# Stanley 5 Watt LED Spotlight



## Sadsack

I was just over at Wal-Mart buying the new Stanley HID light when I noticed that Stanley also has a new 5w LED spotlight. The light is super compact [smaller than the Husky 3w at Home Depot].It has a 7.2 NiMH battery and is rated at 192 lumens. Has anybody tried one yet? lovecpf


----------



## StarHalo

I saw it also, but it's not as impressive when at that very moment you're carrying a 225 lumen 1xAA light in your pocket


----------



## Patriot

StarHalo said:


> not as impressive when at that very moment you're carrying a 225 lumen 1xAA light in your pocket




Ditto. The big LED spots just aren't my thing. They're just isn't enough demand for manufacturers to invest big money to develop spots that will impress enthusiasts like myself. I would need to see multiple-P7 or MC-E's in large arrays. This would require a lot of metal heat sinking and sophisticated design which would in turn drive the price up. Already modders are installing multi die LED's in tiny hosts which push 500 lumens or more which reveals the 190 lumen, 3 pound spot for the dinosaur that it is.


----------



## tn6110

I saw the 5 W Stanley too. I could be wrong but I sort of doubt it weighs anywhere near 3 lbs. It is a much smaller spot than some. Still, I doubt it will impress many folks here at CPF. It is much smaller than the Dorcy 120 lumens LED spotlight.


----------



## Patriot

tn6110 said:


> I could be wrong but I sort of doubt it weighs anywhere near 3 lbs. It is a much smaller spot than some.




Oh really... I guess I was thinking it was an SLA or something. Maybe NiMH instead?


----------



## tn6110

Yes it is Nimh. 7.2 Volts I think. It just barely qualifies as a spot in my book. Still, with it's decent sized reflector I'm sure it throws well for what it is. It is definintly a small spotlight.

I just went to Amazon and looked this light up. I thought it said NIMH at Wallyworld but it says it is Nicad at Amazon. And says it weighs one lb.


----------



## Richie086

Sadsack said:


> I was just over at Wal-Mart buying the new Stanley HID light when I noticed that Stanley also has a new 5w LED spotlight. The light is super compact [smaller than the Husky 3w at Home Depot].It has a 7.2 NiMH battery and is rated at 192 lumens. Has anybody tried one yet? lovecpf


 

Hey SadSack,

When picking up my Stanley HID this morning, I noticed that nice compact 5w LED you mentioned. I didn't purchase it, but really liked the very small gun-type handheld size. The LED seemed very centered in the reflector. I'd be very interested to see it compared to some of the other LED flashlights already floating around the forum.


----------



## Sadsack

Richie086 said:


> Hey SadSack,
> 
> When picking up my Stanley HID this morning, I noticed that nice compact 5w LED you mentioned. I didn't purchase it, but really liked the very small gun-type handheld size. The LED seemed very centered in the reflector. I'd be very interested to see it compared to some of the other LED flashlights already floating around the forum.


 Like I stated in the Op I didn't buy it either because I was there to buy the HID and who the heck would want to go home and play with a little LED spotlight when they just bought a HID. That being said, I still thought it looked like a nice little light for the money and should compare favorable to the Home depot Husky 3 watt which seemed to have quite a bit of interest in another thread on this forum. I own the Husky 3w and IMHO it's a very handy little light to use. I drive a truck at night and it works real well for finding trailer numbers in the dark. It rides inside a cup holder and the pistol grip form factor is nice when inside a vehicle. I just thought the new Stanley 5 watt one would be a step up but still be in the same niche. I'm not trying to compare apples to oranges here.
Sadsack :wave:


----------



## nnmnu

I saw this too and im wondering if it would be worthwhile to purchase


----------



## nnmnu

Hey I bought one today. Initial thoughts are that this is a nice little light. fits in the hand nicely and is pretty light. It has a dimmer feature that is kind of neat, you hold the down arrow to dim it and the up arrow to brighten it and it beeps when its at its lowest and max output. the only thing I dont like is when you put it at its max setting and then turn it off and the next time it comes on isnt where you set it. Its fairly bright, it should have good throw.

maybe I'll get pictures up and beamshots later when its darker


----------



## StarHalo

I'd wager it's a pretty good thrower since it's single-emitter in a large reflector. This wouldn't normally be a big deal since you can mod a Mag to be the same thing, but the ~$25 price point of the Stanley certainly makes it stand out.

Looking forward to some pics, don't forget to compare it to some other lights..


----------



## Richie086

nnmnu said:


> Hey I bought one today. Initial thoughts are that this is a nice little light.


 

Very cool compact LED spotlight. Can't wait to see it in action :thumbsup:


----------



## nnmnu

sorry guys its raining out so I cant get any good beam shots, But I was comparing it to my stock 3d mag led and its way brighter and throws much farther than it.


----------



## StarHalo

That's very impressive, since D cell Mags usually score ~10,000 lux. Looking forward to outdoor comparison pics...


----------



## Parker VH

StarHalo said:


> I saw it also, but it's not as impressive when at that very moment you're carrying a 225 lumen 1xAA light in your pocket


 
Which 1AA light is that?


----------



## StarHalo

Parker VH said:


> Which 1AA light is that?



The JetBeam Jet I Mk IBS, powered by a Li-Ion/14500. See the review here: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/194877


----------



## BlueBeam22

I just bought this Stanley 5 watt LED spotlight, and it is amazing! IMO it is well worth the $40 for what a quality light it is. It out throws the Husky 2D 4 watt tactical, is about equal to the Husky 3W LED spotlight in throw, and is surprisingly close to the Dorcy 220 lumen. The Dorcy 6 watt LED spotlight still out throws of all of these due to its giant reflector (see my pictures of the Dorcy 6 watt HERE).

