# River Rock K2 headlamp at Target



## saltwater (Apr 4, 2007)

I just saw tonight the new River Rock K2 headlamp. Packaging says its rated at 85 lumens for 5 hours on 3 AA's on high and up to 30 hours on low. I was tempted but have held off buying one pending a positive review, Has anyone been brave enough to purchase one and what was your impression of the product?


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## jar3ds (Apr 4, 2007)

my target has the new K2 lantern but NOT the K2 headlamp ... Whats it like? I assume reflector? 

Anyone have a pic?


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## CLHC (Apr 4, 2007)

I've seen them at my local Target and it appears to have the battery pack placed behind the head. Among the other River Rock LED K2 lights and what-not, there's this camo light that looks interesting. It sure did peak my interest, but no sale. . .

Enjoy!


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## DaveG (Apr 4, 2007)

jar3ds said:


> my target has the new K2 lantern but NOT the K2 headlamp ... Whats it like? I assume reflector?
> 
> Anyone have a pic?


Looks like the same new K2 that Cabelas is selling only the Target one has red leds on the battery pack.The one at Target is cheaper price wise also.


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## jar3ds (Apr 4, 2007)

DaveG said:


> Looks like the same new K2 that Cabelas is selling only the Target one has red leds on the battery pack.The one at Target is cheaper price wise also.


 like this one?

http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0044990517635a.shtml

eeewwwwwwww


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## CM (Apr 4, 2007)

jar3ds said:


> like this one?
> 
> http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0044990517635a.shtml
> 
> eeewwwwwwww



Overdriven? For three hours? On 3AA?? I'm with you. eeewwwwwwwww


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## saltwater (Apr 4, 2007)

The Cabella's headlamp looks to be the same model. I wonder how it could be overdriven and only put out 60 lumens? The Target packaging states even more lumens than Cabella's. There is a caution on package about heat so they must be driving it pretty hard.


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## Patriot (Apr 4, 2007)

saltwater said:


> The Cabella's headlamp looks to be the same model. I wonder how it could be overdriven and only put out 60 lumens? The Target packaging states even more lumens than Cabella's. There is a caution on package about heat so they must be driving it pretty hard.


 
Yeah that's what I thought...overdriven K2 at 60 lumens...what da!! I suspect that the Target branded K2 is probably more likely to be accurate at 80 lumens.


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## BlackDecker (Apr 4, 2007)

I do like the idea of the string of green led's along the back of the battery pack so you can be seen from behind.


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## TMorita (Apr 4, 2007)

http://www.essentialgear.com/store.cgi?action=link&sku=HL090_01&uid=805

Toshi


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## Chronos (Apr 5, 2007)

I just picked one up at a local Target. I've got a night hike tonight so I'll report back on how it performs. It definitely is bright!


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## Chronos (Apr 6, 2007)

I took it on a 5 mile hike in the woods last night. I ran it on all three settings during the event. The beam pattern is too narrow for my tastes; the beam pattern is very similar to a LuxIII KL1 or L1 with the TIR optic system. That means it is a very narrow, square-shaped beam with a dim spill. It does throw and I don't doubt the output of 85 lumens. 

I bought the headlight at lunch, took it home and opened the package, threw in the cells, and ran out the door to the hike. I wanted my impressions to be based upon real-world use, not white wall hunting.

The battery case has a red LED (or series of red LEDs) and this red LED is operated separately from the main lamp. You can turn the red LED on, or on flashing mode, or off. 

The main beam turns on to high, then medium, then low, then flashing. Wait more than a few moments after turning the beam to a specific setting and hit the power button and you'll extinguish the light. The main beam in my light is quite white, with no discernable blue tints (at least outdoors).

The switch for the main lamp was difficult to locate and operate with gloves (it was below 30 degrees last night- 80 degrees three days ago... sigh). The main lamp does rotate on a hinge so I was able to focus the narrow beam to illuminate the trails 8' in front of me. At that distance the usable portion of the beam was about 4' across.

I'm going to try some diffusing film to see if it helps to make the light more floody. For less than $30 it is a great deal if you can live with the annoying beam pattern. 

If anyone opens this light up please let me know, as I would love to drop a reflector into it.

