long running, power outage lights.
 

ZMZ67

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I am curious about the actual efficiency of some of these drop-ins myself. The Dorcy and Nite-Ize seem to be decent but I have not done a long term run test.I really liked the original Dorcy with an old Lux one, save for the lack of dual polarity.It has a wide operating voltage and will run on a single AAA or up to 8V or so IIRC. I don't think anyone is making that kind of PR base drop-in anymore though as most folks are just buying LED lights from the start these days.

I still like the PR base drop-in for low or modest power lights like the Fulton,Incan Mags and other quality PR base incans. In the event of a disaster or TEOTWAWKI they don't have much to fail and generally are low priced compared to decent LED lights. Member xxo made a fantastic set of 3D printed battery adapters for a Fulton so it can be run on almost all the common battery types including 9V.
 
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bykfixer

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Hey Bimmer,

I bought an "upgrade" kit directly from Fulton and the LED aint bad at all.
You don't go to Fulton and just order from an e-store. You "contact us" and receive a reply and it goes from there. I was looking for new o'rings and ended up buying an LED kit that came with a PR 'bulb' and 2 clamshell type double A adapters. About the same output as a bulb but runtime should be awesome. I stuck mine away as I prefer the light bulb in my WW2 era TL122. But I did use the LED long enough to know it actually has a pretty sweet tint.
 

ZMZ67

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I know an online retailer that still carries a few Fulton items and has the upgrade kite so I might get one if it has decent tint. Are the clamshell AA adapters any good? I have some cheap clamshell adapters I picked up online but they were a disappointment.
 

Kestrel

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Hadn't really thought about it before, but having a few of those around would be a /really/ good idea.

I've always focused on my higher-end lights, so always thought these sorts of solutions were superfluous.

But to keep the 'muggles' (thanks PY) that we care about illuminated, being able to upgrade any old light that is lying around into a more robust, long-runtime SHTF marathon light - that's robably worth having a couple of these stashed away. As much as we like our SF 6P's and their progeny, they will forever be outnumbered by the legions of 2D hosts in the hands of the masses.
 
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xxo

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I'm using a 55 lumen Nite Ize in my Fulton, I like that it will work with about 2 to 9 Volts and gives lots of runtime. I think that most higher lumen bulbs are wasted in a floody Fulton, though they do better in a more tightly focusable Maglite.


I am not impressed with the current 2 cell Dorcy bulb which seems to be direct drive, is only rated for 2 cells and has a very purple tint. I am also unimpressed with the generic Chinese drop-ins off of ebay/amazon, most seem to be the same as Dorcy's and/or to have wildly inflated lumen claims.


I haven't tried them but Super Bright LEDs are supposed to be good too:

 
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Bimmerboy

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Excellent responses. Thanks, all... and totally open to more.

ZMZ67 - Efficiency is one of the goals. I was initially skeptical of the wide-voltage range items, but if Vin to Vf isn't too far apart it may work a treat! A high voltage in will waste energy converted into heat, but this could be a great idea as I'm looking for two cell operation. Functioning down to 1V is sure to drain a couple alkies down 'till they puke... lol.

bykfixer and ZMZ - Hey HEY hey! (said in my best Dwayne from "What's Happening" voice) Definitely gonna' check into the Fulton offering. Thanks!

Kestrel - Hurricane/superstorm Sandy, plus the super-heavy snow aftermath a week later had me out of power for 14 days. The number 1 item that helped light the way through it all was a small, plastic Eneloopy modded by Datiled into a joule thief. On for hours per night, and with the help of other lights for various purposes, it used ONE fresh AA battery to get me through the whole thing. Lesson learned.

Between that, and a couple alcohol stoves made from soda cans, I had plenty of light, and hot food while the rest of the apt. building, and "civilization" in general had no idea what to do. Five days later, the average person started losing a grip. A few discreet SHTF lights are a must.

xxo - Funny you mention using these things in a Fulton. I tested that out last night with the before-mentioned MJLED, and it was pretty useless. But in an old 2D light with a big reflector, the tight focused beam provides a VERY useful ceiling bounce to illuminate a room, and can actually spot trees across the street with, like, somewhere around 10 - 15 lumens max. Probably gonna' skip the Fulton idea and go down the big reflector path again, but definitely checking out the superbrightleds offering. I've bought other things from them before. Good company. Also diggin' your adaptor solutions! Very cool.

Edit: Thanks for the heads up on the 2 cell Dorcy seeming to be direct drive. Boost (or possibly buck/boost) is the way to go here.
 
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xxo

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LED Drop-ins are great for keeping an old light going, but something like a 3D Mag ML300 is better for long term power outages......runs near forever in Eco mode and has a bunch more lumens on tap when they are needed. As with the old 2D's running a drop in, an ML300 can run on a wide assortment of different batteries if you have the right adapters. Running 18650's is an option and they can be recharged quickly if you have a car charger or if you have some limited access to electricity (like at work or at some place that has a generator).

