OT...Let There Be Light(s)...

[dynaryder]

Ok everyone,time for another of Dynaryder's flashlight reviews. This time we have the new Surefire Aviator,Princeton Tech Scout headlamp,and Lemans and Newbeam LED conversions for Maglites.



First up,the Aviator. Tactical lights are super bright,and shine way out there,but they eat batteries. LED lights are stingy on battery life,and give nice wide even beams,but don't go out very far. Enter the Surefire A2. A tactical light/3 LED combo. It's got all the standard Surefire kit;weatherproof,shockproof,HA coating,tailcap switch w/lockout,super warrenty,plus both a high power lamp and 3 LED's. It's available w/different LED colors;white,red,green,blue(mine's white),and takes 2 CR123 lithium batteries. The LED's are activated by pushing in the tail switch slightly,or turning the tail cap to the first position. You get a nice wide,smooth beam. I expected it to be a little brighter,w/6v behind it,but it's only as bright as my 3v PT Attitude and 4.5v Streamlight Clipmate. It's still plenty bright,mind you,but I was just expecting a little more w/the extra power. The LED's are good for about 10hrs at full power,plus another 10hrs or so of usable light. The high beam is activated by pushing the switch in all the way,or twisting the cap to the second position. You get a blindingly bright beam that throws way out for about 35min,w/another 15-20min of usable light.



I'm kind of surprised battery life isn't a little better,especially for the LED's. And the tail switch can be touchy. Push in just a little too much and it kicks on the high beam. It would be nice if there were detents or a second switch just for toggling between the 2 modes. But this is meant for extreme use,and those features would prolly just be extra things that could go wrong. Paid $135 after searching the Net,so these things ain't cheap,but the quality and warrenty are there. Overall,I'm pretty happy w/it. You get a tac light and an LED light in one tough package.



These pics are size comparo w/a MiniMag and Inova X5:







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[dynaryder]

Here's the business end. The high power lamp is in the center and the LED's ring it.

[dynaryder]

Next we have the PT Scout. It's a tiny,waterproof 2LED headlamp that can be easily popped of the headband and attached to various places w/a built-in clip. The headband is fully adjustable,stretchy,and washable. It's powered by 4 lithium coin cells and is good for 20 some hrs on full power. The light is also hinged,so while on your head you can tip it down to put the light where you need it w/out moving the band around.

Just like PT's Aurora and Eclipse,it has 5 modes of operation;high,med,low power,plus slow and fast blink modes. Pressing the button turns it on high,pressing again w/in 2sec changes modes. Just keep hitting the button until it cycles to what you want. After 2sec,pressing the button turns it off.

On hight beam,it's just as bright as 2 Photons or Arc AAA's put together. Hold 2 of them about an inch apart and you'll get the idea. The lowest mode is perfect for things like reading or moving around when your eyes are adjusted to the dark. The clip lets you attach it to a pocket,hat brim,strap,or whatever. The clip also has a lip on it to protect the switch from accidental activation,but you need to tip the light forward to gain access to the switch. Not a big deal,but some may find it annoying.

Overall,I give it 2 thumbs up. It's bright,tiny,waterproof,has multiple modes,and is good on batteries. It's also cheap;I paid $17 on eBay,and you can find them around for under $20.

The second pic shows the clip w/hinge. You can see the protective lip and just make out one of the 'C' hooks that attach it to the band.

[dynaryder]

Next we have the Newbeam MiniMag conversion. It turns your MiniMag into a 3LED light. You lose the spot-to-flood adjustment,but gain a long-lasting pure white beam.

The conversion is straight forward. You remove the reflector,and swap the bulb and bulb socket for the Newbeam assembly. Takes about 5min and no tools. The beam is nice and even. It's a touch dimmer than the standard bulb in spot mode,and doesn't throw out as far,but the light is pure white. It also lasts much longer. There's a regulating circuit that gives you 10hrs of full power,then switches to 'moon-mode' for another 10hrs of reduced power. There's also a warning LED that tells you when the battery is getting low. A tiny red LED lights up when it goes into moon-mode. It's noticable when looking into the front of the light,but only tinges the beam red at very close range.

I'd highly recommend this to anyone who's a fan of the MiniMag. You get way longer battery life,pure white light,and no more bulbs to burns out. It does cost around $25,but if you use it alot the battery and bulb savings will make it pay for itself.

First pic is the business end. You can just make out the red warning LED below the white cluster. The second pic is the packaging card. I couldn't get a good pic of the module and didn't feel like taking it apart.

[dynaryder]

Finally,there's the Leman's 32 LED conversion. Don't know who really makes it,found it on eBay. It's a drop-in replacement for any 3 or 4 cell,C or D Maglite. Just like the Newbeam,you pull the refector,bulb,and bulb holder ring. Only dif is you inset it into the head,behind the clear lens cover,then put the head back on.

You don't want to look into the business end of this when it's turned on. I put it in my 4 D cell,and it lights up the room like a torchier lamp. Doesn't throw as far as the stock bulb,but way brighter. The guy I got it from didn't say anything about battery life,but I figure it should be good for at least 5hrs at full power w/many more at reduced output.

Again,this conversion is kind of pricey,$39 off eBay(only place I've seen it). But again,it will pay for itself in battery and bulb savings. You lose the adjustable beam and long throw,but gain a wide area of very,very bright pure white light. I'd recommend it for anyone who uses thier big Maglight alot and doesn't need to see way far out.

[Stevie Ray]

OK ... I got so caught up in this that my Meercat that WAS in my lap kinda fell on to the floor. Which one of these lights is the BEST ??? (grinning) This is funny to me cause it seem like the guys that are into knives are into firearms and into FLASHLIGHTS (i've got a bunch ..everywhere) ... and more than likely also into ........... Coolers.... Chuckling .. wanna see a picture of my 90's vintage Snapon cooler ... (grinning) ...
SR

[Stevie Ray]

Jeeze ... Make that 80's vintage ...early on the cooler .... bad key-boarding ..
SR

[samosaurus]

W<img src="spyder.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>W!!! What an AWES<img src="spyder.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>ME review! Thanks dyna!

Sam

"have scars will travel.."

[dynaryder]

Stevie:depends on what you're looking for. The Aviator is a great tac light because it also has the LED's,the Scout is prolly the best lightweight LED headlight out there,and the conversion kits are upgrades for exsisting lights.

The Aviator will prolly replace my Arc LS as a daily carry light,and the Scout will definitely be carried on the bike at night for emergency use.