For hiking I prefer more floody beams. I took along my 2x18650 Leef body + KT4 + M15 and had a throw monster. It wasn't very useful on the trail, but it did allow me to spot a few raccoons, deer, and foxes on the other side of a creek. I ran it for about 30 minutes without any dimming. My 10X dominator's 110 lumen low beam was nice and broad, and I ran it for almost 45 minutes without dimming. At one point we took a pic of one of our buddies in front of a trailhead marker. The flash on the camera wasn't working, so I fired up the 110 lumen main and the 500+ lumen secondary on the 10x and illuminated the woods for what seemed to be a mile around us! I also took along my milkyspit M180 KL2 on a 2x18650 body. It ran for about 45 mins without dimming and had by far the best beam pattern out of all the lights. Nice, bright but soft spill with just enough throw to punch its way across the creek bed and illuminate some high tension power lines from about 75 yards out.


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## Illum (Apr 6, 2007)

Whats with the ugly hole on collimator optics?


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## Patriot (Apr 7, 2007)

TMorita said:


> http://www.essentialgear.com/store.cgi?action=link&sku=HL090_01&uid=805
> 
> Toshi


 
LOL at the $45 price tag. It's identical to the RR. 

I just bought mine tonight at Target and just took it out to spray for bugs. Yes, the beam is a bit narrow, but will be easily fixed with a diffuser. I estimate the high beam to be more than 60 lumens when compared to E2Es and L4s. It' probably an honest 65 -75 lumens. I used mine on low almost the whole time because it was plenty bright. I wasn't offended by the beam at all. I am going to add some diffuser tape to the optic to help with up close tasks. I've very happy with it so far and I like the 3 different light levels. For the price...I can hardly pick the thing apart.


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## PoliceScannerMan (Apr 7, 2007)

I bought one from my target, what a white emitter! I hate optics, so I ripped apart as soon as I got home. It now has a modified McR20 and a Sapphire window.  

The mod was fairly simple to do, just a lot of grinding little by little so it fit perfectly. I had to also glue in a bigger O-ring over the stock O-ring to hold the Sapphire window (From a PD) in place. It doesnt look perfect, but the mod is solid, and the beam is perfect for me. I am very pleased with this headlight.

Pics:












Ahhhhh, this beam is alot better....


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## mrme (Apr 10, 2007)

My target has them on sale for $25!

I just got one and so far like it. The focus is way too narrow, and I will have to fix that. Still, it is really bright and pretty well made. It's too bright for outdoors stuff, but will be great for more urban uses. 

I think the red LEDs on the back are a great idea. This one's going in my glovebox!


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## nzbazza (Apr 10, 2007)

This headlamp is available in NZ and Aus from Kathmandu. It has a R-bin Lux1 (51 lm max.), claims to have a regulated output and a r/t of 10hr on hi, 30hr on med and 50hr on low. On sale for nz$45 (about us$31.50).

I haven't confirmed the regulated output or runtimes yet. It does work with alks, NiMH and Li as well.

Ditto on the narrow beam from the TIR.


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## jar3ds (Apr 10, 2007)

PoliceScannerMan said:


> I bought one from my target, what a white emitter! I hate optics, so I ripped apart as soon as I got home. It now has a modified McR20 and a Sapphire window.
> 
> The mod was fairly simple to do, just a lot of grinding little by little so it fit perfectly. I had to also glue in a bigger O-ring over the stock O-ring to hold the Sapphire window (From a PD) in place. It doesnt look perfect, but the mod is solid, and the beam is perfect for me. I am very pleased with this headlight.
> 
> ...


 VERY nice! thanks for sharing... is it still fairly water proof/resistant after your mod?


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## PoliceScannerMan (Apr 10, 2007)

Fairly yes, definatley around the lens, I plan to seal the case however with some for of waterproofer, like goop. Just to be sure.


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## jar3ds (Apr 10, 2007)

PoliceScannerMan said:


> Fairly yes, definatley around the lens, I plan to seal the case however with some for of waterproofer, like goop. Just to be sure.


 very nice... you turned a poopy headlamp into an awesome one! :rock:

can someone take a picture of the battery case opened up? The reason for my asking is I wonder if there is a slick/easy way to get it to instead of run in series... to run in parallel. That way you can use 14500's... That would be awesome! Sort of branching off from the original idea from SilverFox...


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## Patriot (Apr 14, 2007)

I'm hearing a few bad reports about the K2 headlamp. Didn't know if you guys had seen this tread yet. http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=161101


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## LED Zeppelin (Apr 21, 2007)

I did the McR20 mod with a 22.8mm UCL. I siliconed the lens in place and did not use any O-rings. Carefully sanding the McR20, I was able to keep the lens/reflector under compression when the head was reassembled.

In addition I added a couple carefully shaped pennies to the heatsink and thermal epoxied them into place.

One is cut to sit inside the recess surrouding the emitter embossment and clear the leads, and the other is epoxied over the first and cut to clear the leads.

If you don't shape the inner penny to sit inside the recess, you will only be able to fit one.


