Dorcy or RR?

Making my first step into the 1 watt world.....trying to decide between the Luxeon Dorcy Metal Gear or a 1.5 Jupiter River Rock (either the 2C or 2AA models). I think I like the RR 2C ergonomically the best, but from what I've seen, most people actually like the performance of the 2AA better...and from the beamshots I've seen, the 2AA does actually look whiter as well as brighter....just wish it didn't have such limited run time, and lacks the heft/diameter of the 2C, which I prefer. The thing I seem to prefer about the Dorcy is the greater light spill. Is the Dorcy regulated? What things might I not have considered when choosing among these 3? Sure wish Dorcy made the Metal Gear in a 2C!
thanks for any opinions...glad I've gone from lurker to poster :thanks:
-spungehead

I have the Dorcy Metal Gear -- it's a decent light but I wouldn't recommend it. Why? Because there's better stuff out there.

For $10 the River Rock 0.5w 2AAA may be overall better -- vastly smaller, good output and runtime. However the 2AAA has a blueish tint and a little more beam artifacts than the Dorcy, and less overall output.

IMO your best option is the Fenix L1 or L1P. Yes they're more expensive than the Dorcy, but you get a much better light. The L1 is only about $30. See http://www.fenixlight.com/, available retail from www.jsburlys.com (although web site seems down right now). Alternatively email CPF member Litemania.

The other top recommendation is the Streamlight Propoly Lux 4AA. It's just an incredible price/performance combination. It's just $22.95 from here:
http://www.fox-intl.com/item.asp?id=338

You really can't go wrong with the Fenix or the Propoly Lux 4AA. They are both tremendous lights and far better than the Metal Gear or Jupiter River Rock.

I would personally think the smaller RR 2AAA would be the best one if you were carrying it on a regular basis. You said you like the heft and diameter of the 2C. If you were going to be carrying it alot on your belt, that would be detrimental. However, it is a matter of personal taste.

I just love the .5W 2AAA RR. I found the 2AA quite large for
an 2AA light and cumbersome. Not to mention that it has
a rather strange beam. At that size I'd just reach for my
SL Pro-Po' with output and beam quality the likes of which
the RR 2AA can't touch.

But the 2AAA RR is one of the nicest sized and handling
flashlights I've come across. Quite surprising output from
this little light and only about $10. Gotta be close to
value light of the year.

MB

I'd also say go with the RR .5w 2AAA light instead of the 2AA one. I have both, and although the 2AA has great throw, it has almost ZERO spill. Talk about tunnel vision!

I just ordered the Streamlight ProPoly 4AA Lux myself after reading all the glowing reviews of this flashlight.

I have the RR .5W 2AAA and its a great light for the money, check it out.

Having the combo of the 2AAA for EDC and the 2AA could also work pretty well--especially if you're traveling and can toss the 2AA in a backpack. The 2AA could be for outdoor use. Plus you can get them at the same time at the same store w/o the shipping costs.

All indications are that the SL Pol Pro has a lot more kick, etc... and deserves all the good reviews. However, keep in mind that the run time is similar, the SL uses 4 AA's instead of two, is heavier and is wider (considering you can put the RR 2AA in a pocket fairly easily by comparison).

I think most would agree that the best all around buy, and a very good one, is the 2AAA.

One interesting, additional point is to note that all the RR lights throw well. It looks like the marketing strategy being used by the company expects that the mass audience will respond well to that.

The RR AAA is not bright enough to be an EDC. But it is a convenient size and a good buy. It's a value at $10 but in some ways you do get what you pay for. A 1/2 watt light doesn't get you far and is a bit blue in color, too. So, spend a bit more. For $13 in a pack of two, the Sam's Element is incredible. Better than the Metal Gear. It's also a Dorcy light. One of the whitest and brightest I own at any price. The Nuwai Q3 at $29 is tiny and with a beautiful spot and spill. At $44, the Fenix is a nice light, too. ( I assume as I am still waiting for mine. . .)

RR 2AAA "not bright enough for EDC?" It's brighter than the ARC AAA or Dorcy AAA that a lot of people EDC. I guess it depends on your needs.

If I'll be indoors it's the Dorcy AAA for me (now the RR 2AAA mostly) and if jumping in the car it's the Q3.

I know it's popular for $10, but, IMO, isn't in the same league with lights costing just a bit more. I took it back to Target but realize it's fine for quick use around the house. Even so, I found it glaring for up close work with not much spill. It has decent throw for its price but if I want throw, I really look for more so I'll reach for the Streamlight ProPoly Luxeon, or a light like the Q 3. But, to each his own! The lights being compared here are really SO different. The Dorcy is much larger than the RR, for example. If size isn't a consideration, the Metal Gear is much brighter and more versatile. Not small enough for EDC but the RR is too long for EDC. . . Consider going for the Nuwai Q3 (CR123 batt) or Fenix L1P (AA batt). Users here just have a couple days experience with the Fenix so I'd suggest waiting a couple of weeks, if you can, and by then we'll know how it's being received. So far, so good!

I just noticed something about the .5w 2AA RR. When I shine an NUV LED into it, I can clearly see the lead wires on the die, but I can't see it with regular visible light.
Fo rsome reason I always check out a white LED with an NUV or blue LED to see how the phosphor reacts.

