Well, I'm not going to go so far as to call this a review since I haven't done tests on battery life, etc. But there is some useful information here.
Here are the flashlights I'm going to compare.
The Maglites and the Surefire got new batteries for the test, the S&R and the Bear Cub batteries were charged within the last two days and had not been used an appreciable amount. The Aitec and the Coast 3 Watt hadn't had enough use since the last battery change to matter significantly. Anyway, I just threw them in because they were handy.
Here's the lineup.
Then I did some comparison shots with the beams shined on a blank white surface in a dark room. Distance from lens to wall was about 10 feet with all the flashlights.
I used the 3 DCell Maglite with the 3 Watt Luxeon as sort of a comparison standard for the heck of it. You'll notice that it appears very white when compared to the other LED flashlights but very blue next to the incandescent bulbs.
You can see that the Luxeon/Maglite definitely is going to win the throw contest in this 3Watt LED shootout. It's also a bit brighter than the other two. The little Coast is actually pretty impressive for its size, but try finding N Cells sometime...
Here are two standard flashlights for comparison with the 3Watt Luxeon/Maglite. It definitely holds its own against the Surefire (especially when it comes to throw, but even in terms of light output). The 6D Dell Maglite clearly has a bit of an edge in this shot.
Ok, now what we've all been waiting for! These two shots compare the Bear Cub with the Surefire in the first shot and the 6 DCell Maglite in the second.
The Bear Cub is noticeably brighter than these competitors and is concentrating it's light output into a tight beam.
Well, how about some real competition for the Bear Cub? (Continued in next post.)
Here are the flashlights I'm going to compare.
Standard Maglite 6 D Cell
Black Bear "Search & Rescue" (Looks like a Maglite 4 D Cell) (11 high-output NiMH AA Cells)
Maglite 3 D Cell with a Luxeon 3 Watt LED replacement Bulb
Aitec 3 Watt LED 3 C Cell Flashlight
Black Bear "Bear Cub" (Looks like a Maglite 2 C Cell) (2 Li-Ion 3.7V Rechargeables)
Coast 3 Watt LED 3N Cell Flashlight
Surefire 6P
Black Bear "Search & Rescue" (Looks like a Maglite 4 D Cell) (11 high-output NiMH AA Cells)
Maglite 3 D Cell with a Luxeon 3 Watt LED replacement Bulb
Aitec 3 Watt LED 3 C Cell Flashlight
Black Bear "Bear Cub" (Looks like a Maglite 2 C Cell) (2 Li-Ion 3.7V Rechargeables)
Coast 3 Watt LED 3N Cell Flashlight
Surefire 6P
The Maglites and the Surefire got new batteries for the test, the S&R and the Bear Cub batteries were charged within the last two days and had not been used an appreciable amount. The Aitec and the Coast 3 Watt hadn't had enough use since the last battery change to matter significantly. Anyway, I just threw them in because they were handy.
Here's the lineup.
Then I did some comparison shots with the beams shined on a blank white surface in a dark room. Distance from lens to wall was about 10 feet with all the flashlights.
I used the 3 DCell Maglite with the 3 Watt Luxeon as sort of a comparison standard for the heck of it. You'll notice that it appears very white when compared to the other LED flashlights but very blue next to the incandescent bulbs.
You can see that the Luxeon/Maglite definitely is going to win the throw contest in this 3Watt LED shootout. It's also a bit brighter than the other two. The little Coast is actually pretty impressive for its size, but try finding N Cells sometime...
Here are two standard flashlights for comparison with the 3Watt Luxeon/Maglite. It definitely holds its own against the Surefire (especially when it comes to throw, but even in terms of light output). The 6D Dell Maglite clearly has a bit of an edge in this shot.
Ok, now what we've all been waiting for! These two shots compare the Bear Cub with the Surefire in the first shot and the 6 DCell Maglite in the second.
The Bear Cub is noticeably brighter than these competitors and is concentrating it's light output into a tight beam.
Well, how about some real competition for the Bear Cub? (Continued in next post.)