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LED-LENSER V2 TRIPLEX (3)

LED-LENSER V2 Triplex (3), retail $19.99 (www.radioshack.com...)
Manufactured by LED-LENSER Optoelectronics (www.led-lenser.com)
Last updated 12-04-09




The V2 Triplex by LED-LENSER is a heavy, almost all-aluminum flashlight featuring 3 white LEDs and a traditional barrel mounted pushbutton switch; powered by a single AA cell. The light comes with a padded nylon belt holster so you can carry it anywhere.

This flashlight might be named like the original from (I believe) 2002, but it's different enough to warrant its own web page. It also looks a lot like (and is named the same) as this one (though this version is more than double the intensity) that I purchased on 06-02-08.


SIZE



The Triplex comes ready to use; just pick it up and turn it on. The small rubber pushbutton can be pressed partway in for momentary use and signalling; or pressed until it clicks to allow for hands-free operation.
Pressing the switch again until it clicks turns the unit off.

The light comes with a nice looking protective nylon belt holster with a tastefully embroidered logo on the flap and a padded interior pouch. A belt loop on the back allows you to thread just about any common belt through it and wear it anywhere you go. The flashlight fits the holster properly (bezel-up) with no buckling or crimping of the edges.



To change the battery in your Triplex, unscrew the tailcap & set it aside. Dump out the expired battery (dispose of or recycle it as you see fit), and slide a new AA cell into the barrel, button end (+) first. Screw the tailcap firmly back on, and that's that.

Current usage measures 464mA on my DMM's 4A scale.



At first glance, this light appears to be well-constructed. It has an all-aluminum housing, and has a fairly heavy and substantial feel in the hand. And then I got a look at the business end. O NOOOO!!!, they used a cheap, chrome plated styrene plastic assembly (think model airplane parts) as a bezel, and there is no protective lens or window on the end. However, the LEDs are deeply recessed into individual hosels (like the screw-in part of a golf club) within this bezel, and may not be at as much risk as one would think.


Photograph of the "business-end", showing how the LEDs are recessed into individual hosels for them. Yes, I know that this photograph is furry thankyouverymuch.

This flashlight appears to be reasonably durable, and it is. When I performed that horrible, awful, noisy smack test on it (ten whacks against the concrete floor of a front porch: 5 smacks against the side of the bezel and 5 smacks against the side of the tailcap), only some rather minor damage was found. There is some extremely minor gouging to the bare Metalmegatomamon - er - the bare Metalblackwargreymon - um that's not it either...the bare Metalvenommyotismon...er...uh...wait a sec here...THE BARE METAL (guess I've been watching too much Digimon again! Now I'm just making {vulgar term for poop} up!!! ) on the side of the bezel where it was struck; no damage whatsoever was found on the tailcap.
No optical or electrical malfunctions were detected.

The primary purpose of this test is not necessarily to see if the exterior of the flashlight would be damaged; it's more about the internal components which would be subject to a high shock load ("G force") every time it strikes the concrete.

The Triplex has at least two O rings in its construction, but it is not submersible. The tailpiece appears to have a good seal (it holds a good partial vacuum), but not the head assembly. A suction test showed leakage, but not nearly as much as I thought there would be - the air leak is quite small, actually. So I'm reasonably confident I can say "weather resistant", it's just not totally waterproof and you should try not to drop it in a wet place where you can't *immediately* fish it out.

The flashlight also has a slippery feel to it, as there is no knurling anywhere except on the tailcap. Its narrow "wasp waist" does give your fingers somewhere to go however (your forefinger "naturally" curves around & underneath at the waist), so it's a bit less likely to slip and fall as a flashlight with a smooth barrel and no gripping points anywhere along it.

With these points out of the way, let's talk about what's good.
The overall construction of the unit appears quite good, and all of the parts fit together correctly with no unevenness or unexpected seams. The entire battery barrel can be removed in case you need to clean it out or dry it out; this can be done by taking the end cap off and then unscrewing the barrel from the bezel (head) just behind the switch.

Unlike many other LED-LENSER products, this version of the V2 Triplex does not have a spare switch rubber. If one were included, it would be found inside the tailcap, behind the spring.



Beam photograph on the test target at 12".
Measures 226,000mcd on a Meterman LM631 light meter.



Beam photograph on a wall at ~10 feet.

Those rectangular graphic things in the upper right quadrant of this photograph are marquees from:

Sega ''Star Trek''
Atari ''Tempest''
Venture Line ''Looping''
Jaleco ''Exerion''

upright coin-op arcade video games from the 1980s.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the LEDs in this flashlight.
USB2000 spectrometer graciously donated by P.L.


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









TEST NOTES:
Product was purchased on the Radio Shack website on 10-25-08, and was received in the afternoon of 10-30-08. This was *BEFORE* I started having to dispose of much of my test stock in late-November 2008, which is one of the reasons why this new evaluation is being handled in much the same manner as I always have (the abusive, and even potentially destructive testing and all).

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:
Decent intensity for a "three-banger"
Feels sturdy and substantial in the hand
Uses a battery that's common and relatively inexpen$ive
Good warranty coverage (lifetime)


CONS:
LEDs & reflectorised hosels are not protected
Not all that water-resistant and definitely *NOT* submersible
No knurling or other texturising of barrel


    MANUFACTURER: LED-LENSER Optoelectronics
    PRODUCT TYPE: Small handheld flashlight
    LAMP TYPE: 5mm white LED
    No. OF LAMPS: 3
    BEAM TYPE: Medium spot w/soft corona
    SWITCH TYPE: Pushbutton on/off on barrel
    CASE MATERIAL: Aluminum
    BEZEL: Metal; LEDs inset into hosels in plastic end piece for them
    BATTERY: 1xAA cell
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: 464mA
    WATER RESISTANT: Moderate weather-resistance at minimum
    SUBMERSIBLE: NO WAY HOZAY!!!
    ACCESSORIES: Belt holster, 2xAA cells
    WARRANTY: Lifetime

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star RatingStar Rating





LED-LENSER V2 Triplex (3) * www.radioshack.com...






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