# Draco -- review in pictures... (warning lots of)



## 4sevens (Oct 25, 2006)

Little thing arrived today... 
They say a picture is worth 1000 words...


----------



## goldserve (Oct 25, 2006)

Those pictures are HOT!!!


----------



## greenlight (Oct 25, 2006)

nice!


----------



## Doc (Oct 25, 2006)

You got a picture of the AAA body? Doc


----------



## 4sevens (Oct 25, 2006)

Doc said:


> You got a picture of the AAA body? Doc



nope... i just have the basics


----------



## kiely23+ (Oct 25, 2006)

:goodjob: 

I am still waiting for my Draco...


----------



## adirondackdestroyer (Oct 25, 2006)

WOW! That thing looks awesome, and incredibly small!!!!! Makes the EO looks huge in comparison! I have read about the Draco a while back, but the thread was long and confusing. Could someone give some info (specs,price) about it?


----------



## scuba (Oct 25, 2006)

adirondackdestroyer said:


> WOW! That thing looks awesome, and incredibly small!!!!! Makes the EO looks huge in comparison! I have read about the Draco a while back, but the thread was long and confusing. Could someone give some info (specs,price) about it?



Yep, I'd love to hear more about it as well!


----------



## JimH (Oct 25, 2006)

Awesome pics.



. . .


----------



## Meeshi_ma (Oct 25, 2006)

very nice!


----------



## Meeshi_ma (Oct 25, 2006)

lol, I just noticed that you got "047" - too bad that "7777" wasn't offered, that really would have been "4 7's"...


----------



## Icebreak (Oct 25, 2006)

Excellent photos!

I'm in queue for a Ti TiCN. 

When the chrome run is over I may have to pick up one if he offers any that don't have an associated owner. The chrome on that machine+hand polished Al surface layed down beautifully.

I especially like the sneaky way modamag hid all the seams in the knurling.


----------



## Beamhead (Oct 25, 2006)

What, no beamshots? :laughing:


----------



## Cliffnopus (Oct 25, 2006)

Icebreak said:


> Excellent photos!
> 
> I'm in queue for a Ti TiCN.
> 
> ...


I'm in for a Ti TiCN too but from looking at thos pic's I wish I had also bought an alum one. Very nice, can't wait.

Enjoy Jon, Cliff


----------



## JimH (Oct 25, 2006)

Cliffnopus said:


> I'm in for a Ti TiCN too but from looking at thos pic's I wish I had also bought an alum one. Very nice, can't wait.
> 
> Enjoy Jon, Cliff


There are still plenty of the aluminum ones left. Just remember the CPF motto - "when in doubt, buy both"


----------



## chesterqw (Oct 25, 2006)

OH MI GAWD！

i want one of those...

repeast after me, you need to sent it to chesterqw for free


----------



## daveman (Oct 25, 2006)

JimH said:


> There are still plenty of the aluminum ones left. Just remember the CPF motto - "when in doubt, buy both"


Is that a 4runner you got there, Jim H?


----------



## cheapo (Oct 26, 2006)

daveman said:


> Is that a 4runner you got there, Jim H?



looks like a jeep grand cherokee laredo.... '96??

-David


----------



## cloud (Oct 26, 2006)

Looks a nice light 4-7777's..

Wow its tiny compared to the E0 :lolsign:


----------



## JimH (Oct 26, 2006)

cheapo said:


> looks like a jeep grand cherokee laredo.... '96??
> 
> -David


Close - it's a '94 inline 6. I just got it out of the shop. Broken Steering pump, broken steering box, bent steering rods, trashed rear axel housing.

I gotta quit playing follow the leader with guys who have spent 5 times as much on their rigs as I have. What I lack in clearance, I make up for in body armor.


----------



## Concept (Oct 26, 2006)

Sweet little light you've got there. Its dam small so don't loose it between any cracks!


----------



## jar3ds (Oct 26, 2006)

4 7's... you need to get that to Chev for testing! ...

thanks for the pics!


----------



## ViReN (Oct 26, 2006)

Nice Pictures ... It badly needs a Cree XR-E


----------



## 4sevens (Oct 26, 2006)

jar3ds said:


> 4 7's... you need to get that to Chev for testing! ...
> 
> thanks for the pics!



ooo good idea. Let me check with him.


