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LED Flashlights

Started by scuzzy, March 20, 2006, 13:06 hrs

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Ace

Wow. Not cheap. Definitely look sturdy, and studly.  I'll tell ya, after dropping screws and tweezers (trying to get the screw..) and those little black ties that I had to cut through to release the wire bundles in my PC this past week I could definitely appreciate a higher power of flashlight.  I may at least try for a low end one, just to have one decent flashlight around.

How come the ones that use the big D cells are NEVER functioning..  I swear the ones like that are always dead when you want to use one.  I hadn't thought about the outside benefit, but that sounds like it would be a good way to illuminate the yard.  And the neighbors.

Maybe around 4AM if they had a loud party earlier that night...

Ace; I wannainova.
Ring bells for service.

Ace

I feel like I'm dog years behind everybody...

I'll do that.  It's not something I ever shopped for... I once got a nice quality flashlight from my Dad for Christmas; but it didn't WORK.  I guess from that point I figured to go for quantity instead of quality.  But, that costs, in the long run.  I'm glad you guys know stuff. 

I suppose I could help out more, in the tech area... maybe if we had a topic board like "Why Not To Drop The Tool You Are Using To ReCapture The Little item You Just Dropped Onto Your Motherboard" and "What To Use To Retrieve That Tool After You Did Drop It Anyway; Told You So Not To".  It'd have to be pretty focused though, as I lack the range of expertise of others here. 

Maybe I could be the "Beta" guy... try stuff experimentally that doesn't work, so others won't bother.  "Things You Could Buy To Fix Your PC While Not Getting To What's Wrong With It."  Plus, I've gotten quite an arsenal of spare parts that I can be rich from on eBay:  Old 350 watt power supply.  Some memory sticks, from back when.  My old Viper video card.  Bunch of cables I forget I have when I need one.  Spare SLI Bridge (everyone needs one). 

I'd like to be able to shed more light on things.

Ace; like through one ear, so it comes out the other.
Ring bells for service.

Ace

Yes.  I agree.  Adam.  Definitely.  No idea how they'd "market" him, since he's too mature to be a teeny bopper teen idol.  And too young to probably focus on adults...  But his voice (and personality) is incredible.  And on the political front, sure. Why not.  Not like Indiananers are gonna have any say in it.  Or Pat, up in "Jump The Gun Michigan." 

I know it's usually troubling for people when I agree with them.  That's not half as bad as if they find themselves agreeing with me, though.  I shall go to My Forum, The Funny Bone, Of Which I am Moderator of "Poasts Beginning with the Letters N-Z" and carry this American Idol message, there. 

Also still the Baron and Grand Poobah of Michiana.

Ring bells for service.

scuzzy

I don't flash anyone, outside of my bedroom door. Even so the cat usually runs out in a panic, which does nothing for my ego.

I can't afford a new flashlight anymore than the next guy. As long as my T4 works I can't justify it anyway, as the power is sufficient for my needs. Besides, I'd rather hold out for the 500 lumen model.

My T4 has been a solid performer, and I can't think of any problems with the flashlight itself. It has not let me down on the job. However, I'm not impressed with the charging design. It is far too difficult to properly align the flashlight with the charger cradle. I don't know how many times I've gone to get the flashlight out of the cradle after several hours to find a blinking blue light, which means it didn't align properly. My Stinger models, on the other hand, quickly and easily line up with the cradle. For future Inova models, I hope the charging design gets a complete makeover.

Scuzzy; the dog panics, too.
Antec Performance TX640B Case | WinXP Pro SP3 & Win7 64-bit | Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R | Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale LGA 775 3.16GHz Dual-Core | 8GB (4x2GB) PC6400 G-Skill RAM | eVGA 7600GT 256MB PCI-E | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 16MB Cache | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 8MB Cache | 320GB Seagate Barracuda SATA 16MB Cache | External 640GB WD Caviar SATA 32MB Cache | Sony DRU-V200S DVD/RW | PC Power & Cooling Silencer 500W | Samsung SyncMaster 2494 (24") LCD Monitor | LG Flatron W2361V (23") LCD Monitor

JimS

I bought a replacement LED bulb for my 3 D-cell (not 3-D cell) MagLite last week, and frankly, I'm not sure it was worth the $18.00 I paid.  I was expecting it to be much brighter, but it's not.  I'd say it's pretty much the same as  the original bulb.  It's a whiter/bluer light, but not brighter or more intense.  I guess the biggest advantage is the longer battery life.

Maybe LED lights need 3-D batteries, y'know, that extra dimension might be significant.
"I shall pass through this world but once.  Any good I can do, or any kindness that I can show any human being, let me do it now and not defer it, for I shall not pass this way again."
- Stephen Grellet

scuzzy

There are various degrees of LED technologies available. The LEDs used in high quality LED flashlights are high-wattage and have excellent optics. Plus, the flashlights are specifically designed to maximize the output of the selected LED.

The replacement LEDs (they're not bulbs) for MagLite flashlights are on the verge of being gimmicks, and they are generally not worth the cost. To begin with, the flashlight reflector is not design to maximize the output of the LED, since it is pre-focused for an ordinary bulb. You'll no doubt extend the life of the batteries, but the light output will be disappointing.

Also, it's difficult to gage the genuine effectiveness of an LED flashlight in daylight. A powerful LED is most appreciated at night, where the true difference can actually be seen. This is mostly because the color temperature of an LED can resemble daylight.
Antec Performance TX640B Case | WinXP Pro SP3 & Win7 64-bit | Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R | Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale LGA 775 3.16GHz Dual-Core | 8GB (4x2GB) PC6400 G-Skill RAM | eVGA 7600GT 256MB PCI-E | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 16MB Cache | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 8MB Cache | 320GB Seagate Barracuda SATA 16MB Cache | External 640GB WD Caviar SATA 32MB Cache | Sony DRU-V200S DVD/RW | PC Power & Cooling Silencer 500W | Samsung SyncMaster 2494 (24") LCD Monitor | LG Flatron W2361V (23") LCD Monitor

scuzzy

By the way, pound-for-pound the best consumer available LED flashlight will not be a bright as a high-quality xenon-halogen light. At least not yet. But the trade off is that the bulb will only last about 30 hrs, compared to 50,000 hrs + for an LED.

But LED technology is quickly catching up and will likely surpass xenon-halogen bulbs before you know it.

Scuzzy; not the brightest bulb.
Antec Performance TX640B Case | WinXP Pro SP3 & Win7 64-bit | Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R | Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale LGA 775 3.16GHz Dual-Core | 8GB (4x2GB) PC6400 G-Skill RAM | eVGA 7600GT 256MB PCI-E | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 16MB Cache | 74GB WD Raptor SATA 8MB Cache | 320GB Seagate Barracuda SATA 16MB Cache | External 640GB WD Caviar SATA 32MB Cache | Sony DRU-V200S DVD/RW | PC Power & Cooling Silencer 500W | Samsung SyncMaster 2494 (24") LCD Monitor | LG Flatron W2361V (23") LCD Monitor

merlyn848

Pretty good selection here at times:
http://jeep.elementfx.com
Also lots of test gear for techie.