Alternatives to the EverLED?

Is there any alternatives to the EverLED to replace PR based incan. bulbs in lights from 1 to 4 batteries? ...are they any good. I wasn't really thrilled with the EverLED.

MSax

Might research one of ..... these.

Mike

MSaxatilus, what didn't you like about the EverLED?

I have an EverLED in my 4 AA Dorcy Boss flashlight and it is a long throwing light. I also have the Epeion for 2 cells in a Garrity G-Tech. It's not bad but slightly greenish. I prefer the slightly bluer tint of the EverLED and like the flexibility the built in regulation offers. If the 4 AA flashlight dies I can put the EverLED in a different flashlight without worrying about number of cells. Perfect for emergencies.

I admit I'd like it to be more affordable.

h nu,

I kindof found the color of the EverLED to be quite poor. I though it was not only blueish, but kindof... I don't know how to explain it... but thin?

I have other 1w lights and they all are pretty nice beams, with a nice hot spot and enough spill to make them usable. The light produced by the my EverLED lacked any punch and was quite dim, and sickly blue. Maybe I just got a really bad one or something, but I was just not impressed.

I do like the versatility of the EverLED. Anybody try any of EverLED's colored lights, maybe they would be better.

When I got my first EverLED I was quite impressed with the beam. I'm still impressed. I was impressed enough to get a second EverLED to find the beam quite green. So I contacted EverLED on Aug. 30, 2004 to see what my options were for replacing a bad emitter.

This is what I wrote:

Comments: I just bought a second EverLED to supplement the first one. The first one is great with a very nice white color. The second one is not the same in color. My son calls the color "turtle green" which is an accurate description. Ironically the EverLED is in a "Turtlelite". The second bulb also 'sputters' once in a while like it has a short in it. Is there a way I can exchange the bulb for a nicer white (with a bluish tint on the edge of the beam)? Just a white beam will do.

Thank you /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


Reply:

Thank you for contacting LEDdynamics.

The EverLED flashlight bulb replacement uses a Luxeon I LED manufactured by Lumileds. We purchase these LEDs for the EverLED and have little control over what LEDs are supplied to us. Demand has been high for LEDs and if we are too fussy about the LEDs used, we would have no product to sell. We build and test each EverLED by hand to insure quality and performance, and one of the quality control steps is to check light output. A LED with a greenish or blueish tint does not affect performance but merely appearance. We apologize for this inconsistency but it is really out of our control.

If you EverLED fails or has poor performance, you may send it for evaluation for a free replacement. In order to receive full credit, the returned EverLED must be in good physical condition and have no chips or cracks in the lens. Send any defective EverLEDs to:

EverLED Returns
c/o LEDdynamics Inc
44 Hull Street
Randolph, VT 05060

Thank you for purchasing the EverLED.


My second email:

Hi Josh,

Thanks for the fast reply. There is not of that anymore so I do really appreciate it.

So if I understand it correctly your company only warrants the manufactured part of the light but not the emitter. I had the luck of getting a great white emitter in the first EverLED I bought, a stallion of a light and a nightly user. But the second was the "donkey" and I'll have to live with it; it will live its lifetime stored in a drawer for emergency use. So far it is 50/50 chance for me to get a good or bad light. That makes a single bulb far too expensive for me to buy in hope of getting a good or bad one. The next one, should I consider buying, would either be white or green.

Thank you for your time in answering my question. I'll pass the answer to my friends.

Enclosed is a picture of the two EverLED lights in Turtlelight flashlights.


Josh's reply:

I understand how you feel and we are frustrated as well. This has been an on going issue since we began manufacturing the EverLED over a year ago. It is only when a consumer buys two and compares them is there a complaint. I can't imagine that you feel the lesser of the two is only suitable for a lifetime in a drawer. The true benefits of the EverLED are not just the use of the LED but everything combined - battery life, durability, universal application...etc.

Have you purchased any other manufacturer's bulb replacements to see how they compare? I think you would still be quite impressed with your "bad" EverLED if you compared it to other manufacturer's products.

We have toyed with the idea of purchasing specific LEDs for use with the EverLED that are of more consistent quality but availability is limited and the cost is significantly greater. We currently reject about 40% of the LEDs sent to use as unsuitable for the EverLED. If we rejected any more, we would be left with not enough LEDs to build EverLEDs and our demand already exceeds our supply. One can only hope the LED manufacturers will eventually offer a more consistent LED with out a greater cost to the customer.

Thank you for your feed-back in this matter. I will use this to leverage our supplier for a more consistent quality of product for use with the EverLED.

I have 2 of the ledcrop bulbs and have been very satisfied.They actually give my mag2c the throw of a Promag I had.Its's not regulated,but I am still n 1st set of batteries.Also,just for info,I am using a 4 cell and running it on 2x123's.And since it's not a side emmitter like and Everled,it has much better throw and tighter hotspot.