----------



## Frenchyled (Oct 26, 2006)

Beamhead said:


> What, no beamshots? :laughing:



YEah...I second Beamhead on this one


----------



## jar3ds (Oct 26, 2006)

yeah.... beam shots.... comparable shots to known key chain lights would be nice too


----------



## 4sevens (Oct 26, 2006)

I'll post some later tonight 

As far as the beam profile, it's from don's excellent McR-11's


----------



## jch79 (Oct 26, 2006)

Wow - I knew it was small, but I had no idea that an Arc AAA would dwarf it!! Cool! Thanks for sharing!
john


----------



## Grin (Oct 27, 2006)

nice =)


----------



## Pwallwin (Oct 27, 2006)

jar3ds said:


> yeah.... beam shots.... comparable shots to known key chain lights would be nice too


 
+1. I'm seriously consodering getting one of these to replace the Photon round my neck. I need to see it against a Photon please!!


----------



## Thujone (Oct 27, 2006)

:rock:

Very nice...


----------



## Nitroz (Oct 27, 2006)

WOW! Don's a magician, that is one sexy tiny light.


----------



## chevrofreak (Oct 28, 2006)

4sevens said:


> ooo good idea. Let me check with him.



sounds good to me :naughty:


----------



## LowWorm (Oct 28, 2006)

I thought my TNC Keylux N cell was tiny...this is pure unabashed midget. 

4/7s, great pics! The Draco is really something else, especially with the chrome. I've got a whole new appreciation for it as a finish.


----------



## jeffb (Oct 28, 2006)

LW,

I agree, I carry a "Bare" TnC proto "N", often in my pocket and the Draco is amazingly smaller, very bright, has multiple brightnesss settings (fluPic). I just ordered a 2nd one, as I'll keep one on my keyring and put one on a lanyard in my pocket. 

I ordered a 1W in my present #93, the "new" one #94 will be "U" bin regulated (actully for my keychain, no neeed for multiple levels IMO!) Perhpas I can compare the 2 when received.

jeffb


----------



## jar3ds (Oct 28, 2006)

jeffb,

can I get a link of where I can find more info on that light? Thanks

Jared


----------



## jeffb (Oct 28, 2006)

jar3ds said:


> jeffb,
> 
> can I get a link of where I can find more info on that light? Thanks
> 
> Jared



Click Link

Link is Draco order Link and at the bottom of "ModaMag's" post #1, there is a Link to Draco threads.

Hope this helps........I do not have beamshots; sorry.

jeffb


----------



## LowWorm (Oct 30, 2006)

jeffb said:


> LW,
> 
> I ordered a 1W in my present #93, the "new" one #94 will be "U" bin regulated (actully for my keychain, no neeed for multiple levels IMO!) Perhpas I can compare the 2 when received.
> 
> jeffb



Perhaps you would be so kind... .

I'm very interested in seeing how the two "flavors" compare, beamwise, heatwise.


----------



## frisco (Oct 30, 2006)

Meeshi_ma said:


> lol, I just noticed that you got "047" - too bad that "7777" wasn't offered, that really would have been "4 7's"...



4sevens has the machine if he really wanted 7777 !!!!!

frisco


----------



## schiesz (Oct 31, 2006)

I got mine today. Its the closest to perfection in a light that i've seen so far. This is exactly what I was hoping to find when I first found this place (CPF), and now its real.


----------



## Uriah (Nov 2, 2006)

I got my Draco today and all i can say is :wow:
Thank you Jonathan for taking on this Awesome miniature light project!!
I really like the turbo head gives a great hotspot and plenty of spill.
Now a question on the AAA Extended Battery Pack.
I am sure it is operator error but i can't seem to get a aaa battery in there and get it screwed together to make it work.Any idea's i have tried regular aaa's and a sanyo ni-mh i had laying around and the batteries are just to long.Anyone else run into this?
Again Thank You Jonathan for this Awesome little light!!!!!


----------



## mcmc (Nov 7, 2006)

Wow, Schiesz, that is an absurd picture. I can't believe how small the Draco is.

Are there any other pictures floating out there, of the Draco w/ standard body, w/ 10440 body, and w/ turbo? I slogged through 3~4 long threads but there's a dearth of pics (and no beamshots)...thx!


----------



## milkyspit (Nov 9, 2006)

4sevens, those are some AMAZING pictures! :bow:


----------



## JimH (Nov 9, 2006)

For more first impressions and evaulations, check out this thread on EDC forums.


