my business partner got some like that at lowes.
3aaa but with smd leds.gotta get replacements though as friends of the shop begged us to sell them.
nice esp with the magnet in the tailcap.
now its time for one like this but 18650 powered.
Folks
I just found a NEBO “Big Larry” at a local store:
400 Lumen COB LED
3x AA batteries
Actually has a lower setting (I think ~ 160 Lm)
From a cursory examination - VERY good (at least STOUT) mechanical construction
The million dollar question: does it have any regulation to speak of?
I’d picked up some surprisingly well-build 9x SMD / 3x AAA “stick” lights for ~ $5 at the local big box store (claimed to be about 200 Lm and I don’t think that unreasonable - though probably generous), and they are really nice except that are totally unregulated. For an emergency (say severe storm) something like that is maybe OK. You get good light long enough to get to the basement and if the power stays out for a while, eye adjustment will keep them OK for general purposes. After that and they will make OK nightlights in the john and hallway and so forth for maybe even a couple nights. I don’t have the numbers here, but I did run one in front of a meter and it really tanked - maybe 50% in 30 minutes or so.
That 400 Lm Big Larry (or an equivalent) is something a guy would probably want to use as a worklight / tasklight / clipped on the belt and wandering in the weeds while camping light / poker playing in the tent light / etc and some period of reasonably regulated output is, I think, getting to be pretty important when we start talking about lights bright enough for actual task work . . . and relying on them for such purposes.
If I do bite the bullet and pick one up, I’ll investigate. But right now, I’m hesitant to do so.
Best to you all
Tim
Just recently bought one of these. I’m very happy with it, though it’s practically impossible for me to gauge how many lumens it has due to how diffused the beam is (EXTREMELY even, flawless over the whole ~ 180’) but it looks over 300lm, VERY bright for a AA powered light. Do not look directly at it unless you want spotted vision for a few minutes.
I don’t know who makes the COB LED in it, but have measured similar ~ 950mA current from both the included alkalines and the LSD NiMH cells I use in it now. “IF” I remember correctly, low mode was about 250mA. No idea on flashing red mode, my meter kept jumping around.
So yes it has to have buck regulation as my NiMH cells were capable of much more than 950mA in other uses and at ~4V into an LED. My eye could not detect any flicker, including when pointed at a couple thousand RPM fan so the frequency must be higher than that. So, there is buck regulation as a current limiter, but not a boost circuit so it will get progressively dimmer over the 4.5hrs runtime… but you’d kind of expect that from a 3x cell light.
Using a probe I was able to get it to light up off 2 x AA but at that point it appears to be direct drive at a low, maybe 150mA (so no boost circuit but I wouldn’t have expected one in a 3 x AA light). I mention that because it tells me that it’s going to be able to get most of the juice out of the AA cells if it can run down below 3V and still be 150mA, though I’ve done no more testing of that as of yet.
It is great for near field task work, or to light up a room during a power outage, light up a tent, etc but doesn’t throw far, maybe a few dozen feet.
The threads are fairly good, well formed and decent looking aluminum purity, clean too but I may take a towel and polish them with brasso just to take them to the next level then lube them. It has an o-ring and looks like it’s waterproof at the tail cap but I have no idea about the water resistance of the lens and around the LED PCB. The lens “appears” to be plexiglass, while I wish it were polycarbonate, but I could be wrong. If it ever gets cracked I’ll just epoxy on a piece of polycarbonate to replace it.
The switch seems fairly robust too, but the top does not screw off so I hope it never develops any contact or switch problems as I don’t see a way to get it apart without permanent destruction. There might be a threaded ring holding the top together on the inside but it’s so far up in there that you’d probably have to have a special tool made for the purpose to get it out IF there is one.
Having only the bottom cap removable also worries me when it comes to battery corrosion. If you were to leave alkalines in it and they corroded, there’s a good chance you’d never get them out, so I will never put alkalines in mine unless it’s an emergency.
The magnetic tail cap looks like a nickel plated rare earth type with a pole plate around it, is strong enough to hold it sideways or upside down on a steel shelf or car panel, and flat enough that it can tailstand though as tall as it is, it is easy to bump over if not attached to metal. It has no belt clip and would be a little unwieldy to have on a belt or coat due to the length and weight. I’d get their smaller Larry whatever-it-is 3xAAA model for that instead.
