# New Cyclops Site with new models



## Cigarman (Aug 30, 2007)

http://www.cyclopssolutions.com/HTML/spotlights.html

check out all the goodies and now we can buy direct. :twothumbs


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## Ra (Aug 30, 2007)

:thinking::thinking::thinking:


Impressive,, most impressive...


Regards,

Ra.


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## kaos42_ze (Oct 5, 2007)

QQ: if 130W bulb = 18mil how if my 100W bulb ( in a similar style flash light ) only rated for 10mil ?


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## richdsu (Oct 5, 2007)

just some thought, if this is modded with a Cree Q emitter, what will be the effect and throw of the light beam ???


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## Ra (Oct 6, 2007)

kaos42_ze said:


> QQ: if 130W bulb = 18mil how if my 100W bulb ( in a similar style flash light ) only rated for 10mil ?



The 18 Mcp and 10 Mcp claims do not say anything about the output, nor do they say anything about throw!!

Those claims are highly, highly exaggerated !! They are only to grab you attention !! If one manufacturer claims 10 Mcp for his light, his neighbor claims 15 Mcp for his light, even when it has less output..

Only a few manufacturers are honest with their cp-claims: Peakbeam systems (Maxabeam) and Maglite are among them.

Actually, the cp-output doesn't say anything about the lumens-output, it only tells you something about the throw of a light, that is, if it's based on thrue facts! (calibrated measurements..)

Fact is, with the laws of light, the 18Mcp 130watt version doesn't have a higher possible output than about 500,000 cp's.. That with a lumens-ouput of approx 1800 (torch-)lumens...

A while ago, I measured one using calibrated equipment, and quess what... 380,000 CP's ! That's 0.38 million cp !!

Any questions, feel free to ask..

Regards,

Ra.


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## cat (Oct 8, 2007)

Ra said:


> Actually, the cp-output doesn't say anything about the lumens-output, it only tells you something about the throw of a light, that is, if it's based on thrue facts! (calibrated measurements..)
> 
> Fact is, with the laws of light, the 18Mcp 130watt version doesn't have a higher possible output than about 500,000 cp's.. That with a lumens-ouput of approx 1800 (torch-)lumens...



Does that mean it would light up my yard - for example - more than a Wolf Eyes M300 ? (I'm sort of trying to decide what to buy. Although I think I'd probably get more use out of a powerful flashlight.)


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## carlo2305 (Oct 8, 2007)

Ra said:


> The 18 Mcp and 10 Mcp claims do not say anything about the output, nor do they say anything about throw!!
> 
> Those claims are highly, highly exaggerated !! They are only to grab you attention !! If one manufacturer claims 10 Mcp for his light, his neighbor claims 15 Mcp for his light, even when it has less output..
> 
> ...


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## Ra (Oct 10, 2007)

cat said:


> Does that mean it would light up my yard - for example - more than a Wolf Eyes M300 ? (I'm sort of trying to decide what to buy. Although I think I'd probably get more use out of a powerful flashlight.)




Sorry cat, I cannot help you with that. I am not familiar with the Wolf Eyes M300..


Ra.


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## electromage (Oct 10, 2007)

Nice to see the new site/models. I've been considering HID modding my Thor-X, but now I think I want a Colossus. I wonder if it will be available at Costco for a little over $30. From the picture, the reflector looks a little bit better.

The Sirius looks cool too, I want to build something like that.

Ra, do you know of any better reflectors that would fit? I know you have a super fancy one in the Maxablaster, but is there a similar quality reflector that's focused for MH or Halogen?


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## Patriot (Oct 11, 2007)

cat said:


> Does that mean it would light up my yard - for example - more than a Wolf Eyes M300 ? (I'm sort of trying to decide what to buy. Although I think I'd probably get more use out of a powerful flashlight.)


 
Cat, these are completely different animals altogether.

The M300 is a compact pocket-able light less than 400 lumens.

The Thor 15 million cp....(note, this spec. is not real) has a 130 watt H4 automotive bulb that will produce about 3200 lumens. It's also gigantic and weighs about 15 pounds. It produces a fairly tight beam and would not be ideal for area illumination unless you frosted the glass lens or something.


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## electromage (Oct 11, 2007)

Patriot36 said:


> It produces a fairly tight beam and would not be ideal for area illumination unless you frosted the glass lens or something.