Right now ML300's are selling for cheap on Ebay.
 

bykfixer

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The clamshell adapters? Well I considered the LED bulb worth the cost of the kit with "free" adapters. The Eneloop idea is a million billion times better.
They felt like they would fail after a few uses so I wrapped mine with electrical tape one wrap just in case.
 

ZMZ67

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Thanks! I was curious if they were a worthwhile bonus to the drop-in. Still want to get one even if the adapters are not so great.

edit - The adapters that come with the eneloop kits seem to be about the best even when using other types of AA batteries
 
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ZMZ67

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Following up,I did get a couple of Fultons LED conversion kits. The tint is OK but what I notice the most is that it provides a better beam from the Fulton than what the similar Nite-Ize 55 lumen does.I have tried several different drop-ins with the Fulton and this is the best for beam quality so far. Ironically it also works in the small knock-off AA anglehead lights where most of the other drop-ins do not focus very well. The clam shell AA to D adapters are actually better than I expected. Thanks for the tip on this drop-in bykfixer!
 

xxo

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Following up,I did get a couple of Fultons LED conversion kits. The tint is OK but what I notice the most is that it provides a better beam from the Fulton than what the similar Nite-Ize 55 lumen does.I have tried several different drop-ins with the Fulton and this is the best for beam quality so far. Ironically it also works in the small knock-off AA anglehead lights where most of the other drop-ins do not focus very well. The clam shell AA to D adapters are actually better than I expected. Thanks for the tip on this drop-in bykfixer!


Sounds like a good drop-in! Any idea what the Voltage range is? Would be great if it will run on a single NiMH cell + a dummy and/or handle a single 4.2 Volt Li-Ion in an adapter.
 

ZMZ67

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I hope I am not overselling the Fulton drop-in but I like the fact that it focuses well in the anglehead. I don't see any voltage range on the packaging.The info. provided on the package states 1 watt,50 lumens and over 20 hours of continuous use on two AA alkalines. I did pop in an eneloop and a dummy,it lit up fine but I noticed it was flickering a little so maybe not going to be to good on 1 battery. No idea if you can run it on more 3V but I am too skeptical to try anything more than 2AA Energizer lithiums. Hopefully the lithiums are OK since Fulton is specifying alkalines.

The hot spot has a definitive yellow in the center as well as a yellow halo around the edge of the hot spot and there are some rings visible in the spill.Those effects don't bother me since I doubt it will really make much difference for real world use but I thought I would mention it. I don't want anyone to expect a Malkoff M61 type of beam, it is not in that class.
 
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Bimmerboy

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Thanks for the further input, guys. Following up as well.

A local Home Depot had the Nite Ize PR2s, and in hopes of longer runtime I went for the 55 lumen model over the 74. Only tested it in the Fulton so far (have two other non-Fulton 2 cell PR2 lights to try), and I like it! It actually makes the old anglehead quite useful. There will be modding to make the most of it though. Gonna' see if I can get a better PR2 reflector that will fit (may need to hack up my own contact points), a much better lens, and resistance mods including working the switch with Deoxit.

Quite pleased with what I'm seeing on two old, used D batts with a shelf life date of 2014 (manufactured 2009). The very cells that helped get me through a 14 day power outage from Hurricane Sandy in the PR2 light mentioned in the first post. They measure 1.335V, and 1.4V, and tailcap draw is 210 mA with the 55 lumen Nite Ize. They are giving MORE than enough SHTF light with this thing. Love it!

I did pop in an eneloop and a dummy,it lit up fine but I noticed it was flickering a little so maybe not going to be to good on 1 battery.
Seriously good info! Think I'm gonna' have to try the official Fulton drop-in also. This thing may drain two alkies down to the last drop while still giving useable light, which is what I'm hoping for. If the Fulton drop-in focuses well enough in the crappy stock reflector, it may save me the trouble of modding the anglehead. Orrrrr... or maybe I'll still mod that for the Nite Ize, and this will go in my MX993 straight Fulton. :party:
 

xxo

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I hope I am not overselling the Fulton drop-in but I like the fact that it focuses well in the anglehead. I don't see any voltage range on the packaging.The info. provided on the package states 1 watt,50 lumens and over 20 hours of continuous use on two AA alkalines. I did pop in an eneloop and a dummy,it lit up fine but I noticed it was flickering a little so maybe not going to be to good on 1 battery. No idea if you can run it on more 3V but I am too skeptical to try anything more than 2AA Energizer lithiums. Hopefully the lithiums are OK since Fulton is specifying alkalines.

