Dec
26, 2006: FlashlightReviews.com
and the Author are going cutting way
back on the reviews in the new year.
Review samples will only be accepted
and reviewed by very special invitation
and will be few and far between. Email
to the author may not receive a reply.
I'm sorry, but my full time job, family,
and a waning interest have taken their
toll and as a result I will not be updating
FlashlightReviews.com very frequently
from now on. The web site will remain
running and available as long as funding
is available via donations to pay the
server costs.
FlashlightReviews.com
is, and always has been, a one-man-show.
It has been my hobby and has kept me
busy, and my readers entertained (I
hope) for over 5 years now. I truly
hope that the information everyone has
gained from this site (and that new
readers may still gain) has been helpful
and useful.
Come
back and visit once in a while - the
Recently Reviewed lists above may have
an occasional addition, or a new brief
article may be added when you least
expect it!
Dec
24: Posted the Fenix P1D and P1D-CE
review. The P1D-CE is the way to go
if you can spare the cash. The Cree
LED in the CE model appears to be nearly
twice as efficient as the Luxeon LEDs,
producing twice the output for nearly
the same run time. Lumileds better get
moving and catch up as it looks like
Cree is positioning themselves to take
a good chunk of their market share at
this rate. An LED with twice the efficiency
means half the power consumption, which
can be a big factor when used in both
small portable applications like a flashlight
and in large LED light boards as well.
Dec
22: A couple quick questions and
answers:
Hey Your Lumen
calculation estimates based on your
LightBox numbers seem way off from what
the manufacturer of X light says the
Lumen output is. Why?
My suggestion to you is to ignore
the manufacturer's light output ratings
on almost any light you buy. They
don't all use the same standard for
measuring "lumens" even
though they use the same unit. They
never tell you how they arrived at
the number of "lumens" they
advertise and no two manufacturers
may use the same method. As a result,
the lumen figure between two manufacturers
really isn't comparable. For example
are the numbers they give:
The "lumens" of the bare
bulb using the flashlight power supply?
The "lumens" of the bare
bulb using a laboratory power supply?
The "lumens" coming out
the end of the flashlight?
The predicted maximum "lumens"
of the bulb that the manufacturer
claims based solely on mathmatics
and not real-world tests?
The estimated "lumens" of
the bulb that they calculated out
for the most optimal condition of
the power supply in their flashlight?
The Lumen calculation
estimates used on my site are just that
- estimates. I can make no guarantee
to their accuracy. However, the calculation
factor is based on real Lumen output
tests done by an independent third party
and in many cases the calcuation appears
to predict fairly accurately the actual
lumen output of the light tested. Plus,
the LightBox test has the advantage
of being the SAME test performed in
CONSISTENTLY the same manner on all
the lights I test, regardless of manufacturer.
It always tests the amout of light actually
coming out of the end of the flashlight.
What about Wattage? Can we use that
as a comparison for the output? I have
a 3 Watt LED bulb in my Mag so it should
be brighter than any 1 Watt LED light,
right?
Wattage is actually a description
of how much power a device uses, not
how much light it produces. My electric
portable heater is rated at 1500 Watts,
but it produces very little visible
light (just an orange-red glow).
The amount of output you get from
an LED depends on the voltage and
current it has access to. An underdriven
3 Watt bulb can easily put out less
light than a properly driven 1 Watt
bulb. The Watt ratings are usually
describing the manufacturer's optimal
scenario for powering the device.
That's all. Unless the numbers are
just made up for marketing purposes,
which is often the case in "SUPER
8 WATT LED" type lights you see
on eBay.
Dec
17: Received the Fenix P1D and P1D
CE lights for review (by special arrangement).
I'll work on them soon.
Took
a vacation with the family and one of
our excursions included snorkling in an
underground lake in a cavern. We used
the UK
Mini Q40 eLED Plus with great success
as it was able to illuminate the bottom
35' away without trouble. The light was
powered with the Amondotech Titanium
"Power Enduro"AA cells.
Unfortunately I left the camera behind
so we do not have photos...
Dec
03: I just tried the Power Enduro
cells from Amondotech after over a month
in a drawer following a full charge. They
powered the digital camera beautifully
and still register about 60% on my ZTS
meter. I'm not sure why the meter calibrates
them at 60%, but the Eneloop also read
60% as well, so this may be the norm for
these types of low-self-discharge cells.
For
everyone sending e-mails, I am not responding
to each and every one, but I am receiving
them. Thank you!
I
received the parts for the Pila 3W two
123A cell review, and received a new LumaRay
light. Reviews posted. Special arrangements
were made in advance to receive and review
this light during my break period.
The
last paid advertisement was pulled down
today. Thank you to all of the folks who
have advertised in the past! I do not
have plans to accept any further paid
advertising at this time. Funding to keep
this site up and running will be strictly
through Donations.
The
"MOST POPULAR REVIEWS ON THE SITE"
list was updated for Jan-Nov.