Actually the sheer amount of lumens sort of overcomes that. You can light up a decent size area with just the spillbeam.


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## cat (Oct 11, 2007)

Patriot36 said:


> Cat, these are completely different animals altogether.


Yes. :laughing: I know. :laughing: I was just trying to make up my mind what to get next. 



Patriot36 said:


> 130 watt H4 automotive bulb that will produce about 3200 lumens.


oh, is it that much? That's something I hadn't heard yet. 

The size and the weight, yes, I'd realised it wasn't going to be suitable for what I want right now. Just fun. The weight is a problem for international shipping. 
Last night I was thinking about the possibility of getting a good car spotlight - like Cibie (less expensive than a Forcefire) and somehow mounting it on a electronics store box or something. :laughing: But I've got enough to do, without buying some more project stuff I don't get to doing.


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## Ra (Oct 11, 2007)

electromage said:


> Ra, do you know of any better reflectors that would fit? I know you have a super fancy one in the Maxablaster, but is there a similar quality reflector that's focused for MH or Halogen?



For automotive HID and halogen, you don't need super high quality reflectors: Halogen-filaments are about the same size as the automotive-HID arc's.. But with the much, much smaller mercury-arc of Maxablaster, I needed a super-high quality reflector!

Of the Thor's I've seen, the reflector-quality was sufficient for use with halogen or (automotive-) HID. Ofcource the beam of the stock-Thor-reflector will have more artifacts. But as the size of the arc (or filament) mostly overcomes the imperfections in the reflector-form, throw is not affected when properly collimated.

I also modded a Platinum Thor to automotive HID, using the original Thor-reflector: It performes great !!

So, in short: With halogen or (autom-.) HID, a high quality reflector only smoothes the beam, but does not increase throw ! Is that worth 700$ extra for a high quality reflector ??

Sorry, I don't know any manufacturer selling cheaper high quality reflectors..


Regards,

Ra.


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## Ra (Oct 11, 2007)

Patriot36 said:


> The Thor 15 million cp....(note, this spec. is not real) has a 130 watt H4 automotive bulb that will produce about 3200 lumens.




Sorry Patriot, I must very slightly correct you on that:

The 130watt H4 only produces +3000 lumens when properly driven.. 

In the Thor however, it produces more like 2300 lumens (with batt in super condition!) due to low-gauge wiring and battery-voltage drop during operation !!


No hard feelings I hope.....


Ra.


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## Patriot (Oct 11, 2007)

Ra said:


> Sorry Patriot, I must very slightly correct you on that:
> 
> The 130watt H4 only produces +3000 lumens when properly driven..
> 
> ...


 
Oh...ha ha  ... of coarse not. You would certainly know better than I Ra. I was just using the H4 bulb specification not accounting for what assembly it was it might be in.


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## Patriot (Oct 11, 2007)

electromage said:


> Actually the sheer amount of lumens sort of overcomes that. You can light up a decent size area with just the spillbeam.


 
My quote; _"It produces a fairly tight beam and would not be ideal for area illumination" _

Certainly "do-able" but not ideal. 

Most of the light ends up coming from the hot spot and casts harsh shadows and from unnatural angles that the brain isn't used to. If you shine it on the grass for instance, the spot becomes fairly absorbed and what isn't absorbed is bounced back up and absorbed through the air_. _If you're lucky enough to be able to shine it on the side of your white pick-up truck, camping trailer or nearby light colored building that would help to disperse the light a bit for area lighting. It's kinda like the difference between shining a spotlight at your kitchen sink during a power outage vs. pointing the light up and bouncing it off the ceiling so that it evenly distributes the light in all directions with a pleasant glow.


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## Phaetos (Oct 11, 2007)

Aren't these the same ones that Cabela's sells? Seems that I saw Thor-X when I was at the new store that just opened up here.


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## electromage (Oct 11, 2007)

*Patriot36*
You're right, it does produce quite a tight spot. My point was simply to the effect that, were you to do a side-by-side comparison of the Thor-X and a Wolf Eyes M300, the Thor would probably blow it away at every point in the beam. Not that I'd actually use it as a floodlight without some sort of diffuser.

Let me put than another way, if you were to take a lux meter and measure the beam of each light at a fixed distance, from the spot to the spill, there would probably be no point at which the Wolf Eyes produced a significantly higher value.


