Dorcy does it again!

Wandering through the Sears hardware department and what should I see but the good old reliable "Dorcy Super 1 Watt" (3xAAA) light back on the shelf. http://www.dorcy.com/1_watt_led.htm

But that's not all!

Right next to it was the "Dorcy Super 3 Watt" (black with a different head but roughly the same size)
http://www.dorcy.com/41-4275.htm
I would have purchased one of these, but I hate that damned 3xAAA carrier with a purple passion!

Right below it was something NEW!!! "Dorcy Super 1 Watt - (1xCR123A)! :wow:
http://www.dorcy.com/41-4262.htm

I bought the last one (the 1xCR123A) and will post more information after the wife and I get back from our walk.

Heck, while you are there see the new stuff out from Dorcy here at
http://www.dorcy.com/led.htm

I love finding this stuff!!!!! Especially since I was looking for some sort of 1xCR123A light to round out my collection!

I've known about the Super 3W 3xAAA light for a while now, but I thought it was a website-only light. I haven't seen any at either of the stores I get to regularly.

I've modded a couple of Sam's Club Elements with a TW0J and TY0K and though they were definately brighter than the stock Q and R bins, with the small reflector, the difference wasn't radical.

Still, the more options, the better.

zespectre said:

Right below it was the "Dorcy Super 1 Watt - 1xCR123A!)
http://www.dorcy.com/41-4262.htm

I bought the last one (the 1xCR123A) and will post more information after the wife and I get back from our walk.

Click to expand...

Oh yes. :rock:

I've been waiting for that one for quite some time. It looks like it uses the same reflector arrangement as the 3xAAA Metal Gear, but with a smaller body. I'm also assuming that it will have better run time and flatter light output due to the battery type.

Thanks for the post - good find indeed!

"Dorcy Super 3 Watt" - looks neat, but I also "dislike" the 3 x 3AAA battery carrier. The CR123 light - looks like a distinct possibility.

With Sears and China-Mart carrying these Dorcy products, I guess that means that we will NEVER see a LED based Mag light come from the factory.

Dorcy Super 1 Watt - 1xCR123A has got to have a driver in there being the cr123 is only 3.0...
might make a nice mod light...

yup, saw one of those at Sears too. Looking forward to your review!

Thanks for the find. I, too, never was attracted to the 3AAA form factor but could definitely be interested in the 1x123 1 watter.

Flashlight Review Dorcy "Super 1 Watt" 1xCR123A (part # 41-4262) $30 at Sears.

NOTE: In order to avoid confusion with the 3xAAA version(s) of the Dorcy "super 1 watt" light I will refer to this light as the "4262" for the rest of the review.

The most immediate thing you'll notice about the "4262" (aside from the size) is how solid it feels. Nothing is loose, fit is excellent, and it feels like it would survive being run over by a car! The entire light is machined aluminum with the exact same shiny appearance and feel as the 3xAAA "super 1 watt" light. The light is somewhat slippery but has grooves machined in to assist with grip. I did not find flashlight retention to be an issue.

Unfortunately (for a $30 light) there are no clips, lanyards, or pouches included with this light nor are there any provisions to attach a clip or lanyard. It does, however, include one good quality Energizer "photo lithium" CR123A cell.

The battery is installed by unscrewing the tailcap and dropping the battery in. The design appears to protect against reverse installation though I didn't test this. The switch is a rubber covered "reverse clickie" style switch with an "O" ring seal. Borrowing a page from Craig's (The LED Museum) book I performed the "dreaded suction test) on the tailcap and the body. It appears that the light is reasonably sealed. The "4262" has two modes, on and off (no annoying flash mode on this one). The switch is recessed and the "4262" will stand on the tail end.

The switch also has a relatively deep throw into the recess such that I found difficult to work with my thumb and much easier to use the index finger. I therefore feel confident saying that the light is unlikely to turn on accidentally in pocket, bag, or backpack. Additionally the light can also be "locked out" by just slightly unscrewing the tailcap. It is obviously not an intentional design feature but works anyway. The switch itself feels solid enough but doesn't have much in the way of tactile feedback, making only the faintest click when activated.

