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Available from Lumaray.com
The Lumaray FL12-RX is a very unique LED flashlight.
The folks at Lumaray decided to take 11 bright Nichia
CS white LEDs and one red LED, package them in some
very tough polymers, place collimating lenses at a precise
distance from some of the LED for a concentrated beam,
place others behind a frosted lens for flood lighting,
include a multifunction circuit, create a very unique
locking mechanism for the battery compartment, and then
add a serious dose of futuristic style to their design
for good measure. The result is a very unusual flashlight
that looks like it stepped straight out of a sci-fi
movie. There are four colors available: Gunmetal Grey,
Black, Yellow/Gray, and White (click
HERE to see the different colors side-by-side, you'll
have to scroll down). I selected the Gunmetal Gray for
review. I have heard folks mention that some flashlights
look like "light sabers". Not the Lumaray. The grey
Lumaray looks more like a Klingon particle beam weapon
with an attitude. The white version looks like it would
be right at home on a Storm Trooper's utility belt,
or would match your I-Pod (hmmmm... standard Storm Trooper
equipment: white Lumaray, I-Pod, Blaster...?). The black
version just looks sleek and dangerous. The yellow/grey
one looks like a piece of industrial safety equipment
- a tool meant to be used, but "used for illumination"
is about the last thing you would think of.
Body: Aside from its unique design, the Lumaray
is made from polycarbonate, a high impact and chemical
resistant resin made by GE called "Xenoy",
and stainless steel springs. Very tough stuff all the
way around. The somewhat hexagonal anti-roll head includes
the 6 recessed lenses for the LEDs. Just below the head
is the locking mechanism that holds the head to the
body.
The junction between the head and the
body is sealed with 2 O-rings for water resistance. The
body is round with a cross-drilled circle pattern and
slight texture for grip.
On the very end is a molded in X-shape
that allows the light to stand on end when placed
on a flat, level surface.
Bezel/Head: As mentioned, the head contains
6 fairly Nichia CS white LEDs and 6 collimating lenses
to take the light from the LEDs and focus it into a
fairly coherent beam around the outside. At the center
of the head you will see 5 white LEDs and one red LED
to provide a more diffuse beam for flood fill. Surrounding
all of the LEDs is an application of glow-in-the-dark
material which glows brightly for many hours after exposure
to light from the LEDs. The RX model includes additional
glow material relative to other Lumaray models for extra
bright glow.
Bezel face-on in the dark to show glow after activation
Output: Output is in the form of a narrow beam
which produces a smooth spot of white light with a bluish
corona. The central 5 white LEDs behind the frosted
lens provide ample spillbeam.
All-On beam at one meter at target center
Output will vary depending on the mode selected. Picture
above is Mode 1 - all on.
At very close range the 6 spots created by the LED
lenses don't have time to converge and you have 6 completely
separate spots of light with fill between them provided
by the center 5 white LEDs.
Beam extreme close-up to show 6 separate LED spots.
Picture taken with light about 2" from target.
5 modes of output are availabe by turning the light
off and on in rapid succession.
Mode 1: Full Power Spot/Flood (all LEDs on)
Mode 2: Flood (center LEDs only)
Mode 3: Red Spot LED only
Mode 4: Spot (outer LEDs only)
Mode 5: Animated Strobe (alternating between the outer
and inner LEDs rapidly)
Each mode also has a ramp-up feature, slowly bringing
the light up to full brigtness over 1-2 seconds. This
is supposed to provide less shock to the eyes when turning
the light on in the dark.
It is interesting to note that the outer 6 LEDs have
a bit of a warmer color temperature than the inner LEDs.
This is by design to provide good color rendition.
Runtime Plot: Completed on Mode 1: All LEDS
On.
Runtime
completed with Duracell batteries. More information
on runtime plots is available HERE.
Switch: The head of the light serves as the
switching mechanism. Twist one direction for on, the
other way for off. To access the various modes, simply
twist the light off and on again to go to the next mode.
An "off" pause of more than 3 seconds causes
the unit to reset to the first mode. Inside the head
are flexible angled contacts that touch a stainless
steel wire molded into the inside of the body and runs
from top to bottom. At the bottom of the battery tube
a removable stainless steel spring serves as the negative
contact for the batteries.
Seals / Water Resistance: Between the head and
the body tube are two O-rings for water resistance.
These serve as seals to prevent the entry of water into
the body, which results in a watertight depth rating
of about 15 meters (50 feet).
Ergonomics: The Lumaray is very comfortable
in the hand and is rather lightweight for a 3-C cell
flashlight. The cross circle pattern in the body provides
sufficient grip.
Size compared to a common 2AA aluminum light.
I forgot to take a picture of the FL12-RX, so the FL-6
yellow version is shown.
They are the same size.
Batteries: The three C cells are changed by
unlocking the head from the light using the very unique
Lumaray mechanism. First, with the light facing upwards,
you rotate the locking mechanism below the head to the
right until it stops. Then, placing your thumb and forefinger
of one hand on two of the mechanism grip plates, and
a finger from your other hand on the third grip plate,
you pull all of them straight down. This causes the
lock tabs under the head to cam outward and release
the head of the light which then pops up. Remove the
head by pulling straight up. Leaving the rotating mechanism
in the unlocked position you drop out the cells one
by one (thanks to the Lumaray battery retainer) and
replace with new. Then press the head back in place.
A taper at the base of the head allows the locking surface
to slide under the three locking tabs. When the head
clicks back into place, rotate the locking mechanism
to the left until it stops. Although all of this sounds
complex, it is deceptively simple.
Head of Lumaray with locking mechanism unlocked and
pulled down,
opening the locking tabs and allowing the head to pop
up.
A third O-ring around the top of the body
where the head attaches protrudes into the body of the
light through slots cut in the O-ring groove. This third
O-ring actually acts as a battery stop so that when
you drop out the cells they don't all fall out onto
your feet. Instead they stop traveling down the tube
when they contact the O-ring, allowing you to shake
the tube and remove one cell at a time.
Accessories: Although no accessories come with
the light, the tail is designed to accept lanyards through
the openings.
What I Liked: Water resistant to
50 feet,
Tough/impact resistant, Long battery life,
Bright clean spot of light, Easy battery change,
Relatively lightweight for a 3 C cell light, Stands up
What I Didn't Like: Nothing
Picky Little Things: Nothing
Conclusions: The Lumaray FL12RX
can clearly illuminate targets well out of the reach
of non-lensed LED lights and has enough flood light
to illuminate the area close around the user. The multiple
modes all provide additional utility to this light.
It has a very cool design and overall is a very good
light. This is one of the few times where a really interesting
looking light doesn't just try to sell itself on its
looks and actually performs quite well. Great for medium
range tasks which take advantage of the tight spot of
light it produces. Note that if you have an older version
Lumaray, the heads of the new version fit on the old
body, but not vice-versa.
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USA