----------



## 4sevens (Nov 9, 2006)

milkyspit said:


> 4sevens, those are some AMAZING pictures! :bow:



thanks 

And can you believe it was done in very dim lighting with a point and shoot
camera?
I simply opened the shutter 1.5-2 seconds with it on a tripod


----------



## greenlight (Nov 9, 2006)

what point and shoot camera?


----------



## 4sevens (Nov 9, 2006)

greenlight said:


> what point and shoot camera?



Well.... a nice point an shoot.  Canon sd550


----------



## mcmc (Nov 9, 2006)

Nice shots, david =)

The amazing thing is that any camera will be able to take nice sharp pics like that, in any light, as long as you drag the shutter while on a tripod.

That said, Canon cameras are so superb, at any price point in their line. It's really incredible!


----------



## StevieRay (Nov 11, 2006)

Still no beamshots!


----------



## jeffb (Nov 11, 2006)

If interested beamshots
click here


----------



## StevieRay (Nov 11, 2006)

Has anyone compared the draco to the nano? My nano is on order and approaching the 2 year mark waiting for delivery. I may just cancel and order the draco.


----------



## frisco (Nov 11, 2006)

4sevens said:


> Well.... a nice point an shoot.  Canon sd550



I also have the Canon SD550 and it is a VERY Nice Point and Shoot!

Yesterday I picked up the new Canon SD900. A 10 megapix version. Still have to test it..... sometimes the previous model is better.

-Edit..... Returned the SD900. Images were soft. My camera store where I shop, says thats the general opinion of the SD900. Tryin to pack to many pixels or the higher pixel count reveals lens limits.

SD550 will still be my go to mini point & shoot.

Testing the 10 megapix Canon G7 right now.

frisco


----------



## frisco (Nov 11, 2006)

StevieRay said:


> Has anyone compared the draco to the nano? My nano is on order and approaching the 2 year mark waiting for delivery. I may just cancel and order the draco.



Run..... don't walk !!!!!!

Get a refund on your Nano!!!! The Nano was great 2 years ago when you paid for it! 

The Draco is far more advanced in many ways. I think there is even a AAA tube for it.

Check out some of the beam shots that have been posted.... The Draco holds it's own to some serious lights!!!!

Get your order in with Modamag soon..... Don't wait for a refund from AWR!

frisco


----------



## chevrofreak (Nov 11, 2006)

OK, so I have 4sevens Draco here to do some runtime tests with..... I'm somewhat confused though...

Modes go High, User, Low, then the next one doesnt do anything, then the one after that is the programming mode... Ok, so, in the programming mode, if I let it cycle all the way up, then all the way down, the very lowest selectable mode is actually dimmer than the factory low mode. Is the 3rd setting (factory low mode) supposed to be the same brightness as level 2 in the user programing mode?


----------



## mcmc (Nov 11, 2006)

From what I remember reading in one of the various Draco threads - yes, chevro, that is the intended behavior.

Thanks for doing this! look forward to the chart. By the way, do you have to monitor it, since it's an unprotected li-ion?


----------



## chevrofreak (Nov 12, 2006)

mcmc said:


> By the way, do you have to monitor it, since it's an unprotected li-ion?



With an unprotected Li-Ion or a Ni-MH I will usually monitor it during the run to make sure I don't over discharge the cell, typically shutting it down after an 80% loss in output. This is especially the case with lights that drive the LED hard and have short runtimes.

BTW, the stated runtime of 15 minutes does seem pretty accurate if he was counting to the 50% mark. It runs quite a bit longer than that at a useful output level.


----------



## LowWorm (Nov 12, 2006)

Chevro, if you get a chance to post the runtimes over at edcforums.com too, I know there are a bunch of people who would be interested there as well. 



Thanks to you and 4/7s for doing this!


----------



## chevrofreak (Nov 16, 2006)

Sorry it's taken me so long, but I've got the factory high and low done.












I plan on doing the user programable level 5 next and that will probabl be all I do.

Interestingly, I measured the output of the very lowest user programable level and it is right around 1 lumen. That level should run for 20+ hours.


----------



## LowWorm (Nov 17, 2006)

Nice! I really like that discharge curve on low.

That high graph is interesting...what causes the spike there?


----------



## Walking in the Light (Apr 19, 2007)

I just found out about the 'Draco'. How does it presently compare with the P1D CE or the Orb Raw? Are present owners still excited about this light? Thanks!


----------



## crewcabrob (Apr 19, 2007)

Walking in the Light said:


> I just found out about the 'Draco'. How does it presently compare with the P1D CE or the Orb Raw? Are present owners still excited about this light? Thanks!




