*** VERY IMPORTANT!!!*** As of 07-06-07, the Lightwave company is no longer manufacturing flashlights!!
Do you love your Lightwave 2000?
Use it all the time?
Wish you could wear it on your head? Well now you can!
Introducing the Lightwave Illuminator. The four-LED flashlight you wear on your head!
Using an adjustable elastic 3-point strap system, the 3-AA cell powered Illuminator fits any sized head and projects a bright white light pretty much anywhere you want it.
Test run. I always look pissed off even when I'm not, and I tell you I wasn't mad at all when this was taken. :-)
Out of all the pictures I shot, this one came out the least angry looking. :-O
The Illuminator comes assembled and almost ready to use right out of the pack. You may need to purchase and install batteries*.
The unit comes adjusted to the smallest size, so you will probably need to adjust it to fit your head size.
The elastic bands use a pretty standard looking buckle adjustment system, and both the horizontal band (the one that encircles your head) and the vertical one (the band that goes
across the top) can be individually adjusted, so even if you look like Stewie the baby from "The Family Guy", you'll be able to get a proper fit.
To turn the Illuminator on, give the head (the can-shaped protrusion with the LEDs in it) a little clockwise twist; just turn it a bit the other way to turn it off.
The LED head is the same one used on the popular Lightwave 2000 flashlight, and can be interchanged freely with it, or easily replaced if it becomes broken or if something happens.
The Illuminator is affixed to a kind of hinge, this lets you aim the light up or down as the need dictates. Detents in the hinge "lock" the head in the position you set, so it is less likely
to drift or move on its own during your activity.
* Although the evaluation sample came with batteries installed, the packaging states "batteries not included". At least have some batteries around when you buy the Illuminator,
just to be on the safe side.
The Illuminator is powered by 3 AA cells, located in a flat battery pack making up the bulk of the unit.
Swing the light away from its mounting bracket. On the back of the battery back you'll see a large clip. Lift the clip gently and the battery lid will pop open, revealing
the hidden power source - three "AA" cells. The lid is affixed to the rest of the light with a stiff "strap" of sorts; this strap not only prevents loss, but also ensures the lid will only fit back on one way - the right way.
Insert three AA cells so the two on the outer edges have the button (+) end up, the center one has the button going down. A large, clear diagram is placed inside the battery compartment in case
you get flustered (or drunk) and forget how they go. :)
Once the batteries are in place, lower the lid straight down. Be sure the tab on the side facing the illuminator head slips under the small tab just behind the LED assembly, and push the lid straight down
until it clicks. The tabs on both sides will probably click at once, so you may only hear a single snap. You can tell the lid is on just by looking; the seam between the lid and body
is very small and it's easy to tell if one side isn't quite all the way down. An O-ring here helps prevent leaks, don't pry it out and then lose it.
The Lightwave Illuminator appears to be well-made; at least as well, if not better than the original Lightwave 2000 flashlight.
It appears to be made out of the same type of ABS plastic, and the light body is affixed to the head bracket with a screw & semi-captive nut arrangement.
The Illuminator is sealed with O-rings both at the illuminator head and the battery box. Because the battery box & illuminator are on the same unit, there are no wires or connections to break
or go bad, so you need not worry about adjusting the head angle too frequently and having a wire break out in the middle of nowhere.
Although the Illuminator isn't meant as a scuba light, it is fully submersible to 2 feet, so it will survive any bad weather you put it through, and will stay dry inside even after accidental falls into water.
Soft white beam on the new white target. From 24" distance.
Measurements and ProMetric analysis coming soon.
TEST NOTES:
Test unit was received several days ago, and is in the queue for being tested, bashed and thrashed.
I have somewhat of a backlog here, but I'm trying to fit everything in a bit at a time so nobody gets left out for too long.
Light arrived in the retail hang pack, but there were no instructions with it. Although this isn't a difficult light to operate, not everybody who buys them could possibly be
a flashlight expert, and some people may needlessly struggle with the battery door arrangement.
PROS:
.
CONS:
MANUFACTURER: Lightwave Industries
PRODUCT TYPE: Head mounted torch
LAMP TYPE: LED, White, 5mm
No. OF LAMPS: 4
BEAM TYPE: Central hotspot with soft fall off
SWITCH TYPE: Twist bezel on/off
BEZEL: Textured bezel, no lens
BATTERY: 3 AA cells
CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Not yet measured
WATER RESISTANT: Yes
SUBMERSIBLE: Yes, to 2 feet
ACCESSORIES: Batteries (maybe), all necessary straps
WARRANTY: 5 years, including the 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.
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.
