Cynthia 5-LED regulated (X5 clone running on 2 AA)

I just received two of those lights and I must say that they are really worth the money I paid (around 15,- EUR each). So here's my first impression for those of you who might be interested (that thread started it all...).

First of all the lights each were packed in a nice black box that has cut out foam pads to protect the light, the batteries and a nylon sheath that came along. The two Energizer cells are already loaded so "Cynthia" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif is ready to fire up right from the start... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif It has a tailcap push button for on/off/momentary action. Don't expect too much from 5 Nichias but it's definately brighter than the Opalec (which I planned to replace with this light, since I managed to somehow kill it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif ). I will try to post some beamshots comparing both lights later. The finish is really nice - CNC machined aluminum, no sharp edges and there are very fine grooves on the surface that enhance the grip. The light is water resistant - I did throw it in the sink and it showed no sing of leakage after about half an hour and several on-off-cycles. I will take it in the pool (max depth is 4 meters) later and post the results.

Overall I'm really happy with it considering the intented use. I'll try to post pictures later...

Chris

Nice to hear...I ordered one of them at ebay.de

Is it possible to post some beamshots comparing the "cynthia" to a well known light?

Back from the pool, so here's the second part. I left the light switched on during my training so it glowed happily for ~ 2 hours at 4 meters. Afterwards I inspected the inside and found no sign of water /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif I used some silicone grease on the o-rings, so that might have helped a bit but overall I'm quite confident that you can use this light during heavy rain or around shallow waters.

I took some photos of the light, the stuff that was included and some beamshots comparing the Cynthia to an Opalec equipped MiniM@g. Both lights are loaded with 1600 mAh Panasonic NiMHs. I tried alkalines in the Cynthia but there was no increase in brightness... The cells used for the comparison shots are the same that I used since receiving the lights - 3 hours runtime up to now and no apparent change in brightness /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/party.gif Hopefully Imagestation will allow linking the pics. If not I may send them to someone who is willing to host these. And please don't be too harsh - I'm not that good at taking pics /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

First pic - cool box


Second pic - that's inside


Third pic - leaflet showing the cells are loaded 'backwards'


Fourth pic - managed to put a small dent in the bezel within seconds after unpacking the light /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon6.gif


Fifth pic - next to the MiniM@g


Sixth pic - distance to wall ~ 0.5 meter


Last pic - distance to sideboard ~ 2 meters


Chris

Chris,

Are the LEDs used in the Cynthia real Nichias, or chinese LEDs? They seem rather blue.....

(Those Chinese LEDs have a pale yellow phosphor inside, the nichia's are a more saturated yellow)

Well, I just compared them to the LED in an Arc AAA and they seem rather similar, but I can't tell for sure. The output is white with a slight hint of blue, while the Opalec is white but with a yellow-green cast to it. The pics show the perceived colors quite accurate.

Chris

One more thing I just noticed - I tried to use 2100 mAh Sanyos and they won't fit... Oh well, there had to be at least one downside. I'll use the light around the house for a while and see how it fairs.

@Wim - Please post your impressions of the light as soon as you receive it. I'm very interested to hear about the opinions from other CPFers /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Chris

Will do

Runtime update - 5 hours on the 1600 mAh Panasonics, followed by half an hour of pretty rapid dimming (Arc AAA brightness). I turned the light off at that point to avoid damaging the NiMHs. The voltage of the cells was ~ 0.9 so they seemed to be pretty much sucked dry...

Chris

I have one... it's the same light www.glowbug.com sells as their "Luxia". Superbrightleds.com sells it under yet another name. It's been my EDC ever since my factory second ARC went south (it's about the same size as the ARC with the 2AA pack).

I like it. The beam has an odd and slightly annoying "halo ring" way out at 45 degrees, but other than that, it's a nice light if you get a good price on it.

After the weird ring in the beam, my other beef is the tailswitch is not quite as rugged as the rest of the light. It's plastic inside an aluminum housing and has the feel of a cheap plastic switch. If/When it's broken, it can probably be easily modded with something more substantial.

Dooh - never noticed the ring until you mentioned it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif And you're right about the switch - feels like a cheap microswitch inside. But as long as it works flawlessly I don't care too much... How long have you been using that light and how has it held up so far ?

Chris

Five or six months... but only EDC for the last two months or so. It does scratch, but other than that it has held up well.

The "Ring" seems to come from the LEDs themselves and not the "reflector". I've thought about shaving down the LEDs to where they are flush with the aluminum, but haven't yet had the courage to try it.

[ QUOTE ]
Five or six months... but only EDC for the last two months or so. It does scratch, but other than that it has held up well.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's good to know. I don't care if it gets scratched, since that will only add to it's character /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif Is the switch cover still okay ? That might be the weakest part of the light.

Chris

[ QUOTE ]
ChrisA said:
How does the switch rubber cover hold up ? That might be the weakest part of the light.

[/ QUOTE ]

No sign of wear or failure yet, but I agree, that cover is a lot thinner than I would like.

Received my cynthia

What I like:

- compact
- very thick body
- good output and throw
- good color rendition
- nice feeling clickie
- seems to be regulated

What I don't like:

- body scratches VERY easy...
- slippery when wet
- rubber switch cover is rather thin
- threads are not good machined
- high capacity NiMH cells don't fit inside

A few comments about the LEDs:
They're not Nichias.....the beam is perfectly even blue-white and round with a sharp edge. Total light output per LED is around 60 percent compared to a regular nichia, peak candlepower looks about the same. LED color temperature is around 12000K (nichia B2S=9000K) and the spectrum viewed thrue a spectroscope stops at 620nm (nichia at 660). The wavelength of the blue LED (used to "pump" the yellow YAG phosphor) is 450nm instead of the usual 465.

Overall I like this flashlight