SPYDER FLASHLIGHT

Spyder Flashlight, retail $TBA (www.dorcy.com)
Manufactured by Dorcy (www.dorcy.com)
Last updated 11-11-07




The Dorcy Spyder is a small handheld flashlight that uses a high-pressure xenon filled incandescent light blub at the bottom of a stippled (texturised) reflector, feeds on two CR123A cells in the barrel, and comes in an almost all-aluminum body.

It has a rubberised pushbutton switch on its tailcap.


SIZE



To use the Spyder, feed it the included batteries first (see directly below), and then you'll be ready to roll.

Press the button on the tailcap until it reaches the end of its travel 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 Spyder 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 flashlight off. If you don't mind the backward or reverse feeling of this, you can blink the Spyder this way if desired.

The Spyder comes with a belt holster; however I do not own or use pants that require a belt, so I am not prepared to tell you how to use it.



To change the batteries in your Spyder, unscrew and remove the tailcap, and set it aside.

Tip the two used CR123A cells out of the barrel and into your hand, and dispose of or recycle them as you see fit.

Insert two new CR123A cells in the barrel, orienting them so the button-end (+) positive goes in first.

Screw the tailcap back on, and be done with it.

Current usage measures 1.221A (1,221mA) on my DMM's 4A scale.


Because this is an incandescent flashlight, sooner or later you'll need to change the bulb.
As soon as I figure out how to do that without breaking something, I'll add it to this web page.



The flashlight appears to be reasonably sturdy. Ordinary flashlight accidents should not be enough to do it in. I administered the smack test on it (ten whacks against the corner of a concrete stair; five whacks against the side of the tailcap and five whacks against the side of the bezel), and found the expected damage. There is some gouging on the sides of the tailcap and bezel where it was struck. No optical or electrical malfunctions were detected.

The flashlight appears to be weather- and water-resistant at the very least. When I removed the tailcap, relieved the barrel of its batteries, and then performed that dreadful suction test, no leakage was detected. So if it fell into shallow water, just shake it off and keep going. And you need not be concerned about using it in rain or snow. And if it fell next to the mailbox and the dog pissed on it, just take the garden hose to it or douche it off under the faucet...good as new! Being water- and pee-resistant is new for a Dorcy product, and makes an already good product even better.

Grip is aided by texturised rubber sleeves over the barrel and bezel, and some longitudinal flutes milled into the tailcap.

The tailcap switch has a very faint click sound, and (for all intents and purposes) no tactile response. That is, you cannot feel a clicking sensation when the switch engages and disengages.

The following text appears on the back of the package:

WARNING: This light is intended for short term
usage and should not be used for more than 10
minutes at a time.

This tells me that the Spyder is likely to become quite warm (possibly uncomfortably so) during extended operation; or the end window (or "lens") could soften or even melt.



Beam photo at ~12".
Measures 1,204cd on on a Meterman LM631 light meter.



Beam photo at ~15'.

That red star thing is from an American DJ Laser Widow, and that rectangular graphic thing near the lower-left is a marquee from a Williams 'Stargate' upright coin-op video game from the early-1980s.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the incandescent bulb in this flashlight.


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 Taiwan. 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: Handheld flashlight
    LAMP TYPE: Xenon-filled incandescent, 4.8 volts 1.22A
    No. OF LAMPS: 1
    BEAM TYPE: Wide spot with dimmer corona
    SWITCH TYPE: Pushbutton on/off on tailcap
    BEZEL: Metal; bulb and reflector protected by plastic window
    BATTERY: 2xCR123A cells
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: 1.221A
    WATER RESISTANT: Yes
    SUBMERSIBLE: Yes, to shallow depths anyway
    ACCESSORIES: 2xCR123A cells, belt holster
    WARRANTY: 1 year

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star Rating





Spyder Flashlight * www.dorcy.com






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