Quick question on UK4AA e LED light

Guys, particular those who have owned both, is it really no brighter then an Inova X5T? Due to the price and use of common batteries, it is on my list for Christmas gifts, but would like a little bit of wow factor. Another consideration is the Streamlight Jr., but that seems the opposite end of the spectrum, driving the crap out of the Luxeon but with only an hour or so runtime. Is their a light I'm missing in roughly the same price range that might be a compromise between the two?

I recently purchased one, hoping for some wow factor. I have had the incandescent version for a few years & it is a nice, reliable rig that I don't worry about (low cost). Got to say I have no firsthand experience with the Inovas, but I was a bit disappointed with the LED version when comparing directly to the incandescent.

Stephan

That's very difficult to say. The X5T has more flood, the UK4AA eLed has more throw. The lesser throw of the X5T is very noticable to the naked eye. I can measure the higher throw easily with my lux-meter, but not the overall output. I trust the data from flashlightreviews, since I confirmed the relative throw with my own measurements (if flashlightreviews says light A has two times more throw than light B, then I measure the same ratio).

Now, compared to other Luxeon-I lights the UK is not quite bright. Don't expect a "WOW" when you turn it on. It's more like a slow "wwwwwooooooWWWWWEEEEEEE" when you register that the original batteries still support the same brightness after 2 months of intermittent use.

This is not a "wow" light as far as brightness or throw is concerned. It does have better throw and better color than an equivalently bright 5-mm LED cluster.

Also, consider that you are comparing an underdriven Luxeon with a cluster of overdriven 5-mm LEDs. The former will be much better in terms of efficiency and emitter lifetime.

I have four of these and I agree this is NOT a wow light.

This is a very down to earth practical light. Initially I was not impressed, but this light grows on you.

I now recommend it to everyone. It is the light I tell non-flashaholics to get if they simply can't stand the thought of Lithium 123's.

GregR

We just received ours, and put the batteries in and test it. yup - not exactly wow.. compared to our new Dorcy 1w x 3AAA. Our son will try them camping and see what he likes better overall - his current Dorcy 4led x 2AA, or the new UK 4AA eLED, or Dorcy 1w x 3AAA. It is a tough choice between the battery life vs LED brightness... and throw vs flood, and even little things like lacking a lanyard loop.

The UK4AA eLED actually does do an excellent job of lighting up a whole room. Its not a thrower, but it has a HUGE corona that is bright enough to light a large room up. I consider the beam more of a flood beam, that happens to have an itty bitty tiny hotspot.

The tints on mine are all well above average--ranging from yellow to creamy off white.

In a power outage, IMO the UK4AA eLED is absolutely perfect. It will light up a room, thereby allowing one to move around easily. It won't dim until the batteries are shot (around 11 hours of excellent regulation). If you want more throw, you can simply switch out the LED lamp with the incandescent version.

I really like the 4AA eLED's beam - it's the best balance of throw and flood I've ever seen. The pencil-thin center of the hotspot will go a long ways while the rest of the corona/spill is useful for close-up work.

I third/fourth/whatnot the comments on long runtime and use of commonly-available cells. Runs great on rechargables also.

I consider the eLED to be brighter than the X5T. Unless the X5T overdrive : eLED underdrive ratio is absolutely nuts, the X5T's nominal 350mW combined emitters to the eLED's nominal 1W emitter (as well as the actual output) leads me to believe that the eLED's output is greater.

So many things (TV needs fixed, Chop needs paid, want an SL Jr. LUX and an Eled module etc.) so little money.

Everything I hear about it sounds pretty good. I have one of Milky's Milkbone lights. made on a 2AA Rayovac. It has a Q2H emitter driven according to Milky "near spec" and makes mostly a flood.

Alas... I can only recommend some things based on hearsay. According to what I know so far, I recommend the Eled.

my personal eLED has more flood and more throw than my Inova X5T.

my eLED must be the exception, but it throws a legit' beam @ least 80 feet, 'cause i can hit my neighbor across the street's garage with it clearly.

The UK 4aa eLED is not a "wow" light in terms of brightness, it's a "wow" light in terms of runtime and reliability. There are many lights brighter and better looking but few and I mean few, lasts like this guy does. It lights up and keeps at it for a long time. You can fall asleep at night and wake up to it still lit. Try that with your other lights. That runtime is why I have two myself. Brightness, could be a lot better, runtime, I can't really ask for more.

It's all been said - no wow factor unless you factor in the run time and perfectly flat regulation for 12 plus hours. Extremely tough and well built and very practical, useful beam. Probably the best value out there for $20.

The SL Jr Lux is another must have light for $30. It's brighter with more throw, but less than 2 hours run time. Each has their place and everyone should have at least one of each.

Waiting for some UK 4aa eLED's that I ordered. Just have to try 'em out, after reading about them on cpf!

An intermediary option between the UK4AA e LED and the SL Jr. is the Terralux Ministar 2, IMHO. It has a relatively flat output for 4-5 hours and seems to me to be in between the two as far as throw is concerned.

The Terralux Ministar has partial regulation, and is a decent (but not great) add-on to a Minimag.

IMO, its got some very irritating issues though:

Beam quality on all of my Ministar-2s is pathetically TERRIBLE. Until I discovered the LDF lens, I refused to use the Terralux Ministar-2 because the beam quality is so bad (the intense artifacts are extremely distracting at close range).

LED tint is definitely visibly green on all my Ministars. Green enough that one can notice it without comparing to other lights.

I'd definitely recommend the UK 4aa eled and SL lux jr. over the Terralux Mini-star 2. IMO, the UK and SL are far superior products than the Terralux.

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Runtime is about 5-7 hours, with light slowly dimming once you turn it on.

The only way I find the Terralux Ministar-2 useful is with an LDF lens (to improve beam quality).

I bought the UK 4AA eLED for a gift, and looking at the doller value... what about the Dorcy 1w x 3AAA at $25 ?
I also bought that as a gift, vs the SL JR...

Got the UK 4AA eLED & have been running around the house & in the garage with that and my X5T. The X5T being a flood appears subdued. The eLED just seems a lot brighter with that hot spot & throw. I was outside last night with the eLED (though my A2 was on my belt), and it looks like it will make a very nice camping light. The hot spot is nice and white surrounded by a ring of purple, but not noticeable in general use & outside.

357: I must be lucky, because my beam quality is great and the beam is pure white. I really like the Ministar-2. For a total investment of around $30, I think it's a good light.

I just received both the UK4AAe and the Streamlight JR. I prefer the beam of the Streamlight JR. I bought both these lights after reading these threads. They both work well inside the house, but the beam of the Streamlight Jr works better outside. If I could have just one I would choose the Streamlight JR for the brighter beam.

I have seen it mentioned that the UK4AA eLED's switch is difficult to use, do you think that a 6yr child would have trouble using it? I want to get a few of them for my kids.

Regards,
Michael