I know it's regulated and one wouldn't expect it to make much difference but I tried mine in a 2 AA cell flashlight and it sucked. I think it is much better in my Dorcy Boss. Have you tried your EverLED in another flashlight?

Maybe I got the better end of luck of the draw.

I have 2 EverLED and experienced the same as Haveblue. One is very white but the other one is too green for my preference.

Alan

I have 4 EverLeds and I'm very satisfied with all of them. I guess I compared them mostly to the original bulb in my MagLites! 3 are certainly whiter than that, and white enough in my opinion. The 4th is a Red EverLED. . . very impressive, and very red!

Maybe I'll just give EverLED another shot. I can't seem to find a good replacement.

Does anyone know it their reverse polarity protection circut is standard now or not?

My Teal one is VERY teal.

I always wish I had a white one instead. Sigh.

Maybe someday I can actually buy one.

The EverLED will not reach maximum brightness until you have 3 or 4 cells, but even on two cells it should be brighter than the standard 3-volt krypton lamp. I run mine in a Craftsman 4AA tool light, and it makes a very bright and far-throwing light. My particular EverLED is a little on the blue side but definitely not dim.

By the way, all the EverLEDs sold should have the reverse polarity protection by now.

Have you ever considered using the Tektite LPR-2, LPR-3 and LPR-113 as a alternatives to the EverLED ? They are unregulated and must be matched to the number of cells.
led_replacement
http://www.led-replacement.com or http://store.led-replacement.com

[ QUOTE ]
asdalton said:
The EverLED will not reach maximum brightness until you have 3 or 4 cells, but even on two cells it should be brighter than the standard 3-volt krypton lamp. I run mine in a Craftsman 4AA tool light, and it makes a very bright and far-throwing light. My particular EverLED is a little on the blue side but definitely not dim.

By the way, all the EverLEDs sold should have the reverse polarity protection by now.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm just speaking wildly here with absolutely nothing but my own tinkering to back up what I say, but I think the EverLED can actually approach maximum brightness on two cells if the cells are capable of sustained high current flow, like maybe a pair of NiMH rechargeables would be. I notice the biggest difference BY FAR to be the jump in brightness from 1 cell to 2 cells, but then after that, I don't see much additional improvement except in the way of longer runtime.

BTW, the older EverLED... the one WITHOUT reverse polarity protection... was capable of operating decently in a single cell light, but the new ones no longer seem to work very well at all with a single cell. I think that must be due to the voltage drop across the diode they must be using to protect against reverse polarity. So if you want a quick-n-dirty way to power a single cell light, try to find one of the older variety! I'll bet a bunch of folks would be happy to sell theirs on B/S/T and upgrade to the newer ones.

An alternative to the EverLED might be the LEDCORP Epieon.
This is an unregulated lamp, so you'll need to match it with the number of cells in your flashlight before you buy.
Go to http://www.ledcorp.com/catalog.html to see them.

Hmm... I never see the word "Luxeon" on that website.

And the picture of the epion is unfamiliar looking at the LED end.

And at the same price as Everled, and unregulated...

Man, I don't know.

I still wish I had a White EL instead of a Teal EL.

I'll second PBJS... if the Epieon is priced the same as the EverLED, then I'd buy the EverLED for sure. It just flat out gives you more options, and pumps out AT LEAST as much light as the Epieon. I once owned one of the latter, and eventually sold it to raise funds to buy my first EverLED, so I've tried them both, although it was more than a year ago and things may have changed since then.

I have tried both EverLED and LEDcorp.
EverLED has warmer color but LEDcorp has narrower beam also can be overdriven for more brightness. I am using 3 cell (4.5V) Epieon in Responder with 4 NiMH. It is much brighter, whiter and throws better than EverLED.

Same thing happened to me PJS, first encountered the Epeion and almost ended up buying it until I did a search here in CPF and learned about Everleds. I always wanted the white but their website says the Teal is very bright. It was a difficult decision and I finally settled for the Teal. I wasn't quite happy with it because it kinda hurt my eyes after a while and regretted the fact that I should have gotten what I really wanted in the first place. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif

[ QUOTE ]
PlayboyJoeShmoe said:
Hmm... I never see the word "Luxeon" on that website.

And the picture of the epion is unfamiliar looking at the LED end.

And at the same price as Everled, and unregulated...

Man, I don't know.

I still wish I had a White EL instead of a Teal EL.

[/ QUOTE ]

It is a luxeon.It depends on what you want.If you prefer regulation over hotspot and throw,get the Everled.If you want a tight hotspot and greater throw,then get the Ledcorp.Also, Brightguy has the 3 cell ledcorp for only $23.