I edc a photon 3. The 2aaa RR is far brighter and easily out throws it.
Unlike some other small lights like the Fenix, Q3, Infinity etc the
RR 2AAA is almost like carrying a ballpoint pen in your pocket. The clip
is superb for a light at this price.

Because of its slight blue tint and half watt power I don't find
it blinding at all for up close work.

I have both flavors now, but find that the black just looks and
even feels more expensive. Because of the finish I can tell
them apart just by feel.

Regardless of shortcomings you really couldn't ask for more
in a $10 light.

MB

C4LED said:

RR 2AAA "not bright enough for EDC?" It's brighter than the ARC AAA or Dorcy AAA that a lot of people EDC. I guess it depends on your needs.

If I'll be indoors it's the Dorcy AAA for me (now the RR 2AAA mostly) and if jumping in the car it's the Q3.

Click to expand...

Yep, it's definitely brigher than the Dorcy single AAA. But the Dorcy 3 AAAs such as the Metal Gear or the Sam's Element really blow away the RR. Maybe that's not a fair comparison since they are larger and take more juice to run, though. . .

onthebeam said:

The RR AAA is not bright enough to be an EDC...too long for EDC

Click to expand...

According to www.flashlightreviews.com, the Nuwai 0.5w 2AAA (a clone of the RR 2AAA) has more overall output than a Minimag, Peak Matterhorn or Arc IIIP, and over THREE TIMES the output of a Gerber Infinity Ultra.

All of those are frequently mentioned as EDC lights on this forum, yet the RR 2AAA has more output.

In fact at about 10 lumens the RR 2AAA is equal in brightness to the HDS EDC primary output, and it's almost equal to the 1.5 watt 2AA Aurora Jupiter LED in overall output.

Re too long to EDC, it's much smaller than the AA penlights people already EDC. In fact the RR 2AAA is an ideal shirt pocket EDC.

Now the part about you get what you pay for is true -- personally I'd much rather have a Fenix L1P, but it's over 4x the cost. I think the Fenix is a bargain even at that, but the RR 2AAA is still an excellent (maybe the best) EDC at its price point, considering the output, runtime and size.

I had a less than pleasant experience with Dorcy. The customer service leaves a lot to be desired. I will not be giving them any of my business in the future and it is a shame as they make some interesting stuff.

I had a Dorcy 1AAA on my keychain until the clip on the back of it broke off & was never to be found again. I've since put an Inova Microlite on the keychain and also carry the RR 2AAA in my pocket. It's a bit large to carry everyday, but WELL worth it and I've become used to carrying it, to the point that I think I'd be lost without it.

I have the RR 2AA, but only use that one when I need a LONG throw, like walking outside at night. It's beam is too narrow and lack of spill kill this light's usefulness for close-up work

I have both the Dorcy Metal Gear and the River Rock 2AAA and find this to be the perfect time to say "buy both". They're nice lights for the price. If I could only have one, it would be the River Rock, but only because of the size.

Geoff

go with a luxeon light those "spotlight" jupiters suck unless you need a stage spotlight for a puppet show... i remember target having a Dorcy 1 watt 3D light
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=1074257&postcount=15

>go with a luxeon light those "spotlight" jupiters suck unless you need a stage >spotlight for a puppet show.

Man, thats the truth, I giving mine away as a Christmas present.

Some conflicting recommendations here... thought I'd throw my experience in as well. Amongst others, I own a Metal Gear, two of the Elements and three (one will be returned) RR 2xAAA lights. I like them all for different reasons. The Metal Gear and one of the Elements are very white... among the whitest Lux I lights I own. The other element is on the violet side which I don't personally mind as I find that violet or yellow work best for outdoor color recognition. The Metal Gear is definately the one that the tactical wannabe (no offense intended) will gravitate towards. I've never had it turn on when I didn't intend it to.

The Elements are nice lights as well, amazing for the price actually but the lanyard 'stick' rattles pretty severely on one of mine and I will be taking it back for that reason. I've carried the Element out hunting in a loose pocket in a pair of coveralls and it turned itself on numerous times. I like how easy the switch is to push, but it isn't recessed at all. That's the big strike against the Element.

On the River Rock AAA lights, I bought the three with the best centered LEDs in the store with the intention of keeping the least blue one and returning the other two. I put six fresh charged 850 NiMHs in them and one faded an hour and a half before the other two... I've decided to keep the two that didn't die so soon and will actually probably keep three and give one to a nurse in the family. I've been installing 5mm 26k LEDs into 2xAA and 2xAAA MiniMags for nurses for a while but I think that with 7 hour +/- runtime on AAA cells, and with better brightness, the River Rock 2AAA lights are an excellent overall value. Good beam shape (assuming the LED is centered), nice brightness without the glare that the Metal Gear or Element has on closeup work.

I would never consider giving up my 1W Lux LED_ASAP modded ARC AAA keychain light and I've EDCed a number of other lights ranging from not very bright (Infinity Ultra) to quite bright (modded 1AA Lux III lights) but overall, for a general user intending mostly indoor use and limited outdoor use, I can't think of a better value/performance choice than the 2AAA River Rock lights. The Metal Gear and Elements (or Jr Lux) and similar lights offer too much brightness for a lot of indoor tasks and not a whole lot of throw for serious outdoor use... A cheap bin Lux III modded Mag running on 3 C or D cells makes an excellent serious outdoor light...

For general use, I couldn't recommend the C or AA River Rock lights though.