I
have added runtimes to the following reviews:
Pelican
Little Ed 3610
Pelican
2400 StealthLite
Pelican
Super SabreLite
DB-K2
Mag drop-in LED
and
NiMH runtimes to the following:
LRI
Proton
Civictor
V1
Fenix
L1S
Huntlight
FT-A2
Nov
20: The noise is starting
to increase on the web about the new Sanyo
Eneloop batteries. These are a new
breed of rechargeable batteries that come
fully charged and
hold their charge for months without use.
I don't know much about them yet, but
they are a new
NiMH technology that allows for very
low self discharge rates. This means that
you can use them in devices that sit around
in between uses without the batteries
self-discharging away all their energy
like regular rechargeables. I don't know
about you folks, but if I leave newly
charged rechargeables in a drawer for
1-2 months they're essentially dead. These
new cells are advertised to keep their
charge for over a year (only -15% in 1
year).
Found these at Wolf Camera
This
could very well be the next big leap in
battery technology. Imagine all batteries
being rechargeable, but fully charged
(or nearly so) right off the shelf. Why
bother with alkalines ever again?
However,
Sanyo isn't the only company producing
low self-discharge rechargeable cells.
Rayovac is prducing a new "Hybrid"
battery in AA and AAA that I found at
Walmart, but not on the Rayovac website.
Found at Wal-Mart
Their sister company, Varta, is producing
"Ready2Use" cells (care
to bet that they're the same as the ROV
Hybrids?).
Amondotech.com
has the Titanium
"Power Enduro"AA and AAA
cells, another low self-discharge
cell.
From AmondoTech.com
I
have a charged set of Titanium
"Power Enduro" AA that I
have left sitting around for a few weeks
and I'll see how they perform soon.
Sure
all of these cells have a slightly lower
mAh rating than normal NiMH cells, but
what good are those extra milliamps if
they self-discharge away in a matter of
days?
Nov
12: I have posted a pile of reviews.
Some of them Mini-review format, some
full format. Only one review left, pending
parts from Pila which I'll get done once
those parts arrive. I am now taking a
well-deserved vacation from reviewing
any new items, except by special arrangement,
until the end of the year.
Just
like "New Coke", I didn't like
the rating symbol change to "Points"
so they are back to Stars. No other changes
to the reviews or their ratings, just
replaced the symbol.
Nov 11: I am working on all of
the reviews, but some will be using my
"Mini-Review" format to get
them all done. This is a compromise to
get the information out there as quickly
as possible. Some information may be missing.
I expect to revisit them at a later date
to fill in the gaps. Once all of the pending
reviews are posted I will be taking an
extended break from reviewing.
Nov
05 : No, I still don't have any reviews
done. Sorry. I'm taking it real easy for
a while after getting so many reviews
done the last several months. I just can't
keep up the pace.
For
those of you who complained, I have added
a quick and dirty Ounces
to Grams converter for conversions
of the weight in the reviews, which will
be available via a link on new reviews
and is also accessable from the QA menu
at page top.
Oct 28: Several notices:
Glow
in the dark O-rings are now available
again from a different CandlePowerForums
member. Please read the thread for
information.
The
Lightwave
company is no longer making flashlights.
If you want one, get them while you can!
Received
a Camo Arc AAA from FlashLightShop, 4
lights from Action-Lights.com and 20 (!!!)
lights from Flash-Lights.com. Plus the
3 lights already waiting in the queue,
plus I know several more are on the way...
Holidays are coming up and I have several
other things occupying my time (you know,
"minor" stuff like my full time
job, my family, etc.), so it's going to
take quite some time to get this all done.
Please be (very) patient!
Oct
22: Two previews added for the LumaPower
products. These are still undergoing revision
by the maker, but are worth a look. Enjoy!
Oct 17 : I apologize for any confusion
this may have caused. I had to change
the name of the rating symbol recently
from Stars to something else, and my first
choice was "Spots". That didn't
sound all that good, so we're going with
"Stars" as the name for the
new rating system instead. All pages should
be updated
Oct 15 : After some prompting,
I completed a second runtime test on the
Fenix E0 Dart. Apparently the runtime
test I initially produced turned out a
bit different than that which others have
done. Some users have noticed their E0
had dirty contacts and suggested that
this could have been the culprit. I cleaned
the contacts with isopropyl alcohol, coated
them all with contact protector and re-ran
the test. The result was much more regulated
time and slightly more overall runtime.
After
numerous requests, I will start adding
the country of origin, if known, to the
review summary table at the bottom of
each new review. I am NOT planning on
going back and adding this information
to every review completed to date, only
new reviews.
Oct 13 : Quick update in the Wolf-Eyes
6M review. I mistakenly described the
Surefire body compatible Li-Ion cell as
a 18500, when it actually should have
said 17670.
I have also gotten numerous feedback messages
about the MiniMagLED 2AA and 3AA lights
and how much people like them. Although
not top-of-the-line LED lights, they are
very bright for their size, run on regular
alkaline cells, and are much better overall
than the standard Minimag.