The Stanley has a red light to indicate charging and it turns green along with a beep when it is full. I don't know its runtime yet. It has two buttons on the back to adjust brightness. In my beamshot it is on high. EDIT: It was actually not on high for the first beamshot as I mistook the default brightness for being high. I have now posted one of it on the actual high mode. It uses a 5 watt CREE XR-E emitter, and the output is astonishing!

Here is a picture of the Stanley LED spotlight:







Reflector shot of the Stanley:






Here it is next to the Husky 2D, Dorcy 220 and Husky 3W LED spotlight:






Reflector comparison between these three lights:






Stanley and Husky LED spotlights:







Husky 2D shining at a shed 50 yards away:






Husky 3 watt LED spotlight:






Dorcy 220 lumen:







Stanley LED spotlight on default brightness:






Stanley LED spotlight turned up to maximum brightness:






Dorcy 6 watt LED spotlight:






Coleman 530 lumen LED spotlight:






The new Stanley LED spotlight is my favorite LED light yet, and I will be EDC'ing it even though it is very large for that. I will be taking it on walks and I am amazed at its well formed beam and bright center hotspot! It is indeed an incredible thrower!:thumbsup:

ADDED:

Here is the Stanley LED spotlight shining at my house from 30 yards away:


----------



## nnmnu

Bluebeam22,

thanks for putting up beamshots, I tried and couldn't get any good shots


----------



## BlueBeam22

nnmnu said:


> Bluebeam22,
> 
> thanks for putting up beamshots, I tried and couldn't get any good shots


 
Thanks nnmnu! I was very impressed by this light last night when I took it out to some large dark fields for testing. It was able to illuminate trees up to around 300 yards and has a very tight and concentrated beam. It still seems about the same as the Husky 3W LED spotlight from Home Depot as far as output and throw, but in my opinion the Stanley has a better formed beam and perfectly centered hotspot in the middle.


----------



## Richie086

Hi Bluebeam,

Thanks for posting the great photos of the new Stanley 5 watt. It's a very nice compact hand held spotlight.


----------



## BlueBeam22

Richie086 said:


> Hi Bluebeam,
> 
> Thanks for posting the great photos of the new Stanley 5 watt. It's a very nice compact hand held spotlight.


 
Thank you for your nice reply Richie086!

I just realized something unusual about this light, it has no memory of the last mode it was on, which means my beamshots of it were not accurate. Its default brightness is only about 70% as bright as when it is adjusted to its maximum output, and it is in fact quite a bit brighter than the Husky 3 watt LED Spotlight and has a brighter hotspot. It was just a few minutes ago that I discovered the Stanley LED spotlight's high mode.

On maximum output the Stanley nearly equals the Dorcy 220 lumen in output and hotspot brightness. I will post a beamshot tonight of it on high shining at that shed, and the difference will be very noticeable.


----------



## Sadsack

It would be nice if the switch on the back could be rewired so the light comes on at 100% instead of the 70-80% seeing how it doesn't have a memory function.


----------



## BlueBeam22

I have added a beamshot of the Stanley on high and the Coleman 530 lumen LED spotlight to my first post in this thread.

I took the Stanley outside tonight for testing against the Dorcy 220 lumen, and I was truly shocked. On high it was able to match the Dorcy exactly in throw, and when I shined them at the top of a tree over 200 yards away I could tell no difference in which one put a brighter spot on it, just that the Stanley had a warmer color beam and wider hotspot that actually does better illuminating distant objects. The Stanley actually has more output than the Dorcy and beats it quite noticeably in the ceiling bounce test.

The Stanley easily out throws the Husky 2D and Husky 3 watt LED spotlight. They are absolutely no competition for it and it blows them away in throw and brightness.

I was amazed at how easily the Stanley was able to cover a huge 300 yard (estimated) stretch of my neighborhood and brightly illuminate the top of a very distant tree behind a house. The Dorcy 6W K2 Luxeon LED spotlight is the only LED light I have that out throws it, but by a very negligible amount. I love my Stanley LED spotlight!:thumbsup:

ADDED:

Here are some beamshots I took tonight of the Stanley on high. This thing is just an insane thrower!

Shining at house 20 yards away:







Still 20 yards distance but now shining at top of house:








Shining at house from 30 yards away. Notice the incredibly bright hotspot in the middle.


----------



## zapper

Anyone think this would make for a good P7 or MC-E host? I definitely like the form factor. Anyone open one up yet for modding possibilities?


----------



## lemonvr6

StarHalo said:


> I saw it also, but it's not as impressive when at that very moment you're carrying a 225 lumen 1xAA light in your pocket





And exactly how long does that AA light run for?


----------



## StarHalo

lemonvr6 said:


> And exactly how long does that AA light run for?



50 hours on low 

It'd be nice to see someone get a lux reading on one of these spotlights, I'm wondering if this light might be a budget lux-per-dollar champion..


----------



## Patriot

> Originally Posted by *StarHalo*
> 
> 
> _I saw it also, but it's not as impressive when at that very moment you're carrying a 225 lumen 1xAA light in your pocket _





lemonvr6 said:


> And exactly how long does that AA light run for?



I think you already know the answer....'not very long, perhaps 60-90 minutes at the most.' By the same token, exactly how much run-time does StarHalo need for a night time walk or taking out the trash? For that matter, exactly how large of a light are you willing to carry that outputs fewer lumens than the AA size which runs for 60-90 minutes? 


