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#278467 - 01/04/16 03:20 PM Re: SOLARAY PRO ZX-1 [Re: LesSnyder]
Russ Offline
Geezer

Registered: 06/02/06
Posts: 5357
Loc: SOCAL
If only all our accidents were so useful. smile

Meanwhile, the Thrunite TN12 does a respectable job of lighting up the night.
Comments IMO:
- The TN12 is fairly light in weight (w 2xCR123A) and carries easily in a jacket pocket.
- The light turns on in the mode it was in when turned off.
- Neutral white color rendition IMO is excellent.
- Lumen output range is very good, with a nice separation between levels.
- Switchology is easy, the buttons have a good feel, not mushy.

It is now my morning EDC light, it has a much lower low and its High mode is double the output of the light I was carrying, Turbo is 5x higher.

No coyotes this morning, but the light reflected off rabbit eyes that I would not have otherwise seen. The rabbits were thankful for the lack of 'yotes.

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#278767 - 01/12/16 09:02 PM Re: SOLARAY PRO ZX-1 [Re: LesSnyder]
Russ Offline
Geezer

Registered: 06/02/06
Posts: 5357
Loc: SOCAL
I didn't comprehend everything about the SolarForce product line either. The SolarForce light I'm building up is something of a project and a toy, although it will undoubtedly be a very bright light. When I ordered the K3 head I also ordered the extension tube so the light would have two 18650 batteries. Thing is, what to do with the L2P head? Then I saw a SolarForce two battery L2 tube and a tailcap that would be more suitable for a larger/longer light.

Bottom line, by the time this build is complete I'll have a three battery L2P tube (two battery main tube pls extensio) with the K3 head, and enough extra parts (the original L2P body) to build a straight-up 1x18650 L2P with a SolarForce 3 mode LED module. Both should be good lights (assuming all the parts play together) -- one a 1500 lumen flamethrower and the second a fairly normal 320/128/32 lumen output light -- 30 hours of runtime at the low setting. SolarForce 320 lumen 3 mode .8-4.2volt bulb

Interesting, but the only review of the bulb complained that it didn't fit correctly (too long) in a Surefire 6P. LOL. I had just the opposite problem with a 6P bulb being too short for the L2P (hence the beginning of this project). The bulb I originally bought fit perfectly in my SF 6P and that is now a great light, albeit CR123A only.

Parts is parts.

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#278775 - 01/13/16 12:15 AM Re: SOLARAY PRO ZX-1 [Re: Russ]
LesSnyder Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 07/11/10
Posts: 1680
Loc: New Port Richey, Fla
Russ... I think you will really like an L2 with the low voltage XP-G R5 and a single 18650....my single mode smooth reflector is good for 100+ meters illuminating a river bank

ETA... I used the extra Solar Force head/bezel to replace the round Surefire 6P head... the polycarbonate(?) lens had been deformed, probably during its incandescent life


Edited by LesSnyder (01/13/16 05:50 PM)

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#278781 - 01/13/16 06:41 PM Re: SOLARAY PRO ZX-1 [Re: LesSnyder]
Russ Offline
Geezer

Registered: 06/02/06
Posts: 5357
Loc: SOCAL
Les - Thanks for the edit comments. It never crossed my mind to move the 6P head with that 300 lumen LED module over to the SolarForce battery tube. Hmmm -- more experimenting ....

BTW, I find the 300 Lumen level to be a sweet spot. It takes a lot more Lumens and battery energy to get an appreciable illumination effect. In many cases much less light is plenty. That's the reason I'm going with three 18650's with the K3.

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#278925 - 01/22/16 04:58 AM Re: SOLARAY PRO ZX-1 [Re: Russ]
Russ Offline
Geezer

Registered: 06/02/06
Posts: 5357
Loc: SOCAL
Alrighty then... Just tried my SolarForce L2P with a three mode P60 (Cree XPG R5) LED module which is good for 320 lumen with reduced modes of 40% and 10%. This is a nice light, very similar to a Surefire 6P but designed for an 18650 Li-Ion battery. Kicker is that I can add a tube extension which allows the light to run two 18650 batteries and then I can change the head to the M3 that LesSnyder has mentioned. That is a very nice light -- each mode is about double the Lumen output of the standard SolarForce L2P with the P60 module.

Parts is parts.

The K3's 1500 Lumen is double the output of the M3 at 750 Lumen, but it's not that simple. From my very subjective evaluation, the SolarForce K3 puts out a lot of light, but the M3's light is more focused with a better defined hotspot and a reduced corona; the K3 is more floody. IMO the M3 is a more efficient light and will allow the batteries to last longer. The M3 is really impressive, but I'm not sure the battery drain is justified. YMMV

These are well made lights, smooth threads with good tolerances. Put the parts together and they work.

Everything was ordered through Amazon.

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#278928 - 01/22/16 06:50 AM Re: SOLARAY PRO ZX-1 [Re: Jeanette_Isabelle]
Phaedrus Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 04/28/10
Posts: 3148
Loc: Big Sky Country
Nice! I'm glad it's a good light.
_________________________
“I'd rather have questions that cannot be answered than answers that can't be questioned.” —Richard Feynman

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