# stanley Fat Max XML spotlight !!!



## Alex1234 (Jun 14, 2012)

I was in walmart today and saw the stanley fat max rechargable spot light and picked it up and looked at the bussness end and my jaw dropped. The reflector is huge and at the bottom is a nice cool white xml(not sure the bin)!!!. So for 50 bucks i bought it.. i wish i new how to put pictures on here. The reflector is 3 inches wide and about 3.5 inches deep. i compared it to my sunwayman t40cs and the hot spot is 3 times smaller and twice as bright so i compared it to my dereelight ez900 aspheric and it was very close between the two in terms of throw. output is slightly higher then my t40cs. for 50 bucks its a great bang for your buck. it also uses li-ion rechargable batteries in it.


----------



## cccpull (Jun 14, 2012)

Any specs on the package or the instructions?


----------



## Alex1234 (Jun 14, 2012)

the package states 2000 lumans. which i loled at its more like 900 to 1000 if i had to guess otf. its an xml so 2000 lumans is not possible. it shows a run time graph with 72 minute run time. this light must be very new because i cant find it online anywhere. i just texted it again agenst my dree ez900 aspheric and the throw is pritty much the same. its pretty insane how far this light goes. i want to post pictures so bad. i just cant figure out how to do it.


----------



## my#1hobby (Jun 15, 2012)

This thread makes me want one now. I saw this spotlight at my Walmart but passed on getting it.


----------



## CarpentryHero (Jun 15, 2012)

Knowing my luck they won't be in Canadian Walmarts  
thatd be perfect for the work van and a great fathers day present


----------



## my#1hobby (Jun 15, 2012)

A poster in the spotlight section says this light can run continuously on 12v like the Stanley HID can which was a selling point for me when I got my HID. I will try to post some pics this weekend when I get one.


----------



## kramer5150 (Jun 15, 2012)

Alex1234 said:


> I was in walmart today and saw the stanley fat max rechargable spot light and picked it up and looked at the bussness end and my jaw dropped. The reflector is huge and at the bottom is a nice cool white xml(not sure the bin)!!!. So for 50 bucks i bought it.. i wish i new how to put pictures on here. *The reflector is 3 inches wide* and about 3.5 inches deep. i compared it to my sunwayman t40cs and the hot spot is 3 times smaller and twice as bright so i *compared it to my dereelight ez900 aspheric and it was very close between the two* in terms of throw. output is slightly higher then my t40cs. for 50 bucks its a great bang for your buck. it also uses li-ion rechargable batteries in it.



WOW... this sounds like a great deal. They just don't make/sell an XML light for $50 with a reflector dish bigger than ~55mm across.

You measured 3 inches across.... is that 3 inches across the reflector dish mirror surface? Or 3 inches across the outer bezel rim?

I'm getting ~45-50K lux with a T6 driven at ~3.4A in a 55mm diameter Ultrafire DIY build. *3 inches = 76mm (!!) A DIY mod build using this reflector should be able to near 70-80K lux with a dish that big*, if theres sufficient heatsinking for the XML.

thanks!!


----------



## WDR65 (Jun 15, 2012)

I bought one last week immediately after seeing it. I'm impressed so far for the money. The throw is comparable to my older Brinkmann Spotlights and its lighter than any rechargable spotlight that I've ever handled. I haven't tried to take mine apart but there is a lot of metal with cooling fins just behind the reflector on either side so as long as its mounted with good heat transfer from the led I don't think there will be a problem. I'm looking forward to testing this one out on the sound later this summer.


----------



## climberkid (Jun 15, 2012)

Keep us posted! I'd like to know more before I go out and get one.


-Alex


----------



## Jay611j (Jun 15, 2012)

Sounds like a useful light to me! I'll head over to my Walmart in a bit, If they still have these lights in stock I'll pick one up and take some pictures. Hopefully there aren't too many flashaholics out here. It's only 1:40pm here, but I can take some beam shots inside of our warehouse and bring my Stanley HID and DBS-T Aspheric to compare.


----------



## CarpentryHero (Jun 15, 2012)

Jay611j said:


> Sounds like a useful light to me! I'll head over to my Walmart in a bit, If they have these lights in stock I'll pick one up and take some pictures. It's only 1:40pm here, but I can take some beam shots inside of our warehouse and bring my Stanley HID and DBS-T Aspheric to compare.




Please do :thumbsup: I'd love to see a Beamshot shoot out


----------



## americanpiegamer188 (Jun 15, 2012)

Do you have a model #? Can't find this online


----------



## my#1hobby (Jun 15, 2012)

americanpiegamer188 said:


> Do you have a model #? Can't find this online


There isn't any info yet online, It just showed up in my local Walmart this week so it just hit the market.


----------



## Jay611j (Jun 15, 2012)

Quick question before I go, I see the spotlight has a lithium battery so I shouldn't need to fully charge it before I use it right? I just want to be sure, I'm so used to the SLA spotlights.


----------



## Alex1234 (Jun 15, 2012)

The spotlight has great heat sinking. There are metal finns on both sides and are good size. Very cool design. Tthe reflector is exactly 3 inches wide and close to 4 inches deep. The hotspot is the same size as my solorforce pro 1 just a lot brighter and with medium size cora. If I had to guess on the lux its around 70 to maybe 80 k. The deree aspheric may be slightly higher but its so close. I love this thing. Nice and light weight. Size is about twice as small as the stanley hid


----------



## bigchelis (Jun 15, 2012)

Pictures please


----------



## Alex1234 (Jun 15, 2012)

I have many pics but i dont know how to post them.


----------



## LEDAdd1ct (Jun 15, 2012)

1) Make an account at a place like Photobucket
2) Upload your photos into an album 
3) Click "Share" 
4) You can share thumbnails which is kinder to those on slower connections, or the actual photos, up to the CPF legal limit


----------



## turboBB (Jun 15, 2012)

@Alex1234, not sure if you got my PM but if you're having touble and would like to email the pics to me, I'd be happy to post them for you. We've had two threads and many replies on each but not a single pic of this unicorn yet. ;o)

Thx!,
Tim


----------



## Alex1234 (Jun 15, 2012)

Turbo bb. I will take you up on that right after work


----------



## utlgoa (Jun 15, 2012)

Alex1234 said:


> Turbo bb. I will take you up on that right after work


Picture of light please


----------



## utlgoa (Jun 15, 2012)

I just googled "Cree XML Spotlight" and there will be many of these spotlights coming on the market soon


----------



## Jay611j (Jun 15, 2012)

Ok guys I did the best I could with my camera phone, I set the ISO @200 if that makes any difference......











*Control (The light you see is the end of the hallway, I can't turn that one off)*



* 
Stanley FAT MAX*






*Stanley HID*





*Fenix TK60 on turbo*



* 

DBS-T Aspheric*






*Fat Max & TK60*







[/IMG]




[/IMG]



[/IMG]




[/IMG]



[/IMG]


----------



## HighlanderNorth (Jun 15, 2012)

CarpentryHero said:


> Knowing my luck they won't be in Canadian Walmarts
> thatd be perfect for the work van and a great fathers day present




The really bad news isnt that Canadian Wal marts might not carry this light, the really bad news is that you now have Wal marts in Canada!


----------



## StarHalo (Jun 15, 2012)

Jay611j said:


> Ok guys I did the best I could with my camera phone, I set the ISO @200 if that makes any difference......



Good stuff, they don't give you as much of an idea of the differences as a camera with manual shutter speed, but every little bit of info helps. I make out the reflector to be closer to 70mm, but that's still massive; here comes the SST-90 mods..


----------



## CarpentryHero (Jun 15, 2012)

Thanks for the beamshots, I there not sold up here, I'll just have to leave room in my luggage for one .... Or two :naughty: it's definitely a worthwhile searchlight, I have the StanleyHID and love it


----------



## hahoo (Jun 15, 2012)

CarpentryHero said:


> Thanks for the beamshots, I there not sold up here, I'll just have to leave room in my luggage for one .... Or two :naughty: it's definitely a worthwhile searchlight, I have the StanleyHID and love it







how many lux is that stanley hid ?


----------



## StarHalo (Jun 15, 2012)

hahoo said:


> how many lux is that stanley hid ?



Somewhere over 125,000 - the hotspot is visible at half a mile.


