- Joined
- May 15, 2012
- Messages
- 1,877
Jon Slider the other night drew my attention to a new light available on AZ, the "Erwinyte" AAA. I purchased one, and here is my brief review: I'll be returning it.
The good things:
The light bears a strong physical resemblance to the old Thrunite Ti3 (or Maratac), but it is about 3mm shorter.
I ordered the NW option, and the color is quite warm -- probably around 3000K. I cannot tell how high the CRI is, but I thought it brought out reds, oranges, and browns very successfully. It's an SST-20, and I find no fault with the quality of the light.
The reflector is decent. Less of a hotspot than the old Ti3, a bit ringy, but not too bad.
The high level may not be exactly 180 lumens -- I cannot tell -- but it is a bit brighter than the old Ti3's high mode of 120. I would guess it is at least 150, so no complaints there.
The firefly is good, though not as low as the 0.04 that it claims to have. Even the Ti3's claimed 0.04 is more like 0.1-0.2, and the Erwinyte is probably more like 0.3-0.5. The Ti3 tailcap reading is about 5ma, the Erwinyte is 11ma, so roughly twice the current. It's a different emitter and driver, so I cannot say that the lumens are exactly doubled, but something like double or triple the output. I do not list the higher lumens on firefly as a bad feature, because a lot of people may prefer the slightly less extreme firefly mode. It is still a sublumen mode, for the sublumen fans, but not as low as advertised.
The bad things:
The website promises four levels: firefly (0.04), low (12), medium (60) and high (180). That's what the paper documentation says, too. Except the second page of the paper documentation says it only has firefly, low, high, and that is correct: in fact, this is a 3-mode light, not a 4-mode light. It would be nice if the people writing up the user's guide could get their story straight from one page to the next.
The description of the cycle is not accurate, either: they say it goes FF-L-H-FF-L-H-Strobe, i.e. two complete cycles before strobe. Instead, it goes FF-L-H-FF-L-Strobe, i.e. the strobe replaces the second High mode.
Here is the absolute worst thing, and the reason I am returning it: this light always comes on in the next mode in the cycle, no matter how long it has been off. There is no reset to the start of the cycle, as the Ti3 had. If you used Firefly mode two months ago, it will turn on in Low. If you used the second Low 2 years ago, it will turn on in Strobe. It turns on in Strobe every sixth time you turn it on. There is no way to avoid it. There is no getting around the Strobe.
If you bought this light so that you can wake up in the middle of the night and use a firefly mode to preserve your night vision, then here's a sick joke: it is going to come on in Strobe mode, 1 in 6 times. That is not acceptable.
The switching also has a funny lag, like a noticeable pause of a few milliseconds before the light turns on. Not a terrible thing, but a bit odd.
Packaging: cute tin box with foam cut-outs. Short chain with a lobster-claw, extra O-ring. There is one cut-out clearly intended for a silicone diffuser, but no diffuser is included.
In general, this light feels like it is not ready for prime-time. The lack of a fourth mode -- a documented fourth mode! -- is a problem. If the driver had a normal reset -- i.e. if it always came on in Firefly -- then I'd put up with the other problems. But forcing me to see Strobe every sixth time is the dealbreaker. Back it goes.
The good things:
The light bears a strong physical resemblance to the old Thrunite Ti3 (or Maratac), but it is about 3mm shorter.
I ordered the NW option, and the color is quite warm -- probably around 3000K. I cannot tell how high the CRI is, but I thought it brought out reds, oranges, and browns very successfully. It's an SST-20, and I find no fault with the quality of the light.
The reflector is decent. Less of a hotspot than the old Ti3, a bit ringy, but not too bad.
The high level may not be exactly 180 lumens -- I cannot tell -- but it is a bit brighter than the old Ti3's high mode of 120. I would guess it is at least 150, so no complaints there.
The firefly is good, though not as low as the 0.04 that it claims to have. Even the Ti3's claimed 0.04 is more like 0.1-0.2, and the Erwinyte is probably more like 0.3-0.5. The Ti3 tailcap reading is about 5ma, the Erwinyte is 11ma, so roughly twice the current. It's a different emitter and driver, so I cannot say that the lumens are exactly doubled, but something like double or triple the output. I do not list the higher lumens on firefly as a bad feature, because a lot of people may prefer the slightly less extreme firefly mode. It is still a sublumen mode, for the sublumen fans, but not as low as advertised.
The bad things:
The website promises four levels: firefly (0.04), low (12), medium (60) and high (180). That's what the paper documentation says, too. Except the second page of the paper documentation says it only has firefly, low, high, and that is correct: in fact, this is a 3-mode light, not a 4-mode light. It would be nice if the people writing up the user's guide could get their story straight from one page to the next.
The description of the cycle is not accurate, either: they say it goes FF-L-H-FF-L-H-Strobe, i.e. two complete cycles before strobe. Instead, it goes FF-L-H-FF-L-Strobe, i.e. the strobe replaces the second High mode.
Here is the absolute worst thing, and the reason I am returning it: this light always comes on in the next mode in the cycle, no matter how long it has been off. There is no reset to the start of the cycle, as the Ti3 had. If you used Firefly mode two months ago, it will turn on in Low. If you used the second Low 2 years ago, it will turn on in Strobe. It turns on in Strobe every sixth time you turn it on. There is no way to avoid it. There is no getting around the Strobe.
If you bought this light so that you can wake up in the middle of the night and use a firefly mode to preserve your night vision, then here's a sick joke: it is going to come on in Strobe mode, 1 in 6 times. That is not acceptable.
The switching also has a funny lag, like a noticeable pause of a few milliseconds before the light turns on. Not a terrible thing, but a bit odd.
Packaging: cute tin box with foam cut-outs. Short chain with a lobster-claw, extra O-ring. There is one cut-out clearly intended for a silicone diffuser, but no diffuser is included.
In general, this light feels like it is not ready for prime-time. The lack of a fourth mode -- a documented fourth mode! -- is a problem. If the driver had a normal reset -- i.e. if it always came on in Firefly -- then I'd put up with the other problems. But forcing me to see Strobe every sixth time is the dealbreaker. Back it goes.
![img].jpeg](https://cdn.candlepowerforums.com/a/66890-769d10ec787913b8f0f9629f0114f9b4/img%5D.jpeg "img].jpeg")
![Pampers Sensitive Baby Wipes, Clinically Proven, Fragrance Free, Unscented, Water Based, Hypoallergenic, Multi-Use, Hand Wipes 336 Wipes Total (6X Flip-Top Packs) [Packaging May Vary]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41KLBHu9CAL._SL500_.jpg)
![img].jpeg](https://cdn.candlepowerforums.com/a/66950-d742895a1df3a22bb0c382ff08d128fc/img%5D.jpeg "img].jpeg")
