Nichia NSPW500CS vs stock Dorcy AAA output

The LED Museum rates the stock Dorcy at 21,000 mcd, while the new Nichia NSPW500CS is rated on the manufacturers website at 18,000 mcd. I see that people are "upgrading" their Dorcy's with the Nichia. Am I missing something here? Wouldn't this be a downgrade?

The Dorcy, as do most other LED flashlights, overdrives its LED to obtain the higher intensity values. Swap the stock LED in the Dorcy with a high-ranked Nichia NSPW500CS LED, and that intensity value could double or even triple.

Yes, the upgrade is worth it.

I have replaced almost all of the little Dorcy's LED's with the new Nichia, and the output as measured by light meter shows a 80% to 100% increase.

It is one heckuva upgrade for 87 cents--it makes the Dorcy as bright as a 3 LED light like the Attitude.

Bob

I decided to "upgrade" my stock Dorcy by purchasing a 0.5 watt River Rock instead. It blows the Dorcy away. Does anyone know how the River Rock stands up against a modified Dorcy?

Hmmm...I am not sure.

I do have the 1AAA version of the 0.5w Nuwai/RR light. I think the 2AAA is a bit brighter, however http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/nuwai_tm-311h_2aaa.htm
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/nuwai_tm-310h_aaa.htm

The comparison is kind of difficult due to the 0.5w using a reflector, but it appears the 2AAAputs out a lot of light, and even throws well.

To my eye, the Dorcy appears to be putting out more light (than my 1AAA), but is more floody. Also, my Nuwai has an excellent beam, but it is more purple than I like. Further, I don't like the slick finish--but that is easy to address.

Regardless, I would guess that the RR 2AAA/1AAA is an excellent buy for ~$10, with no need to modify!

Bob

I would still like to upgrade my Dorcy, is the Nichia available yet in any of the mainstream stores?

Flashback said:

I would still like to upgrade my Dorcy

Click to expand...

Me too. Where can I get a few of these LEDs for $0.87 each?

Thanks,
Ken

Haven't followed the thread, but there was a group buy going on in the Group Buys section.

Flashback said:

Does anyone know how the River Rock stands up against a modified Dorcy?

Click to expand...

Quickbeam reviews show the the total light output of the stock Dorcy 1AAA to be about "3" and the Nuwai which is the RR 2xAAA to be about "7". When I upgraded my Dorcy LED with the 26K, it just about exactly doubled the total light output, The Nichia (in Chimo's testing) has about the same output as the 26K. Assuming this is true, I would expect a Nichia upgraded Dorcy 1AAA to have about the same lumens output as as the RR/Nuwai 2xAAA.

This also seems about right when I light my upgraded Dorcy and Nuwai side by side, but the beams are very different. The Nuwai has much more throw with a much dimmer spill than the Dorcy's wide, even flood.