COAST Focusing LED Lenser.. w/pics

[ginaz]

i put a cree emitter in mine. it was bright but the lens projected a perfect image of the die. may try an edison when i get those.

 

[redledz]

Just wanted to thank everyone for all the info on this light. I was at my Lowe's the other day and it was finally in stock. After about a minute of debate with the price, I said heck with it and bought it. I am very happy I got this light. The tint is nice with just a little tad of yellow around the edges, but no purple that I can see. The beam really is aggressive compared to my Task Force 2C. I lit up some deer very well with it in the woods. Later my wife came home, and I shined it on the truck from about 50 ft. When I got in, she said, well you're new one is pretty dang bright! hehe

 

[ginaz]

i tested the led from the lenser today against some known led's i had laying around. it gave the exact same output as a known UW0K yet both lagged behind a SV1H @ 550ma.

 

[TeaQue]

You guys still happy with your lights?

I love mine. My only gripe to date is the lack of waterproofing

 

[Lite_me]

Sure...I still love it! It projects the best BEAM of light of any of the flashlights I own. I know there's some MONSTER lights out there (as seen in other threads here) but for a common consumer available everyday flashlight, it's outstanding! It's the light I'll grab if I hear something go 'bump in the night'.

 

[whc]

Ever since I got my Lumapower M1 XR-E, the Hokus Fokus has laid convertibly in my drawer. It is still the best (I think) 3xAAA flashlight, but not one I would consider "heavy duty". Too thin aluminium, not waterproof, plastic lens,. But the output is just amazing .

 

[soffiler]

You guys still happy with your lights?

I love mine. My only gripe to date is the lack of waterproofing

No serious complaints here! I've only had it for a few months, but even the lack of waterproofing hasn't been a real issue for me. (I guess the fact of the matter is that I don't need a flashlight in wet conditions very often).

This is the light I strap to the outside of my EDC bag, and it is often the first light I reach for even though I've also got the P1D-CE in pocket. Actually, the Fenix only gets precedence when I'm out of reach of the bag.

I find myself using flashlights in daytime surprisingly often. For example just a couple days ago, during a heavy rain, the ceiling of our historic (read: old) factory building sprung a leak. Even though it was broad daylight and the room was brightly lit, it was hard to see beyond the hanging fluorescents. Couple-three guys standing around and squinting upward but not getting much accomplished. About three seconds with the Hokus-Fokus and the leak source was pinpointed.

Just literally a few minutes ago, as I pulled into the parking lot, I saw a co-worker with his hood raised. A hose had let go somewhere and he was poking around under-hood in the general blackishness that is the automotive engine compartment. (That's an environment we happen to specialize in, here at Central Tools.) Hokus-Fokus to the rescue again.

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I hope to find some spare time one of these days to repower it to 1xCR123A. Debating with myself how hard I want to overdrive it. Knowing now how it runs on fresh cells, I'm abandoning my original idea to go 500mA, and thinking 750 instead. In the meantime, I'm running 700mAh NiMH with a spare set of alkalines in the bag.

 

[VidPro]

if you try and wedge a 18650 into a 3AAA light, you need to remove ~20mm somewhere. because of the back tail switch it might be rather difficult to aquire the xtra space there.

that leaves trying to get the extra space at the head end. which somebody said there is room for a curcuit. so if instead a person used that as room for the battery, and resistered, or used a diode or something to drop a bit of the voltage.

or
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1335
this battery should fit. (note you probably would have to MOD something else to get it to WORK, and it is not a protected battery) but it would have almost 2X the power of your usual AAA rechargable junk.

 

[Nyctophiliac]

but even the lack of waterproofing hasn't been a real issue for me. (I guess the fact of the matter is that I don't need a flashlight in wet conditions very often).

That's what I thought! The key thing is you might one day...

In fact the very day I bought my Hokus/Police/Focus etc. I took it down to the dark and windy beach for a good total darkness test. I am very happy with the two focus stages. The spot throws for a good distance and pierces the night sky with satisfying power ( Cue lightsabre impressions when nobody is near!) and the flood is of the type which a projector would throw, a sort of much wider,brighter and actually useful old style INOVA X1 type of beam. Very uniform and artifact free. Good for shadow puppets I would think. Very good for night time navigation on rocky terrain.

Anyway I was a good half hour along the beach and from my warm cosy family when the rain started. Early February rain. Cold. Windy. Miserable. In. The. Dark. (I thought it was snow at times because the drops were so big and the transit was so horizontal!)

Well, the only thing going through my mind was, "this torch isn't waterproof in any way!!" And I am ashamed to admit, that rather than have an impromptu real world test of my shiny new torch. I put it away deep in my pocket and walked back home with the aid of my SF C2 KL3. Which although it was waterproof enough, the lack of spill on it's thin but powerful beam made it a tricky and claustrophobic journey home. Next time I take out the Hokus I will carry a ziplock bag with me just in case!!!


Incidentally, I was drenched to the bone when I got home, but the Hokus in my pocket was only a little damp and still works fine. The KL3 wanted to go for a swim but I declined and it sulked in the corner for an hour before joining us at the fire.