----------



## Jay611j (Jun 15, 2012)

StarHalo said:


> Good stuff, they don't give you as much of an idea of the differences as a camera with manual shutter speed, but every little bit of info helps. I make out the reflector to be closer to 70mm, but that's still massive; here comes the SST-90 mods..



I tried leaving the ISO on auto, but it overexposed the shots really bad. The shots I posted are still a little overexposed, but you can still see the differences in the output of each light. Overall I really like this little guy, it out throws my TK60 pretty good so I'm pleased with it. I let it run for 20 minutes plugged into the 12v socket and it got pretty warm but no problems with it so far.


----------



## kyhunter1 (Jun 16, 2012)

A very interesting spotlight. It's ironic, but I was at Walmart tonight unaware of this thread and seen a new waterproof Stanley spotlight that had a XPG in it. It looked to be a little smaller than the fatmax and was rated at 500 lumens. Even 500 led lumens from a XPG has my doubts. Glad I didnt buy it. Gotta buy myself a fatmax now.....


----------



## PCC (Jun 16, 2012)

I saw one of these in action tonight. It's impressive! I now need to get one...


----------



## Up All Night (Jun 16, 2012)

Jay611j said:


> I tried leaving the ISO on auto, but it overexposed the shots really bad. The shots I posted are still a little overexposed, but you can still see the differences in the output of each light. Overall I really like this little guy, it out throws my TK60 pretty good so I'm pleased with it. I let it run for 20 minutes plugged into the 12v socket and it got pretty warm but no problems with it so far.



Thanks for the shots! As long as they're all shot with the same settings you get a good idea of the differences.
I have a TK41, so the TK60 shot gives me a reasonable reference point. Very speedy posting too!!:thumbsup:
Fingers crossed for Walmart Canada!

Thanks again!


----------



## Walkerdark (Jun 16, 2012)

Great now I want that Fat Max AND the stanley HID.... :thinking:


----------



## cccpull (Jun 16, 2012)

They already have an XPE, XPG, and now the XML spotlight, all they need now is to release a SST-90 version.:naughty:


----------



## turboBB (Jun 16, 2012)

Here are some pics from Alex1234:


 







EDIT: My inbox is acting up and I just got these as well:
















And here are his beamshots (using Canon SX230HS w/exposure of 1/8" @ f/3.1 and ISO-1600):

SolarForce MP Pro1




Stanely Fat Max




I'm not sure what these three are of so I'll have him explain.












Thx for the pics Alex1234!


----------



## utlgoa (Jun 16, 2012)

Hate the look and it's to big and awkward.

I could justify buying the Stanley HID because Of its lumen output but not this light


----------



## Illumination (Jun 16, 2012)

cccpull said:


> ... all they need now is to release a Cree SST-90 version.



actually SST-90 are made by Luminus Devices, not Cree


----------



## Alex1234 (Jun 16, 2012)

Stanley hid pros:high luman output and far throw.

stanley hid cons:its heavy, has an sla battery, 8000k bulb, takes a long time to charge, may not hold a charge when you by it. (my stanley hid lasted about 6 months and died.)



stanley Fatmax pros: high luman for a led light. far throw for an led light, warmer color light ,lithium lon batteries, 6 hour charge time. two output modes, smaller and lighter then stanley hid, cheeper then stanley hid

Stanley Fatmax cons: little top heavy but not to bad, less output and throw the stanley hid, 


This is just my opinion on the two and why i think the Fatmax is a better deal. btw i tryed out the stanley hid compact and a full charge lasted no more then 7 minutes. the charging indicator would turn green in 40 minutes when it really was not fully charged yet. thee throw was barly more then my fatmax and deree asphreic so i returned it and kept the fatmax. maybe i just like led's better.


----------



## cccpull (Jun 16, 2012)

Illumination said:


> actually SST-90 are made by Luminus Devices, not Cree



You're correct. Had Cree in mind while typing.


----------



## cccpull (Jun 16, 2012)

Stanley should just switch to li-ion and stop using the heavy sla's. Heck they already have a Halogen(800 lumen) li-ion spotlight for $30.


----------



## kramer5150 (Jun 16, 2012)

Had a great time last night with PCC, BC and gswitter on a little bay area night hike... heres some commentary I posted on BLF...

Yeah this ones definitely an XML thrower.
It noticeably out-threw my HD2010 (T6 @ 3.5A, 45-50K lux), with a tighter, more concentrated beam at any distance. While the HD2010 beam is tight, it will open up and spread out at ~150-200 yards. The Stanley beam remains more tightly concentrated at much farther distances (approximately 100+ yards beyond that). These are all ball-park distances.

The instructions say to fully charge the light for 6 hours before using it for the first time. It should be noted that I only gave it about 3-4 hours. So impressions above were made on the partially depleted Lithium battery inside. I let it charge overnight and I woke up this morning with the red flashing LED turned on solid green. Indicating a full charge.

bigchelis noticed my LED is slightly off-center. There were 2-3 of these on the shelf and I picked the one with the best centered LED. On a white-wall the beam spot is a _*very*_ slightly egg-shaped. But in the field its not noticeable.

Its definitely got some mass to it as well. Its not just an empty plastic shell. So I think there is some heatsink cooling mass inside the light. I only really used it for spot-on bursts last night, but the outer heatsinks never really got warm. It was also very cold out for the first 1/3 of the night with a strong swirling wind. But it warmed at least 10-15 degrees for most of the evening. This light never got noticeably warm to the touch. I hand-carried it very comfortably for the last half of the hike, spot-lighting targets off in the distance and comparing it with the HD2010. Its DEFINITELY MUCH lighter than the Stanley HID, and much easier to pack and hand carry.

I'll be taking it apart and posting lots of pics later today.... but out of the box this ones a winner. At $50 its unmatched as an XML thrower. You will have to spend probably $100-$150 to get another XML light that throws this far (if one even exists in that price range).

..
.
.
.

Some disappointing news on the DIY front... I was unable to get the light apart. I easily removed the plastic kick stand, rubber handle grip, rubber bezel boot and all the screws easily enough. But the clamshell halves could not be separated. I pried and wrenched the two halves (like I always do when salvaging laptop-pack cells)... but the bugger simply wouldn't pull apart. At one point I was afraid I had damaged/loosened the pivot joint of my Spyderco, I was bending it pretty good. No dice on this one. I was able to loosen it a bit and re-adjust the rubber gasket around the lens. But in the process I got some loose dirt/debris on the reflector.

So I can't tell what battery this light uses, or exactly how the heatsink thermal design works.


----------



## kaichu dento (Jun 16, 2012)

Great review Kramer - I'm definitely going to check one of these out in the next couple days. Sounds like a must-have for all the boaters out there; Bad Hobbit, are you reading this?


----------



## kramer5150 (Jun 16, 2012)

Sure np...

I removed all the stickers off mine except the heatsink warning label, and couldn't find any more hidden screws. Looks a lot nicer without the stickers...IMHO

I ran some more crude tests to try and determine LED current.

First I did a thermal stability test by ceiling bounce comparison with my 3.5A driven HD2010 (note that its a 3.5A-7135 driver, but factoring in resistive losses the LED probably sees ~3.2A, I was told this by the member who modded the board). The HD2010 was slightly brighter. I guess the difference in brightness was "perceivable but not significant". I then ran the stanley for 15 minutes unattended in a hot, stuffy, un-ventilated garage. It was about 85-90F in there. At the end of the run the heatsinks were hot to the touch, but not "panful-scalding-alarmingly hot". I could still keep my hand firmly on it, without removing it form pain. I repeated the ceiling bounce comparison with the hot H/S and the difference in relative brightness levels remained about the same. So this leads me to think the stanley circuit design is not exceeding the thermal capabilities of its heatsink. Its definitely not being driven at 3-3.5A.

I let the stanley cool down and did another ceiling bounce comparison. For this I used the HD2010 and the MXDL turbohead (modded both with 7135 drivers). Both lights have ~52mm reflectors and are designed for XML throw. Both use T6 BIN emitters and are in the 45-50K lux vicinity. Between the two lights I have output modes at ~1.5A, 2.5A and 3.2A (again factoring in losses) at my disposal. Beween the 3 current levels the stanley is _slightly_ dimmer than the 2.5A, and more noticeably brighter than the 1.7A. If I had to venture a wild guess, its somewhere in the vicinity of 2.0-2.3A.