Oct 12 : Been busy over the last
week getting the reviews done. Enjoy!
Oct
09 : Happy Columbus Day! I have not
been idle since my last post. I have photos
of all the lights pending review, have
completed the runtimes and use testing,
and had a few surprises along the way:
-
The
Wolf Eyes 6M rechargeable with the Wolf
Eyes 3.7V LED module has the best regulation
I think I've ever seen, with only a
0.4% variance for over 3 hours - yes,
that's right - 0.4%. It starts at 100%
and wavers betwen 99.6% and 100% during
the entire regulated segment. Amazing.
-
The
3.7 incandescent bulb for the Wolf Eyes
6M rechargeable is surprisingly bright,
putting out more light than all 2-cell
123A incandescent lights I've tested.
It also beats out the Surefire L2 and
comes close to the 3-cell Streamlight
TL-3
-
The
Orb Raw NS fell apart in my hands! I
couldn't believe it. Of course, if I
had completely read the directions first,
I would have known that it was supposed
to do this because to the modular design.
Since I didn't, it came as a shock when
I had to chase several small pieces
of the light across the linoleum floor
after opening the case for a battery
change... Duh... It is, however, stunningly
bright for it's size and is extremely
well made.
-
The
Fenix E0 has fantastic runtime, going
over 7 hours before reaching 50% output.
A real marathon runner! For perspective:
that's about twice the runtime of an
Arc AAA, but... in order to achieve
this long of a runtime, it's output
is about half that of the Arc AAA.
-
The
E1-47 is a specially modified Fenix
E1 using a UWAJ Luxeon III and is only
available from Fenix-Store.com.
It puts out a nearly identical amount
of light as the stock E1 Nichia Rigel,
but adds an hour to the 50% runtime
mark by my readings. Very efficient!
Oct
02 : Just for fun, I have added a
table of the 20 most popular review pages
since January 2006 to the bottom of this
page! These will receive the 
designation in the main reviews index
list of All Lights by Manufacturer. I'll
try to update this list each month.
Oct
01 : Ratings on many lights have
changed to match updated critera. See
THIS PAGE
for the reasoning behind these changes.
Sep
28: Wow! After looking carefully at
the scope of the task, I don't think it's
going to be feasable to completely change
the ratings system! Too much to do. Instead
I'm going to go through a selective re-evaluation
of some lights and adjust the ratings accordingly.
This will be done bit by bit.
Sep 25: I have just come to realize
that this month we have exceeded Five
Hundred light reviews total on FlashlightReviews.com!
Thank you to everyone who has helped make
this happen!
I
am currently looking at re-evaluating the
rating system. This should help balance
things out considering how technology keeps
advancing and many lights rated highly in
the past just aren't all that exceptional
anymore. Primarily older lights will be
affected by this, but some new ones may
be victims of the "rating axe"
as well.
Sep 24: 7 reviews total done this
weekend, with 8 lights reviewed. I just
happened to have some free time to get them
all done. I hope you all enjoy the reviews!
Sep
23: Several reviews added today. I
hope to get the other pending review done
this afternoon or tomorrow.
Sep
16: Two new reviews. Microfire Warrior
K500R - the newest version! Compact HID
with great output. Also added the StreamStar
HP LED module for Streamlight HP. Microfire
F2 adjustable focus 2x123A light review
added.
Sep 10: Added a few reviews this
weekend. Enjoy!
Sep
08: Working hard! I'm going to try to
get the majority of the Streamlight Ultrastinger,
CR2 Ion and the Terralux MagCharger LED
bulb done this weekend. I have a Stinger
HP upgrade kit from Brightguy on the way
so I can give testing numbers for the Stinger
HP and can test the Stinger HP Terralux
upgrade bulb as well.
I
just found out the Mag 3W 2AA LED Minimag
is at the package dropoff and I'm going
to go get it right now.
THANK
YOU everyone who has been sending in donations.
Your support is greatly appreciated!!!!!!!
Sep
04: Everyone - I'm really sorry that
I havn't been able to get to some reviews
lately. Right now we are dealing with a
series of very aggressive and frequent break-ins/burgularies
in our neighborhood. This type of activity
is very unusual in our area. The criminals
have suddenly decided that our neighborhood
is a new shopping mall just for them, are
now stealing packages off of doorsteps (hence
our new shipping address for all mail and
packages), and are smashing glass to gain
entry. As a result we are taking steps to
protect our home which is consuming a lot
of my time, energy, and money. It's really
sad that we have to go through all this,
but I guess such is the world we live in.
I
did manage to fit in a quick review of the
TLW-60
by TerraLUX; a 60 LED portable rechargeable
worklight.
Aug
31: Working on a couple of reviews,
but nothing extra to report just now. I'm
a little tied up with some other projects,
so please be patient!
PLEASE
NOTE that we have a
new shipping address. All mail and packages
should go to the new address.
