torches for law enforcement

[black bear]

And here is the comparison in output, the Bear Cub, having a bigger reflector, concentrate more the beam shot and thows much further than the floody Centurion III.

Centurion III at 26 yards 200 lumens (P-91 lamp, 20 minutes run time)



Bear Cub 26 yards, rechargeable, 220 lumens 90 minutes run time





Hope this help.

Cheers
Black Bear

[Maelstrom]

I have a bulb for the BOREALIS that is 500 lumens, runtime should be doubled, but very few people are interested in lower power.

I doubt that you get that many lumens output with the 6 D for the whole runtime, as it runs on regular alkalines D batteries.

The alkalines shows a declined power after the first initial minutes of full power with fresh batteries.

I'd have to agree, especially if you factor in the Krypton's effective lifespan of what 36 hours? the tinting effect on globes reduces output further again... though starting with an initial 114 lumens, 25 lumens after 8 hours continous usage is considerably better than either my multi LED or 1w Luxeon mini backup torches (both powered by 3 AAA's) after the same usage duration

FWIW being the tight git that I am... I alternate between Kryptons & an 6.0v LED drop in replacement bulb (which is why I created dummy D cells) to maximise battery usage/lifespan

[fryzie]

there isnt anything in the 6-7" range is there?

[Maelstrom]

Well seeing as the Surefire Centurion III is approximately 6.4" BB's Bearcub flashlight (220 Lumen beast) would fall into that size catagory as it's only marginally bigger

[black bear]

Hi Maelstrom,
I want to comment in the tinting effect (blackening of the bulb ~globe~ envelope).

The Krypton and Xenon gases help to make the filament runs hotter (and brighter) but some material is pulverized from the filament and deposited on the glass envelope darkening it.

My bulbs have a trace of Halogen which recycle the tungsten back into the filament when it gets hot enough (about 15 seconds after the light is put on).
So bulbs with Halogen gas on it always last much longer than the ones that don't have it.

Cheers
Black Bear

[Maelstrom]

Thanks Black Bear for that explanation, Xenon, Krypton & LED globes are easily found, but a Halogen type for torches might prove a little more difficult (at least locally)

[black bear]

MAGLITE 2 D LED
I was intrigued by this light for a while; I knew that the only difference from a regular Krypton 2 D model was in the self contained “bulb” of Luxeon LED.

Still I wanted to try it against a regular Krypton bulb model to see if the increase in price was going to provide an increase in performance.
Recently the Krypton White Star bulb specifications was upped to 36.5 lumens and 16,200 candlepower, I have in my arsenal a brand new Maglite 2 d with Krypton bulb and I just bought a new 2D LED model for the test, you can see them in the picture side by side, they are the two black lights.
The red is also a Maglite “shell” or “host” as I like to call them, but the interior have been changed into a Black Bear 720 lumens powerhouse.
If you are not familiar with the modifications of Black Bear Flashlights, they are full of special components and some skilled labor to convert the regular 2 D’s, 3D’s and other formats, into incredible bright lights outputting 220, 426. 720, 856 and 1050 lumens.




In playing the new LED against the Krypton model, my observation is that the LED light produces a more smoother beam than the Krypton model, the intensity of the beam is, in my opinion not changed, but is of course, whiter.

You can see the results here in my pictures taken at 35 yards distance. I have not seen any place in the package or in the instructions where it mentions the amount of lumens emitted by the three watts Luxeon diode of the new light, but the pictures will help to visualize it.

THE 2D KRIPTON BULB



THE 2 D WITH 3 WATTS LED



AND THE BLACK BEAR 720 LUMENS




The package mention the increased battery life and the more rugged emitter (LED’s doesn’t have a filament to burn and can last for 100,000 hours) so the light is an improvement over the Krypton model.
The light has a good throw thanks to the two inch diameter reflector that really help to deliver a beam at long distance, it is the best thrower of all the 3 watts LED in the market, it is an ideal light to keep in car or truck for emergencies and even if necessary, to use as a whacking tool (who knows, you may need it to check for proper inflation in the tires).

The light was on sale at Wal-Mart and I paid $25.00 for it, I think that for that price you get a LOT of quality in a very rugged light that will take abuse and even work underwater.
I recommend the new Maglite 2 D 3 watts LED highly, at 23 oz and ten inches long it is not too heavy but it makes a good impact tool, I know, I have used one to drive tent stakes when camping in the wild.

