 |
|
||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||
 MAG LED UPGRADE SWITCH COMBO AA By: Nite Ize Average Rating: 5.0 Total Reviews: 2 More Information Incredible, variable brightness, brighter than stock, retains focus, versatile  On: 2008-03-31The designers of this product should all receive a collective pat on the back. Overall the improvement is dramatic from the stock bulb. The upgrade process is simple enough. Remove back cap, replace with the new one. Unscrew the light cap, swap bulb for the new one. Unscrew the lens of the cap, replace reflector with the new one. done. The light still retains its ability to turn off by twisting the head down. This acts as a sort of "master off". Once youve turned on the light for the first time since it was powered down (by cap turn, or removal of batteries), the LED in the light in the rear cap/switch will begin blinking about once very 4 seconds. This helps you locate the light in darkness. The red LED blink in the cap is accompanied by a very faint blink in the white LED as well. Not a distraction, and not bright enough to keep you awake at night... but bright enough to find in darkness. Nice. Next, operation: One push = full brightness Two pushes = 75% Three = 50% Four = Slow blink (signal) Five = Fast blink (signal, attention while bike riding or walking, etc.) In any of these modes, once you make your selection, and wait 1-2 seconds, an additional push turns the light off. Again, well thought out. You arent having to push over and over to turn the light off. One push does it. (you can also tighten the cap, which turns off the light and stops the LED blink. Even if you loosen the cap so the light may be turned on again, the LED will not blink until you turn on the light once.) Differences from Stock: 1) No longer sensitive to dropping. Light will not burn out from impact or wearing out. 2) Light is just slightly longer from the tail cap, but just barely so. (only 1-2mm longer) the cap is made out of heavy duty plastic, and seems to be quite durable. 3) The light can still be focused, but the amount you turn the lens/cap is far shorter. a 1/4 turn pretty much runs through the entire focus range. Much more and the cap comes off. 4) Cap can be removed for a nice area light. Very effective, very bright 5) The light output is far greater than the stock light. Period. Negatives: None significant. If I had to think of some, I would suggest that perhaps the tail cap, being made of plastic however heavy-duty, might be a weakness. (although I doubt this to be a significant issue) Sound. The light reduces brightness and increases operating life by pulsating the light very rapidly. You dont see this (any more than you see the individual frames of a movie or TV show), but if you move the light very fast, while its brightness is reduced, you can make out the pulses in the air. The pulsing of this light, creates a soft tone that can be heard in the cap and light area. It is not distracting, and will not be noticed more than about 1 inch away from the light. But its interesting if nothing else. Again, you have to have your ear against the light to notice this. Conclusion: A good thing to buy. Brighter, more versatile, easy to operate, longer battery life, no bulb failures. Surprised, very good. On: 2007-06-05I bought this locally today. I must say, it is much better than I expected. I also own a new 2AA LED Maglite, which claims to have a 3 Watt LED. Nite Izes 1 Watt Luxeon LED is just as bright as Mags 3 Watt. The IQ switch is also pretty neat. I actually have use for the low setting, so this is nice. I wish you wouldnt have to leave the Maglite "on" (as in slightly twisted open up front, the way you normally turn it on) for it to work. Since my Maglite spends most of its life in a holster when not used, the flashing red LED in the switch also does me no good, but its a nice gimmick. All in all, I have to say that this is a better deal for the money since it is slightly cheaper than a new LED Maglite. Like I said, the LED is just as bright, so you can save yourself buying a new Maglite and get this instead. The switch is a nice addition also if you have use for any of the settings. Heck, if you dont want the switch but just a brighter light which never breaks and runs longer on the same batteries, just get the LED upgrade without the switch - just make sure its the single LED Luxeon one. |