New Ra Lights products (Part 2)

LLCoolBeans · Feb 4, 2009

This thread is intended for the general discussion of the new Ra Lights products announced at the 2009 shot show.

This is a continuation of the original thread, which can be found here...
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=219503

luxlover · Feb 4, 2009

LLCoolBeans said:
This thread is intended for the general discussion of the new Ra Lights products announced at the 2009 Shot Show.

This is a continuation of the original thread, which can be found here...
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=219503

I like your new name, Mr. Beans. :crackup:

Jeff

sappyg · Feb 4, 2009

luxlover said:
I like your new name, Mr. Beans. :crackup:

Jeff

we all know beans are better than peas. peas give me gas! :crackup:

i think too many are getting hung up on the lumin rating of the burst mode of the Ra. for instance, yes the NT hits 120 L and can hold that for 30 minutes but to be honest i rarely use the highest setting for more than 5-10 seconds anyway. in fact, most of the time i set my NT at 10 L or less and only hit the high mode when i absolutely need it. 85 L seems more than enough to do what needs doing. when i do crank up to 120 it does tend to shock my eyes so i don't care for it much.
today i used my NT to look into a wall i had opened up to look at the pipes inside. there was a lot of ambient light and we were outside. that is when the 120 l helped but i only needed it for 10 seconds or less. otherwise, those higher numbers don't mean much to me.
if the new Ra's can just give me the same beam that i like in the NT without looking green or purple and be reliable i could care less whether they only hit 120 L for ten seconds.

thermal guy · Feb 4, 2009

sappyg said:
we all know beans are better than peas. peas give me gas! :crackup:

i think too many are getting hung up on the lumin rating of the burst mode of the Ra. for instance, yes the NT hits 120 L and can hold that for 30 minutes but to be honest i rarely use the highest setting for more than 5-10 seconds anyway. in fact, most of the time i set my NT at 10 L or less and only hit the high mode when i absolutely need it. 85 L seems more than enough to do what needs doing. when i do crank up to 120 it does tend to shock my eyes so i don't care for it much.
today i used my NT to look into a wall i had opened up to look at the pipes inside. there was a lot of ambient light and we were outside. that is when the 120 l helped but i only needed it for 10 seconds or less. otherwise, those higher numbers don't mean much to me.
if the new Ra's can just give me the same beam that i like in the NT without looking green or purple and be reliable i could care less whether they only hit 120 L for ten seconds.

Amen! If you were to take a pole as to what level you use most on our HDS lights it would not be any of the top three i bet

KIRWILLE · Feb 4, 2009

thermal guy said:
Amen! If you were to take a pole as to what level you use most on our HDS lights it would not be any of the top three i bet

I would have to agree. As much as I don't like the fact that it jumps down after 10 seconds....... I never use the high settings for more than 5 to 10 seconds at a time, so I don't think it really matters. At least you can get up to 140lm if you need it.

chaoss · Feb 4, 2009

KIRWILLE said:
I would have to agree. As much as I don't like the fact that it jumps down after 10 seconds....... I never use the high settings for more than 5 to 10 seconds at a time, so I don't think it really matters. At least you can get up to 140lm if you need it.

Agreed, .33 & 10 are my most used settings on the 120P and with the RA Twisty (now my favorite EDC), low & medium mostly with short runs on high. Not to mention the great runtimes on these levels.

brucec · Feb 4, 2009

My personal issue, and this is just psychological, is that I don't want my light to determine what level for me. I want to make that decision for myself. I know it can do 120lm for at least 30min, so if I chose 120lm, I want it to stay at 120lm until I decide to change to another level. I have my NT setup with 120lm as momentary max. Granted I seldom used that level for more than 10sec, but the times that I did, I never wished that it would automatically step down after 10sec. In fact, I don't use the NT very much anymore because I found the "graceful" auto-stepdowns to be rather frustrating.

It's like driving a 4-speed stick shift car that doesn't want to go into the gear that you selected. Or a first gear that auto drops into second after 10sec. Yes, I don't use first gear for more than a few seconds normally, but it's nice to be able to determine exactly when or if it shifts into second.

I don't know, maybe when the QC issues have settled, I'll buy a Clicky and try it out for myself.

jimmy1970 · Feb 4, 2009

I tend to use the 120lm setting a fair bit. Probably around 1-2 minutes at a time depending on what task it is being used for. I was sealing up some plumbing at home last night and used the 120lm setting for around 10 minutes. It was nice to not have to keep pressing the button to maintain this light level.

The factory secondary setting just wasn't bright enough for the task.

James....

LLCoolBeans · Feb 4, 2009

120lm to 85lm sounds like a big difference. It's not. It's just enough for the eye to detect a change.

You'll like it once you use it. It's just a difficult thing to get your head around until you actually use it.

Also, it's not just about runtime. Running the emitter at 120lm not only drains the battery quickly, but also generates a great deal more heat. If there was no burst mode, the lights would quickly heat up on high and then go into thermal protection stepdowns. Running the emitter at 85lm the light never gets hot and will run for over an hour without any thermal stepdowns.

sappyg · Feb 4, 2009

brucec said:
My personal issue, and this is just psychological, is that I don't want my light to determine what level for me. I want to make that decision for myself. Granted I seldom used that level for more than 10sec, but the times that I did, I never wished that it would automatically step down after 10sec. In fact, I don't use the NT very much anymore because I found the "graceful" auto-stepdowns to be rather frustrating.