I really wish I could get the damn thing apart!!!

It uses some kind of E-switch to control mode switching so theres most likely an EPROM in there somewhere.


----------



## Alex1234 (Jun 16, 2012)

kramer5150 said:


> Sure np...
> 
> I removed all the stickers off mine except the heatsink warning label, and couldn't find any more hidden screws. Looks a lot nicer without the stickers...IMHO
> 
> ...



I am suprised it did not come apart easily. my stanley hid came apart no problem. I wonder why it wont open. 

If you had to guess how many lumans do you think this is putting out? i was going to say 800 to 900 but the big reflector makes it very bright so im not sure(box says 2000 lumans which i loled at)
I would say lux would be between 60 and 70k but thats just a guess.


----------



## Jay611j (Jun 16, 2012)

Alex1234 said:


> I am suprised it did not come apart easily. my stanley hid came apart no problem. I wonder why it wont open.
> 
> If you had to guess how many lumans do you think this is putting out? i was going to say 800 to 900 but the big reflector makes it very bright so im not sure(box says 2000 lumans which i loled at)
> I would say lux would be between 60 and 70k but thats just a guess.


I would say somewhere in the 750 lumen range. I'm just going off the spill brightness vs my TK60.


----------



## kramer5150 (Jun 16, 2012)

Alex1234 said:


> I am suprised it did not come apart easily. my stanley hid came apart no problem. I wonder why it wont open.
> 
> If you had to guess how many lumans do you think this is putting out? i was going to say 800 to 900 but the big reflector makes it very bright so im not sure(box says 2000 lumans which i loled at)
> I would say lux would be between 60 and 70k but thats just a guess.



Yeah the HID is a BREEZE to take apart compared to this one.

I have no idea how many lumens it does.... somewhere between 500-1000, and definitely NOT 2000 (I know not the answer anyone is looking for). I quite simply have nothing above 235 Lumens to base-line it against.


----------



## PCC (Jun 17, 2012)

My under driven light that I brought to the hike is putting out a measured 550 lumens OTF and that Stanley easily put out more light. I would put it in the 700 lumens ballpark, though I could be referencing Lux instead of lumens.


----------



## my#1hobby (Jun 17, 2012)

Got a chance to play with my new FatMax and I'm super impressed with the output and throw on it. It's not too often that I get impressed with a light from Walmart. It's smaller than I expected it to be and really light. As soon as it charged up I pulled out my S12 figuring the Stanley had no chance and pointed the S12 down my hallway and then turned on the Stanley and it just completely blew the S12 away, the hotspot is really intense! 

Also, does anyone's wall charger make a slight high pitch squeal?


----------



## Alex1234 (Jun 17, 2012)

my#1hobby said:


> Got a chance to play with my new FatMax and I'm super impressed with the output and throw on it. It's not too often that I get impressed with a light from Walmart. It's smaller than I expected it to be and really light. As soon as it charged up I pulled out my S12 figuring the Stanley had no chance and pointed the S12 down my hallway and then turned on the Stanley and it just completely blew the S12 away, the hotspot is really intense!
> 
> Also, does anyone's wall charger make a slight high pitch squeal?




yes mine is squealing away right now. very high pitch. kind of annoying but all my stanley chargers do this so this.


----------



## kramer5150 (Jun 17, 2012)

my#1hobby said:


> Got a chance to play with my new FatMax and I'm super impressed with the output and throw on it. It's not too often that I get impressed with a light from Walmart. It's smaller than I expected it to be and really light. As soon as it charged up I pulled out my S12 figuring the Stanley had no chance and pointed the S12 down my hallway and then turned on the Stanley and it just completely blew the S12 away, the hotspot is really intense!
> 
> Also, does anyone's wall charger make a slight high pitch squeal?



If mine does, its well beyond the range of my hearing. I have age-induced hearing loss above ~8khz though.

One more thing I noticed this morning... the light gets _very slightly _warm at the "tail" end when charging. Thats expected with any charging circuit, so nothing out of the ordinary here. The light is UL and ETL certified for safety. But, as with ANY Lithium-based charging system you should unplug it once the cell has topped off. Given the LSD characteristics of the Lithium cell chemistry, theres really no reason to leave it plugged in 24/7.

Nice affordable thrower IMHO!!


----------



## my#1hobby (Jun 17, 2012)

Okay thanks. My Stanley HID charger doesn't do this so I wanted to make sure.


----------



## Stress_Test (Jun 17, 2012)

I have no idea what I would do with it, but I want one!


----------



## Jay611j (Jun 17, 2012)

Went to Walmart to pick up another XML FatMax for my Dad and they are sold out of the XML FatMax now, I took a picture of the smaller FatMax spotlight ($39.99). 





[/IMG]


----------



## StarHalo (Jun 18, 2012)

Jay611j said:


> Went to Walmart to pick up another XML FatMax for my Dad and they are sold out of the XML FatMax now



This is the same thing we went through when the HID was released; somehow even when the hot new light looks exactly 
like the others, is hidden behind the others, it sells out almost immediately. There may be quite a few more people lurking these New Stanley threads than meets the eye..


----------



## bigchelis (Jun 18, 2012)

Hi all,

Has anybody else had success opening one of these up?

What cell does it use?

What voltage input?

LED current?

Using this Stanley light this past Friday (Krammer5150's) I can only imagine how much more this Spot light can be improved. I can envision a XM-L U2 bin, 3.5A~4.5A driver, and maybe improve the battery pack with a set of IMR 26650's...

I have not seen a spot or throw light at such a bargain before and I will pick up my very own later today.

bigC


----------



## bshanahan14rulz (Jun 18, 2012)

kyhunter1 said:


> A very interesting spotlight. It's ironic, but I was at Walmart tonight unaware of this thread and seen a new waterproof Stanley spotlight that had a XPG in it. It looked to be a little smaller than the fatmax and was rated at 500 lumens. Even 500 led lumens from a XPG has my doubts. Glad I didnt buy it. Gotta buy myself a fatmax now.....



fatmax 2000 - xm-l
fatmax 520 - xp-c


----------



## mikekoz (Jun 18, 2012)

I just bought one of these at a Walmart in Lexington, VA. I hope it is better than the last two Stanley spotlight's I bought. Got one last year from Sam's that claimed 500 lumens and returned it. I had a 150 lumen flashlight that was just as bright as it was. I also have another Stanley spotlight that claimed 192 lumens, and it was the same brightness at that one. I also had the Stanley HID for a few days. It was bright, but only ran for about 30 minutes and the dimmer on it did not work. My new one is charging now, and I probably will not get a chance to test it until we get back from vacation this weekend.


----------



## StarHalo (Jun 18, 2012)

mikekoz said:


> I hope it is better than the last two Stanley spotlight's I bought.



Make sure you're testing these spotlights outdoors at night; if you only compare beam profiles indoors on a white wall, you're not seeing how bright they actually are over distance, which is the point of a spotlight. And the dimmer switch on the HID does work, but it takes a couple of minutes to gradually adjust to the new output level, so it's not noticeable to the eye.


----------



## ILIKEFLASHLIGHTS (Jun 18, 2012)

And set your camera to manual setting with about a 1 sec shutter.


----------



## kramer5150 (Jun 18, 2012)

bshanahan14rulz said:


> fatmax 2000 - xm-l
> *fatmax 520 - XP-C*



**EDIT** _My commentary below may be incorrect in regards to the XP-C. When you factor in over-drive currents, advanced thermal deigns and more $$$ heatsinking materials. _

Red flag warning on this one... The XP-C is a HORRID emitter, that should be avoided at any cost. The lowest surface brightness I have found with any of the popular Cree emitters. Its a small (tiny) die, in a big reflector... so its a small, tight, but dim spot.


----------



## mikekoz (Jun 18, 2012)

StarHalo said:


> Make sure you're testing these spotlights outdoors at night; if you only compare beam profiles indoors on a white wall, you're not seeing how bright they actually are over distance, which is the point of a spotlight. And the dimmer switch on the HID does work, but it takes a couple of minutes to gradually adjust to the new output level, so it's not noticeable to the eye.



