Very nice review SB!
Thanks!
I also wanted to ask you guys about the horizontal banding that appeared in my beamshot picture. Would that be a sign of PWM? I tried to look for PWM, but I still can’t tell if it has it or not. Through my smartphone’s screen I don’t see any pulsation or banding of the SD10’s light. I’m fairly sensitive to the lower frequency PWM found in some lights, so if the SD10 has PWM it must be a pretty high frequency. I’ve had the beam in my peripheral vision near my computer for over a month now, and I haven’t detected anything yet.
That would be caused by PWM. The easiest way to see PWM is to point the light at a running ceiling fan or even the fan at the back of your PC. If the fan appears as a smooth blur then there is no PWM. If it looks like lots of blades spinning then you have PWM. If you play with different lights you will soon get a feel for the speed of the PWM. Slower PWM makes the blades seem farther apart from each other but a fast PWM will make it almost look like the blades are close enough together that they overlap.
Another real easy way is to run water in the sink or shower at night with the lights off. Shine your light at it and if it looks like you can see individual droplets then you are seeing PWM in effect. It's easy to see the PWM this way but is difficult to judge the speed of the PWM compared to the fan method.
Lights with PWM bother me when walking the dog at night. If I run the beam across the ground along side of me and follow the hotspot with my eyes unfocused the grass appears to be "digital". Once you try it you will see exactly what I mean by that. With a light with no PWM the grass is a smooth blur. The slower the PWM the more dramatic the effect. ;)
Thanks Johnny! Ah yes, I forgot about the running water trick. I’ll give it a quick test tonight.
Parasitic drain, set the DMM to read milliamps. Measure the same way as taking a current tail cap reading, except this time with the light off. Any current flowing through the meter with the light off, would indicate some parasitic drain.
Great review, sb, I wish more manufacturers would make multi-chemistry+battery size lights, at the moment SD10 is the only model to get if you like your lithiums just like your NiMh’s, fully charged and blasting on high :D!
My review here , I have to agree, this is great light and given that so far it has gathered 3 4 reviews and everyone seems to like it there is no reason not to get one :D!
The lights I have with really high frequency PWM do not show their PWM on the fan or running water tests. The only way I can see the PWM on lights such as my Roche F12 is by using the cell phone camera, and even then it’s hard to see it. I have to hold the light and camera really still. The higher frequency the PWM, the finer the interference pattern on the phone.
It helps to point the camera straight at the LED, like this picture below. I had to play around with the angles before it gave me a good view of it like this. Pointing it anything other than dead on it’s really hard to see.
I still have what should be an obvious question for an emergency light meant to use any battery, will leaking alkalines ruin it?
Leaky alkalines could potentially ruin any device.
This.
Also, keep in mind that this light has NO reverse polarity protection, thats another thing to consider if youre concerned about battery related issues ;)!
But realistically, can’t there be some measure of basic protection designed in simply enough? Can’t a light be made less susceptible, if not impervious, to battery damage?
An emergency light built for all batteries and fully intended for the ones you rob from remotes and the kid’s toys, seems pretty fragile if you can ruin it the first week you buy it, just because your batteries leaked, which is very common where I live.
Don’t the simple plastic battery holders offer a large degree of protection from the batteries that fit them, even though that isn’t the intention?
great review sb, I actually DO have a spare 32650 cell, bought with this light or a 1d maglite in mind, I might just have to treat myself to one of these for all of the options available though.
Thanks 
:bigsmile:
Wow, I don’t get how these fatal flaws can be left in an emergency light.
Lets hope that there will be an update soonish ;)!
I have been in the habit of storing emergency lights with the batteries in them. I use scotch tape to fully cover both terminal ends, which keeps them from draining. I wonder if a similar approach would help protect against leaks. Heat shrink tubing comes to mind, but maybe something as simple as wrapping the batteries in plastic wrap would work.
I am guessing the easy solution for the reverse polarity, adding a diode in series, would rob a single D cell of too much voltage (0.6 volt drop). However, the carrier could have one built in…
I’’ve eyeballed the SD10 for quite a while, but decided it would be foolish to purchase with no battery polarity protection built in. I mean, you’re in a storm and graspin for batteries to utilize when you realize…oh oh……wrong way.
Even SB admitted to fryin his first one.
Come on Lumintiop…Update Update Update !
Yeah, this is especially complicated by the flat top Li-Ion batteries.
This one is on my wish list for a while now - But I don't want the 'old' version.
Any idea meanwhile where I can get the 2nd generation version for sure? Preferably in NW.
I checked with a merchant on eBay, and the Sd10 they are selling has orange peel reflector and clicky switch. I didn’t ask about emitter version but unless it’s written on the box, how can they know?
Is it possible to reprogram the driver? I haven’t found the info which one it is. I’d really like to have the single alkaline battery option, but also configurable modes.
I’m curious about this too, i want to make sure i find a supplier that has the Second Gen with the N/W emitter and the OP reflector before i sink the bucks to get this light.