In my never ending search for an affordable bike like, I came upon a website that sells LED flashlights advertised up to 1000 lumens for under $100. The company's name is DealExtreme. It's a Hong Kong based company.I bought the Aurora AK-P7-3 SSC P7-C 900-Lumen 2-Mode LED Flashlight advertised at $50.02. The reviews say that it's not a total 900 lumens but close to around 800 lumens. 800 lumens is still allot. Plus, compared to some high end LED lights such as the SureFire E2D LED Defender (120 lumens/over $100) it's a steal.
So what do I get with this little toy:
- Seoul Semiconductors SSC P7LED emitter
- Powered by 4 x 3.6V CR123A or 2 x 18650 batteries (sold separately)
- Input voltage range: 7.2V~17V
- Maximum brightness: 900 lumens on high, 230 lumens on low (manufacturer rated)
- Maximum circuit outpet: 2800mA
- 2-mode tail cap clicky switch: Hi > Lo
- 1~1.5 hours total estimated runtime (manufacturer rated)
- Regulated driver circuitry
- Glass lens with alumium textured/OP reflector
- Very bright (I can aim the light at a room ceiling and the reflection fills up the whole room to about the amount of a low watt bulb)
- Gives off a white light
- Aluminum body (well crafted)
- Low price for the amount of lumens
- No shipping cost
- Can use PayPal services to buy
- From reports that I have read it gets warm after a while, but I'll be using it on my bike so it's a non issue with me.
- Shipping takes about two weeks (it's coming from China)
- Packaging is so-so (mine came in a brown envelope, flashlight in a plastic wrapping inside a paper box. The box looked like it had be crushed, but since the light is made out of aluminum it didn't suffer any damage)
- It uses very expensive/uncommon batteries (18650 or CR123A)
The length of the light is a little bit over 9 inches and the width of the lens is about 2.1 inches
The main issue I have with the flashlight is the uncommon battery size (18650 or CR123A) and price. The CR123 size is common in cameras, but at a cost of around $6-$12 for a pack of 2. I searched online to get better prices and was able to find it at cr123batteries.com for $0.92 each. I waited another week for these to arrive.
Keep in mind that on HIGH the length of run time is about 60-90 minutes. I guess that's one of the drawbacks of a hand held flashlight. Light and Motion HID ARC's battery life is hours compared to the Aurora. It's too bad that Light and Motion has discontinued the HID ARC line.
Keep in mind that on HIGH the length of run time is about 60-90 minutes. I guess that's one of the drawbacks of a hand held flashlight. Light and Motion HID ARC's battery life is hours compared to the Aurora. It's too bad that Light and Motion has discontinued the HID ARC line.
I wasn't disappointed when I first tried out my new toy. If I was in a search and rescue team, this would be the light I would have with me (plus extra batteries). The spot area was definitely above 800 lumens and the fill or flood area was bright as well. Aiming the beam at a wall 16 feet away the overall coverage was about 20-25 feet.
Two 150 LED flash lights mounted on bike above.
One 900 lumen LED flashlight mounted on bike above.
Twofish flashlight holder.
Click on the images above to get a bigger view.
360 degrees view of 900 lumen flashlight on bike from glenn m on Vimeo.
Information on how I mounted the lights to my bike is posted on my "Thursday, October 16, 2008 - Poor Man's 300 Lumens Lights". If you're looking for a very cheap way of riding in the dark, but don't have $300 lying around, don't mind the uncommon battery sizes and run time, then tryout the system that I created.
The downside is, cycling season is pretty much over, unless you're a hardcore rider that doesn't mind the wind chill hitting your face at 18 mph. Until spring, it's the bike trainer for me, because I'm not that crazy anymore to be riding in freezing temperatures.
I'm so impressed by this light that I'm thinking about getting another one for use around the house. Just last night I helped my neighbor with raking up his leaves late into the night by using my flashlight. And yes, he said "wow" when I first turned it on.
Two 150 LED flash lights mounted on bike above.
One 900 lumen LED flashlight mounted on bike above.
Twofish flashlight holder.
Click on the images above to get a bigger view.360 degrees view of 900 lumen flashlight on bike from glenn m on Vimeo.
Information on how I mounted the lights to my bike is posted on my "Thursday, October 16, 2008 - Poor Man's 300 Lumens Lights". If you're looking for a very cheap way of riding in the dark, but don't have $300 lying around, don't mind the uncommon battery sizes and run time, then tryout the system that I created.
- $50 for Aurora 900 lumens LED flashlight
- $13 for Cycloblock (plus shipping)
- $40 for (Optional if you have a recumbent bike) TerraCycle Mount (plus shipping)
The downside is, cycling season is pretty much over, unless you're a hardcore rider that doesn't mind the wind chill hitting your face at 18 mph. Until spring, it's the bike trainer for me, because I'm not that crazy anymore to be riding in freezing temperatures.
I'm so impressed by this light that I'm thinking about getting another one for use around the house. Just last night I helped my neighbor with raking up his leaves late into the night by using my flashlight. And yes, he said "wow" when I first turned it on.
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