Help me choose a Aleph.....

....I have no frame of reference. I see these beam shots and they look good, but then I realize that they are waaay underexposed and don't really tell the whole story. Looking at the shots of the 2x123 Aleph I it looks like a laser. I know there must be a corona there someplace. Someone who actually has an aleph I please tell me what you think of the beam. Is it pure throw or can it be used inside of 10ft to light up a room or a wall and not just burn a 1ft hole thru it?

Your answer will determine the fate of mankind in relation to my flashlight purchase. I'm either going with a pre-assembled lux-3 Aleph I or asking someone to build me a 5w. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
In fact, the Aleph1 has a big corona that lights up a room nicely. BUT compared to the hotspot it is pale, and that's my (personal) problem with the Aleph1 ...
The 27mm Aleph1 is the best compromise for an all-around light and has very good throw as well as a big and nice corona, but you must know that in comparison to the hotspot, the corona is weak, so you'll have to avoid looking at the hotspot to make use of your corona AND this means that if you chose a very low low mode you'll only have the hotspot to work with.

The photos ... are a compromise to cover the dynamic range of brightness levels of all lights in the comparison, most important the ALeph1 ... the hotspot must not be overexposed and the corona still visible ... that's not easy for a digicam, and those pics represent the best compromise I could get.
No, they are not the reality, but they allow to directly compare all LuxIII and LuxV iterations of the Aleph relfectors directly with the Luxeon lottery eliminated from the game as well as the camera variables etc.

So ... the pics are relatively underexposed, but remember that the ration hotspot to corona is still very accurate.

bernhard

I have an aleph 2, ng 500, lux3, 1x123,15 ohm original tailcap and it is destin to be a classic. I probably should have ordered a smaller tailcap but I was smitten by the tritium and the ability to hang it from one of the holes. As for the light, it is the perfect urban personal flashlight. I say urban because it will throw out to 75-100 ft. With ambient city lights it does light up the "other side of the street nicely and I can read addresses #s while driving. My light gives about 1.5-1.75 hr. on high and who knows how much on low, (maybe 11-15 hr.?)It is easy to carry but a clip will need to be added for the times when I wear docker type pants. I find that it also fits in one of the new style leatherman Wave cordura sheaths with two spares next to the light. If you live in an urban area or spend the majority of your time in the city as well as indoors,I suggest you get the light mentioned above. (maybe 400mA would be even better) For the times you venture outside the city purchase an aleph 3 head and put the LE in that head and you will have your spot light beam. The 2x123 will give you more run time but it will be bigger of course, I just toss a spare in my other pocket if there is a chance I will use the crap out of it. I also keep a spare in the truck, night stand, kitchen, and a few at work. For URBAN survival and preparedness and convenience you must have the light ON YOU to be useful, I think the A2 1x123 ,ng 400-500 is possibly the best choice available today anywhere.

To illustrate my point:

Here's a pic with a good representation of the corona, but with completely overexposed hotspots ... you can't say anything about the beam quality and brightness of the hotspot:


Here we have a hot hotspot of the Aleph1 with the big pale corona, underexposed:


And can compare it to a LuxV and can now see where the extra power goes ... in a bright corona:


Now ... the same Aleph1 917mA LuxIII outside ... and you can't see a corona, it is too weak for the digicam, you see only hotspot, but a good representation of it:


And here we have a LuxV in an McLux-PR (same as Aleph1) and you clearly see a corona now ...

(note: this is a X3T 750mA and definitely brighter than anything you could get right now)

And this is what happens when you use a very dim low mode on your Aleph1 LuxIII:

No useable corona.

BUT ... it can throw, which the LuxV cannot, or only barely so.

Hope this clears the muddy waters a little.

bernhard

I am very disappointed in Bernhard.
The proper response is "Buy them both!"

I have an Aleph 2 for indoors (lots of spill, short throw) and an Aleph 3 for outdoors (no spill, powerful throw). In a pinch I can use the Aleph 2 outdoors on high or the Aleph 3 indoors on low, but neither would be my first choice.
They are different tools for different jobs.---Marc

Hey Marc, the poor guy was debating a LuxV or LuxIII in his first Aleph ... the fantastic Aleph2 wasn't even in the list /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
bernie

So are you saying that I probably can't get a decent 5w led anyway?

Just as a point of reference, the beam characteristics (spill size, hotspot size, and relative brightness of the spill and the hotspot to each other) of the Surefire U2 (5W LuxV) are almost identical to what the Aleph2 head gives with a LuxIII, though with half the total output.

If you put a Lux5 in an Aleph2 head, you would have an even less intense hotspot (and a very warm flashlight).

You can get decent LuxV LEDs, especially W-bins.
This one is an X-bin though, think of it as the Jackpot. It is highly unlikely that you'll score one of those.
bernhard