- Joined
- Sep 16, 2007
- Messages
- 3,658
- Points
- 113
I'm not a big "flashaholic" and my knowledge of LEDs and flashlights in general ain't much.
This is just a basic review and, more importantly, an excuse to practice with my brand new Canon EOS 60D & 18-135mm IS lens! So, if the image quality sucks, let me know, and I'll use my 1.3Mp cell-phone camera instead.:san:
Overview:
I was searching for a solid, bright light with lots of battery capacity that I can take on hiking/camping trips etc. since I plan on getting out the door more (another hobby of mine).
I came across the "900 lumen" Aurora P7 light on Dealextreme.com. For $33 and some change, I figured it was a good deal. I snagged one up, not expecting the full 900 lumens, but still with high hopes of finding what I was looking for.
Appearance and Construction:
My first impression was that this light is substantially smaller than I expected. This is a plus, because I don't like big lights (except in the case of high power lasers).
The anodized aluminum body is great. There are no defects and I love the grey color. Once I get some wear on this light, we'll see how hard the finish is.
All the threads are well machined and smooth. The light comes with some nice o-rings which are lubricated. I have not yet dunked the light to test its aquatic abilities. The reflector is textured (which I like) and the window is glass, apparently not AR coated.
I really like the stainless steel "strike" bezel, although I do not plan on striking anyone with it (not that I could maim someone with it anyway - it's too shallow and dull). It makes a nice accent.
Again, I don't know squat about LEDs, so I am going to assume that the LED is a P7, but if it were not, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference unless I looked it up. Which I am too lazy to do.
:can:
The click switch is great and controls the modes.
One thing that I find annoying, though, is that during use, you must cycle through the Low mode before the light can be turned off.
It goes: Off - High - Low - Off.
Power and Performance:
Having a powerful camera with full auto really comes in handy for this. I tried my best to get brightness comparisons as true to life as I could (for the outdoor shots, anyway).
Now, this laser... uhm... I mean flashlight (reviewed too many lasers)... is a bit brighter than some "230 lumen" lights I've owned but not so much that I would believe this thing outputs 900 lumens.
The light draws 1.0A from a 2600mAh Panasonic 18650 (only the best!).
On low, the light is much dimmer, but outputs just enough to be useful. I won't bother measuring current here.
Here is the beam on Hi/Low at 1 meter:
Here is the beam on Hi/Low at 20 meters:
On Hi mode, the las- erm... light, does get warm after a minute or two of operation. It's not something I am concerned about, though.
I haven't done any tests on battery lifetime yet, but It should be good and long, considering it pulls less current/voltage than some of the lasers I have owned.
The throw is pretty poor, but the flood is good and bright. It would be nice to get a better beam, but I don't really care that much.
Compared to any of my lasers, the beam divergence is awful.
The color is a pretty well-balanced white, IMO. A warmer tint would be nice for someone looking for a more "natural" beam of light.
Beam shot:
Oops, how'd that get here?
Here we go:
Conclusion:
I really like this light. It is more than adequate for my needs and fits well within the specifications I was looking for. It is not too big and has just the right amount of modes: two.
It seems rugged enough and I expect it to last me many trips.
Besides all that, the body is quite nice and could make a sweet host for a 2.5W 808nm portable in the future... maybe.
Not having anything "superior" to compare it to, this is easily my favorite light. I can't wait to take it on an adventure.
Pros:
Compact, good finish, good power source, bright output, good color temp., low price.
Cons:
Poor throw, must cycle though modes before turning off, not likely 900 lumens.
I'll give it a 4 out of 5.
This is just a basic review and, more importantly, an excuse to practice with my brand new Canon EOS 60D & 18-135mm IS lens! So, if the image quality sucks, let me know, and I'll use my 1.3Mp cell-phone camera instead.:san:
Overview:
I was searching for a solid, bright light with lots of battery capacity that I can take on hiking/camping trips etc. since I plan on getting out the door more (another hobby of mine).
I came across the "900 lumen" Aurora P7 light on Dealextreme.com. For $33 and some change, I figured it was a good deal. I snagged one up, not expecting the full 900 lumens, but still with high hopes of finding what I was looking for.
Appearance and Construction:
My first impression was that this light is substantially smaller than I expected. This is a plus, because I don't like big lights (except in the case of high power lasers).
The anodized aluminum body is great. There are no defects and I love the grey color. Once I get some wear on this light, we'll see how hard the finish is.
All the threads are well machined and smooth. The light comes with some nice o-rings which are lubricated. I have not yet dunked the light to test its aquatic abilities. The reflector is textured (which I like) and the window is glass, apparently not AR coated.
I really like the stainless steel "strike" bezel, although I do not plan on striking anyone with it (not that I could maim someone with it anyway - it's too shallow and dull). It makes a nice accent.
Again, I don't know squat about LEDs, so I am going to assume that the LED is a P7, but if it were not, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference unless I looked it up. Which I am too lazy to do.
:can:
The click switch is great and controls the modes.
One thing that I find annoying, though, is that during use, you must cycle through the Low mode before the light can be turned off.
It goes: Off - High - Low - Off.
Power and Performance:
Having a powerful camera with full auto really comes in handy for this. I tried my best to get brightness comparisons as true to life as I could (for the outdoor shots, anyway).
Now, this laser... uhm... I mean flashlight (reviewed too many lasers)... is a bit brighter than some "230 lumen" lights I've owned but not so much that I would believe this thing outputs 900 lumens.
The light draws 1.0A from a 2600mAh Panasonic 18650 (only the best!).
On low, the light is much dimmer, but outputs just enough to be useful. I won't bother measuring current here.
Here is the beam on Hi/Low at 1 meter:
Here is the beam on Hi/Low at 20 meters:
On Hi mode, the las- erm... light, does get warm after a minute or two of operation. It's not something I am concerned about, though.
I haven't done any tests on battery lifetime yet, but It should be good and long, considering it pulls less current/voltage than some of the lasers I have owned.
The throw is pretty poor, but the flood is good and bright. It would be nice to get a better beam, but I don't really care that much.
Compared to any of my lasers, the beam divergence is awful.
The color is a pretty well-balanced white, IMO. A warmer tint would be nice for someone looking for a more "natural" beam of light.
Beam shot:
Oops, how'd that get here?
Here we go:
Conclusion:
I really like this light. It is more than adequate for my needs and fits well within the specifications I was looking for. It is not too big and has just the right amount of modes: two.
It seems rugged enough and I expect it to last me many trips.
Besides all that, the body is quite nice and could make a sweet host for a 2.5W 808nm portable in the future... maybe.
Not having anything "superior" to compare it to, this is easily my favorite light. I can't wait to take it on an adventure.
Pros:
Compact, good finish, good power source, bright output, good color temp., low price.
Cons:
Poor throw, must cycle though modes before turning off, not likely 900 lumens.
I'll give it a 4 out of 5.
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