It's like driving a 4-speed stick shift car that doesn't want to go into the gear that you selected. Or a first gear that auto drops into second after 10sec. Yes, I don't use first gear for more than a few seconds normally, but it's nice to be able to determine exactly when or if it shifts into second.

i kinda understand where you are coming from.... like airbags or seatbelts i guess...
personally i did'nt wear a seatbelt until my daughter was born. odd, but i started to realize that she might be better off if i started wearing it. i like choices and independence and i do cellibrate what is left of them as often as i can. S... my wifes car will not even let you back out of the driveway without an un nerving alert to buckle up.
i don't mind the "graceful" step down. actually i like it. it lets me know that i need to find a fresh battery if i'm gonna continue in using my light. it also consearves the remainder of the battery in use. i can find no fault with that. have you ever just had a light give out and leave you in total darkness? that sucks!

LLCoolBeans · Feb 4, 2009

Got my two WWCns today. One is for me and another is a gift.

Looks like the tail stand issue has been solved. Tail stand on both lights is rock solid.

I'm comparing the beams, they are both nice, but I'm not sure which to keep. One is a little reddish with a touch of blue. The other is yellowish with a touch of green.

matrixshaman · Feb 4, 2009

Backstepping a bit - about the difference in feel - I definitely was thinking the Ra Clicky felt smaller in diameter than previous models. I wasn't sure why as I assumed it was still about 1" diameter so as to be useable in a gun light mount as well as just being a good size for a number of reasons. I think part of the difference in feel is the length or maybe the smaller midsection but as quite a few have mentioned it is a very nice light to hold. I think you could say the ergonomics are excellent and as far as knurling or whatever you want to call it I had the impression it would not cause any wear like some of the lights with aggressive knurling.
Does anyone know if the tactical versions have a different knurling?

Enzo Morocioli · Feb 4, 2009

LLCoolBeans said:
Got my two WWCns today. One is for me and another is a gift.

Looks like the tail stand issue has been solved. Tail stand on both lights is rock solid.

I'm comparing the beams, they are both nice, but I'm not sure which to keep. One is a little reddish with a touch of blue. The other is yellowish with a touch of green.

Wow, good to know... I'd keep the one that's reddish with a touch of blue. That's both ends of the visual spectrum mixed together. It's amazing how our eyes can pick up such subtle variation in tint, especially when comparing two otherwise identical LEDs. Try to take some beamshots if possible.

LLCoolBeans · Feb 4, 2009

Enzo Morocioli said:
Wow, good to know... I'd keep the one that's reddish with a touch of blue. That's both ends of the visual spectrum mixed together.

I hear you and I generally prefer a slight red tint to a slight green one. The yellowish one with a touch of green is more consistent in color throughout the entire beam. The green is less detectable in the yellowish beam than the blue is in the reddish beam. So, I like them both, it's a tough call.

Enzo Morocioli said:
It's amazing how our eyes can pick up such subtle variation in tint, especially when comparing two otherwise identical LEDs.

It is really weird. You have to compare more than two lights at a time to really get a sense of the true tint of any one of them.

Enzo Morocioli said:
Try to take some beamshots if possible.

I want to do some beamshots while I have all three in my possession. I've tried it before and had bad luck. The photos never even come close to showing what I'm actually seeing.

matrixshaman · Feb 5, 2009

Are the WWCn's Ostar Golden Dragon Plus LED's?

LLCoolBeans · Feb 5, 2009

matrixshaman said:
Are the WWCn's Ostar Golden Dragon Plus LED's?

I believe so, Trixy. It looks exactly like the one in my 140Cn anyway.

DM51 · Feb 5, 2009

"Trixy"?!? LOL! :kiss:

LLCoolBeans · Feb 5, 2009

Some minor bad news to report. One of the WWCn Clickys is sicky.

After I finally came to a decision on which one I was going to keep, I started customizing. Came to find out that locator flash did not work at all. Then I noticed that the 4 or so lowest levels emit no light at all an several above 4 flicker like crazy.

Contacted Henry last night, got an email response within minutes. He was very apologetic and said that it's most likely a bad LED, which happens from time to time. We have plans to swap out the light for another after work today.

Other WWCn is fine.

jblackwood · Feb 5, 2009

Any idea if Henry's lights understate their lumen rating? There are no RA's on the light sphere thread but I can't imagine paying that kind of premium for a light that, at least according to the numbers, isn't that bright, no matter how pretty the beam is or how bomb-proof the casing (and lens and bezel). :shakehead

I just ask because so many other CPFers are so solidly behind these products. Being a noob, I had to ask, so please don't take my words as statement of fact, merely statement of my initial opinion, easily swayed by other people's experiences. Thanks.

LLCoolBeans · Feb 5, 2009

jblackwood said:
Any idea if Henry's lights understate their lumen rating? There are no RA's on the light sphere thread but I can't imagine paying that kind of premium for a light that, at least according to the numbers, isn't that bright, no matter how pretty the beam is or how bomb-proof the casing (and lens and bezel). :shakehead

140-120 lumen burst is on par with all other lights that use these emitters.

A Cree XR-E would be a bit more efficient and the numbers would go up, but the Cree will not focus properly with a short reflector. You can use a long reflector and get a decent beam out of the Cree, but you loose a lot of your spill that way. So, a Cree will make a decent thrower, but it's not too useful for an all around EDC light.

Numbers can be misleading.

New Ra Lights products (Part 2)

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