The real question is how long does the Stanley run? As far as I can tell I don't think it has been determined yet. 






> *zapper
> *Anyone think this would make for a good P7 or MC-E host?



I'm not sure if it would be worth it or not. You have a base price of $40 and then you'd spend $30-40 on a P7 or MC-E and driver and you'd still be left with the proprietary NiMH batteries. A person could probably install two or four protected 18650's for another $40-50 but now you're in the territory of a Jetbeam M1X, EagleTac M2/X, Fenix TK40 and a host of other high quality lights which are waterproof, metal bodied and have full factory warranties. For me personally it wouldn't be a worth while mod unless I was just looking for something to do.


----------



## Benson

Patriot said:


> I'm not sure if it would be worth it or not. You have a base price of $40 and then you'd spend $30-40 on a P7 or MC-E and driver and you'd still be left with the proprietary NiMH batteries. A person could probably install two or four protected 18650's for another $40-50 but now you're in the territory of a Jetbeam M1X, EagleTac M2/X, Fenix TK40 and a host of other high quality lights which are waterproof, metal bodied and have full factory warranties. For me personally it wouldn't be a worth while mod unless I was just looking for something to do.


I opened mine up the other day and took a look.

Re: the "proprietary" batteries; it's a shrinkwrapped 6xAAA pack, IIRC 700mAh, with a thermistor. I think there's room in the light for a 6xAA pack instead, using the plug, wires, and thermistor from the original pack, which I'm seriously considering. The main issue is whether I can leverage a bigger battery pack for more brightness, instead of just more runtime (which I expect is adequate already), and I haven't really looked at the driver yet. If I can crank the current up, then either a high-flux low-Vf overdriven XR-E, or an under-driven MC-E or P7 might go nicely. (I doubt it can be cranked to 2.8A, and it's probably not constant-current up to 6.xV for a 2s2p MC-E...)

Not sure about 18650s -- I don't think you can fit them, but I didn't really look, because I'm planning to preserve the original charging circuit. (And I need to see what the charging circuit seems to be doing -- obviously some sort of smart charge termination, given the beep when the battery's full, so I expect it'll be fine with 3-4x capacity cells, but not 100% certain.)

Still haven't gotten the reflector assembly apart to see how I can fix the off-center emitter in mine, which was the driving force behind the dismantlement. Yeah, I was in a hurry and didn't think to pick the one with the best-centered emitter.  I _should_ know better by now...

StarHalo, I suspect the $70 HID beats this in cd/$ , but if I get the emitter lined up over the weekend, you can bet I'll take some [email protected] readings. (I can _just_ make 10m at a ****-eyed angle through my living room, the hallway, and the spare room.) If "budget" can't be stretched to $70, even for an HID, then I think this has a good shot at it.


----------



## StarHalo

Benson said:


> StarHalo, I suspect the $70 HID beats this in cd/$ , but if I get the emitter lined up over the weekend, you can bet I'll take some [email protected] readings. (I can _just_ make 10m at a ****-eyed angle through my living room, the hallway, and the spare room.) If "budget" can't be stretched to $70, even for an HID, then I think this has a good shot at it.



$70 is "budget" only to a flashaholic, keep in mind that the ~$25 for this spotlight is pushing it for most people..

Looking forward to your numbers


----------



## Benson

OK... I got the emitter _more_ centered, but still not perfect. Now I'm getting 177lx @ 10m = 17700 cd (aka [email protected]).

I think it would be well over 20000 cd if I can get it aligned right, but they didn't quite make it easy to adjust.  I'll have another go at it some other time.

It's not quite as fun as I'd thought it would be; the delayed start just feels _wrong_, and the shrieking when I adjust the brightness to high....

I think when I get to seriously modding it, I may just obliterate the driver and put in my own single-mode driver so it comes on when I squeeze the trigger. That makes battery selection much more open.


----------



## StarHalo

Benson said:


> OK... I got the emitter _more_ centered, but still not perfect. Now I'm getting 177lx @ 10m = 17700 cd (aka [email protected]).



That's very impressive, nearly twice the throw of a Mag at nearly the same price. Tiablo A-series territory for $25, definitely an entry-level winner..


----------



## Benson

StarHalo said:


> That's very impressive, nearly twice the throw of a Mag at nearly the same price. Tiablo A-series territory for $25, definitely an entry-level winner..


You keep mentioning $25... where is that? I got mine at Walmart, but it was something like $36, and Amazon has it for $40 -- still budget for me, but I wonder if I missed a better option?


----------



## BlueBeam22

IMHO this light is definitely the best budget LED thrower currently available. To my eyes it is actually generating higher lux than the Dorcy 220 lumen. On distant objects they seem about the same, but I prefer the Stanley's warmer color beam and perfectly formed, extremely intense hotspot.


----------



## L.E.D.

I just bought this as well, not a bad thrower at all, well regulated and has a glass lens..


----------



## BlueBeam22

Congratulations on your new Stanley 5W, L.E.D.. I am very enthusiatic about this light. Please post your impressions on it once you get a chance to test its throw on some distant targets. :thumbsup:


----------



## L.E.D.

Thanks, BlueBeam22, and thanks for your awesome photos too. After a full charge and discharge test, I must say I'm pretty pleased. The battery indicator light will change to red once the voltage starts to sink below a certain level, meaning that it needs charging, but it still runs at the default brightness setting for a good hour after the light turns red. After this, the spotlight will turn off and beep 5 times. To my eye, it seems to be VERY well regulated for the entire runtime, even after the indicator turns red.


