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123 Comments
- eschompthis, on 10/11/2007, -5/+252i like this guys tutorials, staright to the point
- iritegood, on 10/11/2007, -9/+138@jdwtc (#6743975)
Whats wrong with him using metacafe if he spent his time to make an interesting video? Sure, he might make a few bucks, but you sure as hell won't lose much. - tfedullo, on 10/11/2007, -12/+121see, this is more proof that digg needs a video section...
wait a minute.... - PotatoFro, on 10/11/2007, -3/+97i wish that meant it spouted flames.
- spudnic, on 10/11/2007, -2/+74@dagr8tim (#6744100)
I love the 'candle power' rating system for lights, it's like saying your car has the power of a billion ants - inactive, on 10/11/2007, -11/+75@m3mn0n
Anybody who buries a lifehacker article as "blog spam" is a total idiot. - DarkMeld, on 10/11/2007, -8/+69GOD THAT VOICE againnnn
- jdong, on 10/11/2007, -2/+52As an MIT EE nerd who has spent a good portion of his life fascinated with modding electronics and collecting flashlights (and hence getting laughed at for collecting flashlights), I have a few concerns about it:
First off, impressive, nice mod. I do not at all doubt his results in any way. That big krypton bulb combined with 3 CR123A's will indeed pack a powerful punch.
(1) Where'd he get the price on the CR123A's?? Those things are quite expensive in most of the shops around here, unless you have some sort of bulk-buying deal.
(2) Both that Krypton bulb AND CR123A's can dissipate a LOT of heat especially when run for extended periods of time. I am not at all confident that the plastic housing will hold up. In addition, there's been stories, reports, and even pictures of CR123A-based modifications exploding due to overheating or overcurrent. I'd advise using these things as novelties, and not as a regular-duty flashlight.
If you are looking for a decent, bright, long-lasting flashlight, I've personally found the Inova X1 to be the best bang for the buck. Decent 2W luxeon with regulated power means you don't get a slowly dimming light over the course of the battery's life. It takes 2 standard AA's and can easily live up to the manufacturer's claim of 2hrs runtime, which is quite a feat for a AA based flashlight. They are waterproof, and fairly impact resistant.
For more good flashlights, I personally recommend http://www.flashlightreviews.com/index1.html -- they have some really nice reviews on various flashlights, and I generally agree with their evaluations. - z00k, on 10/11/2007, -2/+50I was expecting results like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79Aw8nH9IrM
Disappointment :( - idonthack, on 10/11/2007, -2/+48Lame enough to save you $85.
- dustblaaze, on 10/11/2007, -3/+46I dont know about you guys, but I watched the "WHEATHER GIRL UPSKIRT" vid that was previewed instead of modding that flashlight.
- somewhatchewy, on 10/11/2007, -0/+38Psh...who doesn't? Noob.
- charliecharlos, on 10/11/2007, -9/+41Great, now I can blind the next door neighbors
- markp93, on 10/11/2007, -3/+28
this was another how-to linked off the same page...
Is he feeding Coke to his cat?
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/501345/chill_a_coke_in_2_minutes/ - jdong, on 10/11/2007, -0/+23UPDATE: Sorry, edit lock expired, but I've bad news. According to flashlightreviews, it seems like inova decided to put in a more powerful bulb in the new revision within the past few weeks, at the cost of battery life. What a shame... well it is still a great light at any rate.
- sicapitan, on 10/11/2007, -0/+22It's like he was going to throw in a set of steak knives at the end
- Tenoq, on 10/11/2007, -0/+21He said less than $10 - you guys can buy 3, 3V lithium batteries for less than $5? Damn! They're easily $10 EACH over here - making that torch more like a $40 one. Still cool though. :)
- Aang, on 10/11/2007, -1/+17Uh, actually most modders and carpenters.
- ChromaVita, on 10/11/2007, -1/+17I think it'd be way luckier to have a flashlight burst into flames! When is the last time you were at a party, and you whipped out that story about how your flashlight batteries died?
- Urusai, on 10/11/2007, -7/+22...but it uses krypton! It's like Superman's flashlight!
- spudnic, on 10/11/2007, -1/+16@markp93 (#6743997)
Got a small problem with that one, it looks like the thermometer was touching the side of the can when he took the measurement at the end, which will be cooler than the bulk of the liquid. While this is the quickest practical way of cooling drinks I don't think it is as fast as he claims.
It's like blow-torching your chicken, sure the skin will be real hot, but it aint gonna be cooked through - Sp0rAdiC, on 10/11/2007, -0/+15Well, you get a flashlight that's better than a $95 model for under $15, so I'd say... pretty useful.
- ynggrsshppr, on 10/11/2007, -2/+16No, he has a point, the batteries cost even more than the flashlight and the bulb very quickly. The better solution would be rechargeables. They have rechargeable CR123 batteries that are basically lithium ions that run at 3.6V and top out at 4.2V. You can also take out 18650 cells from spent laptop battery packs and use those in a 2D/2C Maglite and put in a new bulb.
- m3mn0n, on 10/11/2007, -0/+13Hey there is nothing wrong with horsepower rating. It makes egos bigger.
- shosterman, on 10/11/2007, -1/+12Funny enough, found this from slickdeals.
50 CR123A batteries for $50.
http://www.all-battery.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1588 - inactive, on 10/11/2007, -8/+19The price is for the flashlight.
You're basically thinking as though gasoline was a part of the car. - Xinareiaz, on 10/11/2007, -0/+11me?
- aclements, on 10/11/2007, -1/+10But it is still made from cheap plastic. The Surefire is machined aluminum. Even though I try to go lightweight when I go backpacking, I will take my LED modified Maglite over a cheap light any day.