Aug 26: Added the NiteIze IQ switch
and Garrity Life Lites reviews. I'll start
work on the Terralux and UltraStinger next.
Aug 23: Added runtimes to the E2e/E2d
reviews and also to the Matrix 2 review.
Also received notice that a Photons
International "Ion" is on
it's way for review! This is an extremely
tiny, bright light that uses a Cree XLamp
LED, runs on a single CR2 lithium cell,
and has both low and high output modes.
Received
an e-mail from reader Gregory regarding
the Wolf-Eyes
M90 13V rechargeable light:
I just received the Rattlesnake
M90-13V in the mail and just to let you
know they updated the charger. To charge
it you remove the endcap and screw the the
charger endcap on and charge away. You don't
need to remove the batteries as the whole
flashlight charges at once, very easy, great
design.
Thanks
for the information! I'll look into getting
one of these charger systems to see how
they perform.
Aug 20: Added the 2 cell MagLED runtime
to the MagLED review. The 4 cell MagLED
runtime is in the rig right now. Also completed
the E2e runtime for a special request, but
don't have it posted yet. Will be addding
a Matrix2 runtime soon, again a special
request. I'll be updating the Pila GL2 review
with the 3W Pila LED module in the upcoming
weeks.
Aug
19: Posted 2 reviews and completed a bunch
of little updates that were needed.
Aug 13: Bonus! Added a quick "mini-review"
of some battery adapters I found at WalMart.
Also added a mini-review for Glow in the Dark
O-rings for decoration / nighttime location
of flashlights. These are very cool.
I'm
working on a bunch of other things right now
- all of the lights in the "pending"
column have had some usability testing done,
had their pictures taken, light output readings
taken, and I've documented some preliminary
review information. Next is editing the pictures
for web display, recording and formatting
the runtimes (which takes the longest), building
the pages, adding content and descriptions,
and then publishing the pages.
I
also picked up a Garrity Life Lite from WalMart.
I found that Garrity is now making an LED
Life Lite, which is disposable just like the
original Life Lite. What a waste... I purchased
one of those for testing as well.
I
have already tested the NiteIze IQ switch
with a Minimag, Streamlight Jr and Terralux
TLE-5 (Luxeon bulb unit for Minimag). I was
surprised by the drop in output from the Minimag
and the Streamlight Jr, even with the IQ switch
set on "high". The Terralux worked
perfectly without any change in output. I
recorded output numbers without and with the
switch on all three levels (same batteries)
and these will be included in the review.
Aug 10: Hi Everyone! I'm still here
- just taking a little break away from the
reviews for a few days so I don't burn out.
Did 13 reviews in July - that's quite a bit,
so I deserve a little break. I'll get back
into the swing of things soon.
I
received a few Streamlight products recently,
as well as the Nite Ize IQ switch. I'll will
be testing the switch on regular MiniMag lights,
the StreamlightJR, and anything else I can
find that it will fit on.
Aug 01: Added a couple of reviews over
the past week or so, and I've been steadily
adding more runtimes to the JetBeam and LiteFlux
reviews.
I
have revised the donation system and page
to include a list of contributors, so now
you can see your name on FlashlightReviews.com.
Thank you to everyone who has helped with
feeding the hungry flashlights!
July
25: Added the Lumaray FL6-2006 updated
version to the reviews. Overall Output is
over twice as much as the original design.
Runtime pending.
July
22: Review for the Pila GL3 and the Pila
2 and 3 cell 3 Watt LED module added. The
LED module does not have a separate review
at this time.
July 19: Two things: First, the rating
and runtime graphs have been added to the
MagLEDs.
Second, I think we have found a close conversion
factor to convert
Overall Output as read by my LightBox, to
Lumens.
Also,
I received 80 brand new Titanium
123A cells and after testing every single
one with my ZTS
Mini-MBT meter, I found that they all
had an initial charge state of 100%. I had
tested an older batch for my 123A
safety article and found a wide spread
of initial charges - from <20% to 100%
- in unused cells. This means that Titanium
must be doing something different to improve
the quality of the product, which is GREAT
news for everyone since they are some of the
least expensive 123A's on the market. With
all of them having a similar initial state-of-charge,
the chances of having a burst cell accident
should be significantly reduced.
July 16: Three reviews posted this
weekend. Plus, a number of people have been
asking for it, so now you've got it:
FlashlightReviews.com's
TOP
PICKS
A
new menu option has been added to the Reviews
menu and a new page built which displays my
personal favorites in each review category,
all on one page. I also went through and culled
the list of favorites to the ones I truly
like best and use. Each review index page
still has the thumbs-up symbol next to the
Top Picks for that category.
July 13: I've been taking a little
time away from the reviews to regain my sanity
and enjoy the summer a bit. I'll get back
to the reviews in just a day or two.
July
05: Updated the 123A
safety article with more information and
a runtime graph that shows the effect of mixing
123A cells of known different initial state-of-charge.