Thanks! The furthest I got when testing the 500 lumen spotlight was our back yard. I figured if I did not see a difference there, there was no noticable one. Did not realize that about the HID, but that was the first one I had ever purchased and was not that familiar with how they worked. Maybe another one will pop up at that price range again and I will give it another shot! You would think there would be some sort of regulation on how these lights are marketed. They should not be able to put "2000 lumens" on a light that may only produce half that much. I thought the ANSI rating would actually eliminate this, but maybe manufacturers do not have to use this when advertising their product. It is kind of like looking a a photo of a sandwich from Subway, then looking at the actual one they give you after you order!! ...


----------



## Up All Night (Jun 18, 2012)

CarpentryHero said:


> Knowing my luck they won't be in Canadian Walmarts
> thatd be perfect for the work van and a great fathers day present



No joy on these in TO, not a FatMax light in the store!:shakehead
Better luck to you brother!


----------



## AnAppleSnail (Jun 19, 2012)

Comparisons:

All with phone camera, sadly.

Stanley FatMax vs. Torchlab H3 triple Nichia. Hotspots were visually equal in intensity, stanley putting a bigger one out (of course the Nichia one is nearly all 'hotspot' this close)







FatMax vs. Stanley HID





FatMax vs. Stanley HID





I'm guessing 1000 lumens OTF. Less throw than the HID (Of course) but much more handle-able. I have not done a runtime trial due to some family things recently.

The manual says that it will run indefinitely on the 12V car cord, but the wall charger may not feed the battery fast enough to keep it charged. The manual also says "Do not get wet" while the box says "Dip it, drop it, dunk it."

For DIY-ing: I suspect the case is ultrasonic-welded closed. This is one non-glue-based way to seal up electronics durably. The heat sinks ARE functional and the output is quite steady. It looks about 1000 lumens OTF, but I have no lighting instruments besides cameras.


----------



## Jay611j (Jun 21, 2012)

I'm also surprised how well it does against the Stanley HID. I ran my FatMax last night until it cut off and didn't see any noticeable difference in output through the whole run. I'm really diggin this light :thumbsup:. The heatsink definitely works, the fins got really hot! Now if I can only find one more of these things, my store is clean out.


----------



## Up All Night (Jun 21, 2012)

Jay611j said:


> I'm also surprised how well it does against the Stanley HID. I ran my FatMax last night until it cut off and didn't see any noticeable difference in output through the whole run. I'm really diggin this light :thumbsup:. The heatsink definitely works, the fins got really hot! Now if I can only find one more of these things, my store is clean out.



Run-time? If I may.


----------



## Jay611j (Jun 22, 2012)

Up All Night said:


> Run-time? If I may.


I had already been playing with it for a good 30 mins already so I didn't time it, I just wanted to run it down before I plugged it in. I can do one right now since it's fully charged and I'll report back when it's dead.


----------



## Jay611j (Jun 22, 2012)

It cut off at* 1hr 18min* on a full charge. I turned it back on and it stayed on for a few minutes longer, and then switched it to the lower mode and got an extra *13 min.* so it won't leave you in the dark once it cuts off. I had a fan on it the whole time and it stayed cool to the touch.


----------



## Up All Night (Jun 22, 2012)

Jay611j said:


> It cut off at* 1hr 18min* on a full charge. I turned it back on and it stayed on for a few minutes longer, and then switched it to the lower mode and got an extra *13 min.* so it won't leave you in the dark once it cuts off. I had a fan on it the whole time and it stayed cool to the touch.



Thanks for that. You went above & beyond!!


----------



## Jay611j (Jun 22, 2012)

Anytime! :thumbsup:


----------



## TheCleanerSD (Jun 22, 2012)

Finally picked one of these bad boys last night. Took a trip to 3 different stores, but found one hanging up hidden (by someone) behind another model. All in all it looks like its going to be a great light. Build quality seems decent, nice weight to it, AC and DC chargers, 2 Levels.. what's not to like. 

What I WOULD like to find is something that would work as a diffusor that can easily be put on and removed.


----------



## The_Driver (Jun 22, 2012)

If this light is really doing 1000 otf lumens then most of the good chniese manufacturers are definitely doing something wrong. Even the very bright Trunite tN-30 only does around 950 otf lumens for extended periods.


----------



## Jay611j (Jun 22, 2012)

The_Driver said:


> If this light is really doing 1000 otf lumens then most of the good chniese manufacturers are definitely doing something wrong. Even the very bright Trunite tN-30 only does around 950 otf lumens for extended periods.


 I would guess mine is in the 700 lumen range. I think some are confusing lux with lumens because of the intensity of the hotspot.


----------



## kramer5150 (Jun 22, 2012)

Jay611j said:


> I would guess mine is in the 700 lumen range. I think some are confusing lux with lumens because of the intensity of the hotspot.



x2... I think its in the ~700 lumen ballpark, after ceiling bounce comparing it against another high lux light that pushes its T6 with ~2.5A

Oh and THANKS Jay for doing a run time test.


----------



## Jay611j (Jun 22, 2012)

Anytime Kramer. I also came to the conclusion that it was somewhere in the 700 lumen range by doing a ceiling bounce test with my TK60, the Stanley had a little less overall output but it was very close.


----------



## The_Driver (Jun 23, 2012)

Jay611j said:


> I would guess mine is in the 700 lumen range. I think some are confusing lux with lumens because of the intensity of the hotspot.



Faith in (humanity) chinese manufacturers restored


----------



## AnAppleSnail (Jun 24, 2012)

A diffuser, eh? I'll try some big lids. I bet a Crisco tub lid would work.


----------



## turboBB (Jun 25, 2012)

Jay611j said:


> I would guess mine is in the 700 lumen range. I think some are confusing lux with lumens because of the intensity of the hotspot.





kramer5150 said:


> x2... I think its in the ~700 lumen ballpark, after ceiling bounce comparing it against another high lux light that pushes its T6 with ~2.5A
> 
> Oh and THANKS Jay for doing a run time test.



Excellent guess guys. That's roughly what I measured on my PVC LMD as well (it uses PWM even on High).


----------



## Alex1234 (Jun 25, 2012)

turboBB said:


> Excellent guess guys. That's roughly what I measured on my PVC LMD as well (it uses PWM even on High).


Hi, TurboBB
i did not realize you had one of these 
i was just wondering how does this light compare to the tn31 and 7g9 you have in throw. just by judging reflector sizes and how hard each light is drivin i how guess the tn31 have have a slight edge but i would think it should be close


----------



## Jay611j (Jun 26, 2012)

turboBB said:


> Excellent guess guys. That's roughly what I measured on my PVC LMD as well (it uses PWM even on High).


PWM on high? I wish I could get it open and figure out how to drive the LED a little harder then. That's still not too bad, it beats every light I have for throw although I haven't tested it against my TK70.


----------



## mikekoz (Jun 26, 2012)

Are you telling me that this light advertises 2000 lumens, but only puts out 700??? :thumbsdow Seems to me that is false advertising at it's best! I just bought one of these, and while I really like it (which counts for something), this may be a good reason to give it back to Walmart and email Stanley. I guess they just sell them by the numbers.


----------



## AnAppleSnail (Jun 26, 2012)

mikekoz said:


> Are you telling me that this light advertises 2000 lumens



I'm not sure why Stanley does this with their LEDs. They rated an older one "520 lumens!*" when it can't do more than 200 lumens. They say "*According to internal testing." I can think of some ways to make an XM-L emit 2000 lumens, but it involves cheating dangerously.


----------



## mikekoz (Jun 26, 2012)

AnAppleSnail said:


> I'm not sure why Stanley does this with their LEDs. They rated an older one "520 lumens!*" when it can't do more than 200 lumens. They say "*According to internal testing." I can think of some ways to make an XM-L emit 2000 lumens, but it involves cheating dangerously.




More people will buy the lights advertising the inflated lumens rating.


----------



## turboBB (Jun 26, 2012)

The_Driver said:


> Even the very bright Trunite tN-30 only does around 950 otf lumens for extended periods.



Whichever TN30 that you're mentioning is surely defective.




Alex1234 said:


> Hi, TurboBB
> i did not realize you had one of these
> i was just wondering how does this light compare to the tn31 and 7g9 you have in throw.



Just picked it up over the weekend thx to this thread.  I hope to have some shots and other measurements over the weekend and will post my impressions vs. the other lights you've mentioned.


----------



## Panoptic (Jun 26, 2012)

Just picked one of these up today. Based on a ceiling bounce I'd say the 700 lumen guess is pretty close.