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## Handlobraesing (Apr 21, 2007)

The battery compartment is very small and won't accept most NiMHs.
The heatsink is pathetic and it gets insanely hot. If you leave it on for a long time, it melts and deforms the back cover. Without any unusual treatment, heatsink gets up well beyond 100°C. If you cover up the whole thing real well, around 170°C

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/161101


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## LED Zeppelin (Apr 21, 2007)

I thought about cutting a hole in the rear cover, and using a thicker slug epoxied to the heatsink that protruded from the housing. That way some heat could escape. The slug could be sealed where it met the hole in the cover.

I don't use it on hi for extended periods, so I left it as is, but if I replace the emitter sometime I may do that.


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## kevinm (Apr 25, 2007)

PoliceScannerMan said:


> I bought one from my target, what a white emitter! I hate optics, so I ripped apart as soon as I got home. It now has a modified McR20 and a Sapphire window.
> 
> The mod was fairly simple to do, just a lot of grinding little by little so it fit perfectly. I had to also glue in a bigger O-ring over the stock O-ring to hold the Sapphire window (From a PD) in place. It doesnt look perfect, but the mod is solid, and the beam is perfect for me. I am very pleased with this headlight.
> 
> Ahhhhh, this beam is alot better....



Okay, how did you get it apart? More specifically, how did you separate the light emitter and case from the head strap and mounting bracket?

Thanks,
Kevin


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## Patriot (May 5, 2007)

I've worn mine for about 4 or 5 hours now and the beam is definately to narrow for most purposes. I'm not sure how to make it better because I don't feel like investing several hours on a fitted mod for this thing. Because it lacks sufficient heat sinking, I just don't think it's worth the time spent to make it better.


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## LED Zeppelin (May 6, 2007)

Install a lens and reflector as PSM did, and epoxy a penny to the back of the heatsink. The closest lens I had was a 22.8 mm. You could do it in an hour, mostly dependent on fitting the reflector.

After using mine for a while now the PWM dimming does bother me though, especially on low. It's very noticable when reading.


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## ccd rider (Sep 3, 2007)

Interesting responses. I like this headlamp precisely because of the narrow focus. I use it as a supplemental headlight for my bike (early morning commuting) and really like the way the beam projects down the road/trail. 

Also, I have not noticed any excessive heating problems and use it continously for over an hour on high. I wonder if the cooler weather of the morning and the air flow helps? 

Regardless, for the price (I paid 24.95) it's the brightest headlamp I've seen, the flashing red led's on the back are a bonus, and it seems to be pretty good quality.


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## Patriot (Sep 4, 2007)

Wow, nice thread revival...lol 

And welcome to you also ccd rider.  I think you'll really enjoy it here at CPF. 

PSM, where did you get the sapphire window?


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## Magichunter (Sep 5, 2007)

I purchased one at Target on Monday night for $25. Much, much brighter than my Tikka Plus. Pure, bright white light with no tint of blue and lots of throw. It projects a narrow, square beam of light with a concentrated circle in the middle. I like tight beams so that's OK. No sign of excessive heat either; I'm pleasantly surprised. Output could possibly be 85 lumens like the package claims.

Printed instructions on the package specify alkaline batteries. Has anyone tried lithium e91's? Might increase run times and brightness but could cause the unit to overheat, which it is not doing now.

What do you think?


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## maxilux (Sep 6, 2007)

Hey it is the same light as the new Pelican 2670, but with more Lumen.
Thats the same with the RR Headlamp and the Streamlight Enduro.
From where coes these Lights real?? Nuwai?


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## Handlobraesing (Sep 9, 2007)

Magichunter said:


> I purchased one at Target on Monday night for $25. Much, much brighter than my Tikka Plus. Pure, bright white light with no tint of blue and lots of throw. It projects a narrow, square beam of light with a concentrated circle in the middle. I like tight beams so that's OK. No sign of excessive heat either; I'm pleasantly surprised. Output could possibly be 85 lumens like the package claims.
> 
> Printed instructions on the package specify alkaline batteries. Has anyone tried lithium e91's? Might increase run times and brightness but could cause the unit to overheat, which it is not doing now.
> 
> What do you think?



It will overheat big time, it does even with NiMH. You won't notice it until it gets extremely hot (about 170 C) and the rear cover melts.


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## Magichunter (Sep 9, 2007)

Thank you for the warning, Handlobraesing. I just put in a set of fresh lithium e91's not more than ten minutes ago and decided to check the postings one last time.

They will now be replaced with Duracell Ultra alkalines that I already have waiting.

I like this light alot and would hate to ruin it.