----------



## L.E.D.

Well, more observations. There is a huge heatsink for the LED that surrounds barrel, you can feel it heat up pretty quickly. To see this heatsink, take off the rubber bezel by lifting the lip up. They probably used so much metal / sinking to make up for the fact that most of the metal is covered in plastic and rubber. I'm not too fond of the delay between the trigger press and the light turning on, but I think they did this to kind of mimic an HID light, like a mini warm-up time, because the way the circuit also gradually decreases the brightness after you release the trigger to turn it off reminds me of a high powered halogen / HID spotlight, how you can see the afterglow for awhile after it's turned off. So, not fond of the fake warm-up, but love the afterglow effect they did. This light has grown on me, I like it alright. It does have pretty short runtime on high, but it's saving grace is that it stays real bright the whole time, right until the automatic shutdown, really nice regulation. I was able to get a decently centered LED on mine. On default brightness setting, it barely edges out the new D-cell Rebel Maglite (which has impressed me as well with it's better heatsinking and deeper reflector!!). On highest, well, you get the idea.


----------



## BlueBeam22

L.E.D., Thank you for your kind words, and I really enjoyed your impressions on this light. I like the afterglow too. I kind of like the delay between the trigger press and activation, however the fact that it has no memory is the one aspect I dislike.

It is an awesome light, and definitely a throw champion! I now like it many times more than the Dorcy 220 lumen.

I know what you mean about the high setting; it is extremely impressive on default and out throws most other LED lights, but when you turn it up to high its throw is truly shocking.


----------



## L.E.D.

Glad to discuss this light, and I've always enjoyed all your light photoshoots Bluebeam22, you always include great shots of the lights themselves, and medium range and long range shots at all brightness modes. Very concise. Another interesting observation: The charging circuit appears to be a peak charger, rather than a simple timer charger, which is a GREAT aspect. I tested this by plugging in the cord a few minutes after charging, it blinked red for about 15 seconds after which point it turned green and beeped. This means that replacing the 6 AAA 700 mAh NiMH's with 6 AA 2900 mAh NiMH's would require no change in the circuit, it's just a matter of whether or not there's enough space in the case. I've not fully opened mine up yet, someone who has, is there FOR SURE enough space in here? Some 2000 mAh AA Eneloops in here is sounding REAL sexy, charge 'er up and she'll be good for QUITE some time. A correction to make as well, the light beeps SEVEN times at the end of the battery life, at the forced shutdown, not five like I had said, that was just a weak not-paying-attention estimate...


----------



## jagster936

Yea really like this light, someone just needs to figure out how to force the brightness to 100% by default . hmm, must be a way. If only a schematic was available


----------



## ZardHex

Nice review Bluebeam! I stopped at my local WM last night....and low-and-behold...they are _finally_ carrying these Stanley (5W LED, 2MCP Halogen, and 35W HID) lights ...not gonna pull the trigger on a $70 HID purchase yet (My POB still is _quite_ the handy long-range torch )
I noticed the little 5watt sitting on the shelf, curiously fondled the packaging for a few minutes (debating, debating, debating)...I finally came to my senses with my wallet intact and came home and searched CPF and found this thread, and was wondering how it compares to a typical [email protected] ROP-low(by typical, i mean: stock head, smooth KD reflector, borafloat lens, run-of-the-mill protected 18650's, 2A measured at the tail....nothing special)


----------



## Mark620

L.E.D. said:


> This means that replacing the 6 AAA 700 mAh NiMH's with 6 AA 2900 mAh NiMH's would require no change in the circuit, it's just a matter of whether or not there's enough space in the case.



Go for the AA's...there is plenty of room Only Problem would be the length of the pack..it will work.


----------



## talonts

Any update from owners on cramming AA NimH in it?

It's $25 at Lowe's right now, might have to pick one up, but don't have any solder-tab NimH to mess with, nor a 6-cell holder (probably wouldn't fit).


----------



## electrothump

Saw the light for $30 at wally about an hour ago. You can test it in the pack. I was way impressed with the beam in the store. You could see the beam clearly on the walls, and ceiling very clearly, even close to the large metal halides they use for store lighting. I picked up several and "tested" them while there. Had a real nice tight spot, and plenty throw. I think I'll be dropping a few of them in some stockings. Wish I could get them at the same price from somewhere other than a mega shop. I'm always concerned about "the high cost of low prices". Now that it's dark, wish I had already picked one up to test tonight. Oh well, should've, could've, would've.


----------



## electrothump

Went ahead, and took the plunge for one of these. I'm pretty surprised at the throw this little thing has. I like throw, but I also like some spill, or the choice of both in the same light. Charges fast, and is very easy on the hand (light weight). Kinda fun checking out how the led "cools off" after turning it off. It will glow for several seconds. Yeah, a memory of the last used setting would be handy. I also think it takes too long to start the cycle of up or down after pushing the buttons. Haven't taken it apart yet, nor have I had time to check the run time on it. But, so far I like it.


----------



## dda

On default brightness on full charge mine ran 1 hr. 58. min. before shutting down.


----------



## rekd0514

I couldn't find this at Lowes or Walmart here. I only checked one Walmart though. Just curious, what it the item number/SKU at Lowes or Walmart? I would like to see if it is available online possibly. I doubt it.........


----------



## kimjac

Wally world is carrying the Spotlight with a belt clip for $29.99 in Automotive - Atlanta. Go around the corner and they have the same model w/o the belt clip for 39.99????