----------



## cccpull (Jun 26, 2012)

Which is brighter, Fatmax or X10?


----------



## marinemaster (Jun 26, 2012)

Kramer5150

Nope, you can't break a Spyderco


----------



## Panoptic (Jun 26, 2012)

Based on a ceiling bounce they are very close in total output, the X10 edges it out just by a hair. The Fat Max dominates the X10 in throw, though.


----------



## orbital (Jun 27, 2012)

+

*Question:: Does the light have auto-off when its done charging?*


_____________________________________________
When this light goes 100% prime time, it'll be listed here,..I think 
http://www.baccusglobal.com/stanley/fl5w10.php

At $49, this light changes everything!:naughty:


----------



## orbital (Jun 27, 2012)

+


Quick homemade diffuser, perfect for low mode.


----------



## turboBB (Jun 28, 2012)

@alex1234 - I have the indoor shots up in Part 2 (check sig). You can compare to the 7G9 (in part 1) and TN31 (Part 3).

@orbital - it should stop charging when full if that's what you mean.

I noticed that when I try to top mine off, it'll flash red/green which indicates that the charging has overheated. Not sure why it does that since it's not hot by any means. Has anyone else noticed this?


----------



## orbital (Jun 28, 2012)

turboBB said:


> ...
> 
> @orbital - it should stop charging when full if that's what you mean.
> 
> ..



+

I talked with a tech at Baccus Global, _the makers of the light_, he said the light *does not *have voltage cut-off for the unit.
He's emailing me back with a follow-up.

In the mean time, pull the charger as soon as it goes green,, as not to over-charge >>>>>aka over-voltage 


/////


----------



## kramer5150 (Jun 28, 2012)

orbital said:


> +
> 
> I talked with a tech at Baccus Global, _the makers of the light_, he said the light *does not *have voltage cut-off for the unit.
> He's emailing me back with a follow-up.
> ...



YIKES!!! thats an accident waiting to happen.
Good to know. I have over-charged mine several times now (un-knowingly). I just assumed it cut off the charge once the LED turned green.

Has anyone been able to take this light apart? I have no confidence in its charging circuit at this point, and its heatsink can easily handle more current to the XML


----------



## orbital (Jun 28, 2012)

^

Been thinking about this and I really hope the guy I was taking too was wrong,,,
just think of possible warranty issues by _average joe user _not real savvy w/ Li-Ions & voltage....

*
still a killer light to say the least
*


----------



## AnAppleSnail (Jun 28, 2012)

orbital said:


> ^
> just think of possible -w-a-r-r-a-n-t-y issues by _average joe user _not real savvy w/ Li-Ions & voltage....
> 
> *
> ...



That's the issue here, isn't it?


----------



## Jay611j (Jun 28, 2012)

I'll have to test it with my watt meter and see if it's still pulling current when the light turns green.


----------



## orbital (Jun 28, 2012)

+
*
OK, no worries on Charging/Voltage*

Just got the email:

_We appreciate your call earlier today regarding our brand new Stanley LEDLIS 10W lithium ion spotlight. Our agents are just getting up to speed on our new lithium ion products, and apologize for any confusion this may have caused you. 

The LEDLIS has an automatic charging circuit for the lithium ion batteries. The charging status LED indicates this status. Once the LED changes to green the unit is fully charged. The spotlights internal charging circuitry then stops the charging process to prevent overvoltage/overcharging. It’s completely safe to leave the unit plugged in as it is no longer charging once the LED turns green. 

However, we do suggest to disconnect the AC adapter solely to increase the longevity of the this adapter.

Please let me know if you may have any other questions or concerns.

David Szczesny
Customer Service/Warranty Supervisor_


----------



## jonnyfgroove (Jun 28, 2012)

^^ Good to know. 

Can anyone comment on the PWM on low? Is it nasty?


----------



## Alex1234 (Jun 28, 2012)

jonnyfgroove said:


> ^^ Good to know.
> 
> Can anyone comment on the PWM on low? Is it nasty?


The PWM is not noticable to the eye on high or low power


----------



## Jay611j (Jun 28, 2012)

Well when I tried to test the light it went out on me, I pulled the trigger again and nothing :sigh:. Now when I try to turn it on I get a green light, but that's it. I guess it'll have to go back to the store.


----------



## orbital (Jun 29, 2012)

+

A bit more info from David @ Baccus Global:
_*
" I can tell you that the battery pack consists of 3x 18650 lithium-ion batteries in series at 11.1VDC..."
*_
>>>> I asked what the XM-L was driven at, he wasn't obliged to that info

Gotta be 3A+
_* 
_________________________________________


*_


----------



## Techjunkie (Jul 2, 2012)

Jay611j said:


> Went to Walmart to pick up another XML FatMax for my Dad and they are sold out of the XML FatMax now, I took a picture of the smaller FatMax spotlight ($39.99).



At least that one's waterproof. It doesn't say as much on the outside of the XML version's packaging, but when you dig into the manual, the warnings about getting it wet would be laughable if they weren't downright alarming. To quote myself from a post in the BLF thread:

_About the Li-Ion nature of the light…_ the same area where I was impressed initially is also where I think Stanley missed the mark a bit. Baccus Global / Stanley put enough warnings about not getting this light wet in the manual to make you think they’d sold the Mogwai to that kid in Gremlins. If I can infer anything from the warnings, which I’ll reproduce below, it is the following:

Unlike other (better) Li-Ion power tools, this light must not use one of the safe chemistries, but rather ordinary LiCo (laptop) chem
Like laptops, this light is not waterproof and therefore should never be used outdoors in the rain, or under any damp/moist/wet/maybe even humid conditions
No one who owns a boat, and therefore has need for an on-board spotlight should ever consider making this light that light
People in earthquake prone areas should not own this light, nor should it ever be taken off-roading in a 4×4
 
From the manual (selected excerpts):


Do not clean this appliance with a water spray or the like
Do not drop or throw spotlight. It contains glass and a lithium-ion battery pack. Improper use can result in serious injury, fire, or death.
Lithium-ion batteries can explode in the presence of a source of ignition. Do not use the product in the presence of an open flame.
Do not place this lithium-ion battery powered unit in fire or apply heat to it.
Do not subject this lithium-ion battery powered unit to strong impacts or shocks. The battery in this unit contains safety and protection devices which, if damaged, may cause the battery to generate heat, rupture or ignite.
Do not expose this lithium-ion battery powered unit to water or salt water, or allow the battery to get wet.
Avoid storing this lithium-ion battery powered unit in the basement, bathroom or other areas of the house that are or may become wet.
Do not leave this lithium-ion battery powered unit in direct sunlight, or use or store the unit inside cars in hot weather. Doing so may cause the battery to generate heat, rupture, or gnite. Using the battery in this manner may also result in a loss of performance and a shortened life expectancy.
Never charge this unit near heat or flammable objects.
*NEVER THROW WATER ON A BURNING LI-ION BATTERY! If a lithium-ion battery does catch on fire, it will burn even more violently if it comes in contact with water or even moisture in the air. A fire extinguisher must be used.*
There’s more precautions in the care and maintenance sections, but you get the idea.
I was going to get another one of these for my kid for Christmas, but I think I’ll just get him a Mogwai instead, it’ll be safer


----------



## kramer5150 (Jul 2, 2012)

I was finally able to get my Stanley fatmax apart today. They key was a new 3mm allen wrench. I guess mine was more worn out than I thought...
Remove the front rubber bezel piece, 4 allen screws and heatsinks. Use a sharp knife and cut the foam gasket tape underneath the rubber bezel, at 2 locations where the halves come together.




Remove the kickstand by prying off the 2x black covers and 2x screws. The part is flexible plastic so just carefully stretch and pull it off.




Remove black screws around the perimeter




Pry the handle grip HERE: Its rubber skin glued onto plastic, so make sure your knife edge gets underneath the plastic frame layer.










Remove one more screw in the handle




You should be able to lift the halves apart.
Circuit board. Just as I feared everything is Integral on one board. Charging circuit, HI-LO program modes and EPROM controller + LED driver. Modding this is going to be an "all or nothing" affair. Thats kind of a bummer.







Cast Aluminum heatsink, LED star and 3 screws







Plastic reflector (mine was very dirty and dusty, this was pretty much my main reason for wanting to take it apart, that and of course scoping it out for mods). I was also able to center the LED better.... no more egg shaped hot spot.




