This post was intended for a site where I used to post, but I have been removed from Membership there. Oh, the humanity. Anyway, water under the bridge, so they say. I’ll be direct blogging material from now on, linking to it from Disqus and GAB as the situation occurs.
I had posted several flashlights, information on them, images carefully taken for clarity and combined for same, they’ll be showing up here soon too.
Coleman 2D Boosterbeam (It also went by the name WideBeam) Flashlight, it uses 2 D Size Batteries (Cells). It was a gift to my wife by her coworkers in 2003, so it’s 17 years old. We used to have a house we rented full time in the country for weekends and holidays, and we lived and worked in Pittsburgh. This flashlight was given to us just as we started traveling to that place on the weekends. We had the house for about 5 years, and then somehow the Coleman Flashlight became the “basement flashlight” in Pittsburgh. So, for the large part, at our old home and new one, it was in the basement. I’m retiring it from there, to be used elsewhere in the home, and I bought LED Replacement Bulbs for the Incandescent Bulb used in this light (even though it still works). The Incandescent Bulb is a Philips 55 Lumen HPX24 IC5 2.4V 1.2 A HK.
The LED Replacements I’m trying are the Dorcy 30-Lumen 3V LED Replacement Bulb (41-1643) and the NITE Ize 55-Lumen LED Upgrade Bulb LRB2-07-PR. The NITE Ize has very little lens around the LED, the Dorcy has a simulated bulb. I anticipated the Dorcy to behave more like a regular bulb in utilizing the Reflector, and the NITE Ize to be more of a Spot Light, but they both perform similarly.
Both work very nicely. The WideBeam Feature of the light is, I think, finally fully realized. The Dorcy is somewhat dimmer, somewhat less white, i.e. more yellowish, but not too much at all. The Dorcy seems to have more of a Traditional Lens on it, seems better constructed, and it was less expensive.
The NITE Ize is brighter, seems to be an LED Unit Pressed into the Base, as when I was twisting it into place, I noticed the LED was turning but not the base. I carefully removed it, held the base, and Twisted the LED back slightly to where I believe it was. There must be a single wire to the center contact, and the other connection is derived by contact with the case, so twisting the wire slightly should not be a concern. As I took the following measurements, removing one bulb and inserting the other, I used a small Screwdriver to rotate the NITE Ize unit into or out of place, using little raised sections on the flange, it’s easy to do, and the possibility of twisting the LED Unit in the base is eliminated.
For the Incandescent, 1.2 A, that’s a lot of current. Compared to modern LEDs, the light is not very bright. In fact, the Streamlight 3N LED Pocket Sized Flashlight (shown) actually seems brighter. But Beam Size and Brightness are not necessarily the only qualities one is looking for. That’s why it’s best to try the light in conditions that you need it, or to buy one that perhaps a relative or friend owns that you tried out. The reason I’m buying an LED Replacement Bulb for the Incandescent Bulb is Battery Life, and the Bulb I’m buying is no where near the brightest available. The Dorcy LED is about half the price of the NITE Ize and 1/3 less lumens as well. Again, the light pattern is essential for the light’s use, and I just want to experiment. I have one very bright hand held Flood Light, that will do for when I need a long beam projected, this one I just want to use around the house.
Here is the Meter I used to measure the current, and the current was set on Amps or MilliAmps, as the meter would permit.
The Coleman 2D Boosterbeam was easy to measure the current on, the Battery Cap is removed, and the leads placed so as to complete the circuit through the meter, essentially one on the bottom of the visible battery, the other to a metal ring on the side that the Battery Cap connect through a spring to complete the circuit. This meter is unique in that it covers the Meter Lead Jacks to prevent the incorrect connection, the connection for Amps is different from MilliAmps.
Here are the Measurements with the flashlight on:
- Center Bulb = CB
- Peripheral LEDs = PL
- All 3 LEDs = All 3
Incandescent:
Philips HPX24 IC5 2.4 V 1.2A HK
CB = 1.05 A PL = 0.3 A All 3 = 1.29 A
Dorcy LED
CB = 0.09 A PL = 0.3 A All 3 = 0.36 A
NITE Ize LED
CB = 0.19 A PL = 0.3 A All 3 = 0.5 A
Considerable Reductions in Current occur using either LED Bulb. The Dorcy Using 1/2 the current of the NITE Ize and 11.67 times less current than the Incandescent.
The NITE Ize uses Twice as much current as the Dorcey, but 5.53 times less current than the Incandescent.
Both LEDs are perfect fits for the utilization of the Reflector. I didn’t fully appreciate this Flashlight with the Incandescent Bulb as it still largely cast a spot of light, but these 2 LEDs fill the Reflector Full with Light and create a remarkably wide beam. The Brightness is ample for Dim to Darker Areas, but the wider the light is dispersed, the less bright the light will be per square foot, but shining it on the wall opposite me, 10′ away, it literally goes beyond the wall to the right and left, onto the connecting walls, and from floor to ceiling. It’s a nice effect, one I’ve never seen in a light before.
The Streamlight Flashlight is an Explosion Proof work light (i.e. a light to be safely used in the presence of Flammable Gases or Vapors where the flashlight won’t ignite these substances). It uses 3 N Cells, 1.5 V Each, they are shorter than AAA Batteries, they can be seen in the image below (Left to Right at the bottom of the image is an N, AAA, and AA Cell). It has a Modular LED Assembly that needs removed to change the batteries. The Light is bright, white, and is dispersed well by the reflector, creating a spot light effect. The batteries are easy to get online, they must have used the N Cells to get 4.5 Volts (1.5 x 3) needed for a compact flashlight.
The Streamlight 3N is available for $18 on Amazon, the Coleman 2D Boosterbeam is a design of the past, there were newer models over the years, and I think it is still manufactured, just not like the model depicted here.
Regardless, I’d recommend either or both of these Flashlights, and the Coleman 2D Boosterbeam benefits immensely by the LED upgrade, or buy a more modern version already using an LED.
Meanderings 