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## Patriot (Oct 11, 2007)

Ra said:


> :thinking::thinking::thinking:
> 
> 
> Impressive,, most impressive...
> ...


 
Ra, what did you find most impressive about the line-up of lights?


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## cat (Oct 11, 2007)

Good information. 
I'd buy one now if it weren't for the cost of shipping the battery. It's better than any I've ever seen. 

Obviously the reflector is not good - it matches the price. 

"You can light up a decent size area with just the spillbeam" ...that not the same as being area lighting. Aside from the size of it, it would suit me now to have something I can leave on the floor of the car, and use to scan the fence and the yard when I get home. Better than a flashlight can do, quicker. That's why I'm interested in the M300 giving a "wall of light". Because a few weeks ago I made a serious mistake in paying attention when I arrived home, and a ***** jumped out of the bushes and hit me on the head with a brick. Anyway, the weight of the Cyclops and the size wouldn't be good for getting out of the car, with a shoulder bag and a bunch of keys to deal with. So...the M300, I think. 

PS: Check my sig line. I've been using the E1L, which isn't good for that purpose, and the P3D arrived today. You can see I need something...more outdoors "floody".


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## electromage (Oct 12, 2007)

*Cat*,
The Thor is definitely not a light to use from inside your car, I've tried! That's a two-man operation for sure. A tactical flood is a much better fit in your case. I've been keeping a "1MCP" Vector pistol-grip light in my car, which is fairly easy to use with one hand through my window. Who hit you on the head with a brick anyway?


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## Patriot (Oct 12, 2007)

cat said:


> Good information.
> I'd buy one now if it weren't for the cost of shipping the battery. It's better than any I've ever seen.
> 
> Obviously the reflector is not good - it matches the price.
> ...


 
I'll bet you'll find many more practical uses for the M300 too. It might be the perfect choice for you. :twothumbs


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## cat (Oct 12, 2007)

electromage said:


> *Cat*,
> The Thor is definitely not a light to use from inside your car, I've tried! That's a two-man operation for sure. A tactical flood is a much better fit in your case. I've been keeping a "1MCP" Vector pistol-grip light in my car, which is fairly easy to use with one hand through my window. Who hit you on the head with a brick anyway?


One of two savages who were in the process of breaking into the apartment. "Hit" is really an understatement. 

I didn't mean using the Thor from within the car. I drive in, park outside my garage [which is full of bikes], get out of the car, and scan the perimeter fence to check that there aren't any bent uprights, or anyone lurking in the dark area behind the fence. (Which is now cleared of all the foliage that was there, but there's about two yards of it and then it slopes steeply down, more bushes, more foliage and trees - part of the grounds of the large apartment block next door, outside of the area they have fenced. Then up a flight of stairs to unlock a gate, and beyond that is the pathway past the doors of the 4 duplex units. - Which is lit by one or two dim old-style [60/100W] lights, and a lot of shrubs and so on. I rent it and I'm not going to be there after March next year, so there's not much I can do about it other than put up a couple of PIR [?] switched lights. :thumbsdow 

Yes, the M300 will do it ok.


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## Ra (Oct 12, 2007)

Patriot36 said:


> Ra, what did you find most impressive about the line-up of lights?



Patriot, WHY OH WHY do you have to ask me in public !!??

Now I have to give an answer without ruining my reputation.. THANKS !!



... Guess it was the total amount of candlepowers on one page...?
Don't shoot me..!

And "Impressive, most impressive" was a line from Darth Vader, fighting Luke Skywalker in Star Wars 5 (The empire strikes back..(?))


Ra.


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## Hamilton Felix (Oct 3, 2010)

Looking at that Cyclops website and thinking: 

I'd shy away from that Thor S250. I am NOT impressed with spotlights that use a 6 volt SLA battery and 6 volt H3! They almost always die an early death. And even when they're working, they cannot be run from a 12V lighter socket, only charged from it. About all you can do with a dead one is rip out the trash battery and the 6v bulb, add a cord, plug and 12v H3 bulb, and you'll have a 12v lighter socket-powered spotlight. 

Do the entire design properly in 12 volts, and you suddenly have commonly available bulbs and a light that can be run from any 12 volt supply if the battery is low. 