This stupid thing however was my biggest peeve about the light. They use a rubber gasket around the lens, and its really too small and thin of a material. So it "falls off" the glass, and into the path of the light under its own tension. Imagine trying to stretch a ~1/4 thick rubber band around the edge of a dinner plate. My solution was to cut it and alleviate the tension so it would stay snugly in-place around the perimeter of the glass without sliding off and into the reflector area. Thank goodness thats fixed!! They got it right though with a well made glass window. Its not AR coated, but its better than the cheap plastic I have seen on other LED spot lights.




2x18650 in series. The additional wires are for the balance charging circuit built into the OEM board.




2000mah spec'd, made in China




Higher res images of the board (56K!!!)
Can anyone ID the current sense resistor?
http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/6532/dscn2517s.jpg
http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/8356/dscn2520c.jpg

I re-attached the heatsinks and ran the light on the bench for 15 mintes. It did get very warm, but not what I would consider alarmingly hot, or skin-scalding hot. So it most definitely is under-driven to some degree. Neat thing about this design is I could touch the flat area RIGH beneath the heatsink and really monitor thermals from the source of the heat, all the way through the conduction path. I believe its most definitely a cast aluminum chassis assembly. The temperatues rose slowly and uniformly through all the heatsinking materials. At no point could I feel a drastic difference in temperature resulting from the thermal junction between the cast metal and the black anodize metal. IMHO Stanley engineers did their homework on this one.

It probably wouldn't be too hard to mount a TIR optic in there and get a more open flood-beam.




Current draw from the 2x cells: Really easy current load on the cheap 18650 cells. I forgot to take a measurement on LO though... Oops.




Flipped the meter to read AC-Hz and I could not measure any PWM.




I think theres some real mod-potential here. Especially for a spot-use, short burst kind of thing. I think the heatsink should be fine with ~3A. The OEM switch is spec'd at 25V / 5A.


----------



## orbital (Jul 2, 2012)

^
*
Hardcore!!!*


----------



## Erik1213 (Jul 2, 2012)

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/7865/dscn2511d.jpg
Is that the led bin printed on the star? Just...backwards?


----------



## kramer5150 (Jul 3, 2012)

Erik1213 said:


> Is that the led bin printed on the star? Just...backwards?



Could be, 1C is on the pale side and this light definitely leans more on the colder side of the spectrum.

I have a pair of Panasonic CGR18650EA cells on order and I am meeting up with Craig tomorrow to pick up one of his 3A-7135 drivers and a T5-5000K on a 20mm star. Hopefully I'll have this one up and running proper in a week or so.


----------



## eebowler (Jul 3, 2012)

kramer: :thanks: for the pics! I'd love to get this light!


----------



## PCC (Jul 3, 2012)

kramer5150 said:


> I have a pair of Panasonic CGR18650EA cells on order and I am meeting up with Craig tomorrow to pick up one of his 3A-7135 drivers and a T5-5000K on a 20mm star. Hopefully I'll have this one up and running proper in a week or so.


Hmm, let me guess: both cells in parallel, 3A driver using the stock switch? Are you going to use the Low switch to change modes?


----------



## kramer5150 (Jul 3, 2012)

PCC said:


> Hmm, let me guess: both cells in parallel, 3A driver using the stock switch? Are you going to use the Low switch to change modes?



yup... the XML has a low enough Vf and the 7135 is very reliable and decently effiient these lower voltages. Parallel cells can charge easily internally and the 3A will get shared between the two. I'll probably get another 7135 and double stack it for 3.35A. Theres probably room in there for a 3P cell arrangement.

I am going with a neutral tint emitter, one thing I have noticed with these XML throwers is their pale tint really washes out color at farther distances. So I might take a hit for spot lux intensity, but I am hoping color resolution will make up for it.


----------



## StarHalo (Jul 3, 2012)

kramer5150 said:


> I was finally able to get my Stanley fatmax apart today.



Some quality pics there, not many lights get such detailed inspection, nicely done.

Still waiting for the SST-90 direct drive mod..


----------



## kramer5150 (Jul 3, 2012)

StarHalo said:


> Some quality pics there, not many lights get such detailed inspection, nicely done.
> 
> Still waiting for the SST-90 direct drive mod..



Thanks!!
Looking forward to seeing your mod too. Should flood out a lot more than the XML.


----------



## Techjunkie (Jul 3, 2012)

orbital said:


> +
> 
> A bit more info from David @ Baccus Global:
> _*
> ...



You should get back to David @ Baccus Global and set him straight (only 2x 18650 for 7.4VDC).


----------



## kramer5150 (Jul 3, 2012)

Can someone take a look at the pic below?
Someone on another forum thinks the R050, R050 and "T" parallel resistors on the bottom right are the current sense resistors. Do you guys think thats correct?
FWIW, the black and red wires at the bottom right power the XML.

thanks!!

http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/8356/dscn2520c.jpg


----------



## orbital (Jul 4, 2012)

Techjunkie said:


> You should get back to David @ Baccus Global and set him straight (only 2x 18650 for 7.4VDC).



+

Yep,, I gave_ him_ a follow-up email.


*btw, really good work kramer^^^*


----------



## Techjunkie (Jul 4, 2012)

kramer5150 said:


> Can someone take a look at the pic below?
> Someone on another forum thinks the R050, R050 and "T" parallel resistors on the bottom right are the current sense resistors. Do you guys think thats correct?
> FWIW, the black and red wires at the bottom right power the XML.
> 
> ...




I'm inclined to agree, based on their proximity to the XML leads and the fact that in both your hi-res pics, they're the only SMD sense resistors valued at less than one ohm.


----------



## Benson (Jul 4, 2012)

So.... 15Wh/1.3h = 11.5W average.
Or, assuming the batteries are delivering 8V at that 1.34A reading, 11W; close enough.

If we figure 80% efficiency, that's about 2.8A to the emitter, for 900 lumens or so, which fits with 700 OTF. If it's not getting real hot at that level, I think it might be worth kicking it higher than 3.35A...


----------



## turboBB (Jul 5, 2012)

I received a bunch of PM's for comparo's between this, the 7G9 and TN31 so here are the respective indoors and whitewall shots for each. All shots taken on a Panny FZ150 @ f/2.8 and ISO-100 w/exposure settings as follows:

Bounce and 5m
Custom WB and fixed shutter speeds of 1/8, 1/40 & 1/80. Distance to door is 5m (16.4ft) away. Bounce shots under same conditions but w/shutter speed @ 1/4 and light placed right above camera.

Whitewall
In sequential reading-order from top left: 1/25, 1/100, 1/800, 1/1600 on AWB (light is ~.4m to wall / camera ~.59m):

*STANLEY FatMax*
*Indoors (5m)*
High






 

 



Low


 

 


For details of the above indoor shots and comparo vs. many other lights, please check Epic Indoor Shots Trilogy
*
Whitewall Hunting*


*






 


Crelant 7G9 (review)
**Indoors (5m)
*High







 

 



Med


 

 



Low


 

 


For details of the above indoor shots and comparo vs. many other lights, please check Epic Indoor Shots Trilogy

*Whitewall Hunting
*











*ThruNite TN31 (review)
**Indoors (5m)*
L6






 

 



L5


 

 



L4


 

 



L3


 

 



L2


 

 



L1


 

 


For details of the above indoor shots and comparo vs. many other lights, please check Epic Indoor Shots Trilogy
*
Whitewall Hunting
*











I'll try to get some outdoor shots as time allows. 

Cheers,
Tim


----------



## orbital (Jul 5, 2012)

^

Tim, you would get a huge :twothumbs if you could get a* lux* measurement on the FatMax.



_...always wondered why lux wasn't done at say 10meters??_


----------



## turboBB (Jul 5, 2012)

Ooops sorry, forgot to mention that I measured it to be 58.7K lux for the Stanley | 57.2K for the 7G9 | 87.2K for the TN31. All measurements done physically at 1m after 30 seconds from turn on.


----------



## Shikar (Jul 5, 2012)

turboBB said:


> Ooops sorry, forgot to mention that I measured it to be 58.7K lux for the Stanley | 57.2K for the 7G9 | 87.2K for the TN31. All measurements done physically at 1m after 30 seconds from turn on.



Thanks for all your work!!! 

Regards.


