Peak aficionados, show and tell!

[Monocrom]

That inner diameter makes sense, given that you got the Logan 17500 model, right? So you want it to fit a 17500 easily, and 17.20 gives you just the right amount of tolerance. Maybe a little rattle on a 16340, but a wrap of paper would silence that.

Actually no, my S.S. Logan is the one for a single CR123 cell.
I measured multiple times to make sure I had the right numbers.

 

[Robocop]

Holy smoke I just received my shipping notice today from Peak. It has been a few months however as always Peak does come though on their orders. My order was fairly large (8 total lights) and this most likely took some time. From speaking with Robyn it appears that each light is still assembled by hand and done so by a single machinist. I was ok with the wait as their lights are worth the wait to me. I will add some photos once my order arrives.

 

[Monocrom]

Holy smoke I just received my shipping notice today from Peak. It has been a few months however as always Peak does come though on their orders. My order was fairly large (8 total lights) and this most likely took some time. From speaking with Robyn it appears that each light is still assembled by hand and done so by a single machinist. I was ok with the wait as their lights are worth the wait to me. I will add some photos once my order arrives.

Yes, and from what I know; he's 80 years-old.

 

[Robocop]

He indeed is 80 years old and his birthday was last month according to Robyn. From are conversations I have learned he wishes to stay busy and in spite of a few age related issues he just does not want to stop working. Of course his age slows him a little and although they can not produce as many lights as they once did the fact that he still makes high quality lights at all is amazing.

Honestly this was one of the reasons I ordered such a large order. I feel that it will not be very long before we can no longer order new lights and I wanted several before this happens. If you think about it Peak has out lived almost all other custom makers. So many others started out strong only to crash and burn. They usually got very popular then trying to keep up they started cutting corners or perhaps outsourcing to third parties. Then their quality went down or they just got behind and went under. Some went under while remaining respectable where others went under losing their reputations and defaulting on several orders. Peak remained honest and never pretended to be anything other than what they were...small, dependable and trust worthy.

Peaks formula seems to have never changed in that they remained simple, reliable, and never over extended their capabilities. Hand made items with a slower delivery time yet again always coming through. It is amazing as a custom shop that they still turn out lights over 25 years later. Get them while you can I say and I will keep you posted as to my coming order.

 

[Monocrom]

I suppose I'm lucky. Just a tiny handful of Peak models for me. I'm good.
But yeah, for everyone else, get 'em while you still can!

 

[Robocop]

My order arrived safe and sound and this new batch appears to be every bit as good as my others that were bought years ago. They have the same heavy duty feel to them, silky smooth threads, and the bomb proof potted heads. I am adding a photo of the order below along with a fairly rare brass AAA 5mm that I also just recently obtained. I went a little overboard with a large order that was bought simply for pure nostalgia however again I do not feel they will be available for much longer.

 

[JP031716]

Here are my recent acquisitions from Peak. They just do exquisite work and there is just something to be said about knowing these are hand-crafted with each piece made intentionally.

From left to right.. 2xAA Logan body, standard Logan keychain body with momentary switch and modified Ti Prometheus Eiger clip, Logan 17500 pocket body, and Eiger Mule lug body.

Also, here are the beautiful beam shots from the medium optics and of course the mule. Emitters from left to right are as follows (all 219b), sw35, sw40, and sw27 for the two on the end. Thanks Robyn and Curt!!

 

[Monocrom]

Modified Promethius clip arrived in the mail for my Peak Logan S.S. version.
Thanks to a certain CPFer who I won't name since I'm not sure he wants that.
Tossed the clip on there, pushed the pressure switch and.... Nothing. Okay.
Quickly diagnosed the issue. I had taken out the QTE pill. Light works better!
But that tiny mm or so of added length below the switch on the outside, too long.
No more contact. I will NOT be getting a new pill to put it back in the light!
Just need a metal spacer to toss in there. The modified clip itself is excellent.
Many thanks to that fellow member.