----------



## Gbcue

Has anybody dis-assembled the light to remove/quiet the noisemaker?

I'm thinking of doing that since those beeps are just too loud.

Any pictures of the insides?

I'm looking at the light and the sides are held together with hexagonal screws vs. the back, phillips screws... Which to disassemble?


----------



## Roberts30

I was at wally world last night to pick up my HID and they had these LED spotlights on sale for $19.99.. (Northern MO) but they might have them on clarence other places. :thumbsup:


----------



## ScottFHall

I've got one of these little Stanley Ultra Bright LED Spotlights. I haven't yet bothered to shut off the irritating beeps when it hits max or min, but I _did_ figure out how to force it to max each time you pull and hold the trigger alone:

Open it up, cut a window in back to hold a little spst on-off slide switch. Solder the new slide switch in so that (in its _on_ position denoted by the little white triangle sticker I added ) it forces the built-in "high" switch to be _constantly on_. This in essence is a _shorting-out the switch to the board_ function that I've added. So you pull and hold the trigger--the circuit finds itself already set "on" for rise and it rises on up in a few seconds to max and commences with the irritating beeps. But at least it's up to max without having to make a second button pushing and hold motion with your same-hand thumb or opposite hand. Ugh, cool little light but what was Stanley thinking with this 80% start and these goofy beeps?

Alternately, when the new spst switch is in the off position (away from the little white triangle), it reverts back to stock function--it just comes up to 80% brightness.

It is a little tedious to do this mod . It's a bit risky to be poking around with there with your exacto knife and soldering iron since the whole thing is so tiny. The clumsy might accidentally kill the whole circuit by trying this. But I like the result--when I start _any_ flashlight up, I want _max_ power asap! :devil:


----------



## dda

I like the default startup for battery conservation. After all, how often do you need the highest brightness level. By my tests, on high you get about 20% more light and less than 1/2 the runtime.


----------



## ScottFHall

That makes good sense--moderate start up for longer battery life. My own approach is usually to run a light for rather shorts bursts at max power rather than to let it burn longtime. I'm usually back inside and recharging long before the batteries are actually drained on any my lights.


----------



## KarstGhost

StarHalo said:


> $70 is "budget" only to a flashaholic, keep in mind that the ~$25 for this spotlight is pushing it for most people...


 
Yeah, I thought getting the Stanley HID was a great deal for $70, but my sister told me earlier tonight I was out of my mind to pay that much for a light. She did admit it was bright.


----------



## Apollo Cree

I got one and am rather impressed. I wasn't expecting much since I've had "5 watt" LED lamps before. I'm guessing the lumens are higher and the reflector is better because it seems to throw a lot better than the other 5 W lights I've used. 

Having to push and hold the buttons to get full light output is a definite design flaw. Needs a switch or memory to come on at full power without any fiddling with the buttons, which takes two hands. 

I find the "slow fade" of the light hilarious. I wonder if it's just an unintended consequence of the circuit design or some sort of deliberate thing.

How does it compare with the Coleman 535 lumen spotlight?


----------



## Dougzilla

Stanley 5 watt LED spotlight Runtimes are in the instruction manual, page 4, at the bottom under USING THE DIMMER SELECTORS

10 hours on minimum
50 minutes on maximum


----------



## Joe_Atlanta

kimjac said:


> Wally world is carrying the Spotlight with a belt clip for $29.99 in Automotive - Atlanta. Go around the corner and they have the same model w/o the belt clip for 39.99????


Took a look at my local WMs, Stone Mtn had only the $39.99 version, Tucker had a whole rack of the $29.99 belt clip version. Well, I would have been losing money not to buy one.....


----------



## IlluminatedOne

I picked up one of these lights and i think there great for the money, got it at walmart for $29.99 with belt clip.

Throws really good even with all the ambient street lighting, i have been meaning to take it out somewhere with less ambient light and see how far it can throw.
It fits nicely in the hand and just seems to be about the right size and weight.

I like the cool afterglow effect and the slight delay in the light coming on does not bother me that much although it would be nice to have instant on.

The only things i find annoying about it is the delay in ramping up and down in brightness when using the buttons on the back, it not remembering the last used brightness setting and the buzzer sounding when it hits full or lowest brightness setting can be annoying when your using it in the dead of night when people are sleeping lol.

I took it the back off the light can see the 6xAAA pack and i also think there would be enough room for a 6xAA pack inside after a bit of trimming of the internal plastic.
Also i think it should not be that hard to remove/disable the buzzer if you simply de-soldered the buzzer from the circuit board.

One thing that would be nice on this light would be a variable trim pot on the back so you could just set it to what brightness you want, leave it there and not have to mess around with the buttons on the back, although that might only be possible with a driver change which would start to add up in cost for this little light.
But then again it is fun to mod things .

By any chance does anyone know what LED emitter is in these lights ?


----------



## Benson

IlluminatedOne said:


> Also i think it should not be that hard to remove/disable the buzzer if you simply de-soldered the buzzer from the circuit board.


Yeah, I did this on mine to go with the brighter-button mod. (Like ScottFHall's, but couldn't find a suitable switch handy, so it's permanent.)


> By any chance does anyone know what LED emitter is in these lights ?


Cree XR-E


----------



## Arnulf

I looked at both the Stanley and the Brinkmann Q-Beam Cree LED spotlights and went with the Q-Beam.....reason.....3 Cree XP-E LEDs.....5hr run time on high 600 lumens and 10hrs run time on low 300 lumens....33 red LEDs for NV.....if you only ran it on low all the time.....its bright enough for most uses.
The Q-beam also come with a quality charger....my Stanley HID came with a really cheap light weight charger.