----------



## Techjunkie (Jul 5, 2012)

I can't decide if seeing the $50 Stanley side by side with the $140 Crelant and $220 ThruNite above makes me like the Stanley a little bit more or want those other lights just a little bit less.


----------



## cccpull (Jul 5, 2012)

Techjunkie said:


> I can't decide if seeing the $50 Stanley side by side with the $140 Crelant and $220 ThruNite above makes me like the Stanley a little bit more or want those other lights just a little bit less.


Not to mention with the Stanley batteries and charger are included.


----------



## kramer5150 (Jul 6, 2012)

Solid work thanks!!

No doubt at $50 the SFM is the best XML thrower in its price range.
Mines running at 3.4A with a 5000K XML


----------



## fishx65 (Jul 6, 2012)

Anyone know how the output of this one compares to the DRY? Was thinking about picking up a nice powerful led for deer tracking spoting duties. I know the DRY is not considered a thrower but seems to have a tremendous amount of output. Will this Fatmax out throw the dry by a lot?


----------



## Alex1234 (Jul 6, 2012)

fishx65 said:


> Anyone know how the output of this one compares to the DRY? Was thinking about picking up a nice powerful led for deer tracking spoting duties. I know the DRY is not considered a thrower but seems to have a tremendous amount of output. Will this Fatmax out throw the dry by a lot?



the dry is mostly flood. The fatmax will destroy the dry in throw. it has almost 60,000 lux. the dry is half that i wound think. the dry puts out 2500 lumans and the fatmax puts out 700.


----------



## bigchelis (Jul 6, 2012)

fishx65 said:


> Anyone know how the output of this one compares to the DRY? Was thinking about picking up a nice powerful led for deer tracking spoting duties. I know the DRY is not considered a thrower but seems to have a tremendous amount of output. Will this Fatmax out throw the dry by a lot?



I had the Dry Turbo model with that 4th level in Direct Drive mode and it pulled 5.6A at the tail off 12.4V input.....yup thats alot of watts.

I didnt really noticed it threw far and only got rid of it cause the runtime was 10min on turbo, and then another 20min on high and thats it. Even running lower modes was pointless since I think the cells were so depleted they wouldnt power up the light very well (even on lowest modes)...

Get the Stanley....Seeing it in action it is a real spotter with the possibiliity of a real 700 OTF lumens.

bigC


----------



## Fresh Light (Jul 6, 2012)

I bet there is a good possibility it is more than 60,000 lux. I know some lights need to be measured at various distances then calculated back to 1 meter. It does seem that the bigger the reflector or the aspheric setup the further the distance.


----------



## bigchelis (Jul 6, 2012)

Fresh Light said:


> I bet there is a good possibility it is more than 60,000 lux. I know some lights need to be measured at various distances then calculated back to 1 meter. It does seem that the bigger the reflector or the aspheric setup the further the distance.




Good point. The very high lux lights need at least 5M~10M and then calculated back to 1M. I learned this a while ago while testing the DEFT FTP. 

bigC


----------



## kramer5150 (Jul 6, 2012)

Fresh Light said:


> I bet there is a good possibility it is more than 60,000 lux. I know some lights need to be measured at various distances then calculated back to 1 meter. It does seem that the bigger the reflector or the aspheric setup the further the distance.



Why is that? Is it because at closer range they are throwing out a doughnut and not truly concentrating the beam (yet)?
So you can't just shine the light at the meter and get an accurate result? Are the results accurate enough to at least compare light A versus light B?

thanks!!


----------



## Fresh Light (Jul 6, 2012)

kramer5150 said:


> Why is that? Is it because at closer range they are throwing out a doughnut and not truly concentrating the beam (yet)?
> So you can't just shine the light at the meter and get an accurate result? Are the results accurate enough to at least compare light A versus light B?
> 
> thanks!!



It becomes more of an issue with the larger reflectored lights because, as Ra described it, "The problem is the small arc: You need to be at quite a distance before the entire reflector is lit by the arc (Guess 150 yards)", that in the case of his Maxablaster short arc. 

It's not going to need a 150 yrd measurement but it would be good to see if it changes the calculated reading when taken at more distance.


----------



## bigchelis (Jul 6, 2012)

kramer5150 said:


> Why is that? Is it because at closer range they are throwing out a doughnut and not truly concentrating the beam (yet)?
> So you can't just shine the light at the meter and get an accurate result? Are the results accurate enough to at least compare light A versus light B?
> 
> thanks!!



My readings for lux were as bad as 50% off unless I took the readings at 5M. On small 20-30K lux lights it made no difference


----------



## Alex1234 (Jul 6, 2012)

S0 i got my Thrunite tn 31 today and just compared the throw to my fatmax and the tn31 beats it but barley. The tn31 hotspot is ever so slighty bigger. On a ceiling bounce test the tn31 was noticable brigher. All that said i think the lux are more like 65,000 to 70,000 if i had to guess on the fatmax. My tn31 throws exaclly the same as my dereelight ez900 aspheric but the deree still beats my fatmax. honistly all 3 lights are so close in throw its hard to really tell because of the different tints. i like the tn31 better. The reflector is just so perfect!


----------



## mikekoz (Jul 7, 2012)

I just got back from Lowes Hardware, and they were selling this light with one BIG difference...the labeling on the package! It stated 755 lumens, and in the lower right of the box had all of the specifications, all labeled as FL1 or ANSI standards. So whomever did the guestimate of this lights actual output was pretty much on the spot!!


----------



## HighlanderNorth (Jul 7, 2012)

I cant find this light advertised anywhere on the internet/Amazon/Walmart, etc. I even went to Stanley's site, went to the flashlights section, and they dont have it listed there. Walmarts site only has the 550l model listed. Its nowhere to be found at amazon.com. Even a google search only brings me back to forums.

There are like 3-4 Walmarts within a 20 mile radius of here, but none of them are on my normal routes. I'd have to go 15-20 minutes out of my way to get to one, but I'll have to try it. They probably wont end up carrying it here!


----------



## orbital (Jul 7, 2012)

^

remember to look in the _automotive section_ at Walmart..


----------



## cccpull (Jul 7, 2012)

orbital said:


> ^
> 
> remember to look in the _automotive section_ at Walmart..



Absolutely, it's *not* in the flashlight section.


----------



## tobrien (Jul 7, 2012)

Good work Kramer!


----------



## kramer5150 (Jul 7, 2012)

Erik1213 said:


> Is that the led bin printed on the star? Just...backwards?



I googled lite trend and found this: They appear to be their LED/star supplier.

Good news is its a T6 flux BIN, one of the brighter XML BIN numbers (at the moment).
http://www.lite-trend.lightstrade.com/view/69967/MCPCB-CREE-LED-module.html


----------



## bigchelis (Jul 9, 2012)

Well, after my 5th attempt I went to WallMart and I finally saw the FatMax for sale. Only thing was it was 580 Lumen not the XM-L I wanted.:sick2:


----------



## Techjunkie (Jul 9, 2012)

I did my own 6-way XML shootout of XML in various smooth reflectors, including the Stanley FatMax. Below is a stopped-down beamshot. That's the FatMax furthest on the right with the HD2010 immediately next to it. It's important to note that the HD2010 is generally regarded as one of the best XML throwers available.






It's also important to note that at a calculated drive current of 2.7A, the FatMax is the least powerfully driven of all six.


----------



## DustinLSX (Jul 10, 2012)

I picked up 2 of them. One to use as is, and one will be getting a SST90. 

Is anyone selling a decent driver for the SST90?


----------



## orbital (Jul 12, 2012)

+

I'v never used a lanyard on any of my lights,
the S.FM was the perfect time for a_ first_

so I made this a couple weeks ago:





_______________________________________________^ figure 8 knot w/ zip-tie to prevent slippage


----------



## chaosrealm93 (Jul 12, 2012)

those "industrial" lights always have crazy outputs, but are also very bulky and kind of heavy and impractical for extended use


----------



## orbital (Jul 12, 2012)

^

They are balanced fairly well,, mine weighs 25.1oz {713g}

... _karmer_ stated the heatsink is very effective in his tests.


----------



## Phil Ament (Jul 12, 2012)

Hey could anyone here please tell me if they know if the new supposed 2000 lumen Stanley FatMax Lithium spotlight's charger works on 240 volts that we have here in Australia, and even better would someone be able to give me the specs on it, the charger that is.