July 04: 
Happy 4th of July! Adding a special posting
- a new Modification made possible by John
C., who sent the parts and instructions. A
fine example of some good old-fashioned American
ingenuity on this 4th of July. However, my
lawyer tells me that I need to tell you to
read the following:
DO NOT ATTEMPT ANY MODIFICATION FOUND ON THIS
SITE. MODIFICATIONS ARE SHOWN FOR ENTERTAINMENT
PURPOSES ONLY. IF YOU DECIDE TO ATTEMPT ANY
MODIFICATIONS BASED ON INFORMATION FOUND ON
THIS SITE YOU DO SO ENTIRELY AT YOUR OWN RISK.
July
03: 3 reviews added.
July 02: Skipped ahead a little in
anticipation of the 4th and completed the
PL24 Shorty HID 24W (Pacific Tactical Solutions)
review. I always make sure the readings and
pictures are complete before using a light
"in the field", and I'll be using
it on the 4th, so I figured I'd just get the
whole review done. Enjoy!
July
01: I received a new sample Inova XO from
Inova. After many people commented on the
unusual regulation seen in the first sample,
I contacted Inova about it. Unfortunately
there was a small run of lights with incorrect
electronics installed and I was unlucky enough
to receive one that made it out to a distributor.
I received a new unit and completed a new
runtime test. The results are seen in the
review. All currently available units should
have the proper electronics.
June 29: Added several graphs to the
Runtime Comparison
Graphs page. These compare the Jetbeam
Jet-I with the Fenix lights. Also added a
runtime graph to the Gerber
Infinity Ultra review by special request.
June 27: UPDATED the JETBeam review
with all runtime graphs and output numbers.
Also added a bonus graph that gives direct
comparisons of the runtimes.
Also
added an article in Features about the Care
and Feeding of flashlights. Lots of folks
have asked what maintenance needs to be done
and what products to use when caring for their
lights. Hopefully this provides some answers!
June 25: Posted the JETBeam JET-I review.
Still have some runtimes to add and a few
more details, but it's complete enough for
public viewing. Enjoy!
June 20: Wow! I just finished the review
of the Wolf Eyes M90-13V which uses three
rechargeable Lithium-Ion batteries and a 13
Volt lamp to produce an incredible amount
of light considering the size of the light.
This thing kicks butt. It has taken the spot
of the second brightest light I have reviewed
so far, and it runs just about an hour on
a charge. Very nice!
June 19: Added the two LRI reviews
- the Proton and the X-Light
June
18: I'll try to get some work done today
on reviews, but a more pressing item is the
number of inquiries I have received about
the possibliity of 123A powered lights bursting
violently. I put together my take on the issue
and links to some documented incidents in
an article HERE.
Update:
One review added in addition to the 123A battery
article. More coming soon!
June 17: Quick update to the Fakes,
Frauds, and Fallacies page regarding Shakelights
and Cranklights.
June 15: To everyone who has sent me
e-mail letting me know that MagLite has LED
modules out now - thank you, but; YES, I KNOW.
I have them sitting next to me on a shelf
and posted in the list above (now in bold
print) waiting for review. Some of the
folks at CandlePowerForums have already done
detailed
analysis of the modules and were underwhelmed
at best. I'll try not to let that effect my
review, but if they're as mediocre as they
appeared to be after they were thoroughly
dissected, they're not going to fare all that
well.
June 14: Reader John H. informs us:
"I saw your review of the Nite
Ize 3 LED for the minimag. FYI - I was
in Bass Pro and they have them in blue, green,
and red for $8.99."
In
other news, I have been occupied with a number
of other things which are keeping me from
working on reviews right now. I should be
able to get back to the review process soon.
June 08: We just received the "little"
big brother to the AE
Light PL14 - the PL24 Shorty. 24 Watts
of screaming HID power in a package the same
size as the PL-14. It'll be a little while
before I can get to the review, but it looks
like this is going to be one kick-butt HID
searchlight.
June 07: Fenix L2P
123A adapter review added.
June 03: Important news! Dorcy has
updated their little 1AAA LED light found
at Walmart. For only about 6 bucks, it's hard
to beat this little light, or that is to say,
it WAS hard to beat this little light. The
newer version has a lens in the front which
produces a spotlight-like round beam with
almost no sidespill much ike the old Inova
X1's, which Inova has now switched to a reflector
to produce a nice wide, useful beam. Dorcy
is going in the opposite direction. Not only
that, the overall light output has been cut
in half by my readings! If you would like
to stock up on the older, better version with
the reflector, get to Walmart and grab them
while you can - they'll probably be at the
back of the peg. See the updated review HERE
for a comparison of the beams. I've always
liked this little light due to the utility,
size, good output, and great price. It has
been, in my opinion, effectively ruined by
switching it to a lens setup which severely
limits the usefulness of the beam and having
the output reduced to such a low level.
June 01: The long anticipated Mag-LED
modules are in! Official MagLite LED upgrade
modules sporting 3 Watt LEDs. How well do
they compare? We shall see!
