A few 1W LS questions

I just purchased the Badboy 500ma 1W LS drop in for a mini-mag. I also purchased a sapphire lens replacement. Will this be as bright as a ARC LS? and what runtime can i expect running 2 AA NiMH 2100ma.

anyone?

hi Rifter,

Congrats on your purchase of that BB500!

I have one too and I'm using it with 1800mah nimhs. With these batteries, I'm getting at least 2 hours of good light.

Since the brightness of ArcLSs vary quite a bit depending on their time of make and luxeon binning, it would be hard put to compare the 2 head-to-head.

To be fair, I'd say the BB500 *should* be brighter than an ArcLS of early make and at least as bright as most of the recent ones (such as the hybrids). The BB overdrives the luxeon LED further than either the early or late model Arc LSs, and should yield more light, assuming the luxeons are from the same bin. Did I make any sense? If not, despair not - many folks are confused too!

(Peter Gransee and Arc are definitely striving to make things better all the time, so some growing pains are expected.)

I understand, i work as a computer tech and CPU's seem to be the same way, some batch's overclock better than others and run more stable, i have seen 2 of the same CPU from differnt batch codes and one would not overclock at all and the other would overclock 30-40% and still run perfectly stable. You are saying pretty much the same thing about the LED's, if they are from the same bin/batch then the BB should be brighter due to the higher overdrive, however if you have a arc with a good LED from a good batch it might be brighter, but then if i am lucky and get a good BB one it should be brighter right? Guess I will have to wait and see, if i can expect 2-3 hours good brightness I will be happy, how about lithium AA's? anyone done a runtime test?

BTW i have nothing against ARC and love the 2 ARC AAA's i have and would have bought the ARC LS but i just plain dont have that much free cash right now, which is why i got the BB, just as bright at less than half the price.

Don't worry Rifter - I don't anyone here thinks the questions you're asking are in anyway derisive of Arc

In fact, you're probably asking among the most commonly asked questiones around *LOL*. So, if you tried searching thru the vast repository that is the CPF, you're quite likely to find what you're looking for with regards to runtime. Roy, for example, has built up quite a database.

A BB+minimag and an Arc-LS are tools with different intents in mind, IMHO - and I'm sure you'll find talents in one that don't exist in the other both ways.

My BB500+minimag on 1800mah nimhs give around 2hrs of max brightness before entering a dimmer (but still very useful) for about 1/2hr. I'd normally charge my batts by then since its no good to run nimhs down all the way. I'd reckon with lithiums, you should be able to enjoy at least 3hrs of high-brightness runtime.

searching, good plan, will try BTW has anyone found a good way to watreproof a mini-mag?

Rifter,
My factory 'second' Arc LS turned up today. (I echo previous posters on the subject: Mr Gransee's idea of a second is others' first.) All I can say is it's the best five cents shy of fifty dollars I've ever spent.

Pierce.

I may get an ARC LS later when i have the spare cash to play with, right now money is a little tight with x-mas and all.

Rifter, here speaketh the true flashaholic: "'Christmas'?"

Pierce.

Rifter,

I presently EDC the ARC SLS 2xAA (lithium) in preference to the other lights mentioned, which I own and have tried. The reason is that at this time the ARC gives me the best combination of bright runtime in a very small and light body.

If my runtime goal were less than four hours then I might carry a BB 400 (not 500: short RT). If my goal was a solid four hrs I would carry the E2e + KL1. My choice for longer than 4 hours in a semi regulated 2xAA or 2x123 light is the The ARC 2xAA (lith) which pulls ahead of the KL1 after about four hours, and at six hours tested as bright as a fresh Reactor or Inretech with lithiums. I also prefer its wide field of illumination and nearly white light. Of course this pertains only to this particular ARC. I have eight others and this was the best.

If my choice was the longest possible runtime in a amall AA or 123 light I would choose either the Reactor (the Classic 2AA, not the 3AA which sinks to the 2AA's level fairly quickly and loses its advantage, in addition to being longer and heavier), or the Inretech, though my Reactors have proven consistantly somewhat brighter than my Inretechs. I expect that my EDC LED will become the "E3 HAIII" + KL1 when Doug Speck is able to ship his UBH's. I am hoping to get at least six hours of very bright, regulated light from a package only slightly longer and heavier than an E2e+KL1.

Of course, as someone pointed out, you really don't accomplish anything except possibly a slightly brighter light and fewer battery changes. It all remains to be seen when those UBH's ship, hopefully before the new year

E2+KL1x2x123 = 4Hrs per charge
"E3"+KL1x3x123 = 6hrs percharge

For 12 hour run:

E2x3x2x123 = 12hrs = Two changes of batteries
"E3"x2x3x123 = 12hrs = One change of batteries

Six of one........? It's a personal decision.

Brightnorm

you see im looking for a BRIGHT LED light, i have a ARC AAA i use for little stuff, i have a Innova X5 i can use for anything needing more light, this light will be used where the X5 may not put out enough light or where i need a more focused light, on of the reasons i DONT want a arc LS is that you can not change the reflector, with the Badboy/mini-mag i can switch optics in 10 seconds, go from flood to a 20 degree beam. Plus it uses AA's, if i got the arc LS i would use 123's since it only ships with that body, i mean if i paid $25 for the 2 AA body thats almost as much as the badboy is costing. IMO the badboy and arc LS are in WAY DIFFERNT price points.

Originally posted by Rifter:
you see im looking for a BRIGHT LED light, i have a ARC AAA i use for little stuff, i have a Innova X5 i can use for anything needing more light, this light will be used where the X5 may not put out enough light or where i need a more focused light, on of the reasons i DONT want a arc LS is that you can not change the reflector, with the Badboy/mini-mag i can switch optics in 10 seconds, go from flood to a 20 degree beam. Plus it uses AA's, if i got the arc LS i would use 123's since it only ships with that body, i mean if i paid $25 for the 2 AA body thats almost as much as the badboy is costing. IMO the badboy and arc LS are in WAY DIFFERNT price points.

Click to expand...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Understood,

BN

Hotfoot, Did you have to mod the BB or Batt to make connection with the 1800 Nimh's? I just tried my 1800's from MCM "dynacharge". They have a shorter nipple than AA's. I tried small wad of alum foil. Didn't work. They do work in my Arc LS though.
Anyone else have this problem.
Looking for remedies or retraining.
MERRY CHRISTMAS all!!!

TOB9595, sorry to hear of your less-than-happy results with nimhs, but I'm pretty sure you could fix this if you tried some other brand of nimh.

I didn't have to mod anything to use mine - I simply drop-in my nimh AAs like regular AAs for my minimag+BB. The nimhs I were using were Vanson 1800mah, probably some generic brand out of Taiwan - so far, they've proven to be cheap and pretty good.

These same nimhs were not happy in some other devices though, like portable fans, PT40 and a couple of Energizer flashlights.

Dontcha just wish they'd just make the dang things the same size as regular AAs? (To NimH Manufacturers: I know the risks involved of doing so for some apps, but geez - if they're not exactly the same size as AAs, don't call them that!)