Heads up -- 9V Pak-Lite now has a warm white option...

[Tachead]

We now have a warm emitter in a minimalistic 9 volt battery flashlight. If you have a safe for valuables that needs fresh 9 volt batteries every year, you can run a Pak-Lite indefinitely it seems. Anyone who has these batteries about their home can have basically free illumination. They may be one of the few available batteries when disaster is imminent and the stores are depleted by the predominantly unprepared.

Wondering if the new LED's will last as long with lower voltages as the old cold ones?

Yeah, I have to say it's pretty neat. The runtimes are crazy long on a lithium 9V. I just think it is a bit pricey compared to an average aluminum single AAA light for instance. I think it would be much more appealing if it was priced more reasonably($5-10US at most). I mean a 4000K High CRI Nichia 219B powered Manker E01/Astrolux A01 is only like $8 and it will run for days on moonlight too on a lithium AAA.

There really is no reason why this light should cost so much. For instance, although it is a different type of light and not designed for crazy long runtimes, a Maglite Solitaire LED is also US made, also comes with a cell, comes with a lanyard, is waterproof, is made of anodized aircraft aluminum, has an optic and lens, uses a much newer and more costly emitter, has a lifetime warranty, and it is available for less then $10US.

I personally think Pak-lite is ripping people off for this light selling it at $20US.

 

[defloyd77]

Kind of disappointed it's Pak-lite, I always get them confused with PALight and I thought they were back in business.

 

[scout24]

Since my gentle nudge to get back on topic fell on deaf ears, I'll remind everyone of a runtime test I ran on one about five years ago. I took a Pak lite out of the package, popped it onto the included 9v Duracell alkaline, and started the clock. It ran better than 4400 hours. I shut it off at six months. It was still making enough light to act as a marker, read from 6-8" away, etc. At 2500 hours, it was still usable for navigating around the house, etc. This was nonstop. On an alkaline 9v cell. I'll keep mine, and even with the current price tag, I'll be ordering another. As an emergency shtf light, it has no peer. :nana:

 

[nightshade]

It's a simple mod to affix a Pak-Lite to a 6AA to 9V battery adapter. 6 AA will run a Pak for a insanely long time . I still buy these for family and friends in the tropics for hurricane prep.The GITD cap allows them to find it easily enough after power loss. Digging the warmer option.

 

[snakebite]

i need to dig mine out of the emergency kit and give it a shot.
its about time a better led was offered.sure took them a long time to find that the wasted spill from a 5mm could do a good job firing up gitd plastic!
we should put a bug in the creators ear about yuji leds.
or even the ones i found on ebay.
2 of those and a resistor ca glued to the snap from a dead 9v do a great job.
1 x free light per year x number of smoke detectors in your household.
talk about closed loop recycling! use the remaining capacity with one of these battery vampires then take the snap from it to make another light.

Anybody mod a couple of Yuji into these ... ?
[emoji317]

 

[phosphor22]

Second for the curiosity about one of these modded with Yuji's LED's...

 

[bigfoot]

It's a simple mod to affix a Pak-Lite to a 6AA to 9V battery adapter. 6 AA will run a Pak for a insanely long time . I still buy these for family and friends in the tropics for hurricane prep.The GITD cap allows them to find it easily enough after power loss. Digging the warmer option.

This is an awesome idea! Any suggestions for a good quality 6AA to 9V adapter? Might have to pick one of these up, "just in case" for a backup. (Hmm... I wonder, will something like that run on 6x Eneloops, being 1.2v each?)

IMHO, the $20 price tag of a Pak-Lite is worth it, knowing they last, are durable, and employ hometown people in my state. Here's a pic of the survival kit (housed in a Pelican 1120 case) the Pak-Lite lives in at the moment. (For more pics and a detailed list of contents, click here: https://cascadiarecon.com/2017/07/22/pelican-1120-survival-kit/ )

 

[bigfoot]

**FYI: Heard back from Pak-Lite, the new warm white version is 3,500K, but not an exact color temperature due to LED binning, and can extend up to the 4,000K range.**

 

[ZMZ67]

Since my gentle nudge to get back on topic fell on deaf ears, I'll remind everyone of a runtime test I ran on one about five years ago. I took a Pak lite out of the package, popped it onto the included 9v Duracell alkaline, and started the clock. It ran better than 4400 hours. I shut it off at six months. It was still making enough light to act as a marker, read from 6-8" away, etc. At 2500 hours, it was still usable for navigating around the house, etc. This was nonstop. On an alkaline 9v cell. I'll keep mine, and even with the current price tag, I'll be ordering another. As an emergency shtf light, it has no peer. :nana:

Wonder how long the red LED model would go.........

We now have a warm emitter in a minimalistic 9 volt battery flashlight. If you have a safe for valuables that needs fresh 9 volt batteries every year, you can run a Pak-Lite indefinitely it seems. Anyone who has these batteries about their home can have basically free illumination. They may be one of the few available batteries when disaster is imminent and the stores are depleted by the predominantly unprepared.

