There is none. Has to be a buck driver. None at all that I can see. Doing the Eneloops test right now. At 11 minutes in, the light is so hot I need to fetch an ice cube. And I’ve been holding it most of that time. No drop-off I can see at all.
Most likely a buck driver based on heat output. I don't quite understand the voltage sag question. Nimh is actually closer to 1.2V under load. It's weird why they're rated 1.2V when they're 1.2V under load compared to alkalines being rated 1.5V but are actually 1.2V under load.
Runtime Test: Eneloops
Click on: 08:17 CST
Click off: 09:08 CST (output below 10%)
Needless to say, it came nowhere remotely close to the so-called 2 hours and 20 minutes advertised, but it held output as good or better than any other light I’ve tested. It also got way hotter. I felt like I was holding an SRK. I challenge anyone to test these results. Quite a little beast, it is!
Got so hot I was compelled to use a fan and ice treatments repeatedly…
First ice treatment: 08:23
Second ice treatment: 08:30
Third ice treatment: 08:39
Fourth ice treatment: 08:52
08:55 first ever-so-slight detectable drop in brightness, but almost not visible to the naked eye -
Fifth ice treatment: 09:00
09:03 light output suddenly drops to about half -
09:06 light drops to about 150 lumens, considering ending the test -
09:08 light drops to less than 100 lumens, no point in continuing test. Test ended -
So there you have it.
I can’t see anyone getting the advertised time, there just is not enough energy in eneloops to do it, so i was sure that was a load of c**p, and i figured the less metal means the heat will be concentrated leading to quick overheating (plastic conducts too slowly to be much use).
I can also see it being a linear driver, just burn off the excess voltage, efficiency would be crap, and more heat generated but it is the cheapest way. Unfortunately most 1AA lights seem to have poor efficiency drivers, the exception being the SC52 if they are stating fact, it states that it gets 280 lumens on the same AA that lasts just over an hour at 125ish lumens in my Klarus P1A.
I hope i am wrong and its a buck driver.
All that being true the nice things about this light is the high output (rare in 4AA budget lights), and thermal protection would have mitigated the risk of failure due to its metal head only design while maximizing its high output. I would still like to get one since eneloops are less trouble then li ion, but based on everything said about it i won’t consider giving it to any non flashaholics.
I’m curious to see your ice treatment in action. :bigsmile: Dunked in a tub of water with ice? Ice cube on top of the lens? By the way, have you seen some of these hot flashlights melt an ice cube in seconds? It’s pretty fun to watch and probably doable with this light. I’ve only seen it done on one of those handheld halogen spot lights.
Your opinion toward these lights is mellowing. At this rate by the end of the week, youll have a fleet of them.
I might be confusing you with another poster. I just looked for the post I was thinking of, and cant find it. Someone hated them based on the faults in the threads.
Thats hilarious, with a fleet of lights i can expand my territory of influence, i can use them as soldiers in my quest to become known as the bringer of light.
My wisdom will become known far and wide, men (and women) from far away lands will venture to tap my wisdom, because they too want to see the light.
Silliness aside i have some laptop pulls that now give 40 mins on medium, which this light should be able to easily best, and i can get more cycles and easily capacity test (and refresh) my batteries with my smart charger. I can also run the batteries to zero output and not be concerned about ruining them.
You might be seen coming.
Is that a universal saying? Or just a local thing?
It's time to play Flashlight Battleship, I challenge you!
I said that perhaps BlackShadow themselves didnt send out light for review seeing its issues, perhaps someone said something similar, not sure seeing someone putting a blame on IS ;)!
You have an unfair advantage, you have more lights and batteries, as well as suppliers to keep you stocked :bigsmile:
Ill just leave this here
I believe its already started in the other thread. I know I’ve been watching it all day somewhere. 
Ok 2 problems here . 1: Chinese nylon. 2: And you are bending in the wrong place . Bend it where the threads are . Take good care of it and the Best case is over time the threads get real loose and flop around like a fish.