 

[Schokokeks]

My order arrived safe and sound and this new batch appears to be every bit as good as my others that were bought years ago. They have the same heavy duty feel to them, silky smooth threads, and the bomb proof potted heads. I am adding a photo of the order below along with a fairly rare brass AAA 5mm that I also just recently obtained. I went a little overboard with a large order that was bought simply for pure nostalgia however again I do not feel they will be available for much longer.
View attachment 95192
View attachment 95193

You should give us the full tour. Which ones did you get, what emitters, what are you planning on using for batteries?

Just as a reminder, Peaks are one of the few lights I have that reliably run LFP cells, and it's a great alternative to Li-ion, as they don't get as hot, which REALLY helps with the stainless bodies.

 

[Robocop]

I will try to sort out a few more photos later tonight. I have been sorting through some older stuff lately and found a few old prototypes from Peak. Back in 2003 I was testing a few lights for Peak and after testing they changed a few things on the final designs however let me keep the prototypes. I am really enjoying this latest order and was seriously thinking of making a second order.

I feel kind of bad as I know Curt is 80 years old and I do not want to stack up more orders for him. If they had items in stock that did not have to be built I would order several more. I am fairly certain Peak builds these as they are ordered thus the long wait time. As far as batteries go the AA and AAA will all use lithium non rechargeable or the 10440 Li/Ion as I have a stock pile of these. I also have a pile of standard CR123 cells I need to start using up. I am pretty much done with anything alkaline. I am good about rotating batteries to avoid leakage however recently a fairly new alkaline did leak.

The alkaline cells I do have are all being used in my battery drainers from DatiLed. That design is very slick as the battery is not housed in a tube and will seriously run forever. I have them all over my house and they are perfect for extended power outages. I am also embarassed to say however after all this time I have never even tried the LFP batteries. I just finished reading several reviews and I will be trying a few of these out shortly. I need to read up on what sizes are available and also the charging needs. From what I just skimmed over online many say they require a dedicated charger just for LFP.

 

[dc38]

Here are my recent acquisitions from Peak. They just do exquisite work and there is just something to be said about knowing these are hand-crafted with each piece made intentionally.

From left to right.. 2xAA Logan body, standard Logan keychain body with momentary switch and modified Ti Prometheus Eiger clip, Logan 17500 pocket body, and Eiger Mule lug body.
View attachment 95199

Also, here are the beautiful beam shots from the medium optics and of course the mule. Emitters from left to right are as follows (all 219b), sw35, sw40, and sw27 for the two on the end. Thanks Robyn and Curt!!
View attachment 95200

that 2aa model looks super sleek

 

[Robocop]

Two prototypes and one other from an old Peak Military Contract.... The light in the middle is a single 18650 / 2-CR123 / 2-16340 and was made for a military contract many years past. It is absolutely bomb proof as the contract stated it had to be completely sealed with no room for error. The potting is permanent and the head can not be opened.
The tailcap is recessed and from what I can see appears to also be permanent. It is a fairly decent light and if you want something that will absolutely not fail this would be a good choice. Robyn said Peak still has a few of these however when they are gone there will be no more. It is honestly a seriously tough light and again was approved by the military under contract in the field.

The other two were very early prototypes with the one on the right taking AA cells and the triple emitter on the left uses CR123 or 16340. It has the power control knob that in theory worked well however early designs were a little clunky. After a little tweaking the later designs worked well and this one was the very first design and as such was just for testing. I will say I beat on this light nightly while testing and it always worked well. The physical layout of the control knob was not perfect yet it worked perfectly. A nice example of how far we have came in lighting as this was way before anyone was trying stepless adjustable power levels.

 

[Monocrom]

Got a couple of Lumens Factory thin spacers with copper centers on the way to me, to fix my S.S. Logan mentioned above. Many thanks to the very same CPFer I won't be naming who sent me the clip for the Logan, for the suggestion that I check out LF for a solution. Will report back if that fixes the problem.

Also, put in an order for a Peak El Capitan on Peak's official website.
Going to round out my collection with that one, since I don't have a black aluminum Peak, or one with a keychain top. And, the El Capitan was the very last model name in their standard line-up that I was missing. Also, who couldn't use a single-AA flashlight that can take every single type of AA battery, regardless of chemistry.