The hot spot has a definitive yellow in the center as well as a yellow halo around the edge of the hot spot and there are some rings visible in the spill.Those effects don't bother me since I doubt it will really make much difference for real world use but I thought I would mention it. I don't want anyone to expect a Malkoff M61 type of beam, it is not in that class.

There is only so much you can hope for with the Fulton's reflector. One of my Fultons started to flicker. Checked everything, turned out to be the switch. I tried to flush it out with some triflow, but no luck, don't know how to take it apart (seems to be riveted).

I know fulton makes some 3 cell lights and I thought maybe that they would have designed the bulb for these as well, but I guess not, otherwise they would probably mention it on the package.
 

ZMZ67

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Unfortunately your both spot on regarding the Fulton reflector it just isn't that all that great. I would like to see the results of a reflector mod if you are successful Bimmerboy!

Hate to hear you have a bad switch xxo. I actually gave up on the Fultons for a while because of switch failure back in my military days,I don't think they have really changed the design since that time period. Lately even the used Fulton I found has been functioning fine but I fear the design may not be the best as I had multiple failures when I served. It is riveted so if you manage to take it apart you have to find a way to reconstruct it anyway.

I like the switches on Bright Star (Koehler) incans (similar industrial lights to Fultons) better than the Fulton's and suspect they may be a little better but they don't make anything quite like the Fulton anglehead.
 

Lynx_Arc

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The main issue I've had with PR based LEDs is focus as some incan lights don't have the right focal point for the dropins and others do. I've used the PR base LED out of a 1D Energizer light (no longer made) and the 2AA Rayovac plastic light. I bought a cheap 2 cell dropin off Ebay awhile back for about $1 or so that is warm white which is interesting it makes me 2AA incan light look like a .... 2AA incan light LOL.
I've pretty much abendoned PR base dropins. I have been looking for a 122 LED to convert an old 2N light to 1AA but so far no such luck I adapted a PR base to screw base but the focal point is wrong and it is a flooder no throwing at all.
 

xxo

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Unfortunately your both spot on regarding the Fulton reflector it just isn't that all that great. I would like to see the results of a reflector mod if you are successful Bimmerboy!

Hate to hear you have a bad switch xxo. I actually gave up on the Fultons for a while because of switch failure back in my military days,I don't think they have really changed the design since that time period. Lately even the used Fulton I found has been functioning fine but I fear the design may not be the best as I had multiple failures when I served. It is riveted so if you manage to take it apart you have to find a way to reconstruct it anyway.

I like the switches on Bright Star (Koehler) incans (similar industrial lights to Fultons) better than the Fulton's and suspect they may be a little better but they don't make anything quite like the Fulton anglehead.

It doesn't flicker all the time and when it does, I can usually get it to stop by pumping the momentary button a few times. Seems like it doesn't flicker much when I use it regularly, but when it goes unused it tends to flicker – I'm guessing it is a little corrosion building up on the contacts. I think storing it without batteries and the switch in the on position helps keep free of corrosion on the contacts.


If I remember right, some preferred the GT Price moonbeams because they had better reflectors that threw a little further, but I don't think these were ever intended to be throwers. The lack of throw is probably not much of an issue with the old 5 lumen PR6 vacuum bulbs, but it becomes more of a drawback with higher lumen LED drop-ins.
 

Buck91

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Pretty happy with a nite ize I picked up on close out at Home Depot the other year. Much nicer than what was available 10 years ago. Still not as pleasant as the ssc p4 I swapped into a magled drop in back in the day.

Currently I have a bunch of rayovac led bulbs stashed away. Couple bucks a piece and loonnnngggg run time. Definitely angry blue though.
 

ZMZ67

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It doesn't flicker all the time and when it does, I can usually get it to stop by pumping the momentary button a few times. Seems like it doesn't flicker much when I use it regularly, but when it goes unused it tends to flicker – I'm guessing it is a little corrosion building up on the contacts. I think storing it without batteries and the switch in the on position helps keep free of corrosion on the contacts.


If I remember right, some preferred the GT Price moonbeams because they had better reflectors that threw a little further, but I don't think these were ever intended to be throwers. The lack of throw is probably not much of an issue with the old 5 lumen PR6 vacuum bulbs, but it becomes more of a drawback with higher lumen LED drop-ins.

Looking through the comments on Flashlight Museum there was at least one poster who who said as much about preferring the GT Price over Fultons. Another poster mentioned having a military anglehead made by Bright Star. Pretty sure all that I used in my military days were Fultons but it has been a long time and I didn't keep any of them. Throw may have never been part of the plan with the anglehead design anyway,light discipline standards required low output.I had a 3D incan Maglite then (still have that one) and it was "too bright" to use most of the time even with my home made blue lens cover. LED lights were about 10 years down the road so it was all battery devouring incans.
 
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