|
The Advancedmart 0.5 Watt 2 Level AA (TM-317X) is
made by Nuwai, a manufacturer who makes many LED lights of
varying but generally rather good quality. This particular
offering uses the new 8mm 0.5 Watt LED and is powered by a
single AA cell and has 2 selectable power levels.
The body is made from anodized aluminum. The entire body
has a fine texture made of very fine rings all the way around
which improves grip relative to a smooth body. The head is
slightly larger than the battery tube and it has an abrupt, inward curved
shoulder which leads at the swithc area. The switch is a
rubber covered clickie and is located on
the side of the light just below the head. After the switch
area the body necks down further to the battery tube. The tailcap
is larger in diameter than the body tube and has a wide shelf
at the body end and a narrow tapered shelf at the tail end.
There is a lanyard hole in the dise fo the tailcap end and
a wrist lanyard in included and attached. In total, the light
changes diameter no less than 7 times in its entire 5 inches.
The battery tube has a removable clip attached. The clip is
a bit flimsy and doesn't do a very
good job of holding the light in place if clipped in the pocket due
to the fact that the head end above the clip attachment point is heavier than
the body tube and tailcap below the clip attahment.
The head of the light is larger than the body tube so that
it may house the fairly large smooth slivered plastic reflector.
At the very end is a plastic lens to protect the reflector and
LED. Since the LED is powered by a single AA cell ,there is a
DC-DC boost circuit inside the head to increase the voltage to
the point needed to drive the LED.
Output is in the form of a very high color temperature (slightly
bluish) beam. The beam has a brighter central spot surrounded by
an irregular corona and a wide spillbeam. Some artifacts can
be seen in the beam at close range, but these blend together into
a smooth spot at a distance. For a single LED, output is very good.
The switch and circuitry inside the light allow for two separate output
modes. Click once for low output, click a second time for high output,
click a third time for off. Having a low and high output feature in a single
light can be very handy. Low mode is great when working up close and/or when battery
conservation is needed. High mode gives an extra boost
of light for those times when more detail resolution is needed or
for more distant objects. Having choices is never a bad thing! High
mode puts out roughly 4 times the light of low mode.
|
Level
|
|
|
|
Low
|
82 (9.06)
|
166 (1.66 )
|
|
High
|
250 (15.81)
|
506 (5.06)
|
All
throw readings are in Lux
at one meter. The numbers in parenthesis are for comparison
in the Comparison
Charts.
Beam at one meter at target center
Runtime Plot: Pretty good! The boost circuit does a
pretty good job of getting all it can from the single
AA cell.
Runtime
completed with "Energizer" battery. More information
on runtime plots is available HERE.
The switch is a rubber covered clickie just below the head
of the light. It does protrude from the side, so could be
accidentally activated. Lying the light on it side on a flat
surface reveals that the switch cannot come into contact with the
surface. The switch does not have a lockout function.
The rubber cap on the switch has a slightly
visible texture and grips the finger rather well.
The light does have an O-ring seal between the body and the
tailcap. I was unable to remove the head to discover the seals
that may be there. The switch has a tight fitting rubber cover.
I would give it a "splashable" rating at the very least.
Ergonomics: Small, but easy to use. Gripping the light in the palm
with the bezel sticking out the thumb end of the hand allows
the user to operate the switch easily with the thumb. The switch
provides positive tactile and auditory feedback.
Size compared to a common 2AA aluminum light
A single AA alkaline cell powers the light. To change the batteries
simply unscrew the tailcap and drop out the old cell. Drop in
a new cell positive first and tighten the tailcap fully.
The light comes with an attached pocket clip, but it really
isn't that good of a clip and I don't think I would trust it
that much. Drop the whole thing in your pocket instead of
relying on the clip. You may want to leave the clip attached,
however, as it does serve as an effective anti-roll device.
A nylon wrist lanyard is included with the light and comes attached
to the tailcap through a hole drilled in the side of the tailcap.
Removal of the lanyard will allow the light to stand on end well.
Since the lanyard is very thin where it attaches to the tailcap, you can
get the light to stand with the lanyard attached if the surface is flat
and you fiddle with it a bit.
What I Liked: Two output levels,
Water resistant at a minimum, Appears generally tough,
Impact resistant LED bulb, Semi-regulated DC-DC boost
circuit, Bright for a single LED light, Easy battery
change, Lightweight, Good runtime
What I Didn't Like: Clip not that great.
Other Things I Noticed: Beam is slightly irregular,
but not a significant detriment to the light or its use at all.
Conclusions: Nice little pocket light! Output is
quite good and it seems to be rather well made. Having two levels of
output can be very handy when working at various distances and when
battery conservation is needed. Good for the pocket, purse,
briefcase, etc. Runtime graph is pending, so we'll see how it does for output
over time very soon.
|
