Yes. Essentially, the output on those decreases due to lower battery voltage, not due to the driver throttling. But the differences are not that big unless you compare 100% battery with 5% battery or so
1 Thank
I imagine it is safe to assume that the drivers are the same I the pedestrian black version and in the golden 519a edition?
Dunno, but I guess so.
This is an excellent suggestion! As other folks pointed out, this driver is not the most efficient, but that doesn’t really bother me as the efficiency difference won’t be more than 10%-20% even in the worst case (higher modes). The only gripe I have with this light is the terrible choice of optic (tons of tint shift with green center), but from what I’ve heard this light is compatible with Convoy optics, which offer much better options.
I had the original version but have since given it away. I don’t remember any tint shift after swapping to a 519A.
I second this recommendation.
I have the gold WK03 with 519a. It’s really nice. Vastly superior beam to the default WK03.
WK03 has a very bad unregulated driver. I wouldn’t recommend it.
On the other hand, if you get the 519a version it is high CRI with excellent R9… and it meets the original poster’s other requirement: It’s cheap!
2 Thanks
Yeah, but he also listed flat regulated output as one of the requirements and this light sucks in that aspect.
If you’re ok with paying a bit more for a smaller light another good choice is the titanium Manker E05II
- Available in 519A. Great LED with high CRI and high R9. However, be aware that this comes with 4000K, not 5000K.
- Well regulated output according to this review.
- Cheap for a titanium light at $50.
In the same vein of AA/14500 lights, the Convoy T5 can be had at under $16, with a more flexible UI and choice of emitters, 519A anywhere from 2700K to 5700K. Also has fully regulated output. On top of this one can get a pack of optics to try different beam profiles.
Yeah, if we are going the 14500 with USB-C route, I’d get a T3 or T5 as well.
If I insist on no charger, would it make sense to get batteries with internal charger and USBc socket for that light? I imagine that for small batteries like 14500 it would take some chunk of capacity away? Would Simon sell them and what kind is decent?
If you require no charger, then your options would be limited:
(1) Your concern about losing capacity in an 14500 is entirely justified. Getting a battery with an integrated charger compromises both capacity and reliability; on top of this, a cell with integrated charging is more expensive than getting a regular cell and charger combined.
(2) Simon does not sell batteries with internal charging.
It seems that the most sensible choice would be to get a light that has built-in charging, or to relax the no charger constraint. If there is any possibility in the future that you might get another flashlight, either to replace/upgrade this one or for any other purpose, getting a dedicated charger (even a nice single-bay charger for $3-4 from Simon) is by far the most sensible investment.
1 Thank
The 14500 Simon sells is a 750 mAh cell, without any specs regarding discharge rate. 1.75$
Lumintop sells 920 mAh 14500s with integrated USB-C and protections, 4A continous discharge rate (cell empty within 15min) for ~10-12$.
Skilhunt sells 1050 mAh 14500s with integrated USB-C and protections, 3A continous discharge rate, for 18$ (wtf, I thought the Lumintop was expensive…).
Manker uses cells with identical specs to Lumintop, but could not find standalone offerings. (EDIT: Found a 22$ listing on Aliex)
Highest overall capacity 14500 I could find is a keepower with 1100 mAh and 2A max discharge rate, for ~5$.
Doesn’t look like the USB-C costs much capacity to me, probably because the USB-C ones are newer chemistries? Not sure. Price-wise they are definitely steep, but someone posted a ~6$ USB-C 14500 in the Convoy thread a while ago. Can’t remember the brand, it was only 750 mAh tho IIRC.
1 Thank
For the price of one of those fancy cells, you can but a good charger and a pack of normal cells.
Yeah, but a light with a fancy cell fits my pocket. A light with a charger does not.
For those wondering, I posted about the Golden WK03’s driver in Reddit. It appears to have an unregulated driver except for Moon mode, which apparently is regulated. Moon does not diminish in brightness as the battery depletes, but the other modes do.
1 Thank
For the headlamp, this one comes with a USB-C rechargeable battery:
ACEBEAM H16 650 High Lumens Rechargeable Led Headlamp, 90 Degree EDC AA Right Angle Flashlight with Magnetic Base, Pocket Mini Flash Light with Clip, 519A 90+ High CRI Led Head Lamp for Camping, Work Amazon.com
I recently got an H16 and really like it. Some don’t like the UI, but I do. It’s compact, has a good e-switch, and is very affordable. A lot to like.
Only two complaints:
- Output is unregulated (which I don’t prefer, but is OK in a light that I plan to use camping/hiking. I can foresee times in which I’d rather have dimming light than abruptly have no light).
- AAs are supported in addition to the Li-ion 14500s, but the modes on AA are underwhelming to say the least. It’s really only an emergency solution, not a good routine solution. I don’t know much about the electronics, but I’m guessing the AAs were an afterthought and the boost driver was not designed well for AAs.
I have two more affordable lights with 4500-5000k 519A emitters that I really like:
The Convoy S3, which is so straightforward and simple that it’s hard to find fault with it.
The Wurkkos Wk05, which I really enjoy overall.
Neither has onboard charging, as I do not prefer that solution. However, you could run cells with USB-C ports in the lights and avoid an external charger. The test data I have seen appears to show they they both have decent regulation.
1 Thank