\ LEDs - Gallium Indium Nitride UV, violet, purple, blue, aqua, turquoise, green, white. Also Gallium Arsenide and others. New LED MUSEUM! GaN, InGaN, SiC, GaAs, GaP, GaAlP, ZnSe, flashlight, flashlights.

LED-LENSER V2 FLASHLIGHT

LED-Lenser V2 LED Power Chip Flashlight, retail $49.95-$60.00 (www.ledlenser.com/V2-1-watt-led-flashlight.html)
Manufactured by Zweibruder Opto-Electronics (LED Lenser) (www.ledlenser.com)
Last updated 07-04-04




The V2 Power Chip is a heavy, predominantly aluminum flashlight that features a bright 1.2 watt Luxeon Star LED and a Fraen 10° acrylic optic.
The V2 feeds from three N cells, which although can be expensive or hard to find in some areas, should be reasonably inexpensive and readily available in most areas.


SIZE



I do not know how the V2 comes packaged, so I guess I won't be very helpful in that regard.

Once you have it out of the package and have the batteries loaded (see below), the V2 ought to be ready to go. Press the black rubber button on the side of the barrel firmly and then release it to turn the V2 on, and press & release it the same way again to turn the V2 off.

For momentary (signalling) mode, press the button more lightly, and hold it in for as long as you need light. Let the button go to plunge yourself back into darkness.

The V2 comes with a nylon belt holster; however, since I do not own or use pants that require a belt, I cannot test it in the way in which it was intended.
The flashlight fits in the holster bezel (head) up, and has a Velcro flap that closes over the top, preventing the flashlight from unintentionally falling out



To change the batteries in your V2, unscrew & remove the tailcap and throw it away...O WAIT, YOU'LL NEED THAT!!! So just set it aside instead. ;-)
Tip the barrel in your hand so the three depleted N cells come out, and dispose of or recycle them as you see fit. Insert three new N cells in the barrel, button (+) end first. The last cell will stick out of the barrel somewhat; this is normal and should be ignored. Screw the tailcap back on, and be done with it. Aren't you glad you didn't discard that tailcap now? ;-)

The flashlight also unscrews just below the switch, but it's a bit of a pain in the toilet muscle to get it back together with batteries installed if you unscrew it here. If this is how you choose to do it though, insert the three new N cells flat (-) end first (toward the tailcap), and then screw the head back on.

There is what I believe is a spare switch rubber in the tailcap, behind the spring. It's the little black thing back there. If the one on the barrel somehow comes off and becomes lost, the spare is right there where you need it. You may need a pen or something to remove the gold-colored spring and the switch rubber from the tailcap, as they seem to be in there pretty well.

Current consumption was measured at 235mA on the included batteries, which may have had at least several minutes of prior usage.

Battery life is advertised at 100 hours. I'll run this flashlight through my computerised battery destroying satanic robot death machine sometime during the next day or so if I can get the computer hosting that equipment to work properly (the mouse does not work).

(Edit 03-30-04): I currently have the V2 on the battery discharge analysis machine, and even at this very early point, it doesn't look good for it. It started with a reading of 12.9 around an hour ago, and it's already down to 0.745. These numbers will be translated into a graph and then posted on this page when the test is finished.


And here's the chart I promised. This test was just a hair over two hours long, terminated earlier than expected due to equipment failure. But as you can see by the graph, the 50% intensity mark is about ten minutes in; the decline begins to plateau a bit at around the 25 minute mark. When the test terminated about two hours in, the flashlight could be easily stared into, it was that dim.

If the batteries are allowed to rest (at least zinc carbon and alkaline), the brightness will come back up. In this sample, after the batteries were rested for about 12.5 hours, it read 230,000mcd on a Meterman LM631 light meter.




The above photograph shows the business-end of the V2. You can see the 10° Fraen optic and part of the V2's bezel.

The V2 appears to be relatively sturdily made, but it is NOT water-resistant. When the tailcap was removed, the flashlight relieved of its batteries, and then the flashlight was suctioned, air had no problems getting in. The optic also has a hole in its center (this is normal), and is not protected or covered in any manner. So you definitely don't want to drop this flashlight in creeks, rivers, ponds, lakesides, oceansides, swimming pools, puddles of porcupine pee, irrigation ditches, snowbanks; or use it in rainy or snowy weather.

If you dropped the flashlight into water or water-like liquids or suspect it may have become flooded, remove the tailcap and batteries, dump the water out of the barrel if necessary, and set the pieces somewhere warm and dry for a few days, and it ought to be alright.
If it fell into seawater or if something peed on it, douche the pieces out with fresh water before setting them out to dry.

The V2 withstood ten whacks against a steel rod (five on the tailcap, and five on the bezel), and was not destroyed or damaged by this test. It also withstood several test throws unscathed.

