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The Aurora 1.5 Watt LED flashlight has a unique combination
of features that make it stand out in it's own right.
This little critter uses a two AA cells for power, has
a lens to focus the light from its LED into a tight
spot, and uses a Nichia Jupiter LED which has 6 bond
wires inside. Two bond wires are needed for a single
LED, so we apparently have three LEDs stuffed into one
big LED capsule. Since it takes more than 3V to run
an LED, there is a boost circuit in there as well. Combine
this with a nice clickie side switch and a beautiful
finish and you have a very slick little LED light.
The body of the Aurora 1.5 Watt is aluminum with a
gray finish. There are decorative notches around the
head and there are similar notches around the tailcap
for grip when removing the tailcap for battery changes.
Around the center of the head and body you will find
checkering to improve grip. A flat panel machined into
the side of the body tube serves as an indicator for
the location of the switch. The tailcap is flat which
allows it to stand on end and it comes with a removable
wrist lanyard attached.
The head of the light contains one of the new Nichia
Jupiter 1.5W LEDs. This is Nichia's next generation
of LEDs with high output capability. There is a convex
lens inside that focuses all of the light into a round
spot. Behind the LED there is a DC-DC boost circuit
to increase the voltage from the two AA cells to power
the LED.
The convex lens inside the head focuses almost all
of the light into a tight round spot with some rings
surrounding the spot which serve as a spillbeam. It's
sort of looking at the full moon projected on the wall.
Really pretty wild! The spot has a distinct slight bluish
tint and a deeper blue outer edge. The outer rings provide
enough light for navigation in the environment when
the main spot is projected forward.
Beam at one meter at target center and at target edge
to show spillbeam.
Runtime Plot: On the back of the package is a runtime
graph which shows about 2 hours to 50% output with a
long tail of diminishing output after that. Actual test
results show about 3 hr and 40 min before it drops out
of regualtion. Very nice runtime, decent semi-regulated
output.
Runtime
completed with "Duracell" AA battery. More
information on runtime plots is available HERE.
The switch is a simple rubber covered clickie. Press
for on, press for off. A gentle click is heard when
used. This particular switch is known as a "reverse
clickie". Press till it clicks for on, then press
gently if you want to blink the LED on and off.
The light appears to have good seals. The seal at the
bezel end is unknown, but the tailcap has a good O-ring
in place. I'd give it a "dunkable" at worst. If it gets
wet inside, just disassemble as much a possible without
tools and let it dry before using again. The light is
advertised as water resistant.
Ergonomics: Very comfortable to use, a good size overall.
No problems here at all.
Size compared to a common 2AA aluminum light
Two AA cells power the light. Batteries were included.
To power the light simply unscrew the tailcap and drop
in the AA cells, positive first. Reattach the tailcap.
Accessories: A wrist lanyard was attached
to the tailcap and a medium duty belt sheath with velcro
flap was included as well.
What I Liked: Water resistant,
Tough/impact resistant, Semi-Regulated,
Bright, Easy battery change, Lightweight, Stands up
What I Didn't Like: Nothing
Other Things I Noticed: Nothing
Conclusions: The output is really
fascinating. The spot isn't so tight as to make it unusable,
and yet not so broad as to make it wash out. the finish
on the light is really gorgeous - a dark gunmetal gray.
It has good power and uses inexpensive AA cells which
is always a positive.
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