 

[JP031716]

that 2aa model looks super sleek

Thank you. It actually appears as an additional option on the Logan page on Peak’s website, but no drop-down to actually add it to your cart so I messaged Robyn directly and she was able to oblige. Not sure she has many left if any at all though so one would just have to reach out if interested.

For those curious, it is single output only with no QTC. I plan to get a dummy AA to run a 14500 to see if the additional output is worth the trade off of runtime in 2xAA format.

 

[dc38]

Thank you. It actually appears as an additional option on the Logan page on Peak’s website, but no drop-down to actually add it to your cart so I messaged Robyn directly and she was able to oblige. Not sure she has many left if any at all though so one would just have to reach out if interested.

For those curious, it is single output only with no QTC. I plan to get a dummy AA to run a 14500 to see if the additional output is worth the trade off of runtime in 2xAA format.

I don't believe that the additional output would be worth it, considering that at the lower currents, both alkalines and NiMH would outclass the 14500 for sustained runtime...That said, how bright is it now on whatever you're running it on?

 

[JP031716]

I don't believe that the additional output would be worth it, considering that at the lower currents, both alkalines and NiMH would outclass the 14500 for sustained runtime...That said, how bright is it now on whatever you're running it on?

It’s kind of hard to tell but here is a picture between 1xAA and 2xAA Eneloops. First pic is 1xAA.

 

[dc38]

It’s kind of hard to tell but here is a picture between 1xAA and 2xAA Eneloops. First pic is 1xAA.
View attachment 95248
View attachment 95249

Oh that's REALLY cool, is it a multi part light with removable sections for cell count?

**Also, would the 14500 be a protected cell? The Capitan I have is pretty good at vampiring cells down. I'll try to take a V reading next alkaline I test.

 

[JP031716]

Oh that's REALLY cool, is it a multi part light with removable sections for cell count?

**Also, would the 14500 be a protected cell? The Capitan I have is pretty good at vampiring cells down. I'll try to take a V reading next alkaline I test.

It’s all one piece which is what I wanted.

Yes, it would be a Keeppower protected cell.

 

[dc38]

It’s all one piece which is what I wanted.

Yes, it would be a Keeppower protected cell.

I ran my Capitan on a 14500 cell, and it got pretty warm rather quickly. Because of that, decided not to do a runtime test, but surmised that at lower levels, it would definitely outperform basically every other single AA sized cell in terms of either runtime OR brightness, depending on which is prioritized.

However, based purely on paper/napkin maths, assuming that at the lower drive, Eneloops operate nominally at 1.2ishV(1900mAh), Alkalines at 1.3ish volts(2800mAh), Lithium AA at 1.4ishV(3000mAh) and LiIon at 3.7V(1500mAh), we get:
Eneloop: 2.28Wh (4.56Wh for ×2) 2.4V
AlkLeak: 3.64Wh (7.28Wh) 2.6V
Lithium: 4.20Wh (8.40Wh) 2.8V
Lith-ion: 5.55Wh. 3.7V

While the higher voltage of the 14500 may give more brightness, it's also delivering more power to the LED initially, reducing the overall runtimes. If a single cell were your fancy, I believe the Capitan would probably be the better option for you, being smaller and not requiring a dummy cell...Lithium cells are definitely the lightest options and should offer some stupidly long runtimes if the current has been dialed back and fixed at some lower value.

I have some other iteration of AA flashlight that runs at very low current, and manages to eke out about 18 hours between 15 and 40 lumens, then another few hours from 12ish to 1 lumen, and below on Alkalines. Haven't tested on fresh Lithiums yet...

 

[lampeDépêche]

Okay, I finally took the plunge, ordered a Logan 17500 and the Delrin adapters. In Alu with the high-CRI emitter and narrow lens. I’m a sucker for multi-fuel lights.
Two questions for the assembled Peak sages:
1) I ordered the hi-CRI, but I would like to know more about which emitter I am getting. Is that the Nichia 219-B? Is there a way to specify a particular emitter if I want one, or a particular temperature for the 219-B? I didn’t see it on the form.
2) The main complaint I see about these lights is about the QTC pills. Is there a way to order spares of these pills? I didn’t not see anything on the website, but I’d love to be able to order the light plus maybe two extra pills for when the first one wears out. Possible?