I was relatively easily able to cut through the finish to bare metal with the blade of a Swiss army knife. I don't know what the finish is, but it appears to be a clear or metal-colored Type II anodizing.
Would I really try to cut up a brand spanken new flashlight?
You bet your sweet patootie I would, if it's in the name of science.

There is some "light leakage" from the round holes in the side of the bezel (head). This may be bothersome to some users, but not to others. If this "light leakage" pisses you off, it's easily curable with a little black electrical tape. The functioning of the flashlight will not be altered, but you will lose the ability to tell if the flashlight was left on when set face-down on a dresser, shelf, or other flat surface.

The V2 is made by LED Lenser, and sold by Coast Cutlery.
The sample I have has "Coast" silkscreened on its bezel, and "Coast TekTorches" embroidered on the flap of its belt holster.

The flashlight has a nice feel in the hand; however since it is not knurled (texturised), it could slip out of your hand and fall if your hands are cold, wet, or oily. When the V2 is held in an underhand grip, your thumb falls right where the button is, so turning it on and off or blinking it will not be a problem. When held in an overhand grip (like a police officer might hold his or her flashlight), it's still comfortable to hold, but your pinkie falls over the switch; you'd have to modify your grip somewhat in order for your thumb or forefinger to hit the switch.



Beam photo at ~12".
Measures 464,000mcd on a Meterman LM631 light meter.
The narrower-than-usual beam accounts for some of this brightness.



TEST NOTES:
Test sample was loaned to me by a website fan on the evening of 03-26-04. Yes, he actually came to my building and rang the intercom (which I typically don't answer at night, sorry!!!) and then knocked on my door (which I did answer) and dropped it off.


UPDATE: 03-28-04
From a posting I found on Candlepower Forums this morning, comes this snippet:

I also have 2 of these rascals, but both are woofing down 698 - 701ma (series ampmeter measured) from rad shack Nimh N cells.

This is more than three times the normal current (from alkaline N cells) - although the brightness will increase, the LED lifetime will be shortened.


UPDATE: 07-02-04
I have been given this flashlight, so I can remove that dreadful red "x" from its listing on the website's menu, and I can beat it against a steel rod, throw it, and otherwise punish it for the sake of this website. It's already been proven that it's not waterproof, so I don't need to try and drown it in the toilet. The flashlight will flood if I do that.


UPDATE: 07-04-04
More abuse...see above. ;-)


PROS:
Very bright - at least at the start
Feels good in the hand


CONS:
Unit wolfs its batteries down; very short battery life for an LED product
Not waterproof; very light splash-resistance only
Body and head not knurled or texturised


    MANUFACTURER: Zweibruder Opto-Electronics (LED Lenser)
    PRODUCT TYPE: Small flashlight
    LAMP TYPE: 1.2 watt Luxeon Star LED
    No. OF LAMPS: 1
    BEAM TYPE: Spotl with rings at periphery
    SWITCH TYPE: Pushbutton on/off/momentary on barrel
    BEZEL: LED protected by optic only; no lens or window
    BATTERY: 3x N cells
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: 235mA
    WATER RESISTANT: Very light splash resistance only
    SUBMERSIBLE: No
    ACCESSORIES: 3x batteries, belt pouch, spare switch rubber
    WARRANTY: Unknown/not stated

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star Rating





LED Lenser V2 Flashlight * www.ledlenser.com






Do you manufacture or sell an LED flashlight, task light, utility light, or module of some kind? Want to see it tested by a real person, under real working conditions? Do you then want to see how your light did? If you have a sample available for this type of real-world, real-time testing, please contact me at ledmuseum@gmail.com.

Please visit this web page for contact information.

Unsolicited flashlights appearing in the mail are welcome, and it will automatically be assumed that you sent it in order to have it tested and evaluated for this site.
Be sure to include contact info or your company website's URL so visitors here will know where to purchase your product.


WHITE 5500-6500K InGaN+phosphor 
ULTRAVIOLET 370-390nm GaN 
BLUE 430nm GaN+SiC
BLUE 450 and 473nm InGaN
BLUE Silicon Carbide
TURQUOISE 495-505nm InGaN
GREEN 525nm InGaN 
YELLOW-GREEN 555-575mn GaAsP & related
YELLOW 585-595nm
AMBER 595-605nm
ORANGE 605-620nm
ORANGISH-RED 620-635nm
RED 640-700nm
INFRARED 700-1300nm
True RGB Full Color LED
Spider (Pirrahna) LEDs
SMD LEDs
True violet (400-418nm) LEDs
Agilent Barracuda & Prometheus LEDs
Oddball & Miscellaneous LEDs
Programmable RGB LED modules / fixtures
Where to buy these LEDs 
Links to other LED-related websites
The World's First Virtual LED Museum
Legal horse puckey, etc.
RETURN TO OPENING/MAIN PAGE
LEDSaurus (on-site LED Mini Mart)



This page is a frame from a website.
If you arrived on this page through an outside link,you can get the "full meal deal" by clicking here.