Keychain Light Auditions

[dc38]

they both seem to run for 60 minutes (disclaim: graphs are from different reviewers)
View attachment 76069

And it's Ladda vs eneloop...

 

[lampeDépêche]

they both seem to run for 60 minutes (disclaim: graphs are from different reviewers)
View attachment 76069

Very interesting, Jon. If I'm reading those right, then the i3e graph is also saying that it puts out many more than 90 lumens, right?
You always have to wonder -- are they really different light engines at all, or are they both made in the same factory to begin with?

 

[lampeDépêche]

Proof that enlightenment comes more from consistent runtime, and not inflated lumens. The torch which stays lit until the end is the most useful torch.

Amen! That's why I'm a firefly fan. The difference between 90 lumens and 100 lumens is trivial; the difference between 0 lumens and 0.5 lumens is huge.

 

[dc38]

Very interesting, Jon. If I'm reading those right, then the i3e graph is also saying that it puts out many more than 90 lumens, right?
You always have to wonder -- are they really different light engines at all, or are they both made in the same factory to begin with?

Probably the latter, lol...rebranding, repackaging, rehousing... look at lutron and a couple other lighting and dimmer/controller companies...I used to work in the architectural lighting industry, and can tell you that there is a sizeable parent company that I surmise is actually a commercial real estate company moonlighting as a lighting conglomerate lol.

 

[jon_slider]

are they really different light engines at all, or are they both made in the same factory to begin with?

they do look very similar:

 

[Monocrom]

Photon Freedom should definitely be on that list.
Water-proof! Unlike the Photon II. Learned that lesson the hard way.

 

[lampeDépêche]

I see that Vinh now has the 15 lumen Olight i3e as a regular offering, not just as an on-demand custom. And he's charging $15 for it, which is a heck of a good price. Maybe I'll ask him if he can whip up a special 0.5 lumen version for me....

 

[PaladinNO]

We’re bonding but it ain’t easy! Had a Skilhunt E3A show up today asking for attention as well!

Don't rush it. It takes time getting intimate.
If you have the chemistry, NiMH or Li-ion (beware of one night stand alkalines), just play it safe and slow and see what it leads to. It may take time though, there is apparently an unwritten 3 month rule. Just don't double-click and Turbo into a new relationship. There is a time and a place for everything.

If the Skilhunt shows up unannounced, displaying a passionate tint, politely inform it that you are taken. Preferably with the other light present, so there is less risk of jealousy, malfunctions or even popping a capacitor. Just make sure not to friendzone it. A fallback can be handy if it doesn't work out.

Remember, LEDs can be fickle mistresses. Whenever you think you have found "the one", something new, younger and brighter shows up.
Most importanly is making it clear the body circumference is NOT important. Sure, both size and runtime matters, but there is also always the personality to consider. The feel of it, you know - all those curves, both around the tail and the knurling in the middle. And a good head with a proper reflector is never a bad thing either.

Best of luck! I am certain you can push all of the right buttons to make the relationship glow. :)

Personally, this is why I prefer computers. They never complain when I upgrade.
LEDs ain't bad either. And I do like a good, warm spread...

 

[Kestrel]

I'm reminded of Carrot's 5mm challenge back in 2011:

Thread 'The 5mm Challenge'

May 3, 2011

Are you guys ready for a challenge?

Pick a 1x5mm light (Arc-AAA, Peak Matterhorn, Fenix E01, McGizmo Sapphire, Photon Freedom, Gerber IU, Gerber Sonic, etc) from your collection.

Post pictures.

Now use it exclusively for a week for your EDC needs. If you need to use a brighter flashlight, you fail the 5mm challenge!
(If you need a flashlight for work, that's a different story.)

Report back.

I am curious to see how many flashaholics can "survive" on a 5mm LED! :candle:

• carrot
• Replies: 247
• Forum: LED Flashlights

 

[CelticCross74]

Got ahold of NC. They got back to me near instantly. The light is out of warranty but they offered 10% off another.

