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Detailed
Information:
Dorcy is once again exploring the latest lighting technology and bringing it en masse to the general consumer market before their competitors. Recently they released LED lights into the general consumer marker which were of good quality and used step-up circuits to drive the LEDs. Now they have successfully produced a relatively inexpensive platform for a Luxeon Star LED and have done a pretty good job in the design.
The body is made of machined and anodized aluminum.
The machining appears to be of pretty good quality for
an inexpensive light. The light can be disassembled
at the head, bezel, and tailcap, allowing easy access
to just about any part of the light for cleaning or
drying it out if necessary.
Instead of using a collimator optic, Dorcy has successfully implemented a reflector for focusing the light into a relatively good spot. A plastic lens protects the reflector and LED. Inside, there is no regulation or step-up circuitry. This is a direct drive LED and as a result it will dim over time.
Output is in the form of a pre-focused spot from the
essentially unbreakable Luxeon Star LED. The spot has
an unusual "tail" sticking out of one side, probably
as a result of the slightly imperfect shape of the reflector.
Beam color is very white with a blue corona ring surrounding
the central spot. A slight spillbeam illuminates the
area around the user, permitting for ease of navigation
when the light is projected forward. The primary beam
is surprisingly bright and actually outshines many of
the other LED lights I have.
Runtime Plot:
Runtime
completed with Duracell batteries. More information
on runtime plots is available HERE.
The switch is a simple click switch on the side of the head. The switch is covered with a rubber cap to improve water resistance. Inside the switching mechanism is a small circuit that turns the light on with the first click, and starts the light blinking with the second click. The third click turns the light off. The blinking is quite rapid - about 3 times a second. I personally found this strobe speed to be very irritating and a bit too fast. I have to question its usefulness. In use, I generally just click once to turn the light on, twice more quickly to skip the strobe feature and turn it off. The switch is completely recessed in a dimple to prevent accidental activation.
The light does have lubricated O-ring seals at the
various potential points of water entry, as well as
a rubber cover on the switch. I would rate the light
as "dunkable". If water gets into the body it can be
disassembled into 4 separate sections for ease of cleaning/drying:
Lens/reflector, Head, Body, Tailcap.
Ergonomics: The light is comfortable in the hand with the index finger and thumb resting on the raised rings located on the tapered section of the head. The flashlight is lightweight and comfortable to use. Locating the switch is not very difficult and the click pressure is light.
For batteries the unit takes 3 AAA in a cylindrical
carrier. The carrier is easy to load and unload and
contains polarity protection so the light will not operate
if one or more of the batteries are placed in backwards.
To change the batteries, unscrew the tailcap, drop out
the carrier, pry all 3 batteries out of the carrier
with your fingernail, and place new ones in. Reinsert
the carrier and attach the tailcap.
No additional accessories come with the light. Batteries are not included.
What I Liked: Water resistant, Impact resistant, Bright, Lightweight, Stands up on tail end, Relatively good battery life.
What I Didn't Like: No regulation,
Uses a carrier for the batteries - one more part to
keep track of & battery change requires close attention,
Beam is slightly oblong/asymmetrical.
Other Things I Noticed: Bluish corona around main beam slightly distracting.
Conclusions: A good, simple, small Luxeon Star light. Good quality and construction. Luxeon LEDs are practically impervious to impact, so you don't have to worry about bulb changes here. I don't think the strobe feature is actually useful and probably should have been excluded.
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