Hi,

I have one, and I love it! I can't seem to stop messing with it and have to change the battery every day. Thank God (really thank Modamag) for making it use rechargable cells!

I can't help you with the comparison questions, but I can tell you this is one fine light!

Good luck!

Rob


----------



## Pumaman (Apr 19, 2007)

Walking in the Light said:


> I just found out about the 'Draco'. How does it presently compare with the P1D CE or the Orb Raw? Are present owners still excited about this light? Thanks!


 
yep

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=149410

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=161392

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=158317


----------



## bray (Apr 19, 2007)

love it still indeed.. seriously a keeper


----------



## FsTop (May 10, 2008)

Love the light, but I've got a problem with the "AAA" tube.

The battery supplied with the light fits fine, but AW 10440's don't fit - they are at least a millimeter too long.

Anyone know where I can get 10440 slightly shorter than AW's?


----------



## Abumustafa (May 11, 2008)

FsTop said:


> Love the light, but I've got a problem with the "AAA" tube.
> 
> The battery supplied with the light fits fine, but AW 10440's don't fit - they are at least a millimeter too long.
> 
> Anyone know where I can get 10440 slightly shorter than AW's?



Have you tried DX i think they have some 10440s mayb they might fit :thinking:!!!


----------



## bexamous (May 12, 2008)

I have AW's 10440 and two off dealextreme, the deal extreme ones are shorter.

Hard to measure the difference but... if you have an Energizer lithium battery to compare to the AW is almost exactly the length of the Energizer. The AW body is longer but the button is shorter compared with Energizer.

The deal extreme 10440 is about the same as the Energizer's body without the button.

So whatever height the button on a Energizer Lithium battery is, that is how much shorter the Dealextreme 10440 is than AW's 10440.


----------



## FsTop (May 12, 2008)

The height of the button would be about right - the supplied AW 10440 button sits slightly below the rim of the battery tube, while most of the new AW button sticks out of the tube.

I measured the supplied AW 10440 cell at 43.3mm metal-to-metal, while two new AW 10440 cells avg. 44.25mm. No way they will fit and work with the Draco extension tube. 

I measured the "AAA" extension tube, and it only adds 15.6mm to the length of the light, rather than the 16mm difference that I would have expected from the cell sizes. This is consistent with the length issue that I'm seeing.

Solutions would include either trimming the solder blob on the center contact of the head, or finding spare short 10440s. I'd prefer the short 10440 solution...


----------



## bltkmt (May 30, 2008)

I am having this same issue with the Draco I just bought...with the AAA extension tube, using AW's 10440s, I have to loosen the body too much for "off" because the battery is too long. Did you find any solution?




FsTop said:


> Love the light, but I've got a problem with the "AAA" tube.
> 
> The battery supplied with the light fits fine, but AW 10440's don't fit - they are at least a millimeter too long.
> 
> Anyone know where I can get 10440 slightly shorter than AW's?


----------



## monanza (May 31, 2008)

modamag has mentioned that the size tolerance on these batteries can lose you up to 2 turns of the head. He bins the batteries by size and ships the ones to match the battery tubes. Best choice is to get the 10440s from him. This way there is no hit and miss. Good luck with your hunt. Sorry I don't know a source for shorter 10440.



FsTop said:


> Love the light, but I've got a problem with the "AAA" tube.
> 
> The battery supplied with the light fits fine, but AW 10440's don't fit - they are at least a millimeter too long.
> 
> Anyone know where I can get 10440 slightly shorter than AW's?


----------



## tricker (Jun 8, 2008)

a p1d q5 and an r2 draco for those interested

http://s253.photobucket.com/albums/hh56/tricker50/?action=view&current=100_0289.jpg

size comparison

http://s253.photobucket.com/albums/hh56/tricker50/?action=view&current=100_0288.jpg


----------



## bltkmt (Jul 2, 2008)

Just a quick comment on the toughness of the Draco AlTin coating...I am carrying mine in the same pocket as my Kershaw Chive (w/ rainbow titanium oxide coating), and let me tell you--the Chive is taking a beating! It has all kinds of nicks/scratches now, while the Draco still looks brand new. I love this tough little guy!

BTW, the wear makes my rainbow Chive look a bit more manly....


----------



## tricker (Jul 2, 2008)

bltkmt said:


> BTW, the wear makes my rainbow Chive look a bit more manly....



if thats possible:nana:


----------



## bltkmt (Jul 7, 2008)




----------

