My full LED light collection

So in my previous thread discussed my very first LED light, so I thought that maybe I should share my entire collection which is quite interesting to say the least. So at the top is my first LED light, lantern style, which you can see more about in my previous thread. The second one is my 60 lumen $5 2AA Rayovac LED light, one of my daily drivers. The third is another cheap metal cased Rayovac, which has a laser pointer. Sadly this one hasn't seen much use due to the switch not having lasted very long before degrading pretty badly (if anyone knows how to take that thing apart and fix the switch, PLEASE tell me as I otherwise love that thing). Below that is a 2 lumen Rayovac penlight (was only 3 bucks so couldn't resist). The fifth is a cheap checkout lane EveryReady 100 lumen which is nice and works OK but the switch despite not breaking feels like excessive use could wear it out so I only use it from time to time so that it lasts me longer. The sixth thing is pretty interesting. So Walmart sells these Promier/LitezOn "wireless light switch" thingies. They don't have a resistor in series (with the exception of one unit I tore down at one point) so if you put anything better than the included zinc-carbon batteries, it will cook itself and is a potential fire hazard. I added a USB cable ran it at with a cooling fan since any decent USB power source will make it draw a staggering 13 watts. The reason it has too much hot glue on it is from repairs due to heat damage of the case from the few times I forgot to turn the fan out. It is currently decomissioned. Below is another better quality wireless light switch thingy that has a current-limiting resistor but said resistor gets hot (evident from the burn mark on the back) and I have a pair of spares just in case. Lastly, on the bottom is my favorite and main daily driver, the 200 lumen Tzumi Alpha Pocket Charger 2000mAh. It was just $9.88 at Walmart and I both needed and wanted a half decent high power light for cheap. Judging by the shape it projects on the wall, I think it is some kind of lower end Cree XM-L series LED of some kind (or a very good clone). It can shine on building sides from a distance, etc... Pretty fun to play with both indoors or at night outdoors (a faint but noticeable projection of the LED is visible on trees on the other side of my campus football field, and can very clearly project onto the side of the main campus building while I am standing in the nearby garden grass. For short range stuff it is way more bright than I would ever need and can dimly light up a near pitch black section of the campus golf course. pretty amazing for only 200 lumens and something sold in the phone accessory section at Walmart. The USB output is 1A and useless for modern cell phones, but you can plug in a USB lamp or two and get more juicy lumens from it...

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My wife loves the "$3" Rayovac like you have. The magnifier lens makes the couple of lumens shine to the end of our house at 2am but doesn't wake anybody. We call it the stumped toe preventer light.

I also have one of those "100 lumen" lights like you show. Those are the modern day version of the grocery store numbers you spoke of in your other thread.

Neat trick with the light switch thingie.

My favorite Wal Mart lights besides Maglite's ML25 are Bushnell. Kinda pricey but actually pretty sturdy.

No idea on fixing the one with the laser pointer. Maybe cleaning contact points with a de-oxidizer will work.

bykfixer said:

No idea on fixing the one with the laser pointer. Maybe cleaning contact points with a de-oxidizer will work.

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Yeah if I could open it I could scrape oxidation off with sharp meter probes and a cloth + hand sanitizer combo that (aka my normal contact cleaning method). But I can see no way to open the light at all... Not that it matters much cause it was dirt cheap but still.

Celest said:

Lastly, on the bottom is my favorite and main daily driver, the 2000 lumen Tzumi Alpha Pocket Charger 2000mAh. It was just $9.88 at Walmart and I both needed and wanted a half decent high power light for cheap. Judging by the shape it projects on the wall, I think it is some kind of lower end Cree XM-L series LED of some kind (or a very good clone). It can shine on building sides from a distance, etc... Pretty fun to play with both indoors or at night outdoors (a faint but noticeable projection of the LED is visible on trees on the other side of my campus football field, and can very clearly project onto the side of the main campus building while I am standing in the nearby garden grass. For short range stuff it is way more bright than I would ever need and can dimly light up a near pitch black section of the campus golf course. pretty amazing for only 200 lumens and something sold in the phone accessory section at Walmart. The USB output is 1A and useless for modern cell phones, but you can plug in a USB lamp or two and get more juicy lumens from it...

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Did you modify this? 2000Lm or 200Lm? Typo? It isn't 200Lm as advertised, at least not for very long, more like 120Lm. Interesting it is 1A at the USB.

I'm not very tactful. I don't mean to be pretentious or cruel. My bedside manor leaves a lot to be desid But I am trying. We need to get you some decent LED lights. Your enthusiasm and curiosity and, apparently, even electronics skill, is noteworthy. You are most welcome. But I doubt anyone will be impressed with your lights, (edit: I was wrong!!) and I hope my post softens the posts of others that may come. I can't exactly qualify the members here, old timers, super kind folk, a few meanies, LEO maybe, military... who knows? But if you spend less than $25, it better be something ...idk


Look at MagLite

Look at Coast

Look at ThruNite

Look at Lumintop

Look at ACEBEAM

Look at Streamlight

Look at EagTac (to CPF: My God! What happened to EagTac's website?!?!)

Look at NiteCore

Look at Fenix

Look at Zebralight

Look at Surefire

Think about the electro-magnetic spectrum, the wavelengths of visible light, the profile of sunlight, the ability of light to render colors accurately. Think about host and spring materials. Think about interface. Think about chemistry. NiMH. LiCo ICR. LiMn IMR. LifePO4 IFR. LiNiMnCoO2 INR. Primary. Secondary. Voltage. Amps. ...all this to get to the actual honest lumens that you want.

I think you need to look to work to understanding and eventually getting this in 4000K, but right away you should just find one of these at amazon or ebay for $19 so you will have some understanding of what a decent quality flashlight is.

I meant 200 lumen. Stupid keyboard. Sorry for the mistake.

Typo fixed. I know 2000 lumens is not possible in this stuff but my stupid fast typing frenzy got the better of me and made me add an extra 0. Sorry

Celest said:

Typo fixed. I know 2000 lumens is not possible in this stuff but my stupid fast typing frenzy got the better of me and made me add an extra 0. Sorry

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Don`t worry about it, they do it on eBay all the while! :-D

It's hard to go wrong with a LED Soltaire, LED AAA Mini Mag or 2C ML25 for budget lights.

Will definitely look into that in the future. Thanks for the suggestions.

Katherine Alicia said:

Don`t worry about it, they do it on eBay all the while! :-D

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Lol I sometimes double type when too excited. Got overexcited due to joining CPF and for once being able to talk to others who share my obsession.