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WL Torch: a mini-technical review

Arayan

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The idea to write this mini technical review on a relatively old product as the Wicked Laser torch was derived from the fact that, on the web, there are a lot of articles or movies about the bright or burning power of the torch (that was able to set fire to paper, melt plastic and even scramble eggs…). Anyway, at the best of my knowledge, lacks a review in which the bright and burning power of the torch was quantitatively measured. For these reasons I try to quantify the “abilities” of the torch ;)
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Regarding the brightness I try to measure the light by means a luxometer placing it on evenly colored wall, and the torch was aligned to the sensor with the beam which forming a spot of 1 square foot. In the picture is reported a representative value of the luxometer (45990 lux ±80) of five separate measurements. After this test I measure the light in environment in the most unfavorable place for the flashlight (near the window) obtaining the value of 1655 lux, and a final measure for the torch of 44335 lux. This value can easily converted in lumen (see also Illumination Conversion - Online Unit Converter) obtaining a value of 4118.8562784 near the 4100 lumen claimed by WL. On the basis of this result I conclude that the power of the torch is a little underestimated.
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After this little test I try to measure the heat power of the torch by means a standard thermometer which was used to calibrate other thermometers. I take the data at different distances (from 5 to 30 cm) and I reported the results as mean of three independents determinations with standard error bars. The results obtaining from graphical extrapolations indicate that near the bulb is present a tremendous heat (near 400 °C) that justifying the fried egg :)
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Anyway the torch seems a good product even if the duration of the battery is very limited (about 9 minutes vs the 15 claimed) and, after few minutes all the flashlight becomes very hot to manipulate. Nevertheless the life of the battery can easily prolonged replacing the 100W bulb with 35, 50 or 75 W bulbs from your local shop.
 

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Very nice Review. I am very interested in flashlights as well and while this is mostly a place of laser enthusiest I belive that many of the members here are also flashaholics. 4000 lumens is VERY bright. Pretty terrible battery life though.
 
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Very nice Review. I am very interested in flashlights as well and while this is mostly a place of laser enthusiast I believe that many of the members here are also flashaholics. 4000 lumens is VERY bright. Pretty terrible battery life though.

that bulb must suck a lotta current, don't them things run on them huge batteries that were specially made for that?... and they have a high capacity!

stuart :)
 
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Arayan

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Very nice Review. I am very interested in flashlights as well and while this is mostly a place of laser enthusiest I belive that many of the members here are also flashaholics. 4000 lumens is VERY bright. Pretty terrible battery life though.

:thanks: Yobresal for your kind comments :)
 
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I measure ...a final measure for the torch of 44335 lux. This value can easily converted in lumen (see also Illumination Conversion - Online Unit Converter) obtaining a value of 4118.8562784

I'm fairly certain you've got your units mixed up. If I'm reading this right, in order for 44klux to equal 4100lm, all the power of the light has to be concentrated in a square foot area and the 44klux has to be an average of that area. If you only take a measurement at the peak power of the beam, it's hardly an average.

What is the wattage draw of the bulb?

The highest efficacy I've EVER heard of from a halogen lamp is 35lm/W And that's only for projection or photographic bulbs that have a life of only a 100 hours or so. This lamp has supposedly 41lm/W AFTER a reflector and lens AND a 2000hr life.
 

Arayan

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this is a right question and a doubt that is come also to me, but the only way to take a measure with a luxmeter is to take a middle of the beam standardized in 1 meter (diameter). When I tried to concentrate the entire beam into the sensor I almost melt the luxometer...
 
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bella arayan!!!! chissa se quando ci vedremo... oltre che l rpl m fai vedere sta torcia :) very good review
 
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the only way to take a measure with a luxmeter is to take a middle of the beam standardized in 1 meter (diameter).

Well you'd be wrong. That means you only take into account a small portion of the beam profile and try to infer about the entire output. It doesn't work like that. You're measuring the quality of the reflector more than you're measuring the total light output.

What if, for example, you took the reflector off of the flashlight and re-tested it. You would get a significantly lower number because the intensity would be much lower, yes? But the light output has, in fact, not decreased at all - it is just going in different directions.

"lux" is a measure of illumination - a measure of light intensity AT A GIVEN POINT with respect to the response curve of the eye. Lumens are a measure of luminous flux - the entire light output of the device with respect to the same response curve.

It's a bit like converting gallons to pounds. You cannot do it without additional information.

Have you had a chance to measure the wattage draw of the bulb?
 
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Benm

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To measure lumen output you'd need an integrating sphere, there is no way to convert from lux to lumen unless you know the exact pattern, or devide it up in a lot of little squares and add up all those (which is what an integrating sphere bascically does).

I still like the review though, although i think the product is crap. If you want to have a bright portable light, efficiency is the way to go, and that is found in HID, not insanely powerful halogen bulbs.

The setting paper on fire claim might hold true, but its IR doing the work, not visible light. If you were to replace the reflector with a dichroic type, or put a sturdy IR filter in between, it wouldnt stand a chance of lighting even a match with its visible light alone.
 

Arayan

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bella arayan!!!! chissa se quando ci vedremo... oltre che l rpl m fai vedere sta torcia :) very good review

Thanks Realista, in the first week of June I have a lot of free time :beer:

Thank you very much Oikos :thanks:

Have you had a chance to measure the wattage draw of the bulb?

Ok, for the moment consider only the data about the temperature :thinking:
 

DJNY

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Thank you for the review!
I would buy it if the batterie time was >30 minutes.
 

Arayan

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Thank you for the review!
I would buy it if the batterie time was >30 minutes.

You are welcome, I hope that it could be usefull :) I just bought a 35 W bulb, I'll inform you about the duration of the battery with it.

Cyparagon said:
Apples and oranges again. You DO have a multimeter don't you?
The purpose of the second test was to quantify the temperature that the flashlight produces at different distances, not to determine the source of the heat (I suppose much from IR). I'm a biologist not an engineer but I'm resonably sure that the temperature is measured by means a thermometer not by a multimeter ;)

Thank you very much for your constructive criticism Benm :)
 
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