May
30: I re-ran the runtime for the Fenix
L2P upon request due to some discrepencies
in the runtime. It looks like the first runtime
may have included a bad cell. The runtime
increased to 2 hr 23 minutes - about 40 minutes
more! Plus I ran the NiMH runtime for the
L2P and added it to the review.
May 29: NEW FEATURE ADDED: Direct
Runtime/Output Comparison Graphs of selected
lights. These graphs allow you to quickly
compare similar lights directly for overall
output over time. Each graph takes about 2
hours to put together, so don't expect too
many too quickly, but I'll add more as I see
the need. Enjoy!
May 28: Updated the L1T, L2T, X-1 and
X-3 reviews with NiMH runtime graphs.
May 26: Posted four reviews yesterday.
I like the new Fenix lights, and the Nuwai
X-1 is a great low-cost contender. The X-3
has a very short runtime on alkalines, but
is very bright.
Completed
the Surefire
L2 Digital Lumamax runtime on low power
setting (special request).
May 19: Over the last 3 days I have
received 12 lights for evaluation, and all
of them have good features that I don't want
to diminish by rushing through the review
process, so this is going to take a little
while. Lots of pictures to take, readings
to document, runtimes to complete, and pages
to build!
I've
received some great emails from folks who
have found the site very helpful in their
purchase decisions, and I always love reading
about how my work has helped someone out.
Thank you!
May 17: I've been busy! 3 new reviews
posted.
A
quick WARNING: eBay watchers have seen several
vendors selling what they claim are 7 Watt
or 9 Watt Luxeon LED flahslights. There's
only one problem: 7 Watt and 9 Watt Luxeons
don't exist! There are 1, 3, and 5 Watt Luxeons
only. The new K2 should be very bright (6.5
Watts, I believe), but I'm not aware of them
being released yet. Let the buyer beware.
May
11: In case anyone is wondering, I haven't
been idle the last few days. I've been fixing
some little website problems here and there
that I haven't been able to get to until now.
You may notice more lights in some of the
review index tables - some were missing from
the update I made to the tables a little while
back and have been added back in.
May 07: Found a Firefox extention that
checks any page for bad links and ran it against
my Links page. Wow! quite a few were bad.
The Links page is now up-to-date with working
links plus I added a few that were missing.
CentraLED review rating and runtime posted.
May 06: As you can tell, I havn't been
idle for the last week! 4 reviews done and
an update to the Peak review with runtimes
for the CR2 body and the AA body. I had mistakenly
thought that one was possibly for a 123A cell
or two cells, but they are only for 1 cell
each. The review rating on the CentraLED is
pending runtime - I should have it done sometime
tomorrow.
I
received three lights from Niteproducts.com
(NitePalm). One is a lantern, one is similar
to but different from the Inova 24/7, and
one appears to be the new SafeLight, rebranded.
Reviews will be posted in the upcoming weeks!
May 02: WooHoo! No more cable modem
- we now have DSL! Unfortunately, in the process
of hooking up DSL, they disconnected our phone
line! This means that in a matter of one week
we have had problems with nearly all the utilities
coming into the house. We have lost power,
lost cable internet service, and lost phone
service. Incredible... Hopefully this run
of bad luck is over.
May 01: Here's a quick update with
3 new reviews added! Enjoy!
Apr
30: With all the problems we had, I was
only able to get one review done this weekend,
but more are on the way.
Apr 29:
Cable modem is down. Enough is enough. We're
getting DSL.
I
have made updates to the Inova X5 review with
the additon of the output and runtime numbers
for the latest version which uses Nichia CS
LEDs, and and update to the Surefire L2 review,
also with the output and runtime for the newest
version of the light.
I
am finally at the point where I am adding
text to the other reviews that have been waiting,
and some more should be posted this weekend
if all goes well.
Apr 27: For the past 10 days I have
been taking pictures, output readings, and
doing runtimes. In the meantime one of the
two 120V power lines feeding our house failed,
so we've been working at reduced power for
the past week. Of course this is one of the
best places to have a power outage since there
are plenty of flashlights around! However,
having one-half of a power outage is no fun
at all. The power company rigged it so that
the one working power line feeds the entire
house until they can get a full repair crew
out here, but it doesn't work all that well
under a load. We turn on the electric clothes
dryer and every light in the house dims. Badly.
The electric dryer reduces the working voltage
from 120 to 90 - that's a 25% drop. I'm very
concerned about running the computer at the
same time as the dryer, or oven, or any other
major appliance, so that puts a damper on
getting things done. Plus we don't have a
repair ETA yet. But I'm persevering anyway,
have almost all the runtimes done, and will
sneak in computer work in-between cooking,
loads of laundry, etc. The write-ups will
be coming soon!
As
you can see from the list above, I have purchased/received
a lot of lights and I'm going to try to pick
up the pace a little and catch up. Watch for
some (hopefully) frequent updates this weekend
and possibly the following week as well.
