UK Mini Q40 eLED plus?

I need a new backup dive light, and thought this looked interesting, but I need it to brighter than the stock UK 4AA eLED. It seems like this Mini Q40 eLED plus http://www.uwkinetics.com/D_MQ40_eLEDplus.htm has a 1 watt luxeon installed, but claims to output 40 lumens. Anybody know anything about this dive rated light?

Jan

I have both the Q40 and Q40 LED Plus. The LED Plus is brighter and very similar in beam to the xenon bulb Q40. It is a very tight spot with not a whole lot of side spill. It is not as bright as my Streamlight 4AA Lux., but it has better throw.

They claim 5 to 6 hours runtime, which would indicate that they've boosted the current to twice that of the original eLed model. The optics are supposed to concentrate the beam, adding more brightness. Still, their claim of 40 lumens is probably a lot more than the light actually sends out the front. A good rule of thumb seems to be 60% of claimed output, which would put this light at 24 lumens.

UK claims
11 hours UK 4AA eLED
5-6 hours mini Q40
Half the runtime should give double the brightness. SHOULD - MAY NOT.

Try to contact UK. Better still find a dive shop with one. Lumen #s and beamshots do not tell the whole story. Nothing beats the good old eyeball!

Dallas_Dave, very informative - thanks!

Does anybody know of a good source of UK lights with cheap overseas shipping? Pocketlights.com doesn't seem (acording to their website) to carry this particular model.

Jan

Glad to help.



Just out of curiosity what will you be using it for? I used mine while free-diving for lobsters off the coast of southern California. It worked well (the Q40, as I have not used the Q40 LED plus for diving yet) for looking into cracks and crevices where lobsters hide, but we used the larger C4 and C8's while covering open areas. My point? The spot is almost too tight for anything other than getting into tight areas and as a personal or backup light.



If you are looking for a terrestrial light I recommend the Streamlight 4AA Lux. LED over the UK light. I feel that the SL 4AA has a much more usable beam and the tail switch is very handy for single hand use. I gave away my surefire because I feel that the SL fulfills the role better and with less expensive and more readily available batteries.


I know this additional information is unsolicited but I hope it helps none the less.

Thanks Dave. I will be using it for a backup if my primary dive light fails (Green Force HID 50). It's going to reside in my BCD pocket and hopefully will never see any real use (I know - It's a shame ). It must be a very reliable flashlight, and I think this will make a god backup, that would enable me to navigate a wreck in a pinch and take me safely back to the rope (for ascenting) - that sort of use.

I mostly dive with SCUBA gear, but we do have a lot of lobsters here i Denmark as well (along the Swedish west coast).

Jan

Dallas_Dave said:

I have both the Q40 and Q40 LED Plus. The LED Plus is brighter and very similar in beam to the xenon bulb Q40. It is a very tight spot with not a whole lot of side spill. It is not as bright as my Streamlight 4AA Lux., but it has better throw.

Click to expand...

Do you know if the head would be useable on the UK 4AA w/switch?

I really love the form factor of that light but want a really great spotlight and the eLed is too dim.
For our walks at night, I use an Infinity Ultra (for a flood light).
I use the StreamLight ProPoly 4AA Lux for spotlighting now.

I do not have the light that you describe, but I suspect that it will, as my Q40 and Q40 LED plus, seem to be interchangeable. However, I cannot say for sure since I do not own your model of U.K. light.

Just as a note. The way I compared throw was by shining the lights at a home that was across the street and 3 houses down. There is a noticeable difference between the Streamlight LED Lux. and the Q40 LED plus. The UK plus definitely does a better job of lighting things up, but both are great lights.



Dave

I just back from the UK website and have either missed something or UK may have something new...
As well as the Eled plus that is be discussed they also seem to have taken that same module , put it in the switched version and made it two stage!

I love my UKs but the biggest beef we all have it the inconsistant beam on them. The other feature mentioned is it is now focusable!

Me and the new search function don't get along very well, but has anybody seen, heard or touched this yet?

UK fans want to know...

Jenks

It surprises me how little information there is to be found here on CPF regarding the Q40 eLED plus. Especially since it seems to be quite a bit brighter than the 4AA eLED.

Jan

I very much like UK's as well, and have similar gripes to those posted above.

The incan beam needs to be cleaned up, for sure. A textured reflector would be sweet.

I cannot tell by the UK website, but it appears that the new Plus LED model might have a focusing lens in front--like the Palight, which creates a moonbeam...with no spill.

If this is the case...yuck.

Bob

I bought a Blue Mini Q40 eLED plus from Brightguy. The light is pretty good. The beam is bright, white, with an intense hotspot, some sidespill, and a light outer ring similar to an Inova T3. From my recollection, the beam is as bright as the SL ProPoly Luxeon I used to have. It is worth the $28 I paid.

The new optic used resembles the optic in the River Rock Jupiter 2AA flashlight, but the UK does not have that perfectly round moonbeam. The beamshot is 6' from my wall. It's too cold outside for "real" photos. ;-)

Photos are here:

The UK ZOOM eLED light appears to have the new optics, but with adjustable focusing.

Must...resist...temptation...!

Bob

freefall8,
Thanks alot those *great* pictures, and information. $28 seems to be a good price.

Jan

JanCPF said:

I mostly dive with SCUBA gear, but we do have a lot of lobsters here i Denmark as well (along the Swedish west coast).

Jan

Click to expand...

Then I hope you remember that lobsters are protected and unless I'm mistaken divers are not allowed to catch them. This is at least the case in norway and Sweden....
And they will confiscate all your scuba gear if you get caught doing it in Norway.

I'm using a Pelican 4AA MityLight as a backup, and I'm very happy with it.

Sverre

NoFair said:

Then I hope you remember that lobsters are protected and unless I'm mistaken divers are not allowed to catch them. This is at least the case in norway and Sweden....
And they will confiscate all your scuba gear if you get caught doing it in Norway.

I'm using a Pelican 4AA MityLight as a backup, and I'm very happy with it.

Sverre

Click to expand...

AFAIK lobsters are not protected in Denmark, but that's probably because they are impossible to find along the danish coasts I'm very well aware, that we are not allowed to catch them in Sweden and Norway, and that the gear is confiscated if we did. I would never take that risk, but it certainly dosn't hurt to just look at the lobsters.

Jan

freefall8,

Thanks for the pictures. Are the bezel/optic/LED all one unit? Or can you remove the LED from the bezel as you can with the original 4AA eLED? I'm assuming that you can use the bezel on any of the 4AA/2L bodies that share the same threads with the Q40; have you tried this? The bezel looks longer on the eLED plus than the normal Q40 bezel, is this the case? Thanks.

the beakman

From looking at the webpage you can order the module and bezel as individual units. The bezel does look longer, possibly for the optics?

There are different part numbers for the modules and bezels for both the zoom and the plus.

None of these lights are available in Canada yet. Someone needs to be the first to get a Zoom. I've got high hopes.

Jenks