Great Deal on LED Lights

[Kevin Rooney]

Home Depot is running a sale thru 12/03/08 which includes an excellent value on LED flashlights. For $9.97, you get 6 flashlights, each with 6 LED's, and it includes 18 EverReady AAA batteries. I wanted one for my pack, but at that price you can stash one almost anywhere, and my wife grabbed one immediately. The 1" cylinder is 3.5" long. The on/off is a push button on the end. It could be turned on accidentally, so that might be a consideration in how you place it in your pack. They have other deals on lights too, including a $4.97 deal on 2 LED flashlights. Don't know if they're the same model or not, as I was only interested in the 5-pack.

 

[PeterM]

Kevin-

Check these out thoroughly. While it may well be a far better set the last multi-pack flashlights (i think I bought at THD) only one worked - it looked like a great bargain - and this one may very well be a great bargain!

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Kevin-

Check these out thoroughly. While it may well be a far better set the last multi-pack flashlights (i think I bought at THD) only one worked - it looked like a great bargain - and this one may very well be a great bargain!

Pete - So far, so good - 6 for 6 worked. The body of the light is machined aluminum, FWIW. We'll see how hold up over time. I'd rather see the name Petzel rather than Husky on them, but -

Edit - I've seen similar flashilights listed on Amazon for the past few months listed at practically give-away prices. Don't know why these lights are so cheap - must be a glut of LEDs on the world market, which is not a bad thing. My crystal ball says they'll probably replace CFL's in the near future.

 

[DougPaul]

Don't know why these lights are so cheap - must be a glut of LEDs on the world market, which is not a bad thing. My crystal ball says they'll probably replace CFL's in the near future.

There has been considerable progress in the efficiency of LEDs in the recent past. The cheap LEDs may be the older less efficient units--you might want to check to see how bright these lights are.

I have heard similar predictions re CFLs. It may be a while yet--at this point, high power (>=1 watt*) LEDs appear to be more expensive than CFLs. However, LEDs are beginning to replace fluorescent backlights in LCD computer and TV displays.

* I am currently aware of 3 and 5 watt LEDs. http://www.luxeonstar.com/ Don't know if higher power is available at this point.

Doug

 

[Jazzbo]

Have a Blast!!!

A Princeton Tec Blast. This little guy runs on 2 AAA batteries and has a clip on the other side that enables you to clip it to brim of a hat so it can serve as headlamp. They're small and inexpensive enough to keep in backpack as backup headlamp or on a key-ring or in luggage. You can usually get these for $10 or less. They also do NOT turn on accidentally like many cheapo lights. Did I mention they're waterproof?

http://www.princetontec.com/index.php?q=blast

 

[DougPaul]

My crystal ball says they'll probably replace CFL's in the near future.

Curiosity got the better of me:

Lumen/W
17 ............ 100W 120V incandescent
60 ............. 20W 120V CFL
34 ............. avg of several LED bike lights and headlamps

Guess it may be a while before LEDs replace CFLs for general lighting...


BTW, if you want to go over the top, check out the Petzl Ultra: http://en.petzl.com/ultra/petzl-ultra.html. 350 lumens, ~9W, 6 LEDs, broad beam, ~US$400. (Far more than required for hiking--its intended for night running. For comparison, I've done plenty of night hiking with a broad-beam 10 lumen headlamp.)

Doug

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Doug - as to your question, are the LEDs older models - I have no idea. I did a quick comparison of relative brightness in terms of the little 6 LED unit versus the old standard Maglite 3 "D" battery flashlight and for all intents I'd consider them interchangeable.

As for LED's replacing CFL's - my hunch is that, barring some huge breakthru (anything's possible) that LED's will be assembled in a reflector array to compete with incandescents beginning with spot lighting in much the same way cannister and trac lighting does now. They're already used for nightlights. We have two, one illuminates the staircase and the other a bathroom entrance, and they provide enough light (my wife says too much) for the job, and cost about 12 cents a year to run.

Edit - Jazzbo - I checked out the Princeton Tec Blast. Looks like a good little light, but it only has a run time of 2-3 hours. For my purposes, that's a bit short.

 

[DougPaul]

Doug - as to your question, are the LEDs older models - I have no idea. I did a quick comparison of relative brightness in terms of the little 6 LED unit versus the old standard Maglite 3 "D" battery flashlight and for all intents I'd consider them interchangeable.

It was just a thought--all LEDs are not created equal. Perhaps they just had an overstock or it was a loss-leader to bring you into the store.

BTW, you can get 3W LED bulb conversions for your Maglight flashlights that will run rings around the old incandescent bulbs. http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/maglite_mag-led.htm

As for LED's replacing CFL's - my hunch is that, barring some huge breakthru (anything's possible) that LED's will be assembled in a reflector array to compete with incandescents beginning with spot lighting in much the same way cannister and trac lighting does now. They're already used for nightlights. We have two, one illuminates the staircase and the other a bathroom entrance, and they provide enough light (my wife says too much) for the job, and cost about 12 cents a year to run.

My data indicates the CFLs to be more efficient. LEDs are currently less efficient and more expensive to purchase. I suspect that LEDs will be used for primarily for special-purpose lighting until their efficiency gets higher and purchase cost gets lower.

Edit - Jazzbo - I checked out the Princeton Tec Blast. Looks like a good little light, but it only has a run time of 2-3 hours. For my purposes, that's a bit short.

I have a Blast. Retired. A PT Fuel headlamp is as bright and will last a lot longer. IMO the Fuel (or a BD Spot or a similar light) is a better choice for primary or backup.