Apr 18: Updated the Nuwai
TM311H with runtime graph. By the way,
this light is essentially equivalent to the
River Rock 0.5W 2xAAA light found at Target.
I
found out today that the Inova
X1 (new, reflector version) has been recommended
by world traveler Doug Dyment, publisher of
OneBag.com
- a website all about traveling light. He
links back to the review here on FlashlightReviews.com.
If you are a traveler you would probably do
well to check out his website! You'll find
lots of good information, tips, and hints
to help make your journey a success.
Apr 16: Osram, Peak, and LunaLEDs reviews
are complete and have been added - enjoy!
While
updating my Links page with the new address
for Dorcy corporation, I saw something very
interesting! Look at the upper right corner
of this
page on Dorcy's website . Those are Craftsman
lights in the display! Looks like Dorcy may
be making the Craftsman
Endurable line for Sears.
Made
some updates to the javascript menus at the
top - separated out the site-related information
in the Q&A section and have added three
chevrons (>>>) next to entries that
open a sub-menu.
Apr 14: Today
I went to Walmart and picked up an Eveready
2xAAA incandescent penlight for comparison
to the Energizer LED penlight I got at Target.
We'll see how they compare when I do the review
for the LED penlight. I also picked up 8 (one
package) of the new Duracel NiOx (NiOOH) "PowerPix"
AA batteries. Supposedly they provide "up
to" twice the runtime of common alkalines
but are supposed to be used only in very high
drain devices. No real gains will be seen
in normal devices other than possibly more
output, but with a resulting less runtime.
In order to say, they should work similar
to Energizer Lithium AA cells; they should
provide power quickly and maintain their voltage
better. The advantage over rechargeables is
that they don't lose charge over time like
NiMH do. I've just got to test these and see
if it's true or hype! An 8 pack is about $8,
so it's about twice the price of brand name
alkalines, but about 1/2 the price of Energizer
Lithium AA cells or rechargeable cells. Of
course rechargeables can give you 500 re-uses
and NiOOH are one-use-only.
I'm
working on the Osram lantern review, the LunaLED
and the Peak LED Pacific reviews, and hope
to have something posted this weekend. I've
completed the runtimes, taken the pictures,
and even written the text of the reviews;
I just need to put them all together and update
the site.
Apr 12: Stopped by Target dept store
and found a few new items. Energizer is making
a 2-AAA LED penlight, Brinkmann is making
something called a "Go-LED" which
is a disposable, one-use LED marker/area light
($3.99 for 2 in a pack), and Nite-Ize is making
a 10mm LED replacement bulb for Maglights
which use from 2 - 6 D or C cells. I picked
up all of these for review. Brinkmann is also
making a 3-AAA 3-Watt Luxeon flashlight now,
which I did not get and will not be reviewing.
I did pick up an Inova 1-AAA Radiant for review.
I
am working on the 3 reviews pending from March
30 and should have something to show everyone
this weekend.
I
know many people contacted me about the Surefire
L2, since the one I reviewed was one of the
earliest ones and Surefire changed the design
a bit since then. There have been many questions
about the output and the runtime, and how
my numbers don't seem to match what other
people are experiencing with their L2's. I
have been in touch with Surefire and am told
that a new one is on its way for my review!
Apr
08: Sorry - no reviews done just yet.
Instead I have been working to add some protections
to the site to prevent the blatent theft of
my content. This has been a problem in the
past, and I've gotten rather sick of it. You
may notice that the right click menu doesn't
work on some pages now - sorry for the inconvenience.
I've also added .htaccess files to prevent
hotlinking to my pictures which drives up
my bandwidth usage and potentially the associated
costs.
Thanks
again to everyone who has been sending in
donations! Your tokens of appreciation are
helping pay the bills to keep this site up
and running, especially since I am no longer
accepting any revenue from advertising! THANK
YOU!
I
am starting a new page: "Fakes,
Frauds, and Fallacies". I'll add
content about B.S. products that people should
beware of. YOUR INPUT WILL BE WELCOME! If
you have had a problem with an obviously (and
I mean blatently obviously) fake product or
deceptive advertising, I'll add it to the
page.
Apr 02: Updated the Element review
(From Sam's Club) - They supposedly now have
regulators in them... If they do, they sure
as heck aren't working. Check out the updated
review. They lose one Star on their rating
for advertising something I see no significant
evidence of in the performance.
Apr 01:
Added the 100 LED 4AA flashlight (no, this
isn't an April Fool's joke) and the Craftsman
Endurables.
Mar
31: Hi Everyone! In case you've been wondering
where I've been, we took a little family vacation
to see some relatives in Florida. I managed
to visit three of the big flea markets near
Tampa - Big Top, Olsmart, and WagonWheel.
