My new EDC from Target

[zespectre]

For anyone interested, here's the runtime curve for the River Rock 0.5 watt on Alkaline batts.

The sudden drop out of regulation is at 6hr 30 min

 

[srvctec]

Using rechargeables with this light, it is now the brightest light I own of that size...and it's quickly become one of my most-used flashlights. ;-)

That really surprises me. I'd think that with the lower voltage of rechargeables (1.2V vs. 1.5V for alkalines) the beam would be slightly dimmer.:thinking:

 

[jbroker83]

Just picked a .5 up from target tonight, and since I hadn't yet read this thread regarding them -- now I'm headed back there tomorrow to pick up some more. Anyone have a read on the incan/3 L.E.D. -- looks very similar to a SL Twin Task or a Browning --- I'll go back and get one and then review it.

 

[srvctec]

For anyone interested, here's the runtime curve for the River Rock 0.5 watt on Alkaline batts.

The sudden drop out of regulation is at 6hr 30 min

Thanks for the graph- that's pretty close to the claim on the package. You wouldn't by chance have any 700mAh NiMH batteries to run the test with would you?

 

[Osprey_Guy]

That really surprises me. I'd think that with the lower voltage of rechargeables (1.2V vs. 1.5V for alkalines) the beam would be slightly dimmer.:thinking:

You'll have to pardon my naivite...When it comes to electronics I don't know squat...I just know what I saw. And perhaps it was just my imagination, but I could have sworn that the light was significantly brighter when I first replaced the AAA alkalines (that came with the light) with the freshly-charged NiMH AAA's.

But after reading your comment (and now that I've run down the NiMH's a bit), I've gone back and done another comparison with the disposables, and it's no longer brighter...at best it's about the same as the alkalines.

I'm gonna try topping off the NiMH's again and see what happens.

 

[zespectre]

Thanks for the graph- that's pretty close to the claim on the package. You wouldn't by chance have any 700mAh NiMH batteries to run the test with would you?

Actually I just finished the run with 750mAh NiMH's last night. The curve was almost identical just a little shorter in overall length.

Alkalines - Time to 50%:6hr 45min -Time to unusable:10hr
NiMHs- Time to 50%:6hr 20min -Time to unusable:8hr

Unusable for this light means a 5-8minute drop off to completely dark so when you notice it dimming it's time to find your spare batts FAST !

 

[Nasty]

Just picked a .5 up from target tonight, and since I hadn't yet read this thread regarding them -- now I'm headed back there tomorrow to pick up some more. Anyone have a read on the incan/3 L.E.D. -- looks very similar to a SL Twin Task or a Browning --- I'll go back and get one and then review it.

I got the .5 on my first trip there along with the 1.5 Jupiter Aurora rebrand. Bth are great lights for the price!

I saw the 3x5m/m Incan combo too...looks neat and I look forward to your report on it!

 

[Flashback]

Bought this light today and tested it against an Inova X5 that was about 2 years old. The River Rock ripped it a new one! Once again, all is well in the universe...

 

[pathalogical]

Re: My new EDC from Target (photo)

TIN -

For comparison:
This .5w light is not quite as bright as the MJLED on 2AA lithos in a AA minimag
This .5w light is brighter than the MJLED in a 2AAA minimag on fresh alkies

The one I picked up is bluer in tint than the MJLED.

All in all, for 10 bucks, it's a nice buy.

Do all these LED lights have this bluish tint ? Just picked up a Noma 1 watt Luxeon White LED 3 AAA. Stuck the batteries in, and it lights up blue. I think I'll keep it for a while, but I might head back to the refund counter.

 

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

Re: My new EDC from Target (photo)

The 1W lights I've seen lately (Dorcy Metal Gear 3AAA and 3D) have very decent tinted LEDs. I also saw one of the similar lights that I see at Lowes and it had a decent tint.

So I am inclined to say no, not all LEDs have a blue tint.

 

[AFAustin]

I'm thinking one of these might be a nice emergency light for the car.
Could someone pls. give me the length?

Also, anyone compared output and runtime on lithiums?

Thanks.

 

[srvctec]

I'm thinking one of these might be a nice emergency light for the car.
Could someone pls. give me the length?

4 5/8" or for the metrically inclined 11.7475cm

 

[AFAustin]

4 5/8" or for the metrically inclined 11.7475cm

Thanks very much.

 

[voodoogreg]

I haven't checked out target yet, but i was wanting to try a 1AAA/0.5W nuwai and never did. does target carry that one? VDG

 

[srvctec]

I haven't checked out target yet, but i was wanting to try a 1AAA/0.5W nuwai and never did. does target carry that one? VDG

As far as I know, they don't. At least not here at my local Target, and they had a huge selection of LED lights.

 

[grayman4hire]

They should, but it is branded as river rock.

 

[jkuo13]

I don't think target carries a 1AAA River Rock, otherwise I'd have picked up that too. They carry 2AAA RR for sure.

 

[srvctec]

I don't think target carries a 1AAA River Rock, otherwise I'd have picked up that too. They carry 2AAA RR for sure.

Ditto on that. I would have gotten several of the 1AAA if they had them.

 

[Lurker]

River Rock 0.5W 2AAA flashlight:
Wow, I am impressed. I must have gotten lucky with mine because the beam on mine is so smooth and even, it falls just a notch below a Surefire beam. And that is with a smooth reflector. The tint is bluish, but perfectly even and the brightness is very good even with NiMH batteries. The hotspot on mine is not too tight at all. It is a very nice size. The construction is also superb and I like the way the switch feels and works. At $9.99, this has got to be the best bang-for-the-buck flashlight deal going right now. I first tried the similar headlamp and was very impressed with that, but by comparison the beam from my flashlight is even better than from my headlamp (other people have observed the opposite with theirs). My headlamp has a hotspot that is a bit tight and with variable tint. I am sure that when I get around to covering the headlamp with WriteRight, it will be perfect. Meanwhile it is not very noticeable during regular use.

If you want a good laugh, just compare this flashlight to the Mini Maglight 2AAA in terms of brightness, beam quality and runtime. The Mag is a similar price, size, material, battery load and configuration, but the output is in a different class. The River Rock is even shorter by almost a half inch (1 cm) and no wider at the head.

That's one thing I really like about the River Rock. It is very short considering it's battery load. Once you account for the length of the 2 AAA batteries and the depth of the reflector, the additional overall length of the flashlight is very minimal due to the flat circuit board and flat switch design. You couldn't realistically make it any shorter. They wasted no length. They could have made it a little more slender in the body maybe (at the cost of some robustness), but that wouldn't change the maximum length and width, so I will not quibble with that.

I find that I can drop it into the same pocket with my wallet and it stands up alongside and is hardly noticeable when carried there.

I chose the silver model because I figure the finish on the black one is going to look beat-up and scratched-up quickly with any rough use. The silver one is also easier to find in the dark and looks less "tactical." I don't mind tactical looking stuff myself, but somethimes it draws negative attention.

All I did to it was wipe off the oily substance on the surface, put a little paper in the battery compartment to tame the battery rattle, a little lube on the threads to make the switch turn smoothly and I reversed the clip and this little gem is tuned and ready to go.

 

[pedalinbob]

Does anyone know if the 2AAA has the same electronics as the 1AAA?

I tried applying 3v to my 1AAA, and it was darn bright!!!

Bob