LIONHEART

LionHeart, retail $164
Manufactured by Charlie Wong ("MR Bulk" on CPF)
Last updated 11-18-04




(In reference to the package I received yesterday from a CPF member in Hawaii):
{sung like the Foreigner song "Feels Like the First Time"}
Feels like a flaaaaaash-liiiight...feels like a FLAAAA-aaaash-liiiight!!!
Feels like a flaaaaaash-liiiight...feels like a FLAAAA-aaaash-liiiight!!!

The LionHeart is a fantastic looking and working flashlight that has a Luxeon III LED at the base of a smooth reflector in its business-end. This LED can be dimmed and brightened - not something often seen with LED flashlights.

The LionHeart is specifically designed to run on one Pila 150A lithium ion rechargeable cell, though you can use a Pila 150S or even a CR123A disposable cell and a wad of aluminum foil if absolutely necessary.


SIZE



Directly from the instructional page, comes this text:

Thank You for buying the LionHeart, which is likely the most advanced yet intuitively utilitarian handheld flashlight available at this time.
There is a “Belleville Spring” included with your light, which is similar to a very low dome-shaped washer in appearance. The wide part of the dome should face the bottom of the battery tube. For convenience you may want to apply a dab of conductive grease at the bottom of the battery tube to prevent the Belleville Spring from tipping out when changing/recharging batteries.

The LionHeart is designed to run with one Pila 150A (or S, but A is preferred) cell ONLY. In a pinch a disposable CR123 battery w/spacer (wadded up aluminum foil will do) can be used, but any attempt to drive it with a power source other than these mentioned may result in long term, if not immediate, damage to your light. When the “long tube” battery accessory becomes available then the Pila 168A (or S, but A is preferred) is the specified battery to be used for significantly extended run times.

Basic Operation (this is all you need to access the power, range, and versatility of the dimming feature)
    a- Click the button once from OFF and it turns ON.
    b- Click the button again and it turns OFF.
    c- PRESS and HOLD from OFF and light goes into momentary ON, release and it turns OFF.
    d- Press and hold while light is already ON, and it will scroll through all 64 brightness levels (release and re-press to get it going the other way). However, the LionHeart can be user configured to operate in one of two different modes. The user can change the modes as often as desired.
These are the basic instructions as shown on the web page. To access the advanced features of the LionHeart, follow this link (requires Adobe Acrobat or other PDF reader).



To change the cell in your LionHeart, unscrew the flashlight halves at approximately halfway between the head and tail. Set the front half aside. Tip the used Pila 150A cell out of the rear portion, and CHARGE IT. Do not kick it into the weeds and let it rot, flush it down the {vulgar term for toilet}, recycle it, or throw it away. These four options are not for rechargeable Li:ION cells, ya know.

Insert a charged Pila 150A cell into the rear portion of the flashlight, negative-end first. Screw the front portion of the flashlight back on, and turn the flashlight off using the button on the side of the barrel. It is perfectly normal for the flashlight to turn itself on when the halves are screwed back together with a good battery installed - this is not a problem!

Due to the way the LionHeart was constructed, I am not able to obtain a current draw reading for you...sorry about that.




Photograph showing the LED, reflector, and AR-coated glass window (which is really not visible in this photograph) on the LionHeart's business-end.

Because this is a loaner, I will not strike it against a concrete stair, try to drown it in the toilet, stomp on it, run over it, try to cut it up with a knife, or otherwise abuse it like I might abuse another flashlight. So this section of the web page will seem more bare than this section of the web page on a page about a flashlight that does not have to be returned or passed on.

The LionHeart comes equipped with an AR (antireflective) coated glass window (or "lens", if you are more comfortable with that term) that allows for greater light transmission and fewer potential artifacts in the beam.

Although this is a homemade product, an online flashlight vendor has struck a deal with MR Bulk to offer a small subsequent *limited edition* run of the LionHeart that will be specially finished and marked to be distinctive from the rest.

The light produced by the LionHeart is a pure, slightly icy cool white color, with no yellow, blue, purple, or "rotten cat urine green" tint anywhere in the beam. Not in the hotspot; not in the corona either.



Beam photo at ~12".
Measures 4,220,000mcd (high) and 34,200mcd (low) on a Meterman LM631 light meter.
There are 64 brightness settings on the LionHeart; these are just the highest and lowest values.



Beam photo at ~10'.



TEST NOTES:
LionHeart unit plus Pila 150A cell and charger were provided as loaners by Charlie Wong of Candlepower Forums, and were received on 11-12-04.

The pricing is $164 for bare aluminum (as shown on this web page), and $175 for hard anodized Type III ("natural") finish.

Because this is a homemade product, conventional ratings will not be applied to it.


UPDATE: 11-18-04
I have sent the LionHeart and the accessories that were provided with it back to MR Bulk in Hawaii, so I am no longer able to compare it with any other products.


PROS:



CONS:



    MANUFACTURER: Charlie Wong ("MR Bulk" on CPF)
    PRODUCT TYPE: Small handheld flashlight
    LAMP TYPE: Luxeon III LED
    No. OF LAMPS: 1
    BEAM TYPE: Medium spot: central hotspot with dim outer corona
    SWITCH TYPE: Rubberised pushbutton on/off/mode change on side of barrel
    BEZEL: Metal; LED and reflector protected by AR-coated glass window
    BATTERY: 1xPila 150A (recommended)
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Unknown/unable to measure
    WATER RESISTANT: Yes
    SUBMERSIBLE: Unknown/TBA
    ACCESSORIES: None
    WARRANTY: Not stated/TBA

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Because this is a homemade product, conventional ratings will not be applied to it.





LionHeart *






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