I was at work, a familiar welder came from another hall to ask me with him.
(They know I´m used to order stuff & flashlights and that I can somewhat recommend lights for various uses.)
He had welding coordinator with him, insisted me to show "that flashlight" in use.
They are welding 5 - 10 cubic meter buckets for wheel loaders in mining. Buckets are all-rusty, hall is well lit, they have to inspect welding seams inside bucket in shade.
Reference light was UK4AA, which made almost visible (almost) spot at 1,5m from bucket whereas Solarforce lit the whole bucket up. Light used was old L2m with 2,8A XM-L and diffusor.
"Why can´t we have this kinda lights in here?"
Next questions from coordinator were, how much are these, can these hold up heavy use or dropping?
Took the light, put it on and tossed it some 30ft across the hall to concrete. Naturally it was still on. (I might note: light was already used, scratches and bruises, bought used as well.)
I gave it to test use mentioning price and saying that I´m going to take only few bucks from assembling them.
Otherwise they are cheap to upkeep since no need for AA alkies and very fair sparepart prices.
I think the SF drop-in might be better off for this application because it isn't driven as hard. Will still be plenty bright enough but will offer longer battery life and less heat if it is left on high for long periods.
Or it could be 2xAA XM-L with SMO (XP-G with OP reflector) + batt/charger pack (Varta or GP, for example). I know XM-L with 2xAA will be less bright than with 18650, but it could be cheaper.
My thoughts exactly since I´m not 100% sure about how long runs they normally do with flashlight.
Might also say, they can´t tell difference between 2,8A and something a bit less, say 2A...
Well, it must be a bit of a culture shock after those UK´s (which cost about 35-50$ here...). SF whole set with batteries is about 95$. 68$
Probably no need to even get charger for everyone of them.
Company next door have LedLensers in use. Let´s see if these guys buy Solarforces, they are usually VERY picky about buying anything pricy, no matter how good or usable it is. i.e. if they can get 5% of quality for 50% less, you know what they choose...
Oops, a typo. Calculated roughly L2, dropin from solarforce, 2$ shipping, WP2 from eBay (kelesecurity, EU plug, car charger), 2pcs of batteries from groupbuy.
Also, I find it hard to justify WF-139 @ 13,5$ against Xtar WP2 if it is possible to:
-Speed up the charging from 450mA -> 1000mA (with options)
-Get free EU plug
-Get also car charging adaptor + spacers for other batteries to fit
-Possibility to charge cell phone via USB
-Better fit for those Long batteries...
-IMO overall better quality (Had one WF-139, powercord "cracked", did not luckily shock myself, touched the 0-lead)
Naturally this adds 8$+ but in my opinion its money well spent. At work, I´m pretty sure if they get these flashlights, they are not going to upgrade them anytime soon.
However on those batteries, you have point. Tested those and got more cap than Xtars yet they give also more amperage.
At least they seem to be good quality for the price.
Just a thought but if they are going to keep them around for a long time, for another $5 you can get the L2T with the 3 mode xml drop-in and have a more durable finish and a smooth bezel ring.
EDIT: Thought the L2T was an HAIII finish but I can't seem to confirm that anywhere?
Yes, I´ve been thinking between L2P and L2. After all, the finish will be gone quite fast...
I have seen some Lensers that have served a year or two. Almost more aluminum than ano left there but it is rather irrelevant as long as the body keeps it´s shape.
I recently made myself a long run light with an XML emitter, an OP reflector kit, a single mode 3-18v driver and a L2 body with extender. I measured the tailcap current and it was 0.7 amps for 7.2v (2x18650). The light it pushed out was more than enough for any outdoor activity. More than 3.5 hours at something like 500lumens and this is what I usually look for on a single mode flashlight.
Genuine SolarForce lights are a great step above Ultrafires. I’d prefer scuffs and marks to paint chips. My old L2 is more like painted. Maybe newer versions have a better finish.
You would be better off in my opinion getting BC40's at around $42 from dinodirect. They are an easier more intuitive UI, don't need assembly, the electronics are arguably better quality (Solarforce hosts are great, but the drop-ins not so good) and they are much brighter and efficient with long runtimes on 2 cells.
If this pushes the budget too far I might recommend many BA20 or P2a's from dinodirect at around $25 each, then a lot of eneloops and a single decent 8 bay charger. Eneloops last forever, again no assembly needed, arguably more reliable and efficient electronics, easier to pocket (slimmer) and none of the safety/maintenance issues of li-ions.