Review: 3xAA ACME Lantern flashlight fishing light contraption

(A.C.M.E) lantern camping light

Reviewer's Overall Rating: ★★★★

Summary:

Battery: 3x AA
Switch: clicky button on top
Modes: 2
LED Type: some generic + 3x 1W generic
Lens: Plastic prone to scratches
Tailstands: Yes, built in stand/handle
Price @ Order: less than 7$ shipped
From: Ebay - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220616127209&ssPageNa...
Date Ordered:

15 december 2010

recieved 3 Jan 2011

Pros:

  • Quite cheap pricewise
  • 2 modes, no strobe
  • Very well put together for the price.
  • Moderately low consumption
  • Decently built

Cons:

  • Not a real flashlight but can be used as
  • Not very bright
  • Front lens are prone to scratches
  • Plastic reflector (understandable)
  • The beam tint is slightly to blue
  • The anodizing is weak type I or II as expected

Features / Value: ★★★★

This camping light has its cute factor, at least to me. Two modes of operation working in this order:

1st click - front beam 3x 0,5/1W leds

2nd click - 9 generic leds lit behind a semi opaque front lens as a diffused light.

3rd click - off

Build Quality / Design: ★★★★★

Reasonably well built. Good threads, decent batteries holder and average switch. The strength lies in user configurable "legs" to suit many different positions for lighting.

Battery Life: ★★★★★

Depends on mode but not that much.

Current draw:

Mode 1 full front 3 higher powered leds 280mA at tailcap

Mode 2 9 generic leds (diffused operation) 230mA at tailcap

Mode 3 - off 0mA - In this mode runs as expected a looooong time till batteries eventually leak.

Light Output: ★★★

Can't say it is bad but neither very good. Decent for current draw but only decent. A q5 at 280mA would probably be twice as bright.

In the diffused mode works really well. The glow is decently bright and even.

Would do beamshots but my current camera isn't up to the tack. Doesen't like close up shots either.

Summary: ★★★★

Fairly decent for the price. Likeable 2 modes. Good fishing and camping companion. Multiple stand options including hanging possibility.

Should be easy to mod into 1x 18650. A unprotected fits a bit tightly with little or no modification apart from some cardboard inserted to keep the cell where it should be.

I will probably mod it to a single cree emitter (probably R5) if i find a suitable reflector and a way to fix it where it should be.

Thanks for watching.


Thanks for the review. Funny light tho :d

Nice, 3rd new frontpage review today! Thanks Budgeteer! With this one we can fill out the multiple-AA section a bit more with some reviews.

I'm thinking to also do a full review of:

KD RQ7 XM-L

ebay - a clone of MXDL sa-28 called HSF 803

BIC - Uniquefire HS-801 (somewhere between me and HK)

Manafont MRV lunapower (somewhere between me and HK)

Manafont XM-L dropin

LT - C3 SS, the prize from LT

But i should get somewhere a better camera...

What do you estimate the run time would be with 3 2500mah batts if the draw is about 250mA. I'm just guessing here, so please tell me the correct answer, but is that like 10 hours each battery x 3 = approx 30 hours?


The battery pack appears to be series connected which would make it 3.6V for 10 hours. Given the typical forward voltage of LEDs being around 3-3.5V it would seem likely that it is wired this way.

My first BLF review will be on this little mixed-bag. It’s a C3 clone from Tmart. When I ordered it, I had no idea it was a C3, or what a C3 was for that matter. I just wanted a versatile 1/2AA light for cheap. At $3.78, they got that part right. The rest, well…

Is anyone having trouble with the pics? Other than that it was a great review! Thanks for putting it together!

The original poster needs to edit the first post to remove at least five different image links that advertise some kind of “hyperlocal social app”

AdBlock can be set to ignore them.

Seeing five different — distorted — versions of the same image link makes me think the original poster is accidentally inserting stuff inline.
It can’t be intentional.

EDIT: and the eBay link is dead now: “This listing was ended by the seller because the item is no longer available.”