----------



## IlluminatedOne

I opened my light up and tooks some pics


----------



## alpg88

i did it, had to dremel off few pieces of plastic, and 6aa fit right in, on original pack, just like new one charging current 0.52 amp.
so far i,m charging till red led stops blinking.


----------



## alpg88

bad news, light is dead, but before it died i got some data.
charger shuts off completely after it beeps, as i put new batteries charge time didn't change(about 1-1.5hr), so i suspect, at charging current of .5 amp, it filled aa only to 1\3 capacity, on high it ran about 1 hour, output of the power brick was 12v .5 amp, i,m not sure if i used different brick with differen current, charging current would be the same as brick's out.
i accidentally touched circuit board, and right away considarable amout of smoke, after that light wouldn't turn on. so board is fried, emitter is fine, so i cut it off, might use it someday for a build.


----------



## zapper

Heck yeah! If that big grey thing is a hunk of aluminum, you're almost there already!

Get your favorite board from anywhere (like DX) and just cut out all the other electronics. Solder wires from trigger, battery pack, converter then LED! BAM!

You could even get a pot or rhehostat and put it in place of the up/down buttons!


----------



## kramer5150

alpg88 said:


> bad news, light is dead, but before it died i got some data.
> charger shuts off completely after it beeps, as i put new batteries charge time didn't change(about 1-1.5hr), so i suspect, at charging current of .5 amp, it filled aa only to 1\3 capacity, on high it ran about 1 hour, output of the power brick was 12v .5 amp, i,m not sure if i used different brick with differen current, charging current would be the same as brick's out.
> i accidentally touched circuit board, and right away considarable amout of smoke, after that light wouldn't turn on. so board is fried, emitter is fine, so i cut it off, might use it someday for a build.



Its not a total loss...
Looks like you could gut the whole thing, except the trigger, LED housing and reflector optics. Drop in a pair of 18650s in parallel or an IMR26650. Get a ~1-1.4A driver board from either DX, KD or shiningbeam, and an XRE-Q5. You might have room to fabricate a better heatsink. You'll need a hobby charger though to charge the cell.

**edit**zapper beat me to it.

Is that big gray thing aluminum?


----------



## alpg88

it is metal, light one, not sure if it is aluminium, might be something else


----------



## Apollo Cree

alpg88 said:


> it is metal, light one, not sure if it is aluminium, might be something else



Zinc is another possibility. Apparently, zinc castings are inexpensive and are used a lot.


----------



## Certo

Greetings:

I've not read them all, but have enjoyed many of the posts on this thread. I am not qualified to engage in the tech talk most of you know, nor have I done any comparisons. Here's my thing:

I started with the lap-dog Qbeam with the half-ton replaceable battery about 15 years ago. Living on wooded land and being a photographer, I've enjoyed many hours of night work, including macro (close-up) of insects. As the years passed and living out in the country, Wallyworld has been pretty much my smorgasbord of choice. The longer trip to Big Buck Sports seldom happens. That said, you know how Wallyworld buyers do. Any given product may be here today and forever dismissed tomorrow. Therefore, when I find something I especially like, I'm subject to buying a few extras.

The 5-watt Stanley of this thread came after 14 years of owning various brands and smaller sizes. After a week's use, back at Wallyworld, the shelf was devoid of the product. Over the next few days or so, I made trips to nearby (relatively small) cities and no Walmart carried the product. Now, a year later and the little Stanley going strong, I determined to go online to find it; thus my arrival here.

For me, this little angel has proven the prince of all I've owned, some 12-15 different spots. Whether shooting telephoto or macro, I'm outfitted with powerful flash that's reducible for macro. I hold the spotlight horizontally, like television shows picture Mexican gangsters with a handgun. Nestled between the body of the light and the back of my hand, rests the telephoto lens, pointed at the target of the spot. Focused and ready to click, I release the spot's trigger and zap the target with the flash.

There may be 30 reasons why many people would need something other than this light. But for me, it's the finest thing I've owned and had put out countless hours for more than a year... not remembering just when I purchased it. Even Sunpak's 622 Pro megalith flash head, won't reach what the little Stanley illuminates.

I realize I can cradle the camera lens in my wrist while holding a cylindrical lamp, but I seem to be more steady with the handled spot. Go figure.

Bang for the buck and small enough to pocket in my jeans, the 5-watt Stanley gets all five stars, uhm, thumbs up from me. (No stars in the emoticons collection.)

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

:thanks: for your many commentaries and especially the images.

Certo


----------



## jmnt089

Would be really interested to see how my B/D l.e.d. spotlight compares to this one. I went with the B/D because it was not rechargeable, those lights just don't seem to be worth the energy. My B/D seems to be as good as, if not a bit better than my Vector 3m spotlight. I will get some beam shots Monday night after work. 

My biggest light is the Vector 3m candle power, however, Black and Decker also has the same light. The only difference I can tell is that mine is silver with l.e.d.s and the B/D is the traditional orange and black. However, it is a bit misleading as 3m, when it is actually 2- 1.5m bulbs. And, when I run it on high power, it will only last for 30-45 minutes, which makes it almost useless. 

This little B/D l.e.d. spotlight seems to match up nicely, if not beat the Vector. Plus, for a $20.00 price tag, my B/D l.e.d. spotlight seems like quite a bargain.