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## Handlobraesing (Sep 10, 2007)

I posted my meltage report, but I don't even know where it went now. These are some pics. In one attempts, the heatsink got up to 140c. Second time (no pic) it got to 170.


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## Magichunter (Sep 10, 2007)

No doubt about it but I believed your advice all along. Switched the lithiums for alkalines. I'll use it that way for the time being. Fortunately, I saved the receipt and packaging because Target has a 90 return policy. Maybe something better will come along by then anyhow. Will see.


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## ccd rider (Sep 10, 2007)

Man, I haven't seen this yet....I use 2700 mAh NiMh's in mine and use it on high for more than an hour straight. Why isn't mine overheating (I only feel moderate warmth....not even hot)? Did I get a newer version (bought mine a couple of weeks ago)? :shrug:


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## f22shift (Sep 10, 2007)

i ran it 2 hours straight on nimh with no trouble when i used to own one. it was just too heavy:ironic:


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## Handlobraesing (Sep 10, 2007)

ccd rider said:


> Man, I haven't seen this yet....I use 2700 mAh NiMh's in mine and use it on high for more than an hour straight. Why isn't mine overheating (I only feel moderate warmth....not even hot)? Did I get a newer version (bought mine a couple of weeks ago)? :shrug:



Very likely. Mine would not even take most NiMH since the battery compartment was built very very tight.


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## ccd rider (Sep 11, 2007)

Handlobraesing said:


> Very likely. Mine would not even take most NiMH since the battery compartment was built very very tight.


 
Mine wouldn't take the Sony or the Kodak ones I have without being too tight....but the Energizers, they fit like an alkaline. Something to consider anyway.


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## ltiu (Sep 11, 2007)

I got mine a few months a go and have generally happy with it. For a less than $30 light. It is quite bright, very throwy. It takes 3 Energizer L91's just fine and runs forever on low, perfect for hiking/caving/camping when I don't need max. Yes, there is very little spill but I can live with that.


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## gandbag (Sep 13, 2007)

I picked up one of these months ago at Target. The cool little optic really focuses the beam well and was quite bright.Getting it out of the box, like many of the others, I noticed this light getting hot very quickly on the "high" setting. 
Ripping the light apart, I was appalled to find a tiny aluminum heatsink entombed in plastic! 

I did some crude tests on the heatsink outside of the headlamp body. On high, the heatsink reached skin burning temperatures within about 3 seconds!! oo:

I plan on using the parts in a Dorcy Super 1W mod, and will have the cool 3aaa battery pack w/ built-in flasher, as well as the optic for another project.


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## ltiu (Oct 15, 2007)

I've taken mine into caves, on max mode for more than 10 minutes and the light has not failed. So far so good. 

Curious:

Could the humid air in the cave have a cooling effect in that it can cool hot lights down more efficiently than say regular outdoor air?


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## green814 (Oct 15, 2007)

ccd rider said:


> Man, I haven't seen this yet....I use 2700 mAh NiMh's in mine and use it on high for more than an hour straight. Why isn't mine overheating (I only feel moderate warmth....not even hot)? Did I get a newer version (bought mine a couple of weeks ago)? :shrug:


 
Another thought is that the way you have the light mounted on your helmet it allows more air around the light than those using it with the factory headband. I haven't "used" mine YET, only tested in driveway, but I think the light will be adjusted all the way "up or out" or maybe one notch down when I am riding.

Anyone have a suggestion on "fixing" the lamp in position as I plan on using it for trail riding, & expect branches to re-adjust the light angle on me if I don't "fix" it.

Chris


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## Hondo (Oct 16, 2007)

Welcome to CPF, Chris!

I don't have this one, but the way all of the pivots work, any attempt to lock the pivot out would likely result in broken parts if struck by a good branch. I would approach the problem by trying to "short out" the pivot all together. Specifically, I would try to find a piece of foam (or whatever you have) to fit between the lamp and bracket to set the angle where you want it. Then I would tie the lamp back against the bracket, it looks like there is good real estate either side of the lamp bezel for this in this design. Typically I use #64 rubber bands for such rigs, although you may have to slip the head bands out of the way to install them. Cable ("zip") ties would be more permanent and won't rot with time.

Hope that helps some, let us know how it works!

Hondo


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## fshalor (Oct 16, 2007)

I grabbed one of these too. Figured it would be a good backup light on a working cruise I'm going on in a few weeks when I found out all our major op times are after dark. 

I doubt I'll need it on high for very long. Just low for help plugging in the sync cable and downloading date between runs. Still., looks like modding the heat sink is rather called for. That, or there's a chance of having the thing melt into your head. At the least, this thing needs some extra weather proofing on the battery pack. 