- 13B1303, on 10/11/2007, -0/+9Christmas after Christmas there was a flashlight in my stocking, santa has a soft spot for EE dorks.
- GeneralKickass, on 10/11/2007, -1/+10I already have some ideas on where I would have use for that flashlight.
- eleventh, on 10/11/2007, -1/+9Surefires use CR-123's anyways - so regardless you're spending a ***** on batteries
- digidelia, on 10/11/2007, -0/+7+1 on the LED modified maglite
$5 for the conversion kit at REI, best flashlight money i've ever spent - GeneralKickass, on 10/11/2007, -0/+7Dude it depends on what you're using if for...not everyone wants flashlights to survive being run over by a tank. El cheapo here gets my vote.
- jackhole, on 10/11/2007, -3/+10Thanks for that useful tip.
- zetec, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6you'd need to add a voltage regulator for an LED.
Not too difficult, just FYI.
This is how you do a how-to video, btw. Simple and to the point. - sodakar, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6CR123's are cheap if you've been a flashaholic long enough, and know where to find them.
$1.75 ea at http://www.surefire.com
$1.50 ea at http://www.batterystation.com/cr123a.htm
As some posters have mentioned, this is a cute mod, but not very practical, considering the result is a plastic flashlight that is probably not able to handle the excess heat, nor is it even safe, because you really want your torches to be waterproof if you're going to stuff Li-ion batteries... Li-ion + water = BAD.
Also, folks forget about the reflector, but a solid portion of the beam's characteristics lie in the reflector, and you can't just go popping in a random element in a random reflector and expect great results. Sure, if you stare right into it from point blank range, it'll be BRIGHT, but will it have a useful, semi-tight center with nice spill, and good throw? I doubt it.
Considering you can get a properly water-tight, properly aimed, insulated, and tuned SureFire G2 Nitrolon for $32 (batteries included), I just don't see the point in doing this. Hey look, I paid half price and overclocked my computer and it's now super fast, but it shuts down after 30 minutes and is now a fire hazard. Yay? - silverchrysalis, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5@spudnic- dammit you just made me so hungry for chicken!
- OrangeTide, on 10/11/2007, -2/+7Why not stack up like 50 button/coin cells and run a 110V halogen bulb in it for like 10 seconds?
- JFitzpatrick, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4I always like to see people do interesting or money saving mods.
In this case I don't think it is worth the hassle. You can go to any WalMart or big box store like Meijers or such and purchase a SureFire LED knockoff flashlight for $15-20. I have one of the SureFire original 6P lights (great flashlight.) It runs off the expensive batteries and doesn't last as long as I like. I bought a knockoff of the SureFire G2 flashlight manufactured by Brinkman for around $18 at Walmart (for comparison the G2 runs around $30-$38 depending on where you purchase it.) It's just about as bright as the SureFire for all intents, it runs off the same expensive batteries but I haven't replaced them in the last year with relatively frequent use.
So for $8 more than this guy is suggesting his project costs... you get a flashlight designed to handle the setup contained in it. Like I said... great to see creative mods, but give that I value my time and not having a flashlight melt on me... I'll spend the $18. - Xinareiaz, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4The point of a surefire is that you can beat the crap out of it and still have it functional..plastic housing doesn't do that...
- markp93, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3@spudnic:
I guess that is why he fed it to his cat? - sock2828, on 10/11/2007, -3/+6Thats not a torch! this is a torch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79Aw8nH9IrM
- CoolWind, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3forget about modding, you can get a super bright (140 lumen) Cree LED flashlight for $15 SHIPPED from kaidomain.com or dealextreme.com
- GeneralKickass, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3But where is the fun in that?
- m3mn0n, on 10/11/2007, -4/+7Yeah... dugg down, but you can't give selective status to certain sites just because of other great content on it. I like Lifehacker, a lot, but this...
"Reader Kip modded a cheap $5 throwaway flashlight into a blinding torch that's brighter than a $95 fancy pants flashlight. Hit the play button to see how. —Gina Trapani"
...IS NOT AN ARTICLE. - colifis, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3You know when it gets down to it, I never met a flashlight I didn't like.
- TacticalPenguin, on 10/11/2007, -3/+5Anyone who thinks this modded flashlight is in all ways better than the surefire e2* is a dumbass. I have a few surefire lights myself and they can go through ANYTHING, let's try driving a car over that one's plastic frame. Second, surefire lights don't blow up unless you turn them on and set them on the ground light-down and leave them for an hour or two. Third, the surefire light he used is one of the surefire lights with only 60 lumens, many have 90 or more, and from the slightly greater brightness of the modded light, it looks around 70-80 lumens. Fourth, try leaving that thing on for more than 5 minutes without having to spend 15 more dollars on a new set of batteries. And fifth, surefire lights are made more for military because they can go through almost anything and still work when you blow them up with an RPG. http://www.lumensflashlights.com/surefire/index.html scroll down just past the bug picture.
Meh, I still give the guy props for being able to overpower a flashlight and have it not blow up within 30 seconds. - soretito, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2you guys should check this forum: http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=17 extreme flashlight modding, be carefull, the site is addictive...
- JFitzpatrick, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I looked at the link to flashlightreviews.com jdong posted above, and the guy that runs the site did a review of the brinkman flashlight I was talking about. He thinks its awesome too! Turns out the name is "Brinkman Maxfire LX" for those of you looking to buy one.
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/brinkmann_maxfirelx.htm - rolfeman02, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2@tenoq
go to surefire's website and you can buy a 12 pack of the lithium batteries for $21.00(US) or $1.75 each. I expected the quality to be low but they were actually the same as any others. -
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