----------



## woof

Newbie with a newb question here. I just got one of these and already lost the manual. Should this battery be allowed to go totally dead before charging, or can it be recharged at any time. Is there a danger of over-charging? Basically, how do I handle recharge to keep the light happy? Thanks in advance!


----------



## woof

woof said:


> Newbie with a newb question here. I just got one of these and already lost the manual. Should this battery be allowed to go totally dead before charging, or can it be recharged at any time. Is there a danger of over-charging? Basically, how do I handle recharge to keep the light happy? Thanks in advance!



Am I asking this in the wrong section?


----------



## DM51

Welcome to CPF, woof 

You asked in the correct place. I'm a little surprised you have not yet received a reply, but I hope someone will be along soon to help you. 

I don't know the light myself, but as a rule you should not allow any battery to go dead before recharging it. Certainly in the short term, you will do less damage if you top it up whenever it gets to say 50%.

As to the manual, have you checked to see if you can download it online? Many manufacturers post their manuals online now.


----------



## woof

DM51 said:


> Welcome to CPF, woof
> 
> You asked in the correct place. I'm a little surprised you have not yet received a reply, but I hope someone will be along soon to help you.
> 
> I don't know the light myself, but as a rule you should not allow any battery to go dead before recharging it. Certainly in the short term, you will do less damage if you top it up whenever it gets to say 50%.
> 
> As to the manual, have you checked to see if you can download it online? Many manufacturers post their manuals online now.



Thanks. I have looked for the manual online and have not found it. But as I recall, it was very sketchy and not much help. I have googled recharging nimh batteries and found contradictory info - one that yes, you should let them go dead or even have a charger that fully discharges them befor recharging. But then another site will say no, recharge at anytime as long as you have a charger that won't allow an overcharge.

This is why I was looking for some input from someone who has this light. Still looking!


----------



## DM51

Bumping this thread... can no-one help with woof's question?


----------



## baterija

Woof, based on what I have gathered in the batteries subforum here from the experts:

- NiMh don't like being overdischarged and can suffer damage if they are. It's best not to run them all the way to dead.
- Ever so often a relatively full discharge can be beneficial. Call that a little before the light is dead.
- You won't really cause serious issues if you simply use them and recharge after a partial discharge.


----------



## woof

baterija said:


> Woof, based on what I have gathered in the batteries subforum here from the experts:
> 
> - NiMh don't like being overdischarged and can suffer damage if they are. It's best not to run them all the way to dead.
> - Ever so often a relatively full discharge can be beneficial. Call that a little before the light is dead.
> - You won't really cause serious issues if you simply use them and recharge after a partial discharge.



Thanks much! Do you know if the charger that comes with this light shuts off before an overcharge level is reached? Or is it just on a timer which assumes how much charge they need? ps I didn't see a batteries subforum?


----------



## IlluminatedOne

When its charged it beeps to tell you its charged, it is not a timed charger inside as it if you wait until it beeps and unplug it and then wait a min and plug it back in the light will take a short time to beep again 1-3mins or so.

It definitely has a smart charger built in and i would guess it has a peak charger with a thermistor to shut it down if the pack gets too hot.

It also shuts it self down when the battery needs charging with a few beeps when your using it, so it wont let you drain the battery completely and then just recharge it.

So i would say you should not have to worry too much when charging it or when using it as it will tell you when it needs charging or when it is charged.

Although in the manual it states not to leave it charging for longer than 2hours and it said that to charge the light should take 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

It also mentions charging it after you use it each time.

Have fun with your light i really like mine.


----------



## elumen8

woof said:


> ps I didn't see a batteries subforum?


 
Hi woof, here's a link to the batteries sub-forum. Plenty of good info there.

BTW, how do you like the Stanley spotlight so far?

JB


----------



## Apollo Cree

The light appears to shut off automatically at some level of discharge. I'm not quite sure whether it's a "save the batteries" shutoff or a "circuit abruptly stops working due to low voltage" shutoff.


----------



## woof

elumen8 said:


> Hi woof, here's a link to the batteries sub-forum. Plenty of good info there.
> 
> BTW, how do you like the Stanley spotlight so far?
> 
> JB



Thanks for all the answers. I bought this light for one purpose - I have 2 horses and like to check on them when they are in the pasture at night without going outside. On the default setting I can easily spot a dark brown horse against a dark brown treeline a hundred yards out from my kitchen window. Love it!


----------



## elumen8

elumen8 said:


> Hi woof, here's a link to the batteries sub-forum. Plenty of good info there.


 
Edit: Ooops, my link didn't stick the first time. Here it is if you hadn't found it already. http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=9

Glad you like the light...I may have to pick one up myself.

JB


----------



## Karl in NY

OK, where is the current lowest price on these?
They seem to vary between $20 and $40, the lower prices being expired short-term sales. 

The Amazon site is not very specific regarding features...does this ship with an AC charger? 

I'm really more interested in a car charger, one that can be left permanently connected to the light without over-charging the battery and reducing its useful life expectancy.

Suggestions?

Thank you-

Karl


----------



## Rusty Joe

Karl in NY said:


> OK, where is the current lowest price on these?
> They seem to vary between $20 and $40, the lower prices being expired short-term sales.
> 
> The Amazon site is not very specific regarding features...does this ship with an AC charger?
> 
> I'm really more interested in a car charger, one that can be left permanently connected to the light without over-charging the battery and reducing its useful life expectancy.
> 
> Suggestions?
> 
> Thank you-
> 
> Karl


 
I bought it and took it back. Just wasn't bright enough. Walmart had this one to me at $37. Ships with a wall charger only, I think. And you're not supposed to leave it plugged in. If you don't already have it, why not get the battery-less Q-beam 3 mil? That way, you just leave it plugged into the car.