Wondering if the new LED's will last as long with lower voltages as the old cold ones?

Hopefully, although I have to think it will still have serious long run time even if it doesn't match the cool white.

 

[lampeDépêche]

Yeah, I did a Yuji mod on one of my pak-lite chassis a while ago. Turned out fine, except for two things:

1) the Pak-lite LEDs are not 5mm size, but a bit smaller (4mm?), so the new LEDs don't fit the same way;
2) the plastic GITD shroud is glued on so carefully that I had to destroy it to get down to the circuit board to solder on the Yujis.
That meant losing all of the nice self-contained properties of the Pak-lite. Now it's just a board with a couple of emitters on it.

Anyone can take a 9-volt receptacle and a piece of circuit-board, solder on some resistors, a few emitters and a switch, and have something *like* the Pak-Lite. But it will be god-awful ugly (as was my Yuji mod) and probably won't get the same efficiencies.

The total package of the Pak-lite as sold is a very nice, compact, bombproof piece of kit. I always have one in my day bag. i don't even carry a 9-volt with it--they are heavy cells, and for the weight I'd rather have other lights. No, I carry the Pak-lite bare, because it is so ridiculously light and small that there is no reason *not* to toss it in there. Having it gives me an option to scavenge a kind of cell that is hard to fit into my other lights (in particular, my never-leave-home-without it ZL H53).

And of course I also have a few around the house, using old smoke-detector batteries to mark doorways. They stay on constantly, for months at a time.

(Funny you should mention giving your MIL some of them, Scout. I did the same for my mom years ago--four Pak-lites and as many 9-volt cells, in case of power outages).

I'm going to order one of the new 3500k versions. Sure, I wish they were cheaper. But it's an unbeatable form-factor, and an ingenious piece of kit.

 

[bigfoot]

Just put my money where my mouth is -- warm white version ordered up with a black cap. :twothumbs Will definitely report back in once it shows up.

For those thinking about one of these, there is a 15% coupon running at the moment. Also, per Pak-Lite, they plan on updating the product page with people's various Q&A.

 

[Tixx]

Coupon code: PakLite4K

 

[lampeDépêche]

For those thinking about one of these, there is a 15% coupon running at the moment.

Drat! So I just threw out $3 I could have saved. Where can I find the coupon code? Point me to it, if you cannot print it here.

ETA: Thanks, Tixx! You posted as I was composing.

 

[Tixx]

Drat! So I just threw out $3 I could have saved. Where can I find the coupon code? Point me to it, if you cannot print it here.

ETA: Thanks, Tixx! You posted as I was composing.

Yeah, was the first question I had, so looked it up to post.

 

[lampeDépêche]

Yeah, I ordered right after I posted about my Yuji mod, and before I saw bigfoot's reference to the coupon.

In the immortal words of Get Smart, "Missed it, by *that* much!"

 

[bigfoot]

You might try contacting them to see if they can apply it for you -- worth a try, especially with how friendly and responsive their customer service is.

 

[nightshade]

This is an awesome idea! Any suggestions for a good quality 6AA to 9V adapter? Might have to pick one of these up, "just in case" for a backup. (Hmm... I wonder, will something like that run on 6x Eneloops, being 1.2v each?

Quality adapters can be found on that really popular, online , auction site for less than 5 dollars shipped.Add additional 9V connectors, Velcro strapping, rubber bands, and neo magnets and the dark is your oyster.
The lights are vampires, and will work with multiple chemistries in that adapter. They will will also over discharge cells if left unattended. Late CPF member Sub_Umbra shared a lot of real world experiences with Pak-Lites, including their ability to excessively drain batteries. Read Post #48 in this CPF thread:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...Pak-Lite-9v-LED-light-what-do-you-think/page2

 

[bigfoot]

Thanks for that info. Nightshade! Will do some searching on the interwebz... :thumbsup:

Ugh, I had no idea we had lost Sub_Umbra. Always looked forward to reading his posts, will definitely check that thread out -- thanks for the heads up! RIP Sub. :candle:

 

[archimedes]

....
The lights are vampires, and will work with multiple chemistries in that adapter. They will will also over discharge cells if left unattended. Late CPF member Sub_Umbra shared a lot of real world experiences with Pak-Lites, including their ability to excessively drain batteries....

I consider these as an essential component of any decently equipped emergency lighting kit.

 

[eh4]

Thanks for that info. Nightshade! Will do some searching on the interwebz... :thumbsup:

Ugh, I had no idea we had lost Sub_Umbra. Always looked forward to reading his posts, will definitely check that thread out -- thanks for the heads up! RIP Sub. :candle:

same here, I don't know.
I always enjoyed his low lumens curmudgeonery.
I'll miss him.