There were fake shakelights everywhere (ran
on two 2016 coincells and nothing about them
was magnetic), fake squeeze lights (like the
one I got at Metrolina Expo - see the News
Archive), and tons of 8-LED lights powered
by 2 AA or 3 AAA cells at a price of only
$3.00 each! One vendor at Big Top had a neat
little flexible goosneck 8 LED 3-AAA table/nightstand
light that I bought for $3.50, and of course
there were piles of off-brand batteries. I
picked up coin cells for next to nothing -
hopefully they'll work! One of our relatives
had a Sam's club membership and I finally
got a new pair of Sam's Element flashlights
with regulator circuits - an upgrade over
the originals
which did not have the regulators. I'll be
performing output and runtime comparisons
soon!
While
I was away I received an Osram
Golden Dragon 4AA Camping LED Lantern,
a LunaLED
2-Cell flashlight replacement bulb, and a
Peak
LED Solutions Pacific with both the 1AAA
and 2AAA body for review.
I
have the Craftsman Endurables and 100 LED
light reviews mostly done and hope to post
them this weekend.
Mar 19: I have updated the Throw and
Output charts - they are now 2 sortable tables
- one with Headlamps, one with Everything
Else. By clicking on the table headers you
can sort, first decending, then ascending.
A little arrow will appear in the box next
to the header words to show you the direction
of the sort. It should work in IE and Firefox.
Unfortunately the change resulted in the permanent
removal of the fancy graphs, but this will
be much easier to update and maintain.
Mar
16: Some very cool stuff going on in the
world of illumination products! Let's start
with an LED
flashlight for your IPod. Next, let's
try an MR-16
Halogen drop-in replacement Luxeon bulb.
Last, but not least, how about a hydrogen
fuel cell powered Luxeon LED flashlight
that runs for 24 hours on a single charge.
Very Cool!
Mar 12: Pila
GL2 review done, plus added NiMH runtime
to the Fenix
L0P review and runtime added to the Inova
X1 review.
Also
picked up two Craftsman "Endurable"
Luxeon LED lights at Sears. The lights are
OK... nothing really spectacular. However,
there's one really interesting thing about
them: they both have PR-base Luxeon LEDs in
them. It appears that you can remove the bulb
and put them in another 3 cell or 4 cell light,
respective of the model you get (3 AAA model's
bulb for 3 cell lights or 4 AA model's bulb
for 4 cell lights)! I'll be testing out this
hypothesis over the next couple of weeks with
a variety of PR-base bulb lights and let everyone
know how it goes.
Mar
09: WHOOPS! The numbers in the Wolf-Eyes
M90X Rattlesnake were incorrect due to
a typographical error. The correct numbers
have been put in the review. The correct numbers
demonstrate more than 1/3 greater (additional)
output relative to the incorrect numbers.
This is a VERY bright light and I'm very happy
with the one I tested.
Mar 06: LEDLogic took my suggestion
and has updated the switching system in their
Striker-VG,
and let me tell you, it's sweet! MUCH more
user friendly. Before the system was not intuitive
at all. Now, with just a quick read of the
instructions and a couple of practice taps
on the switch to cycle it through the modes,
I think anyone should be able to use it effectively.
This has resulted in a big boost to the review
rating. Their website still references the
old switching system, but the new system should
be available around April 15. Personally,
I think it's worth the wait!
Mar 05: Purchased a new Inova
X1 at Target - they have decided to get
rid of the optics system, which I disliked,
and have replaced it with a reflector. The
result is a much wider beam, which I think
will be much more useful for most people.
Review updated and review rating upgraded
to 5 Stars.
Mar
04: Posted one update to a review, plus
one new review. Added a runtime graph to Mag
Solitaire as a special request. Also updated
the menu for selecting the Reviews Index pages.
The Index pages are getting just too big to
handle easily so they have been broken apart
into the following sub-menus:
Single
5mm LED lights
Clustered 5mm LED lights
0.5 Watt Rated LED lights
1 Watt Rated LED lights
3 Watt and 5 Watt Rated LED lights
Standard/General
Use Incandescent
High Output Incandescent
The
rest remain the same. Try it out and let me
know what you think! You may have to refresh
your browser window once to load the new JavaScript
menu.
Mar 02: Here I am getting my teeth
cleaned at the Dentist's office and someone
asks "So, what do you do when you're
not at work?". It is sometimes amazing
to me how many people become very interested
when I tell them my hobby is reviewing flashlights!
First I hear "You know, we can never
find a good flashlight...", then from
someone else, "My husband is a police
officer and he just bought a light...",
and before I left, the Dr. was surfing my
site! It really is great to have a hobby that
everyone can relate in one way or another!
Big
Smiles go out to Paul, Carol, Misty, and Casio
over at Artisan Dental Care!
Mar 01: Several folks have been wanting
to donate financially toward the site, but
don't have PayPal (or have PayPal funded by
a credit card) and have asked for another
option. I have rented a PO box at the local
post office, so I can accept donations through
that means as well. Here
is the information! Thank you in advance
for your help!
Feb 28: Reader Phillip D. informs us:
Out of the package. -------------
Hmmm... what's this???
Two coin cell batteries hidden
in a plastic cup, that's what!