 

[gurdygurds]

I ALWAYS wonder which lights are basically the same with different body styles. I3e seems brighter to me, but the E3A has a more spread out beam due to the tir reflector. Tint of the leds looks identical. I actually quite like the tint. Doesn’t make skin too alien like. Pretty clean. Do I get credit for the 15 lumen i3e lights??!!
These are great little lights, but I don’t get why they need to be so bright! Heck even cut the output in half and double the runtime. 40-50 lumens is still a super solid output for normal use. The beauty of it is that we have people than can mod. Vinh has often warned me that some of my ideas turn a very cheap light into a very expensive light. He has talked me out of a handful of bad ideas. Also checkout his KC1 lights with different outputs

 

[gurdygurds]

I'm reminded of Carrot's 5mm challenge back in 2011:

Thread 'The 5mm Challenge'

May 3, 2011

Are you guys ready for a challenge?

Pick a 1x5mm light (Arc-AAA, Peak Matterhorn, Fenix E01, McGizmo Sapphire, Photon Freedom, Gerber IU, Gerber Sonic, etc) from your collection.

Post pictures.

Now use it exclusively for a week for your EDC needs. If you need to use a brighter flashlight, you fail the 5mm challenge!
(If you need a flashlight for work, that's a different story.)

Report back.

I am curious to see how many flashaholics can "survive" on a 5mm LED! :candle:

• carrot
• Replies: 247
• Forum: LED Flashlights

I loved these old challenges. I would reset with a little E01 challenge every time my flashlight ocd would kick in or I purchased new lights. Always brought me back to reality and showed me how little I actually needed to get things done. The E01 would always deliver. Keep the keychain light coming folks!

 

[dc38]

I see that Vinh now has the 15 lumen Olight i3e as a regular offering, not just as an on-demand custom. And he's charging $15 for it, which is a heck of a good price. Maybe I'll ask him if he can whip up a special 0.5 lumen version for me....

Not bad. Skylumen?

Ah...that $15 is for the stock led, which NATURALLY we would want to swap for the 519 HCRI...

Meh, I've got a bunch of free i3e sitting around. Time to try my hand at the modding I guess.

 

[gurdygurds]

I don’t love the photon II. Freedom is much better for me and will consider picking up another one. Here’s the current keyring setup and a crappy beam shot of a stock i3e vs the one I had Vinh change to 15 Lumens and a Nichia.

 

[russprechtl]

I loved these old challenges. I would reset with a little E01 challenge every time my flashlight ocd would kick in or I purchased new lights. Always brought me back to reality and showed me how little I actually needed to get things done. The E01 would always deliver. Keep the keychain light coming folks!

I did something like this last week, and survived with just my E3A's output. I was not working the street, however.

 

[gurdygurds]

I see that Vinh now has the 15 lumen Olight i3e as a regular offering, not just as an on-demand custom. And he's charging $15 for it, which is a heck of a good price. Maybe I'll ask him if he can whip up a special 0.5 lumen version for me....

The original one I had him do for me with stock led ran for 7 hours flat output on a regular Eneloop. Highly recommend!

 

[tech25]

It's my most carried and arguably onebof my most versatile lights. Car door, home door, car engine, trunk, general bumps in the night...if only it came in high CRI lol.

This one is an older one, so the magnet isn't as strong, but with the newer ones, they feel MUCH more secure. Instead of a firm peel away feeling, it's more of a very firm pluck feeling now.

I have one and it’s very convenient, good for quick uses of light whenever I have my car keys with me. I really like how it turns on and off and the beam shape is pretty good. I think it’s great on keyrings, attached to a pack and for business trips.

I wouldn’t use this as a primary as it’s really small when it’s detached from the keychain and can easily get dropped. Also, recharging it often would be a bit of a pain, not to mention life of the battery.

 

[this_is_nascar]

When would one get one of these lower lumen E3A lights?

 

[gurdygurds]

When would one get one of these lower lumen E3A lights?

E3A or i3e? Vinh sells the i3e and could drop the output on an e3a for you as well.

 

[jon_slider]

fwiw, Skilhunt E3A has a Welcome Deal on Aliex, if you create a new account.

some modding info to reduce output on E3A:

"Output current set by current sense resistor, 0603 SMD size (0805 can be fitted to by my experience). Default value is 0.43 Ohm, corresponds to ~220 mA LED current, according to datasheet formula.
Replacing default current sense R with 10 Ohm reduced LED current to ~9.5 mA, and LED output to ~5 lumens for ~34 hours!"