So far I have no regrets buying it, but I’d like it even more if it had a mUSB recharge port & circuit for those who run NiMH cells in it, so long as they didn’t include batteries that they permanently seal inside. Then again that’s another potential failure point, I’ve had a few other things with mUSB ports where the port broke off the PCB so even better would be a panel mount barrel socket and charger included… yes I’m being picky for a mere $25 light that works great for what it is.
I also wondered if it could tolerate 3 x 14500 cells, but I kinda want to get some use out of it before risking frying it. :bigsmile:
Tint on those 5MM nichias are really whacked … the 2AAA lights i think snakebite is talking about are 3.50$ from gearbest …?? my sister had a few and for a 3$ light they are kinda cool but I’m a light junkie and if light comes out I’m impressed . but after playing with it for 12 seconds I realize tint alone disqualifies it as a light I’d ever use …if i had some high cri 5MM emitters than maybe …just maybe ….maybe not 
life as a tint snob is tuff
iirc the ones we have are pro lite.
came from lowes $5.xx
grippy plastic in a desert camo finish.
3 aaa
http://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_246608.html
looked kind of like these with 5 or 6 5mm nichia leds
I’ll probably pick up a “Big Larry”. . . .
I don’t have anything fancy, but my testing on a cheapo similar with SMDs (different brand) simply consisted in putting it in a fixed location relative to a simple intensity meter . . . but those other ones dropped so quickly that it was OBVIOUS visually and between adjustment of the eye (I was trying the unit in a dark room as the actual light source) and the very poor performance of the eye as a quantitative gauge in the first place, that’s saying quite a bit.
I agree that this NEBO is big . . . but it’s nice to see some better stuff in the “consumer” stores and some lights like this that use 3xAA rather than 3xAAA
If/when I do get one, I’ll run a meter test and report. I don’t/didn’t expect dead-flat regulation or boost circuitry, but an immediate and rapid downhill tumble is a different story in a $4 light vs a$25 light . . . especially when the latter has enough output to serve as a legitimate work light.
ONE NOTE: I’m not sure if the discreet LEDs in the “Larry 2” (or other various) models have any directionality to them, but the “Big Larry” with the COB is, as Dave_C pointed out, a definitely full-flood pattern . . . so that’s something to keep in mind too, depending on what folks may have in my for utilization.
Tim
I’ve looked at the 3xAAA Larry light several times, they have a point of sale display at my local hardware store and every time I go in there I’m forced to wrestle my inner child begging for a new toy.
The things that have always stopped me from giving in are the facts that I hate AAA cells, and devices that require three cells mess with my OCD.
I might overlook one of my prejudices for the sake of placating the spoiled brat that lives within, however, I know the double whammy of anything using 3xAAA will prevent me from ever enjoying ownership.
The Big Larry does eliminate my issues with the nuisance of the AAA cells and I’m really tempted to pick one up.
I picked one of these up at my lawnmower repair shop this fall and can vouch for its quality. Really nice light. My only wish for it would be to have a clip on it so I can hook it onto a belt or a pocket, it come ‘slick’ which makes it easier to pocket, but the clip would be nice.
but can it be opened up to swap them?
the high cri leds are the easy part.
maybe someone has a dead one to donate as a guinea pig?
Happened to notice something today.
Two new Nebo Larrys
Lil Larry, 3xAAA COB 250lm $20 https://www.nebotools.com/prod_details.php?id=403&cid=16
$17.90 on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/NEBO-6373-Lil-Larry-Red/dp/B019AFZCEO
$15.49 eBay http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEBO-Lil-LARRY-COB-LED-250-Lumen-Flash-Light-With-3-Modes-RED-6373-NEW-/262572980780
Larry Boss, 3xAA COB 400lm + end flashlight head 120lm + telescoping magnetic pickup tool $35 https://www.nebotools.com/prod_details.php?id=408&cid=16
$32.90 eBay http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nebo-Larry-BOSS-400-Lumen-Work-Light-with-Extendable-Magnetic-Arm-6431-/142067968743
[Edit 10/01/16] Lil Larry now down to $15 delivered on eBay http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?\_from=R40&\_sacat=0&\_nkw=Nebo+Lil+Larry&\_sop=15
and Boss down to $28: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?\_from=R40&\_sacat=0&\_nkw=Nebo+Larry+Boss&\_sop=15 [/Edit]
hi guys! In your opinion, will the larry boss, accommodate 14500 cells without problem? than you!