Sure, seems good for $25 or so, but that's almost half way to a Princeton Tech Apex.


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## Magichunter (Oct 16, 2007)

I've been using mine with E91 lithiums without heat issues on any kind for over a month now. Very bright, long tight throw and virtually no flood. Worked great for kyacking where throw works.


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## dave43 (Dec 24, 2007)

Handlobraesing said:


> The battery compartment is very small and won't accept most NiMHs.
> The heatsink is pathetic and it gets insanely hot. If you leave it on for a long time, it melts and deforms the back cover. Without any unusual treatment, heatsink gets up well beyond 100°C. If you cover up the whole thing real well, around 170°C
> 
> https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/161101



Has anyone gotten Sanyo Eneloop nimh's to fit?


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## ltiu (Dec 24, 2007)

dave43 said:


> Has anyone gotten Sanyo Eneloop nimh's to fit?



I did, but had a hard time getting them out. had to use a small needle nose pliers to take them out.

I use L91's exclusively on these.


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## ltiu (Dec 24, 2007)

Magichunter said:


> Thank you for the warning, Handlobraesing. I just put in a set of fresh lithium e91's not more than ten minutes ago and decided to check the postings one last time.
> 
> They will now be replaced with Duracell Ultra alkalines that I already have waiting.
> 
> I like this light alot and would hate to ruin it.



I have real-life/real-world usage experience with these lights.

I have been running my RR K2 on high for more than 10 minutes often with no ill effects. 

Had this for about 5 months now and taken it to about 10 caving trips. 

Used it on high for more than 1 hour in at least 3 trips and it is still going strong. 

It is still my primary caving light.


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## dave43 (Dec 24, 2007)

ltiu said:


> I did, but had a hard time getting them out. had to use a small needle nose pliers to take them out.
> 
> I use L91's exclusively on these.



ltiu,

Do you get double the runtime then what is rated using E2's? What runtimes are you getting?


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## ltiu (Dec 24, 2007)

dave43 said:


> ltiu,
> 
> Do you get double the runtime then what is rated using E2's? What runtimes are you getting?



I do not have accurate runtime tests like chevrofreak does.

I did a rough indoor test using 2500 mAh NiMH (had to use pliers to get those out of the battery compartment as they were in there tight). Ran about 3 hours on high. 12 hours on low ... before light got noticeably dim.

Did not really measure light output, as I said, it was just a rough test.

I have used it out in the caves using e2 L91's. Never had to change batteries while inside a cave. Been in a cave for as long as 7 hours never had to change batteries. In that 7 hours, ran it on low for about 5 hours and on high for about 2. Then went into another cave with the same batteries for another 2 hours on low and it was still going.

I don't have a light meter and don't have the motivation to do an accurate runtime measurement. But my field use experience tells me these lights can keep going and going and going on a single set of batteries.


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## ltiu (Dec 24, 2007)

fshalor said:


> I grabbed one of these too. Figured it would be a good backup light on a working cruise I'm going on in a few weeks when I found out all our major op times are after dark.
> 
> I doubt I'll need it on high for very long. Just low for help plugging in the sync cable and downloading date between runs. Still., looks like modding the heat sink is rather called for. That, or there's a chance of having the thing melt into your head. At the least, this thing needs some extra weather proofing on the battery pack.
> 
> Sure, seems good for $25 or so, but that's almost half way to a Princeton Tech Apex.



1) I have never had melting issues with this light. I ran it on high for more than 1 hour on a few occasions and nothing bad happened.

2) I use plumbers grease (silicone based) to lube the o-rings around the battery compartment cover.

3) It has proven to be quite water tight as I have use this on many caves with water and have repeatedly washed it in running tap water.


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## ltiu (Dec 25, 2007)

f22shift said:


> i ran it 2 hours straight on nimh with no trouble when i used to own one. it was just too heavy:ironic:



I notice the light GOT HEAVIER with the NiMH in it. NiMH's are heavy. L91's are way lighter.


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## Handlobraesing (Dec 25, 2007)

ltiu said:


> I notice the light GOT HEAVIER with the NiMH in it. NiMH's are heavy. L91's are way lighter.



Well yeah... You can't beat L91s in energy-to-weight density.


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## degarb (Dec 28, 2007)

I have been taking off insulating plastic wrappers on all my NiMH batteries to lower heat buildup with a quick charger. This might also help those trying to fit these into this lamp.

What are the specs on the lamp?

Throw, lux, lumen (high and low), type & number of batteries used, realistic run time on all settings (duration of brightness)?


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