1. Are you correcting your first post about calling it plastic? Because it doesn’t matter what you call it: nylon, plastic, PA66, polymer… in this class, it’s all the same. Nylon itself is a thermoplastic, and PA66 is just a class of it, known for its rigidity and lightweightness. If the manufacturer specs just said, “incredibly strong plastic”, I can see a case for skepticism here, but they claim to use PA66. So, Chinese or not, if it’s truly PA66, it’s going to be tough stuff.
2. I’d rather not go and try to deliberately destroy my new light just to prove a point of toughness. I just know I’ve had my share of cheaper plastic lights growing up and with the way this Starry Light feels, I don’t feel at all worried about it “disintegrating” over time.
Nylon 6-6, also referred to as nylon 6,6, is a polyamide from nylon class. Nylons come in many types, and the two most common for textile and plastics industries are nylon 6 and nylon 6-6. The polymer is made of hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid, which give nylon 6-6 a total of 12 carbon atoms in each repeating unit, and its name.[1]
Synthesis and manufacturing Nylon 6-6[edit]
Nylon 6-6 is synthesised by polycondensation of hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid. Hexamethylene diamine and adipic acid are combined with water in a reactor. This produces nylon salt. The nylon salt is then sent to an evaporator where excess water is removed. The nylon salt goes into a reaction vessel where a continuous polymerization process takes place. This chemical process makes molten nylon 6-6. The molten nylon 6-6 undergoes a spinning process, where the nylon 6-6 is extruded and sent through a spinneret, which is a small metal plate with fine holes. The nylon is then air-cooled to form filaments. n HOOC(CH2)4COOH + n H2N(CH2)6NH2 at 553K and high pressure of about 300atm gives -[nylon66]
Nylon's chemical formula is n HOOC-(CH2)4-COOH + n H2N-(CH2)6-NH2 → [-OC-( CH2)4-CO-NH-(CH2)6-NH-] n + 2n H2O and the part -CO-NH- will stick together becoming Nylon 6-6.
Applications[edit]
Nylon 6-6 is frequently used when high mechanical strength, great rigidity, and good stability under heat is required [2] It is used for ball bearing cages, electro-insulating elements, pipes, profiles and various machine parts. Other popular applications are: carpetfibres, apparel, airbags, tyres, zip ties, ropes, conveyor belts, hoses and the outer layer of turnout blankets. Nylon 6-6 is also a popular guitar nut material.
References[edit]
- Jump up^ Palmer, R. J. 2001. Polyamides, Plastics. Encyclopedia Of Polymer Science and Technology.doi:10.1002/0471440264.pst251
- Jump up^ Viers, Brendt D. (1999). Polymer Data Handbook. Oxford University Press, Inc. p. 189.ISBN 978-0195107890.
I’m rather surprised at the amount of nay - saying and criticism in this thread. I have had my Starrylight for 3 months or so now. I’m glad we can be honest about its faults. I can say that it is not perfect but for a light at this price point, it is a very nice piece. This is Budgetlightforums.com. I am one of the crazy people who will drop money on Surefire lights, which obviously are in a class above this light. However, I have to say that those of us who scoff at this light without trying one out are going to be missing what is IMHO one of the best budget lights ever.
That says a lot coming from someone who owns Surefire lights. My mind could never justify buying a Surefire because of its price and because I know I would never really need something of that caliber, but I can still dream. :bigsmile: I agree though, the Starry Light really is a nice light for the price.
No issues at all. Thanks Calvin for carrying this item.
Yes, the springs at the bottom of the battery tube require you to push the head on while you turn it. Once I push the head on, I can actually feel where the threads start to engage. I can see this issue being a thing that needs to be compensated for by the user. My PA40 doesn’t require overcoming spring pressure to screw the head on.
I have even come up to speed with battery installation. The plus sign with arrow means that I should put the plus end of the battery in the hole first. Yes, it is a little quizzical at first.
I read somewhere that run-times are calculated with 2500mah nimh’s. But run-time on high is not a deal breaker for me.
I had dinner for two at a local restaurant recently. It cost me $45, with tip. Four hours later, I was hungry again. Goodbye $45 forever. Only memories of two bad meals. But my Starry Light keeps on cranking out the fun factor, for only $25.
Lesson for BLFer's - eat cheaper and buy more budget lights! :) Now if only we can convince our significant others of this need!
-Garry