*** VERY IMPORTANT!!!*** As of 07-06-07, the Lightwave company is no longer manufacturing flashlights!!
The Lightwave 3000 is the baby brother to the large "D" cell Lightwave 4000.
This light uses "C" cells and features 7 intense white LEDs in the head and a real pushbutton switch on the barrel. (Well, on the head, but it works the same way).
Size reference. LW4000 on the left, LW3000 in the middle, and Expedition300 on the right.
This light uses 3 common "C" alkaline batteries, which I don't believe it comes with.
Put some batteries in (see below) and you're ready to roll. Press the rubberized button on the head to turn the light on; press it again to turn it off.
Folks, it doesn't get much easier than this.
To install batteries, just unscrew the head until it comes off, and slip 3 new alkaline C cells in, button-end facing up.
Screw the head back on until it's snug (don't overtighten), and that's that.
Battery life isn't explicitly stated, but should be 15-20 hours with good brightness, then decreasing over the next several weeks.
Like its big brother, the Lightwave 3000 appears to have been very ruggedly built. Try to break one of these, and you might give out before
the flashlight does. The body is made of a thick black plastic; probably ABS, which is then coated with real rubber.
Even when empty, the flashlight has a beefy, solid feel to it.
Whacking it against a steel rod a number of times didn't leave a mark, not even on areas of the body not covered by rubber.
This and the bigger LW4000 may very well be the best built plastic flashlights that have ever been made & sold to the general public.
The diameter of the body is *just right* to have a very pleasing, flashlight-like feel in the hands, and the rubber coating gives you a grip on things even when it's nasty outside.
The switch has a very slight click to it, which cannot be felt when wearing gloves. But the light is so bright, you'll KNOW when it's on regardless
of your situation. :-O
The Lightwave 3000 comes with a wrist lanyard affixed to a receptacle on the tailpiece. Although it is long enough to fit any wrist,
I might have wanted a thicker strap, or better yet, the type used by the Tektite C cell lights with a rubber hose (as a cushion) around a portion of it
to make the fairly beefy flashlight more comfortable around the wrist for long periods, most notably if you're one to just let the flashlight dangle by its lanyard when not needed.
Lengthening it so it can be looped around the front of the flashlight is a good idea.
Soft white beam on the new white target. From 24" distance.
Measures approximately 70,000mcd on new batteries.
NOTE: Charts were made on the wrong setting, so the intensity readings are too high. The physical data is all correct however. This will be fixed shortly.
Charts courtesy of the ProMetric System, on loan from Radiant Imaging.
TEST NOTES:
Light is about as indestructible as they come. If you break one of these, chances are you've already broken your vaccume cleaner, your toilet, your new barbecue, and all of your lawn furniture too.
UPDATE 03-27-02:
Water testing to commence immediately. Let's start with plopping it in the fishtank and leaving it there overnight.
Come back tomorrow morning to read the results.
UPDATE 04-20-02:
OOPS!! It certainly isn't "tomorrow" any more is it? Sorry about that. :p
The LW3000 was left in the fishtank for almost a week (yup, I forgot I left it there too) and it did just fine once I cleaned the slime and fish poop off it. No leaks of any sort were detected. So we know it's submersible to at least two feet, and probably a bit more.
PROS:
Durable and well-made
Comfortable to use and hold
Brightness comparable to any other 7-LED light
Long battery life
.
CONS:
Lanyard is a bit on the wimpy side; though still usable.
MANUFACTURER: Lightwave Industries
PRODUCT TYPE: Mid-sized handheld flashlight
LAMP TYPE: LED, White, 5mm
No. OF LAMPS: 7
BEAM TYPE: Central hotspot with soft fall off
SWITCH TYPE: Pushbutton on/off
BEZEL: Textured bezel, no lens
BATTERY: 3 C cells
CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Not yet measured
WATER RESISTANT: Yes
SUBMERSIBLE: Yes, tested to 2 feet
ACCESSORIES: Thin wrist lanyard
WARRANTY: 3 years, including LEDs
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.
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