Which is better, SL 3AA Luxeon or UK 4AA eLed?

I'm new here, but have lurked and learned a lot from you guys. I'm interested in a Luxeon LED light for camping/around the house/glovebox use. In other words, a replacement for a mini mag light.

I don't have any unusual or special requirements, I just want a solid, bright, long lasting LED light.

Which do ya'll think would be the better allround light, the SL 3AA Luxeon or the UK 4AA eLED?

Thanks!

The SL 3AA is a LOT brighter than the UK 4AA. I have one SL 3AA that is fairly white, but another that is pea green. The beam quality on the SL is good...except for the color of the pea green one.

I have 5 UK 4AAs and they are much dimmer than the SL. BUT.....the tint consistency from light to light is much better, IMO. Most of my UKs are very white, while a couple are white-yellow. The beam quality is very good--little hotspot blends in with sidespill very well. Full regulated UK, while the SL dims as the batteries run down.

Construction wise, I prefer the SL. Its metal body feels very well made, and the batteries do not rattle on either one. My UK 4AAs on the other hand all have battery rattle to some degree, and I can't warm up to plastic construction.


Here is an idea. GET BOTH! Seriously. Both are great lights. The UK 4AA IMO has the better quality beam and tint in general, excellent regulation, and great price. The SL has superior brightness, more solid construction (its built well enough to feel proud of), and is more durable.

If you absolutely cannot get both due to finances, buy the UK 4AA first. For its price, its an amazing light.

Two totally different lights. The SL is going to be much brighter initially (I don't know what the run time is). It's direct drive, so it'll still give you usable light for a good while after it starts to dim. The disadvantage is the size. I have a similar light custom made that is probably twice as bright as the SL, but I don't use it very often because of the size.

The UK has received rave reviews here. Constant output for 12 hours, waterproof, drop tested and more. I love mine, but if you want a BRIGHT light, you might be disappointed. If you want a light that is bright enough with a host of other positive features, I'd choose the UK.

Both are excellent lights and in CPF fashion, I'd say get both. You wouldn't be disappointed with either one.

I can't comment on the Streamlight, but I've been extremely pleased with the UK 4AA eLED. It's well regulated, weatherproof, and bright enough for most uses. Initially the SL is probably brighter, but after five or six hours the UK likely wins. Best of all, it's only $20 from BrightGuy, unless the sale ended.

I have 2 SL 3AA Luxeon flashlights and they are both great. They both have a symmetrical hot spot with decent side spill. The color is almost pure white. When compared to each other on a white surface from 6 inches, one has a hint of purple and the other a hint of green. dda

I have both, and it depends on what you want.

The SL 3AA Lux is brighter -- far brighter. However, it only takes about four hours before the batteries dim sufficiently that it's no brighter than a UK eLed. By six hours of runtime, it's noticably dimmer. The UK, however, run for 11 hours or so, with constant brightness. These highly informal runtime tests were conducted using the same set of NiMH batteries. Note that the SL 3AA takes three batteries, and the UK takes four. Essentially, they both use a 4-pack of batteries. You get four or five hours at or above a certain brightness with the SL 3AA, and elevent hours with the UK.

If you're going to use your light for short periods of time, and have the ability to either change or recharge the batteries, you'll like the SL 3AA better. It's brighter over the short run. However, if you won't have the luxury of changing batteries, such as in some sort of an emergency situtation, the UK is the clear winner.

Oh, and even though the UK is dimmer, it's still sufficient for most tasks. Outdoors on a moonless night, or in a dark room, the UK puts out plenty of light for anything you will want to do. The UK is also Division 1 haz-mat rated. This may or may not be significant to you.

In fact, to go out on a limb, if I could only have one flashlight in a crisis, I would probably pick the UK. The small form factor, coupled with the long runtime with predictable and adequate brightness is hard to beat.

hm.. well i disagree with everyone who says the SL Luxeon Tasklight is alot brighter than the UK eLED..

it is indeed brighter overall, but the hotspot on my eLED, as small as it is, and after being run for an hour, is just as bright as the hot spot on my Tasklight is on fresh batteries.. (really, i just loaded new batteries and compared /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif)

also, in my opinion, the eLED just lights things up better.. it's beam pattern is pretty much the same as my Arc AAA, except much brighter.. the Tasklight has a pretty generous hotspot with sidespill about twice as wide as the hotspot, and that's all the light it puts out..

compared side by side, my eLED's hotspot + it's main corona are about the size of just the hotspot on my Tasklight..

but i can't say all this for sure, 'cause there seems to be an astonishing discrepency in the light output from eLED to eLED..

Why are you limiting your choices to the SL 3AA and the UK 4AA eLED? For the purposes you stated (camping, around the house, glovebox) I'd choose the SL 4AA Propolymer. It has less throw than the other two but casts a beautiful wide, evenly illuminated beam for about forty feet in front and well out to either side. The UK has a bright center spot and throws up to about 80 feet but has relatively weak side fill. The SL 3AA has a good long throw but a rather narrow angle.

I don't find runtime to be an issue with any of these lights since I always have an extra set of batteries nearby.

I have the Opalec NewBeam mod for my minimag and for seeing arround the house or in a glovebox, it is very sufficient.Note: this is only a 3, 5mm LED light! The UK 4AA eLED will be close to twice as bright as the NewBeam and will do very well for these purposes.
For camping however, you may have some problems. If the main purpose of the light is to see in and arround the campsite, the UK will be great. Better yet, it is regulated and will give constant output for the stated 10-12hrs. Since it is a bit duller than the SL, and the beam pattern is a bit wider, the reach of the UK will be less. You will not be able to look as far down the trail, or as high up a tree as the SL. This advantage of the SL however only lasts for a few hrs and from there, the UK takes over. I do some camping as well and personally, will gladly choose the UK eLED over the SL any day. This choice is based mainly on the regulated output of at least 10 hrs on alkaline batteries. If your priorities are different, the SL may be the better choice. All the best in deciding what is best.

Thank you very much for the input. Looks like the UK will fit my needs better than the SL 3AA. I can see the value of a steady, regulated output that I can count on, rather than trying to get penetrating brightness out of an LED. When you think about it, for finding your way around the tent guylines to take a midnight leak, how bright of a light do you really need?

Thanks a lot guys!

Welcome to the CPF jughead. Finally a newbie who's starting out sensibly. Lately, we've had a bunch of new members who already have a closet full of SureFires.

Well, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but I'm a bit more than envious.<green-with-envy-graemlin-goes-here> On a positive note, not having a SureFire yet gives me something to shoot for.

Let me repeat what is often recommended - get two: one for throw & one for flood. Post your results after you get the light(s).

"Let me repeat what is often recommended - get two: one for throw & one for flood."

Thats about the best summation I've ever read. I have a friend who has a SureFire. It's a nice light, no doubt. But since I'm not a cop or an emergency responder - I just can't justify the cost and the batteries. It just doesn't fit my needs. A flashlight isn't my hobby - a flashlight allows me to enjoy my hobby.

Thanks for the welcome!