Anybody got any ideas on DIY waterproofing?




Be lucky...

 

[soffiler]

...Anyway I was a good half hour along the beach and from my warm cosy family when the rain started. Early February rain. Cold. Windy. Miserable. In. The. Dark. (I thought it was snow at times because the drops were so big and the transit was so horizontal!)

Well, the only thing going through my mind was, "this torch isn't waterproof in any way!!" ...

Anybody got any ideas on DIY waterproofing?

Well, let's start at the basics. Disclaimer - I haven't even opened mine up yet (the head, I mean) but much earlier in this thread I seem to recall someone did. The question here is: WHERE would it leak from? The tailcap has an O-ring. So I assume there's a problem in the head. Is it the lens area or the thread area? If it's threads, then the first thing I would suggest is some thick sticky grease applied liberally. This literally fills all the voids between the mating threads and makes it quite difficult for water to get past. It's not SUBMERSIBLE but aren't we simply going for rainproof/splashproof and maybe dunkable? And don't forget, there's not much inside there that really cares if it gets wet to begin with. No circuits (unless you plan to mod). If water does get in during a waterproofness test, just open it up and let it dry.

 

[Nyctophiliac]

Yeah, Soffiler, it is the head that leaks.

I tried a suction test and a balloon test on it and it's a quick leak too.

Maybe I could fill the cracks up with silicon or thick grease and also maybe water ingress wouldn't damage too much inside ultimately (although some exposed metal will oxidize unless cleaned and dried sensitively) but...it's a real shame that for such a good torch which is far better suited to exterior pursuits (where it often can be cold and wet) than interior (mostly warm and dry apart from caves and sewers etc.) that Led Lenser didn't think to make it water resistant. Even Mags are designed with water resistance, most Led Lensers (and I've a wide selection of them myself!!) aren't. It's a bit annoying.

I like this torch very much, I'm just not blind to its flaws.


Thanks for the ideas though,





Be lucky...

 

[soffiler]

Hey Nyctophiliac:

The head that leaks... but is it the where the lens meets the head, or where the threads meet the body???

Oh, and pardon my ignorance, but how do you conduct the suction test and balloon test?

 

[Nyctophiliac]

Ah...

I was afraid you'd ask that.

Suction test ( I don't know if its the same as the one at LED Museum) is unscrewing tailcap and removing batteries then sticking torch in mouth and blowing and sucking, nasty as it seems you can tell if there if air going in or out.

Balloon test. Blow up balloon. Do not tie off. Place around torch (no tailcap or batt pack as before) tie off with tape. The balloon will deflate at a rate denoted by the leak. e.g.: visibly deflate for Hokus. Not at all for SF C2 w KL3.

Not too scientific but it passes the time and gets strange looks from everybody.

I suppose that the leak must, therefore, be in the head rather than the threads.


Be lucky...

 

[soffiler]

OK then! Frankly, I had already figured out the suction test, and tried it myself. Gotta make sure no one is looking...

My results were better than yours. I didn't detect any leakage with the suction test. Now I gotta go find a balloon...

 

[Nyctophiliac]

Maybe my mouth leaks! :lolsign:

 

[EngrPaul]

I just picked up one based on this thread. Wow! I can't believe I walked by it in the store so many times. It's definitely a flashlight worth having. Thanks for the runtimes and the disassembly tips.

 

[EngrPaul]

Even better, the head unscrews real easy for access to the emitter... a Seoul will be in there shortly... it's already very bright with a Luxeon, I can't wait! :rock: :duck:

 

[FlashCrazy]

Even better, the head unscrews real easy for access to the emitter... a Seoul will be in there shortly... it's already very bright with a Luxeon, I can't wait! :rock: :duck:

I have Seouls on the way too....one is predestined to go into the Coast. Like you said, this is really a light worth having!

You mentioned the head unscrews easily. I tried to unscrew mine before (just by hand), but didn't want to mess up the focusing system. So I just need to try harder and it'll unscrew? I have strap wrenches, if needed.

 

[EngrPaul]

Just keep unscrewing by hand.

In a few minutes I will have pictures and comparison beamshots. Stay tuned.

 

[EngrPaul]

I think I have a new favorite flashlight folks

Here's what it looks like after the mod:

Notice I added an o-ring at the base of the threads so that the head is more water resistant, and also so that the bezel fits on tight without loctite. There's a .015" copper disc under the new Seoul P4 USW0H emitter.

Wow, this is really made high quality inside! I don't expect any flickering - ever!

Head-shot with the Seoul

COMPARISON BEAMSHOTS

To the left is a Fenix P1D-CE on high, to the right is the Coast LED Lenser with SSC-P4-U-W0 upgrade:

Same shot, underexposed two stops:

REFERENCE PICTURE OF THE P1D-CE ON HIGH, MANUAL EXPOSURE LOCKED

Coast LED-Lenser SSC Tightest focus beam (exposure still locked manual)

Coast LED-Lenser SSC halfway focus beam (exposure still locked manual)

Coast LED-Lenser SSC Widest focus beam (exposure still locked manual)