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CMG Infinity question

Cosmic Superchunk

Cosmic Superchunk

Joined
Jan 28, 2001
Messages
3,709
Hey guys, I understand that the 1st gen CMG Infinity lights had problems with the powder coated paint flaking off and the battery rattle, but has this been corrected on the current ones that come with the pocket clip?
 
As far as I know the batteries still rattle,
I never saw that as a problem really
it's just a side effect of the super simple design.

If it's going to bug you it's easy enough for you
to fix it. Just a little foam with a hole in it, Like the Arc-AAA.

As to the paint that wasn't a problem I've seen.
 
If the battery rattle drives you nuts, one of those small PostIt notes wrapped around the battery works good.

Never seen an Infinity with paint. Anodized is all I have.
 
Thanks for the info guys. I was just getting bored of my Photon Microlight and wanted to try something new, so I went to a local sporting goods shop in my area and noticed that they began stocking these CMG lights. Well, I just picked up a grey one with a white LED. I am really pleased to see how well made it is. The packaging does not specify it, but the shop owner said that the lanyard glows in the dark. Anyway, It's not as bright as my blue Photon II, but I find it makes a good sturdy light for low range use. You can hear the battery rattle when the light is in the off position, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be. I will try the foam trick though. I understand that the Infinity Ultra is brighter than the regular Infinity, so it'll be next on my gadget-to-get list. Since I've heard rave reviews of the Arc AAA, I'm gonna have to get one of those too. Addictive aren't they? :D
 
Have the Ultra-G & the regular infinity - both are nice. the ultra is brighter than the regular. You may want to wait for the Inova X1 to be released - Single LED runs on 1 AA, w/ anti-reflective lens, and a rear mounted momentary push switch (turn base of light for constant on). retail supposed to be about $25. Check out tadgear.com for some more info.

Sam
 
cosmic, try the postit around the battery. A lot cleaner and less chance of the battery getting stuck in the tube.

What I have found to be the main advantage is the battery life. Standard alkaline is 40+ hours. Lithium is supposed to be almost 100 hours. That is 8 nights @ 12 hrs/night. Definitely an advantage there.

I got one for each of my nephews to use on scout camping trips. may not be a flood, but keeps the nerves calmer.;)

The ARC is great. Brighter for sure. Don't know about battery life though. It is my EDPC (pocket carry).

Yes, these pups are addictive.

There are a lot of good sites to read up on lights.

Mike
 
I wrapped the battery with a Post-It note just enough to stop the rattling yet allowing it to be easily removed. Thanks for the great tip guys.
 
I think the CMG Infinity's are a waste of time and money. Go for the Arc AAA, it is smaller and brighter and is an outstanding little light. I bought the CMG Infinity Ultra and a Reactor at the same time a few weeks ago and immediately wanted to throw them away. :(
 
The Arc is a nice light, but it comes at a premium ($30-40). The Infinity ultra throws a similar amount of light as the Arc (at least my non-LE version), although the light output isn't regulated like the Arc. The fit/finish on my Ultra-G is as good as my Arc, takes cheaper AA batteries (and you can use lithium AAs as well), and gives a good light for about 15 hours or so (my sample - ymmv). All for less than $20. I have high hopes for the Inova X1 - it would seem to have many of the advantages of both the Arc & the infinity, at a decent price.

Sam
 
Despite it's lack of brightness, I like the CMG Infinity. It's not as bright as my Photon II, but it works great for close up work. The 40+ hours of battery life is a plus. I want to get the Infinity Ultra since it's twice as bright as the regular Infinity and I am definately getting an Arc AAA. I also want to get the Inova X5 and up and coming X1. Man, with all these lights I want to get, I'm gonna start looking like the guy from the movie Darkness Falls. :D
 
exactly, you can't stop at just one. I have the Ultra (non-G) and have been using it for a beater since Thanksgiving. Had the same lithium AA in it since then as well and I use it... literally... every night.

Another awesome thing to do with them is to get some glow powder and mix it with nail polish (glowlady.com, readysetglo.com, etc). I used the turquoise and painted the inside of the reflector right up to the led and used a toothpick to remove any excess. I'm not sure if it makes the light any brighter (the mixture leaves an opaque residue, but the stock light has OD anodizing which isn't much of a help anyhow). Thing is if you use the light for even a minute it will glow for the rest of the night. You get up at night and it's plain to see, right there in the middle of the night.

The Ultra and glowpowder = great combo. Will do this on other lights I get (like the ARC AAA) that don't have a lens. Just way too cool of an effect to keep off of the light.

cheers

(ps... i've had the X5T for months now and am still on the stock batteries. Another great light with an AWESOME run time).
 
KREPT...I have been wanting to do that to my Ultras...can you post detailed info. on exactly how you did it??? ie base coat? brush used? # of coats? a clear top coat? etc. Is the gitd material withstanding pocket carry or is it flaking? thanks!!
 
Geoff...

I didn't use a base coat, but in retrospect I probably would have used one coat of white out. As it is, I used probably 5 relatively thick coats of nail polish. Didn't even finish with a clear coat of standard nail polish. I usually wear the Infinity on my neck at night and never in my pocket, so there has been no wear on the coats that I did put on.

The LED and er... reflector? are recessed below the rim, so few things if any should come in contact with the paint. If they do, chances are high that your LED will get scratched too.

In going with the theme that the Infinity is a beater light, I really didn't take time to carefully work. I just used a toothpick to mix the recommended amount of glowpowder (IIRC, roughly a teaspoon for a near full standard size bottle of polish) and once it was mixed, I just used the brush that came with the nail polish. If there was any excess on the LED or an area that I didn't want to glow, I'd wait till it was a little dry, then remove it with the toothpick. As long as you paint evenly, go slow and let it dry between coats, you shouldn't have a problem.

If the stuff does come off, just reapply a little of the mix. Again, you might want to go with a white base but it does work well enough without it. My main reason to do this was so I could ID the light in the dark and it works well here.

Just remember that the glow powder particles are very small, but when it is mixed and spread out it will have a grainy, opaque appearance. Not very pretty in the daylight, but then again the Infinity isn't exactly a prom queen.

If you have any specific questions or need clarification, let me know. It's really that easy. That glow powder is VERY COOL stuff, but you have to be careful when working with it. It can get EVERYWHERE.


cheers
 
Originally posted by Grapevine
An Inova x-1? Where can I read about or see a pic of this? I love my XT-5.
Click to expand...

Here's a pic from TAD:

x-1.jpg
 
You can improve the brightness of the CMG Infinity to ALMOST that of an Arc AAA with only a simple modification.

If you unscrew the head of the Infinity and look at the underside, you'll see a "black dot" in the center. If you scrape away this black dot (I used a knife blade) you'll see a big increase in the light output. (With a corresponding decrease in battery life.)

The modified Infinity is not quite as bright as the Ultra so the Infinity should last a little longer than the Ultra does.

Doing this simple modification has turned my Infinity into a quite useful little light. I use it almost every night for various amounts of time and it's been months since I've changed the battery.

Go to candlepowerforums.com and do a search for "infinity" and "black dot."

Scott Ridgeway
 
I just got a CMG Infinity Ultra and it is considerably brighter than the regular Infinity and as bright as an Arc AAA, according to the guys at Candle Power Forums. I haven't tried to scrape away the black stuff on the regular Infinity, but despite the softer light, I still like it. It comes in handy when you wake up in the middle of the night to "take care of business" and you don't want to wake up your spouse by turning on the lights.;)
 
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