New Nite Ize PR flange bulb.

I picked up a Nite Ize LRB2 PR_A 2 to 6 cell PR flange bulb at Harbor Freight. It is not listed on their web site they list the Bright White http://www.harborfreight.com/led-upgrade-for-c-and-d-cell-flashlights-65639.html which was not available. The Nite Ize is clearly meant to be a replacement the specs and price are the same 55 lumens. This is not the same bulb as the 1 watt advertized elsewhere and Nite Ize makes things difficult giving several of their bulbs the same part number. The new bulb does not appear to be waterproof like Bright White there are several small holes near the dome. I also found reviews that Nite Ize stopps working when dropped. If you don’t need the 5 or 6 cell option you may be better off buying the cheaper Rayovac available at Walmart. Here are the tests No light with 1 cell. 2.79 volt .20 amp. 4.19 volt .16 amp. 5.59 volt .14 amp. 6.99 volt .12 amp 8.37 volt .11 amp. 9.76 volt .11 amp. 11.16 volt .097 amp. 12.54 volt .094 amp. 13.95 volt .092 amp. I ran out of batteries the last amp draw was stable so it looks like this bulb can take higher voltage than it is rated for.

Just went to Lowes to check out the 75 lumen version of this bulb. The bulb was not the one shown on their web site and the replacement also is not waterproof. I won’t be buying any more of their product this is a bait and switch and is illegal under United States law.

As far as model changes manufacturers cover themselves usually by including in their specifications the infamous disclaimer line “Subject to change without notice” which seems to be interpreted as “we will ship you something which vaguely resembles what you ordered and performs similarly”. Stores like Lowes may not even be aware of the change unless the packaging now has a new UPC on it but how many times do web sites lag way behind running inventory changes done by suppliers.

Thanks for sharing!

Why would it have to be waterproof?

If water can get that far inside a light it will very likely damage more than just the bulb.

Well the Nite Ize came apart. I had it in a rubber flashlight which I use in my teeth to fix flats on the bicycle at night but failed at the switch. I pulled the bulb out by the flange and it came apart. There is a central wire soldered to the circuit board which broke. This solder is done first then embedded in the lead contact at the base so there is no easy way to fix it. This also answered whether the bulb is waterproof it’s not.

Couldn’t you just desolder the lead on the base, fix it, solder it back in the base?

No that can’t be done without making a mold for the lead. The base is hollow and the lead would just fall out. LED lights made for automotive applications are filled with epoxy this makes them vibration proof and water proof. The cost of these are comparable to the bulbs sold by Nite Ize.