As for the Black Bear 720 lumens of Black Bear Flashlights, this is a light in another dimension, the internals parts are made with infinite precision and the highest material quality, the Rolls Royce battery carrier (it carriers six rechargeable Nimh batteries) is a work of art, the reflector is a heavy walled solid aluminum and the bulb holder is a quality aluminum and ceramic component, the lens is Pyrex and the torch is heavily modified for the lowest internal resistance.
This Rolls Royce of a flashlight largely hand made, is driving a super-bulb producing 720 lumens of light, only superated by the BOREALIS 1050 lumens, another Black Bear product that is made on the host of the 3 D, 12 ½ inches long and 28 oz.

https://www.BlackBearFlashlights.com

Back to the Maglite 2 D, LED this light is a quality product made proudly in the USA, the threads are cut with precision and without play and the interior is anodized as well as the outside, the tolerances are minimal and to think that all this quality can be had for less than $30 USD is a miracle of new manufacturing techniques. If some of you are old enough, you may remember that when the new Maglite came into the market in the 1980’s the retail price were $60 USD and the government agencies were flocking to buy them at that price, for the increased quality and innovation that it represented over the other lights in the market then.

https://www.Maglite.com

For years I had kept a 2D in the glove compartment of my cars and in the trunk the more powerful 6 D’s; I had two of them, one fitted with an orange traffic cone for road emergencies.
The addition of LED technology make the Maglites better than ever, there is many more lights using 3 watts LED’s on the market, but none with the reach of the Maglite and as affordable as they are.


All the best
Black Bear

[Maelstrom]

The addition of LED technology make the Maglites better than ever, there is many more lights using 3 watts LED’s on the market, but none with the reach of the Maglite and as affordable as they are.

Just shows that other than relying on an older but proven design... Maglite is keeping pace with current advances in illumination technology, namely the high output LEDs

Black Bear... in your opinion, due to the constraints of the PR flange (drop in) design, the LED solution used by Maglite wouldn't be as effectively cooled/pushed to maximum efficiency as say the 'screw in' 140 Lumen add-on from TerraLux?

I soon hope to clarify this very question as I've ordered both a standard 3D & 3D LED Maglite to use in a comparison with both supplied & aftermarket LED options... I was just curious of your thoughts prior to getting underway

[black bear]

Maelstrom,
It is a lot of mass to disipate heat in the design of the bulb carrier and the mass of the head.

These days even the small key ring Fenix is claiming over a 100 lumens!





Please let us know how you like the Terralux, maybe some beam shots?

All the best
Black Bear

[K-9 Aussie]

Blackbear, is there anything at all that can be done to the Magcharger to improve its lumens output over its standard 200 lumens?

[black bear]

There is a bulb that will make 500 lumens, but it needs a Nimh battery stick with high current Ninhs, instead of the stock Ni Cad stick.
It can not be used for a full run because the bulb holder is plastic and will melt or smoke.

Stop gap solutions such as using a mica shield work only for a little while.
I consider the Magcharger a weaker design than the Maglite (Magcharger have screw in switch separate from the body and head, while the Maglite protect the switch inside the body) for law enforcement.

Black Bear

[Maelstrom]

I have received some e-mails and PM’s asking me to do a beam shot of the maglite 3 D, a light that is very popular in the law enforcement circles and with outdoorsman.

The light is billed as outputting 39 lumens; this is true with fresh high quality D batteries; however as alkaline batteries sag a lot under load, this output is maintained for only seven minutes, when it drops to 75 % of the output.

I'm curious how you arrived at that figure when the quoted rating on the Maglite website is approximately 80 Lumen for the 3D Krypton/Xenon variant?

[black bear]

I'm curious how you arrived at that figure when the quoted rating on the Maglite website is approximately 80 Lumen for the 3D Krypton/Xenon variant?

The chart in the maglite site was recently upgraded with the new figures.which is obviously a missprint
The Maglite 3 D was always a 39 lumens light, anybody with a Surefire 6P or G-2 (65 lumens) can see that the Krypton bulb can't be a 76 lumens bulb.

In the other hand the quote of 82 lumens with the Magnum Star Xenon bulb could be right, but I don't have a Magnum Star bulb for 3 cells to make a beam shot.

I do have plenty of the Magnum Star for 5 cells that make 181 lumens in a Maglite 5 D and do 220 lumens in my BEAR CUB (2 C format, 9 inches long, 13 oz, 220 lumens for 90 minutes on especial high current rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries).

Best regards
Black Bear

[Maelstrom]

So the 36.5 Lumen rating for the 2D Krypton unit is wrong to? at that rated output it overpowers the Streamlight Stinger's meagre 14,000CP


EDIT: For basic reference sake, I've included some comparison beam shots of a Maglite 3D with OEM Krypton globe & aftermarket TerraLux TLE-6EXB (140 Lumen) compared to a Dorcy 1 Watt Luxeon #41-4281 rated at 45 Lumen, exposure settings on the digital camera were all set to auto & distance from ceiling to light head was equal...

[black bear]

Maelstrom,
Thank you for the pictures.
As you probably know, initial lumens output derived from alkaline batteries have nothing to do with real life performance.

The alkalines exibit a tremendous sag under load, a Maglite 3D will drop to 75 % in the first 7 minutes and will be doing 50 % after one hour.
As you can see in this chart.



I have a couple of pictures taken at 12 feet from the camera and coming from 26 yards with the same camera setting. Maglite 3 D Kryton and the Dorcy 1 watt (3 AAA batteries)

Maglite 3 D krypton



Dorcy 1 watt



CONTINUE IN NEXT POST TO FIT ALL PICTURES