Doug

 

[walker]

For Just A Little More Money

For those who are looking for something in a little higher price range.

http://www.karstsports.com/pee52aculhes.html

Yes, that price is correct. In fact, it's lower then the MSRP.

HikeSafe...Walker

 

[Mike]

[QUOTE=DougPaul--you might want to check to see how bright these lights are.

You may also want to check to make sure that they all work. One out of six in my package was a dud.

 

[DougPaul]

For those who are looking for something in a little hight price range.

http://www.karstsports.com/pee52aculhes.html

Yes, that price is correct. In fact, it's lower then the MSRP.

Cheaper at BrightGuy (Only $365): http://www.brightguy.com/products/Petzl_Ultra_LED_Headlamp_Accu_2_E52AC.php

For people who are really afraid of night hiking...


BTW, the PT Apex is ~half the light output (130 lumen) at far less than half the price (~$70). Still far brighter than most of us need. http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/pt_apex.htm.

Doug

 

[NewHampshire]

For those who are looking for something in a little hight price range.

http://www.karstsports.com/pee52aculhes.html

Yes, that price is correct. In fact, it's lower then the MSRP.

HikeSafe...Walker

I see it has three settings....what are they, "House fire", "blowtorch" and "surface of the sun"!?

Brian

 

[Quietman]

Gee, my $12 Eveready headlamp has done just fine for the last 6 years for me, as well as my $4 backup light.

 

[ColdRiverRun]

Kevin, when I've looked at these at store counters and every other semi tool store that seems to have them they just seem flawed in design. With 6 LED lights they should be a lot brighter. They screwed up in my opinion and put all the bulbs almost flush against the surface of the light, so there is little to no reflection taking place to focus the beam. So you get light just no where near what you could be getting with 6 LEDs.
Now that being said, how the hell can you beat the price, right. They would make great "stocking stuffer" type of gift or to just give to friends and family as quick backups in cars and around the house. Most people don't have a ready supply of headlamps ready to go like us gorp eating, snowshoe, microspike hiker types.
I actually gave up on the specialty good store type of headlamps awhile ago. Once the mass market (ei Walmart) got hold of them you can now get a quality headlamp for like $12. There is hardly a difference between the ones I have from there to my $60 Black Diamond. I spend a lot of time night hiking and have put a ton of hours on both.

 

[jniehof]

Guess it may be a while before LEDs replace CFLs for general lighting...

One of the big problems with the high-output LED's is high heatsinking requirements. The junction's very small and if the heat from any inefficiency doesn't get right out of there, the efficiency gets even worse. (Not sure if this is the main problem holding back the efficiency overall--there may also be inefficiencies in the phosphor coating that converts the blue LED to white light.)

Lower-consumption LED's are more efficient (and cheap), so the cheap way to get lots of lumens is clustering LED's. The problem then is multiple light sources; shadows get muddied and contrast is low. It drives me up the wall but might be less of an issue for some people--certainly the lights Kevin posted should do the job for rummaging around in a pack. CatEye gets around it with some very clever optics to bring the multiple beams together.

 

[DougPaul]

One of the big problems with the high-output LED's is high heatsinking requirements. The junction's very small and if the heat from any inefficiency doesn't get right out of there, the efficiency gets even worse. (Not sure if this is the main problem holding back the efficiency overall--there may also be inefficiencies in the phosphor coating that converts the blue LED to white light.)

Don't confuse efficiency with power level.

My understanding is that the high-wattage LEDs have similar efficiencies as the low-wattage LEDs. (Efficiency = power_light_output/power_electrical_input, often expressed in lumens/watt). However, because the power levels are higher, the heat sinking requirements are more critical. (LEDs are damaged when the junction temps get above certain critical levels.) The control circuitry for high power LEDs includes a temp sensor and, if necessary, the power level is reduced to limit the junction temp. (FWIW, high-power LEDs are best driven from constant-current sources.)

Compare the Princeton Tec Apex and Black Diamond Icon. Both use 3-watt LEDs. The Apex has good heat sinking and can run continuously at ~3W (measured). The Icon has poor heat sinking and is run at ~1.7W (measured) to keep the junction temps down. The Apex puts out significantly more light, but weighs more.

Lower-consumption LED's are more efficient (and cheap), so the cheap way to get lots of lumens is clustering LED's. The problem then is multiple light sources; shadows get muddied and contrast is low. It drives me up the wall but might be less of an issue for some people--certainly the lights Kevin posted should do the job for rummaging around in a pack. CatEye gets around it with some very clever optics to bring the multiple beams together.

As noted above, the efficiencies of low-power LEDs are similar to those of high power LEDs. It is simply easier and cheaper to use several low-power LEDs in place of one high power LED. (Designers often use simpler drive circuits for low power LEDs.)

Also, high-power LEDs have only become available recently. Previously, the only way to get higher powers was to use multiple small LEDs.

I have one of the CatEye bike lights with 5 low-power LEDs. The beam is terrible. I also have a ~1 watt CatEye single-LED bike light. It is brighter and has a much better beam--both lights have similar (measured) power consumptions. (The the 5-LED light is older than the 1-LED light so at least part of the difference in light output could be due to newer technology.)

The technology of LED lights is progressing pretty rapidly right now. The efficiency of both high and low power LEDs has been improving recently and will likely keep improving for a while. High-power LEDs (eg >=1W) have only become available recently and higher power units are likely to become available in the not-too-distant future.

Doug

 

[Ed'n Lauky]

The bottom line is the little thing really works. I carry one in my pack as a back up to my headlamp. It takes almost no space, weighs next to nothing and really throws out a strong beam of light that is far more than sufficient for getting you back to your car. It also uses the same size batteries as my headlamp so the small pack of backup batteries I carry will work for either one. The price makes it a great backup option.