The Colossus is huge. It appears to use a high wattage H4 bulb, likely 80/130w. Considering the earlier observations here about the skinny wiring and sagging battery voltage, it would probably perform as well (if not better) with either an 80/100w or a 55/100w H4. In fact, it would probably still give good light and have longer life with a Philips Xtreme Power 55/60w bulb. But it is HUGE. 

The Scout might be the best value deal of the three "monster" lights there. It says two 6v 4.2ah SLA batteries. Assuming these are used in series, that's a 4.2 ah 12v battery -- minimal with a 100 watt H3 bulb. But if it's a 12v H3, bulbs are readily available, in 35w, 55w, 100w and 130W. One might even throw in an Osram Night Breaker PLUS H3 in standard wattage (55w) and have a decent light with decent battery life. 

Also, the Scout lists at $39.99, just a bit more than the $29.99 of the S250 and nowhere near the $99.99 of the Colossus. None of these giant lights is handy, but the hook on the Scout might help at times. 


Frankly, I've been looking for a compact light that would do better than our pocket "tactical" lights, the standard Mag LED or the 6v "lanterns" near the door, when we want a better look at the raccoons or bear in the back yard. The more I read about the Sirius 9w LED, the more I like it. It's not super powerful, but it has good life and decent throw, from what I read. And most owners say it's reliable.


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## DaveG (Oct 4, 2010)

Hamilton Felix said:


> Looking at that Cyclops website and thinking:
> 
> I'd shy away from that Thor S250. I am NOT impressed with spotlights that use a 6 volt SLA battery and 6 volt H3! They almost always die an early death. And even when they're working, they cannot be run from a 12V lighter socket, only charged from it. About all you can do with a dead one is rip out the trash battery and the 6v bulb, add a cord, plug and 12v H3 bulb, and you'll have a 12v lighter socket-powered spotlight.
> 
> ...


I have a Sirius,and really like it.Lots of reviews at Cabelas site on the Sirius led.


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## Hamilton Felix (Oct 5, 2010)

Yes, I did read reviews Cabela's site. Now to decide whether I order there on my Cabela's VISA and earn "cabelabucks" (points) or look for the site with the best price...

I'm certainly interested in the Ryobi 18V HID, as I have a set of Ryobi 18V "ONE+" tools. But I'm reading mixed reviews here, it's 8000K (idiots in Marketing, I guess) not 4,200K, and it doesn't seem to be as readily available as other 18V Ryobi tools. Right now, the Sirius is looking like a better deal for a handy little spot. 

I haven't ruled out the Stanley HID, either, but like the Ryobi, I'd be shopping for a 4,200K bulb, and I'm reading some mixed reviews here, too. 

I think Cyclops may have a winner with the Sirius.


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## get-lit (Oct 5, 2010)

The Thor X Colossus looks to be the best of the lineup, but physically it appears exactly the same as the Thors before it; still just as worthy of an HID upgrade. I do like the older black more than the new green.


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## Hamilton Felix (Oct 5, 2010)

It's a monster, but my experience with those giant lights that use a SLA to power a car headlight bulb usually don't last too long. Batteries are the weak link. And Colossus is a hundred bucks.


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## TOQ (Oct 6, 2010)

Hamilton Felix said:


> It's a monster, but my experience with those giant lights that use a SLA to power a car headlight bulb usually don't last too long. Batteries are the weak link. And Colossus is a hundred bucks.



Bought both Thor X 10 MCP and a Cyclops 15 MCP units at Costco about three years ago. Paid $24.95 for the Thor and $29.95 for the Cyclops. Both are still going strong and I have a spare battery for each should the originals ever go down for good. Also have a couple of spare bulbs for each one too. Sure the beam could be a bit smoother and a bit whiter for my needs but when you consider what both are for the money paid, they have to be one of the better bargains out there IMHO. I know one thing for sure. They are both bright enough to light up objects at a long distance and burn dry grass at short distances while doing so. I keep waiting for Coscto to bring in an even more powerful unit, something in the 25 to 20 MCP range at a bargain price. If and when they do I am going to pop for a couple or three of them for sure.................

Regards, Terry


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## dogface (Oct 20, 2010)

What is the quality of these units like?? If I just need a good general use spotlight but I dont need the brightest thing on earth will I be disapointed in a thor x for $60??


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