The head of the "4262" has a polycarbonate lens which is recessed approximately 5cm so should be well protected from impacts on the lens. The head unscrews easily from the body revealing an "O" ring seal and once the head is unscrewed the light module slides right out. The heatsinks of the luxeon star are immediately visible but I have not attempted to disassemble the head further.

The emitter appears to be identical to it's older sibling and it has a similarly designed (though smaller and shallower) reflector assembly. The reflector has a few visible flaws but they do not seem to affect the beam quality at all, in fact beam quality is excellent consisting of a nice center spot that drops sharply to a very even sidespill. The shorter and smaller reflector does not seem to hurt this light at all and I consider the beam quality and pattern to be essentially flawless on my sample.

Color is an excellent white possibly leaning ever so slightly to blue and throw is good for a light of this size. As a side effect of the smaller and shallower reflector on the "4262" the throw is slightly shorter than the 3xAAA "super 1 watt" light but the sidespill is wider, more even, and just plain nicer.

Runtime test(s) are underway and I will post more when they are finished.


The Lineup
MiniMag, "4262", Dorcy 3xAAA, Gladius, Inova T4



In the Hand




Tail end



Head and tail unscrewed



Emitter out of head



Closeup of emitter module

Can't wait to see the results of your run-time tests. Unfortunately, I've never seen this light anyplace to buy.

Sportsmens Warehouse has it, if I remember correctly, Hmm:thinking: $29.00?

attowatt said:

Sportsmens Warehouse has it, if I remember correctly, Hmm:thinking: $29.00?

Click to expand...

Sorry, you are right, I paid $30 for mine. Corrected the review post. Good Lord do I need to go to bed!

The Sears web page for the 1x123A Dorcy is here. The closest Sears to where I live appears to be quite a drive away (I recently moved to San Jose, so I'm not sure), so I may give them a call tomorrow to find out if they have that product in stock.

Maybe I need to take a closer look at these Dorcys since they're readily available at OSH. Boy that small one in the pic that Zespectre took looks interesting!

is it a plastic press-in lens?

OSH sells both $29 for the 3watt $25 for the 1watt 123A... $10 off coupon if you spend $50 this weekend too

Only thing I don't like about it is with rechargable AAAs the light starts to flicker a little, hard to see sometimes... more noticable when the batteries get slightly drained.

I haven't seen the 123 yet.....but will be watching for it!



I just saw the Super 3W at ****'s Sporting Goods last night...but it was $39 there

Runtime is now finished (or as finished as I'm going to get).

This light has a very strange runtime curve and maybe someone more technically knowledgeable can explain it.

In the first minute there was a very abrupt drop that followed by a gradual rise (some sort of regulation circuit?) back to original level over the next 12-15 minutes. The light then ran a gradual curve out to roughly 2hr when it then began an abrupt drop off which crossed the 50% mark at 2hr 25min. The curve then flattened out somewhat until it reached 4 hours whereupon it dropped into it's "moon mode" dimming extremely gradually out to the 8 hour mark at which point I terminated the test. (total test time 8 hours).

At the termination of the test the "4262" was still putting out enough light to read a newspaper headline on the opposite side of a darkened 15 foot wide room. Based on the "tail" of the graph I have a rough estimate that the light would be useable for that sort of indoors work for an additional 10-15 hours, possibly more.

I have to say that I am extremely impressed with this light. I'm going to EDC it for a couple of weeks and see how it fares in real world use.

It was pointed out to me (quite correctly) by Quickbeam that I should have posted this in the "reviews" section :ironic:

If anyone knows how to move this thread over to there please tell me or go ahead and do so.

Thanks!
Dale

Also, someone PM'd me asking what my test rig looks like...

Laptop and DMM





Test "chamber"
Sensor, Cradle, battery powered adjustable fan for cooling

nemul said:

is it a plastic press-in lens?

Click to expand...

It's a polycarbonate lens that appears to be pressed in from the inside. I think it would be easily removable after you slide the light module out of the head. One of my first thoughts was how nice a water clear lens would be :rock: