There are some new additions to the flashlight collection. My selections were based on the reviews on the following websites. I would agree with the reviews on those sites and info on www.glow-bug.com
http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/
or
http://www.uwgb.edu/nevermab/led.htm
Since my current mania is LED flashlights (other than the Surefire M2), I decided to purchase a couple LED flashlights. Here's what I think of each of them:
PAL Sure Light: This little light exceeded my expectations. I didn't expect such a bright light from this small a package. I have a white Photon 2, but the PAL blows it away (not accounting for the small size of the Photon). I didn't think that the "always on" was going to be a big deal, but it's quite nice to be able to see your light in the standby mode before you need to use it. The spot is focused in a narrow beam that is quite bright. I will be carrying this light pretty frequently as a pocket light.
Trek 3: I had vacilated between this light and the Lightwave 2000 before finally thinking that I didn't want the "spot" of the Lightwave 2000. The Trek 3's wide beam will be great for hiking on trails as long as I have my Surefire 6P to point at noises. The beam is very even and projects reasonably far, although discriminating anything beyond 10 feet is difficult (for my non-darkness adjusted eyes and not-so-great night vision). One thing that I don't like is the transparent bezel. It scatters light into my eyes even when I'm pointing the light at objects. I'll probably paint it black. The waterproofness brings peace of mind, but I don't dive, so it probably won't be a performance issue for me. Overall I like this light.
Lightwave 2000: After playing with the Trek 3 for a few days, I had to get the Lightwave 2000 as well. If I could only have one LED flashlight, this would be the one. It's bright, with a decent spot and good peripheral light cast, durable, and lasts a long time (according to the specs anyway). The only thing that I don't like about this light is that it's not waterproof to any usable depth. The manufacturer's card says 2 feet, but that's static. In a dynamic environment (real world), you could get the same pressure as 2 ft of water in a stream from a garden hose, at least where the water stream hits the seam of the light. I don't know why there isn't a plastic lens; perhaps I'll make one and use silicone to seal it on. I'll still use it for outdoor activities, even if it's raining since I believe that the light will resist splashes and the occaisonal drop in a puddle. The Lightwave 2000 still gets a very high rating in my book. I would still choose this over the Trek 3 for all around use.
I'll certainly enjoy all my lights, but I should note that the total light light output (based on my very unscientific method of pointing each light at the ceiling and rating the brightness at eye level) of each of the LED flashlights above is far less than my Surefire 6P. The total light output of the Trek 3 and the Lightwave 2000 is about the same, just distributed differently. The Sure-light puts out much less light overall than the other two. Next time I go night hiking, I'll probably bring all of them plus the Surefire and the Photons, just like all the different knives that I will be carrying (hmmm...Military, AFCK, Starmate, Police, Slim Outdoorsman, or Moran? All of them of course!
).
gm
http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/
or
http://www.uwgb.edu/nevermab/led.htm
Since my current mania is LED flashlights (other than the Surefire M2), I decided to purchase a couple LED flashlights. Here's what I think of each of them:
PAL Sure Light: This little light exceeded my expectations. I didn't expect such a bright light from this small a package. I have a white Photon 2, but the PAL blows it away (not accounting for the small size of the Photon). I didn't think that the "always on" was going to be a big deal, but it's quite nice to be able to see your light in the standby mode before you need to use it. The spot is focused in a narrow beam that is quite bright. I will be carrying this light pretty frequently as a pocket light.
Trek 3: I had vacilated between this light and the Lightwave 2000 before finally thinking that I didn't want the "spot" of the Lightwave 2000. The Trek 3's wide beam will be great for hiking on trails as long as I have my Surefire 6P to point at noises. The beam is very even and projects reasonably far, although discriminating anything beyond 10 feet is difficult (for my non-darkness adjusted eyes and not-so-great night vision). One thing that I don't like is the transparent bezel. It scatters light into my eyes even when I'm pointing the light at objects. I'll probably paint it black. The waterproofness brings peace of mind, but I don't dive, so it probably won't be a performance issue for me. Overall I like this light.
Lightwave 2000: After playing with the Trek 3 for a few days, I had to get the Lightwave 2000 as well. If I could only have one LED flashlight, this would be the one. It's bright, with a decent spot and good peripheral light cast, durable, and lasts a long time (according to the specs anyway). The only thing that I don't like about this light is that it's not waterproof to any usable depth. The manufacturer's card says 2 feet, but that's static. In a dynamic environment (real world), you could get the same pressure as 2 ft of water in a stream from a garden hose, at least where the water stream hits the seam of the light. I don't know why there isn't a plastic lens; perhaps I'll make one and use silicone to seal it on. I'll still use it for outdoor activities, even if it's raining since I believe that the light will resist splashes and the occaisonal drop in a puddle. The Lightwave 2000 still gets a very high rating in my book. I would still choose this over the Trek 3 for all around use.
I'll certainly enjoy all my lights, but I should note that the total light light output (based on my very unscientific method of pointing each light at the ceiling and rating the brightness at eye level) of each of the LED flashlights above is far less than my Surefire 6P. The total light output of the Trek 3 and the Lightwave 2000 is about the same, just distributed differently. The Sure-light puts out much less light overall than the other two. Next time I go night hiking, I'll probably bring all of them plus the Surefire and the Photons, just like all the different knives that I will be carrying (hmmm...Military, AFCK, Starmate, Police, Slim Outdoorsman, or Moran? All of them of course!
gm