In one word, “no”, but to elaborate…
If you used a single 14500 and a conductive tube that should work fine since it’s the same voltage as 3 x AA or close enough. I only have the Big Larry, not the Larry Boss, but because they both have 3 modes including a 400 lumen COB, low and flashing red, and because both use 3 x AA cells, I am going to assume they have the same driver circuit in them, and test mine to see what happens to current as voltage rises.
Previously I had mine with 3 x cells totaling about 4.0V and measured 950mA. Now I have 3 x cells totaling 3.75V and current is about 750mA.
If I put a 4th cell in series for 5.0V, the current is about 2.0A. At only 5.0V a current of 2A is too high for this light.
In low mode at 3.75V I measure about 280mA. At 5.0V in low with 4 x AA cells I measure 550mA.
Adding a 5th cell in low mode (I don’t dare test this in high mode) for 6.3V, I measure 855mA. No need to continue testing, current is ramping up far too fast to get anywhere near 12.6V. Even if it were clamped at the peak I measured so far before aborting the high mode testing at 2A which I doubt, then that would be 25W.
My conclusion is that with 3 x 14500 in series for a peak voltage of 12.6V, even on low mode you will damage the light.
Frankly I don’t see the point even if it did work. Despite some generic 14500 cells having fraudulently high fake mAh ratings, true capacity @ current would be closer to 750mAh, so with a 3.6V nominal cell that’s 2.7WH for each 14500, while your everyday AA Eneloop is 1.2 * 2Ah = 2.4Wh, close enough to not bother, or Eneloop Pro is 2550mAh = 3Wh. EDIT : As igeigeige reminded me, I don’t know if Eneloop Pro will fit or be too large a diameter. [/EDIT]
If you were hoping the higher voltage would give you a much brighter light because some 1 x AA lights can use a 14500, it’s not the same thing. The reason that “sometimes” works is that a 14500 Li-Ion cell has a nominal voltage near the forward voltage of a white LED at 3.6V so it can direct drive the LED or nearly so, while 3 x 14500 cells in series isn’t even close to LED forward voltage, way too high to keep the COB from overheating, and possibly the driver circuit too.
Hi dave! thank you for enlightening a newbie like me. BTW I will be purchasing a Big Larry, instead of a Larry Boss, will the eneloop AA pro fit inside the Big Larry? Since, I saw a review somewhere that an eneloop pro are a little bulkier than the regular eneloop AA, thus having a hard time fitting inside the Big Larry compared to regular eneloop AA. Thank you again!
^ That is a very good point! I forgot how tight the Big Larry battery tube is and do not know if an Eneloop Pro will fit. I only have AAA Pros, no AA to test this. I know it fits std Duracell alkaline, regular Eneloops, and Tenergy Centuras, but there is VERY little gap with any of them.
A runtime / output graph of a BigLarry powered by Eneloops:
The x axis is seconds.
Current draw on high with 3.75V from a power supply (simulating 3 NiMH batteries) was 2.095A.
Stereodude, either Nebo changed the design, or more likely it’s either fake or there is either something wrong with your light or wrong with the measurement method.
It’s supposed to have 4.5 hours runtime on high, which is more consistent with the 750mA I measured on mine at 3.75V, and at a higher initial voltage with fresh alkalines, that is consistent with a 400lm rating, around the ballpark of 100lm/w many COBs spec.
2A at 3.75V just isn’t what it should be doing. It would run really hot, there just isn’t the heatsinking surface area to support 7.5W operation, and 400lm from 7.5W would be terrible efficiency too, even more waste heat.
I’ve a full plate right now, not a chance to fetch and retest mine at the moment but I will remeasure at some point to make sure my earlier readings weren’t incorrect - using a different multimeter too, but I do already know through real world use that I didn’t face a brightness cliff at a little over an hour runtime as shown in your graph.
I suppose it could be a fake. I bought a 3rd party seller on Amazon. The measurement method is definitely fine. I used a current meter in series with the light and power supply, and I put a voltage meter across just the light so I could adjust the voltage from the power supply so the light had 3.75V across it instead of the whole circuit thereby removing the voltage drop of the current meter.
The runtime graph supports the current measurements.
I measured about .565A on low. The PWM caused the current reading to bounce a bit, so that’s sort of a median value.
So, an eneloop pro wont fit inside this nebo light, only regular eneloop (white) too bad. :person_facepalming:
^ We have not established that as fact. It might fit or it might not.
There is no data to confirm or disprove this. It is known the Eneloop Pro cells have a larger diameter than some, but it is not known if that diameter is too large to fit.
[Edited for being an a55]