----------



## Karl in NY

I was looking for a spotlight that would recharge in the car, but necessarily to use in the car itself, so a battery pack would be mandatory.

I was hoping for a "smart" charger (like what's available for lead-acid batteries) so I would not need to be diligent about charging it all the time.


----------



## Robstorch

*Re: Stanley 5 Watt LED Spotlight has only one speed..*

I just got mine at Walmart tonight, nice light perfect size. It was dead in the pack but a 2 hour charge got it fixed. This is the one for $29 with the belt clip. I only have one brightness level which I think is low. Low is actually pretty darn bright. pushing the buttons on the back has no effect on brightness. No beeps except when it finishes charging. I see someone else mentioned this before. Looks like I need to return it.

UPDATE: Must have been operator error on my part. I was not holding the up or down buttons long enough! Once turned on, its pretty darn bright, and is changable from the buttons on the back.
It is not dark yet so I cant tell how bright it gets at its highest but it sure throws a nice laser like
spot a good distance.
I was going to return it to another walmart but they had another there for $29 so I got it to test with.
No idea why the ones in the blister packs are $39 without the belt clip and in the box they are $29 with
the belt clip!


----------



## Tertullus

I recently purchased the Stanley 5 Watt LED as a backup to my Big Gun. I am a boater and I have only one use for spotlights. When I am running at night, I use them to pick up the markers that mark the channel. What I do not want is a lot of spill light that reflects off the white deck of the boat and makes it harder to see things out on the water.

For my purposes the Stanley is truly excellent. It has a tightly focused narrow beam - exactly what I need. Last night I tried it for the first time, and it is no longer by backup. It is the new champion. The Big Gun puts out a LOT more light, but puts it (relatively speaking) all over the place. The Stanley puts it where I need it - on the reflector of the marker. It is also very lightweight and I can just turn it off and drop it and the wrist loop keeps it handy for the next marker. Any boaters out there should give this one a try.


----------



## r1derbike

Picked-up one of these. Seems an "OK" light, for the money ($39.00). Will give it to my wife for a walk-around after dark light.

It's light, small, and really bright (the housing...it's yellow).

If I found another on sale, I'd pick one up again. At 40 bucks, it's pushing the high limit of what it's worth.

Charles


----------



## IlluminatedOne

I have recently modded mine to take 6XAA rather than the AAA pack that's in there normally.
When i have a chance i will do some runtimes, but the pack i put in there was 1200mah to 1500mah so should get me nearly twice the capacity of the stock 700mah pack in there. 
I will maybe upgrade the pack in the future to something like eneloop's but the AA's i had were already in a pack that fitted the light. 

Charging did not seem to be a problem as the pack went in pretty much discharged and after a hour or two the pack was charged with a beep. 

Its not too hard to put in 6XAA and seems like it was made to take them in the first place as the AA's fit in perfectly after cutting of a few bits of plastic.
Just used a dremel to remove the plastic, then took the shrink wrap off the original pack, de soldered the wires and took the temp sensor out of the pack.
Soldered the battery cable back onto the new pack and inserted the temp sensor, put it back together and it all worked fine.

What i would really like though is to be able to change the power output of the driver. 
So i could set a much higher high and also set a lower low, but still be able to use the buttons to ramp it up and down.
It would be awesome to have a moonlight mode and also a really high mode. 

Its a great little light though especially as the weather is getting colder nice to hold on to with gloves compared to my Quark AA2 which i find a little too small for my hands and even more so with gloves on.


----------



## robert w

I just bought one at walmart.My son had one in deer camp and i was impressed we were spotting deer a quarter mile or more.The battery life is amazing and when the charge indicator light comes on it will still work at full power for a long time.It charges in less than 2 hours.It shines a small super concentrated beam a long distance.:huh:


----------



## Doxiedad

Looking for a light to spot critters in the backyard @ about 50m

Would this be a Better choice over a 2d mag with cree xr-e?

Or another suggestion under $50 and available at a big box retailer.


----------



## Doxiedad

Well I found the Mag 2D LED with the XR-E and was able to get two of them for $17.95 each from Lowes. I'll give them a try and if that doesn't work the Stanley will still be available.


----------



## alpg88

after i killed mine,(earlier in the thread i posted detalies), i used a reflector from it on the different light i moded, but i got rid of xr-e, i put xm-l in that reflector, huge difference, it is in my avatar, in the center of that big gray light.


----------



## IlluminatedOne

Just tested the Lux on my Stanley 5W Led and it came out at a bit above 30k [email protected] using my DX Lux meter so not a bad thrower.


----------



## FRITZHID

i got one of these for my son for x-mas (he's always admired my stanley HID, so i figured a Jr version would be a good light for him) and he loves it,... as do i! a very impressive lil LED spotlight. def worth the $ IMO, its taken a beating (12yr old boys' toy) and keeps on running, yes the beep is annoying, yes the lag when changing levels is tedious, and yes the delay with trigger pull is a tad irritating, but the afterglow from the driver caps is neat, it's lightweight, lasts a Long time per charge, and throws plenty for our area in the city. i took the liberty of adding a GITD ring around the bottom of the reflector just at the flat spot, dident interfere with beam at all and looks really cool at night, and makes it easier to find in the dark. looking at a few other possible mods as well, including a batt pack upgrade and maybe a smooth dimming/memory driver circuit.


----------



## lingpau

Stanleys 5 watt Waterproof LED spotlight is now 520 Lumens!


----------

