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The Dorcy Metal Gear 3xAAA flashlight is an anodized aluminum Luxeon LED
light. It is available in two finishes; silver or black. It uses
three AAA cell alkaline batteries in a special carrier for power and has
a removable pocket clip. A clickie switch on the tail activates the light.
Body description: The aluminum body of the Dorcy Metal
Gear has some interesting styling with multiple faceted
sections which prevent it from rolling off of a flat
surface. Just below the head is a checkered section
which also assists with grip. A removable pocket clip
is located on one side which is held in place with two
Phillips screws. The finishes available are either flat
black or a metallic silver-gray. The light cannot stand
on its tailcap due to the slightly protruding switch
cover. The quality of the machining work is rather good
with no serious machining issues and no significant
shavings/metal dust left inside the case.
Bezel/Head: The front of the light reveals a smooth
polished reflector behind a shatterproof polycarbonate
lens (polycarbonate cannot, by its nature, shatter).
The lens is slightly recessed in the aluminum head.
Many of the lights on the shelf had badly off-center
LEDs in them, and poorly formed reflectors. I chose
the best that I could find for this review, so do yourself
a favor and be picky. Look for the most centered LED
and the most uniform reflector of the bunch.
Output description: The white light produced by the
LED in this sample was a surprisingly good color temperature
weighted toward the middle of the spectrum. It contains
a yellow tinted Luxeon, which is quite unusual and is
an excellent find! All Luxeon LEDs have a slight tint
to them and there is no guarantee as to what slight
tint your particular Luxeon may have - yellow, green,
blue, purple, etc. This Luxeon produced great color
rendition especially on the red end of the spectrum
where LEDs usually have some difficulty. The slight
yellowish tint was detectable when compared against
a near sunlight-white source, but this tinting is not
noticeable during normal use.
Beam at one meter at target center and at target edge
to show spillbeam.
Runtime Plot: I think it's safe to say that there is no
regulation circuitry present! Looks like it's direct driven
by the alkaline batteries. As such, I would expect rechargeable
cells to produce less light output, and lithium AAA cells to produce
slightly more. The use of rechargeable and lithium AAA cells are
not mentioned in the instructions and is therefore at your own risk.
50% runtime is achieved in a little over 4 hours, which isn't
too bad considering the use of AAA cells and the fact that
it puts out more light at the start than a normal 2-D cell light.
Runtime
completed with Duracell batteries. More information
on runtime plots is available HERE.
Switch description: The switch is a rubber covered reverse-clickie
in the center of the tailcap. Press for on, press for off. When on, you
can press gently to blink the light. Since the rubber cap protrudes
beyond the plane of the tailcap rim, the light will not stand
on end well at all.
Seals / Water Resistance: The head would not come apart
on the light tested, so I cannot confirm nor deny the
existence of seals. The tailcap does have an O-ring
to prevent the entry of water. I'd give it a splashable,
but it's probably dunkable.
READER UPDATE October 13, 2005: O-ring seals
confirmed behind the lens and between the head and the
body.
If it gets wet inside, just disassemble as much a possible
without tools and let it dry before using again.
Ergonomics: It's a good size, but has a chunky feel
due to the hexagonal design built into the body at various
points. Operation is very simple and easy. A bit large
to carry in the pocket, but can be slipped temporarily into the back
pocket for quick retrieval when working.
Size compared to a common 2AA aluminum light
Batteries: For batteries, this light takes three AAA
alkaline cells. The use of any other battery formulation
is not mentioned in the instructions. The 3-cell battery
carrier used by this light is one of the better quality
carriers I have seen to date.
To change out the batteries: unscrew the tailcap, drop
out the battery carrier, remove the old cells, place in new cells observing proper
polarity and replace the battery carrier. Reattach the tailcap and you're ready to go.
What I Liked: Water resistant,
Impact resistant Luxeon used for light, Decent battery life,
Good general-purpose output, Fairly easy battery change, Great
color temperature/color rendition from this particular Luxeon.
What I Didn't Like: No regulation, Uses a battery
carrier - one more thing to lose.
Other Things I Noticed: Many of the units on display had
badly centered LEDs or poorly formed reflectors. The unit reviewed was one
of the best ones I could find on the rack.
Conclusions: A surprisingly good general purpose Luxeon
light. I had no problems with the light at all during the
testing, and really found the color rendition to be fantastic. It loses points
for needing a battery carrier and the lack of regulation, but overall a good light
and a great step up over common plastic 2-D cell lights.
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