TREK 2 , retail $TBA (http://www.tek-tite.com)
Manufactured by TEKTITE
Last updated: June 03 2001
The Trek-2 is a 3 "AA" flashlight that uses a pair of white LEDs. The body is ABS plastic and it has a Lexan lens bezel.
It comes with a stretchy wrist lanyard affixed to the tailcap.
SIZE:
Here's another flashlight you can just rip open the bag and start using almost right away.
My test sample came with the batteries already installed, so it was good to go immediately.
If yours doesn't install three "AA" cells (see below) before using it.
To get light, turn the clear lens bezel clockwise until the flashlight comes on; to turn it off twist the lens bezel in the other direction.
A black plastic cap covers the sides of the lens bezel; this may be left in place or removed if you wish the end of the flashlight to glow
when in use. (I found the light easier to operate without this piece).
The flashlight also comes with a stretchy wrist lanyard, and is equipped with a pair of strap slots under the head to affix it to webbing or backpack straps.
To install batteries for the first time, unscrew the clear bezel until it comes completely off. Holding the flashlight upside-down (business end facing the floor) when you do this will usually allow the LED base and reflector ring to stay inside the lens so they do not become lost.
Insert three "AA" batteries, button-end facing up, into the barrel. Lay the LED board on top of the batteries, put the ring in place, and screw the lens bezel back on.
This flashlight will require a full battery life test, as it wasn't clear on the paperwork as to the expected battery life.
But I'd expect no less than 50 hours at near full intensity, and another 100 at lower levels.
Like all Tektite and C.Crane flashlights, the Trek 2 comes in a tough ABS plastic case with a G.E. Lexan lens bezel.
The LEDs are the super bright, newer Nichia model - the brightest money can buy.
You can drop-kick this flashlight across the next county, and nothing will happen to it. Because it uses LEDs instead of an incandescent, the bulb will not pop even with a severe impact.
The Trek 2 is also sealed with twin O rings, and is therefore waterproof to 1,000 feet, so don't worry a bit if it falls in the toilet or if the kids plop it in the fishtank. You can see the O-rings through the sides of the bezel, making it easy to tell if it's sealed right or not.
As a 2 LED flashlight, this is about as good as it gets. Intensity was measured at 30.6 foot-candles.
The Trek 2 comes with a black plastic shade that prevents spill light from the sides. I found that although handy for some, I had some minor difficulties in turning the flashlight on and off with this piece in place - at times, it tends to "freewheel" around the head unless a lot of pressure is applied while turning. This seems to occur on some models of Trek "AA" and "AAA" lights more so than others.
A possible solution may be to apply a tiny dab of rubber cement to one or two spots inside this cap, and then push it onto the bezel.
Rubber cement has the advantage of being easily removable if you later decide to go without the shade cap.
Another idea may be to just put a small sized rubberband around the light's head and then push the cap over the band.
Note the new addition to the test target.
The main portion of the Trek 2 beam measures 30.6 foot-candles.
The beam from the Trek 2 is a bit elliptical in shape, and one can see two distinct bluish areas within it when shone on a white or pastel colored surface. Some people may find the wider beam more useful for walking and other nighttime tasks where you need to see a wider area, but the light has to be turned in the hand to orient the wide part of the beam where you want it to be.
You will also notice a new addition to the test target - a sensor attached to a Tektronix J16 digital photometer that can provide its readings in foot-candles. For these measurements, the face of the flashlight was placed exactly 12" away from the face of the sensor. They don't call it FOOT-candles for nothing. :)
A more accurate term might be "beam candelas" instead, since the highest readings only appear within the relatively narrow spread of the flashlight beam, and not from a 360° radius like a real candle would create.
For reference purposes, a new white Photon II reads 20 foot-candles on the same instrument and with the light placed in the same place, and it has a narrower beam.
TEST NOTES:
Flashlight was held 12" from the target for both the beam photo and the light measurement.
UPDATE 06-03-01:
Tektite has redesigned the light hood that fits over the head. Four ribs now line the inside to grip the serrated flashlight head and prevent the hood from "freewheeling" as you turn it.
Any updates related to this review will be posted as they happen.
PROS:
Durable construction, waterproof, uses cheap & common batteries, excellent battery life, excellent brightness, comes with elastic lanyard and lens hood.
CONS:
Beam is decidedly "split" into a wide, elliptical configuration, though some people may prefer it this way.
Some people may also dislike twist-on switch mechanism.
MANUFACTURER: Tek-Tite
PRODUCT TYPE: Handheld flashlight
LAMP TYPE: LED, 5mm, white
No. OF LAMPS: 2
BEAM TYPE: Two hotspots coalesced into elliptical region, soft fall-off
SWITCH TYPE: Twist-on bezel
BEZEL: Clear lexan bezel with ribbed outer wall
BATTERY: 3 AA cells
CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Not yet measured
WATER RESISTANT: Yes
SUBMERSIBLE: To 1000 feet
ACCESSORIES: Alkaline batteries, wrist lanyard
WARRANTY: Lifetime
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.