----------



## CMAG (Jul 12, 2012)

DustinLSX said:


> I picked up 2 of them. One to use as is, and one will be getting a SST90.
> 
> Is anyone selling a decent driver for the SST90?


*High efficient 5A/9A Buck Converter for SST-50, SST-90*


----------



## SomeOneWho (Jul 12, 2012)

This spotlight is now available on Lowe's web site. I haven't checked in any of their stores.


----------



## cccpull (Jul 12, 2012)

SomeOneWho said:


> This spotlight is now available on Lowe's web site. I haven't checked in any of their stores.



Yes, and they actually list the output as 755 lumen.


----------



## tobrien (Jul 14, 2012)

SomeOneWho said:


> This spotlight is now available on Lowe's web site. I haven't checked in any of their stores.



thanks for the tip buddy. is their in store price the same as Wal Mart?


----------



## HighlanderNorth (Jul 14, 2012)

I'm surprised I didnt think of this earlier, but I havent seen anything listed about this light having different brightness modes other than just high. Lowes now has it on their site, but the specs dont say anything about any low or medium modes.

Does it have any other modes?

If not, I'm still glad I read this, especially the pictures where this light is compared with the HID light and the Fenix TK-60, because I never really noticed the TK-60 before when looking at Fenix lights, and I actually like it a lot now! It runs on basic, easy to find D cells, and has GREAT runtimes on all modes. Plus it has great throw, and seems noticeable brighter than the Stanley Fatmax, but with 6 modes. Plus, the TK-60 batteries are replaceable, but the Fatmax has its own batteries built in apparently, and who knows how good they are....... They might not last long, and the runtime on 700L isnt THAT good, compared with the TK60, which has runtimes 2.5 times longer at 800L.

BUT.....The TK-60 costs about 2 times as much. I'd bet you get a light that is at least 2 times better though!


----------



## KarstGhost (Jul 20, 2012)

Picked one up tonight at walmart...so far it's awesome. My only complaint is that the battery indicator light is poorly placed/bright enough to be a distraction. Probably gonna have to put some tape over it.


----------



## OneSickLED (Oct 12, 2012)

Just picked one of these up from Walmart and im loving it! Im wondering if there is any way to make it just a little bit brighter??!?!? :devil:


----------



## AnAppleSnail (Oct 12, 2012)

OneSickLED said:


> Just picked one of these up from Walmart and im loving it! Im wondering if there is any way to make it just a little bit brighter??!?!? :devil:



Replace the driver with something even more powerful.


----------



## OneSickLED (Oct 13, 2012)

AnAppleSnail said:


> Replace the driver with something even more powerful.



Can you point me in the right direction to understand how and what to do? I have a good knowledge of electronics and wiring. This is my first time trying to mod a spotlight! Thanks!


----------



## Canuke (Nov 4, 2012)

Just found this light at Lowes, and sure enough the rest of CPF has already beat me to it.

The mod I'd like to make, besides upgrading the batteries and maybe swapping to a warmer emitter, is to figure out how to charge it faster. The charging circuit only pulls 150mA from 12V. There's no excuse for this with modern LiCo cells. Even the whole 500mA available from the wall wart would be a big improvement.

Worse, it does not run the light directly from 12V no matter what the source is; when I fed it 12V from my bench supply in lieu of 12V DC from a car, it only went up to 200mA on high, a mere 2W draw. So much for using an externally augmented supply.


----------



## Canuke (Nov 4, 2012)

Phil Ament said:


> Hey could anyone here please tell me if they know if the new supposed 2000 lumen Stanley FatMax Lithium spotlight's charger works on 240 volts that we have here in Australia, and even better would someone be able to give me the specs on it, the charger that is.



120v only, 12VDC 500mA (but uses only a fraction of it as noted above). Uses a plug I've not seen elsewhere before, looks similar to common ones used for external hard drives, but it's got a male pin at center of the plug instead of in the receptacle.


----------



## AnAppleSnail (Nov 4, 2012)

Black and Dexter now has a clone of this


----------



## El Camino (Nov 14, 2012)

Yes, I noticed that Black and Decker has a few models that are identical to Stanley's lights, except for color. I guess the OEM is licensing them out. They are about the same price. Wal-Mart had the Stanley's in the automotive tools section, and the B&D's were on their regular flashlight rack.


----------



## my#1hobby (Nov 14, 2012)

AnAppleSnail said:


> Black and Dexter now has a clone of this


I just noticed the B&D model a few days ago, with the B&D packaging open by the switch you can actually test the light before you buy it.
And yes, they were also on the regular flashlight rack at mine as well.


----------



## swannyj (Nov 19, 2012)

I'm at Sam's warehouse in tyler tax & the fat max is on sale for 29.88.


----------



## B dog (Dec 4, 2012)

Beware of the $30 version, it is the same size but it's not an LED, it's a regular halogen bulb:sick2:.
I bought 3 on-line from Sams Club till I noticed the BIG difference, spent 20 mins on the phone canceling the order.
Ended up buying from Lowes on-line for $50 + % for a one year warranty. I expect to receive it shortly.
Brian
PS 1st post here in years, had to make a new user up to post.


----------



## B dog (Dec 6, 2012)

I received my light yesterday and it is fantastic! I bought it from Lowes on-line for $50 plus $5 for a 1 year replacement plan. I work as a mechanic and lighting is super important to us. A co-worker dropped $170 on a MATCO light (I think it's a Surefire, it has a green body) with a wall holder/charger and extra stick of ni-mh:sick2: and this light kills it in every respect expect for size and form. I simply hold it by its' body and it's basically the same thing except way brighter and important in the automotive field, a large reflector. Large reflectors haven't been brought up much except for pure performance and absolute throw, there is another aspect to size that most won't realize or even think about, close quarters work. The bigger lamp can overlap an intake manifold tube by virtue of its size and provide a stereoscopic view, smaller high powered lights can't do this.
Gotta go and its just my hipshot thoughts
Brian


----------



## Papa Bear (Dec 30, 2012)

B dog said:


> Beware of the $30 version, it is the same size but it's not an LED, it's a regular halogen bulb:sick2:.
> I bought 3 on-line from Sams Club till I noticed the BIG difference, spent 20 mins on the phone canceling the order.
> Ended up buying from Lowes on-line for $50 + % for a one year warranty. I expect to receive it shortly.
> Brian
> PS 1st post here in years, had to make a new user up to post.



Costco has a $30 Stanley dip it dunk it that is an LED version. However, I thought it was a 500 (advertised) lumens. I bought one for my uncle, and never took down the specs. I'll check next time I'm at Costco and report back ...


----------



## langham (Jan 3, 2013)

OneSickLED said:


> Just picked one of these up from Walmart and im loving it! Im wondering if there is any way to make it just a little bit brighter??!?!? :devil:





You could de-dome it and replace the driver, I would put the batteries in parallel and use a driver that was intended for a single 18650 light. I would also look into replacing the reflector with a cheap DX aluminum reflector of similar size. The heat-sink can be changed to copper and the led directly mounted to the copper heat-sink. I would also replace the led with the new XM-L2. The numbers are accurate for the lux at 1 m for the TN-31, except when calculated back it hits close to the 120kcd mark. I de-domed my TN-31 and it will hit the 200kcd mark and probably gets around the 250kcd range.


----------



## El Camino (Aug 28, 2013)

Does anyone have the Malkoff XM-L drop-in for the 4-6 D Mag-lite? I wonder how it compares to this light.


----------



## Richwouldnt (Jun 1, 2014)

mikekoz said:


> More people will buy the lights advertising the inflated lumens rating.



But Stanley is an American company and is not supposed to be rating things in Chilumens!


----------



## superfsh (Dec 27, 2014)

I bought one of these a couple years ago and got about a month's use out of it before the light would come on only intermittently. I tried exchanging for a replacement, but didn't have the receipt so it has rolled around on my floorboard for over a year. Today I tried charging the batteries and but the LED indicator blinked red/green and I thought that meant the batteries were toasted.

I'm not an electronics engineer, but I can recognize some electronic components and have a very rudimentary understanding of what they do. I came across this thread and tore the thing open to see if the batteries had any voltage. As wired together, they have 3v. I'm guessing they are beyond taking a charge and that's why the LED indicator was blinking red/green?


----------

