SWIVEL HEAD/CLIP LIGHT

Swivel Head/Clip Light, retail $TBA (www.dorcy.com)
Manufactured by Dorcy (www.dorcy.com)
Last updated 03-14-07




The Dorcy Swivel Head/Clip Light is a fairly compact lighting source that uses a 5mm white LED behind a convex (magnifying) lens, so the projected beam is both narrower and brighter than a 5mm white LED would be in its feral state.

It operates on two AA cells, the head swivels (90° in one direction, 45° in the other), and it is outfitted with a spring-loaded clip so it can be affixed to pants pockets, the brims of baseball hats, and other locations with an opening (that can be opened to no less than 1.5" by 1.0") or a fairly thin platform the unit can be clipped to.


SIZE



Feed the unit its included batteries first (see directly below), and then you'll be ready to rock.

Press the black switch on the body of the unit until it clicks and then release it to turn the light on.
Do the same thing to turn the unit back off.

There is no momentary or signalling mode available when the unit is off, however you can blink it while it's on by partially depressing the button and holding it that way for as long as you need the unit off. If you don't mind the backward or reverse feeling of this, you can blink the unit this way if desired.

The head swivels in both directions (90° in one direction, 45° in the other); this is accomplished simply by turning the head to one side or the other with your hand.

The unit comes equipped with a spring-loaded clip on one side of the body; this opens toward the bottom (where the battery door is) of the unit, and it can be clipped to the brim of baseball hats, pants or coat pockets, etc. with this clip.



To change the batteries in this unit, turn it upside-down, slide the battery door away, remove it, gently drop it to the ground, and kick it into the weeds so it can rot away...O WAIT!!! YOU'LL NEED THAT!!! So just set it aside instead.

Tip the two used AA cells out of the body and into your hand, and dispose of or recycle them as you see fit.

Insert two new AA cells in the unit, following the polarity markings silkscreened on the inside of the battery chamber.
If the silkscreened legends wear off, turn the unit so the clip is facing away from you and the switch is facing toward you, and insert the leftmost battery flat-end (-) negative first, and the rightmost battery button-end (+) positive first.

Slide the battery door back on, and be done with it.
Aren't you glad you didn't kick that battery door into the weeds now?

Current usage measures 101.9mA on my DMM's 400mA scale.
I believe there is a power inverter in there to boost the voltage from 3 volts the batteries provide to the at least 3.6 volts that white LED needs. So that LED really isn't seeing 101.9mA.




Photograph of the "business-end", showing the translucent red bezel (the entire unit is made from this material) and the convex (magnifying) lens.

This unit is of all-plastic construction, so "The Smack Test" really wouldn't be appropriate here.

Same with "The Toilet Test"...not because two other people share the commode here, but because the product is not waterproof or submersible. When I suctioned the front of the illuminator head, air leakage was detected. Same with the body: when I removed the battery door, relieved the unit of its batteries, and performed that dreadful suction test, significant air leakage was detected. I think it is very lightly splash-resistant at best, but it is not waterproof or submersible. So please try not to drop it in creeks, rivers, ponds, lakes, oceansides, docksides, puddles of moose pee, slush piles, mud puddles, tubs, toilet bowls, cisterns, sinks, fishtanks, dog water dishes, or other places where water or water-like liquids might be found.

If it fell in water and you suspect it got flooded, remove the battery door and batteries, empty the water out of the body if necessary, and set all the parts in a warm dry place for a day or so just to be sure it's completely dry inside before you reassemble and use it again.

If it fell into seawater or if somebody or something peed on it, douche it out with fresh water before setting it out to dry. You don't want your Swivel Clip/Head Light to smell like seashells or wee-wee when you go to use it next. Besides, salt (from seawater or piss) can't be very good for the insides - the electrical contacts, the inverter circuitry, and the LED.

I suspect there is an inverter circuit inside not just because the battery voltage is a bit too low to operate a white LED, but because when brought near an AM radio, the "tuning" LED comes on and the static from the radio speaker disappears anytime this product is turned on near that radio.



Beam photo at ~12".
Measures 102,300mcd on a Meterman LM631 light meter.
Reading is high primarily because of a magnifying lens in front of the LED.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrometer plot of the LED in this flashlight.
Ocean Optics USB2000 Spectrometer on loan from TWO-CUBED.


ProMetric analysis
Beam cross-sectional analysis.
Image made using the ProMetric System by Radiant Imaging.



TEST NOTES:
Product was purchased from a website fan and was received late on the morning of 08-12-05.

Product was made in China. A product's country of origin really does matter to some people, which is why I published it on this web page.


UPDATE: 00-00-00



PROS:



CONS:



    MANUFACTURER: Dorcy
    PRODUCT TYPE: Swivel head/clip light
    LAMP TYPE: 5mm white LED
    No. OF LAMPS: 1
    BEAM TYPE: Medium spot with ringy corona
    SWITCH TYPE: Pushbutton on/off on side of product
    BEZEL: Plastic; LED protected by convex plastic lens
    BATTERY: 2xAA cells
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: 101.9mA
    WATER RESISTANT: Light splash-resistance
    SUBMERSIBLE: No
    ACCESSORIES: 2xAA cells
    WARRANTY: 1 year

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star Rating





Swivel Head/Clip Light * www.dorcy.com






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