Comments on: Finds: The EZ-Red eXtreme Light http://toolmonger.com/2006/11/19/finds-the-ez-red-extreme-light/ All tools. All the time. Your source for news, information, and reviews of hand tools, power tools, and tools of all kinds. Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:10:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: John Armstrong http://toolmonger.com/2006/11/19/finds-the-ez-red-extreme-light/#comment-314140 John Armstrong Sun, 11 May 2008 23:46:57 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2006/11/19/finds-the-ez-red-extreme-light/#comment-314140 For inspection lighting in close quarters, here is something new - http://www.led-worklight.com/product/MXN00440 For inspection lighting in close quarters, here is something new - http://www.led-worklight.com/product/MXN00440

]]> By: John Schira http://toolmonger.com/2006/11/19/finds-the-ez-red-extreme-light/#comment-83514 John Schira Mon, 25 Jun 2007 12:25:25 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2006/11/19/finds-the-ez-red-extreme-light/#comment-83514 Seeing is believing! See for yourself at http://www.maxxeon.com/ws1200video.html Seeing is believing! See for yourself at http://www.maxxeon.com/ws1200video.html

]]> By: John Schira http://toolmonger.com/2006/11/19/finds-the-ez-red-extreme-light/#comment-39436 John Schira Sat, 24 Mar 2007 18:19:46 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2006/11/19/finds-the-ez-red-extreme-light/#comment-39436 Here is an example at www.maxxeon.com of a true tradesman quality work light - it only needs 1 LED to produce a large amount of light. Also, the light head swivels so you can stick it (it has 2 floating magnets) or hang it (it has a retractible hook) and then point the light head so you can have the light where it is needed. Here is an example at http://www.maxxeon.com of a true tradesman quality work light - it only needs 1 LED to produce a large amount of light. Also, the light head swivels so you can stick it (it has 2 floating magnets) or hang it (it has a retractible hook) and then point the light head so you can have the light where it is needed.

]]> By: Myself http://toolmonger.com/2006/11/19/finds-the-ez-red-extreme-light/#comment-4379 Myself Wed, 22 Nov 2006 05:17:44 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2006/11/19/finds-the-ez-red-extreme-light/#comment-4379 White LEDs will have nearly the same spectral output as cheap fluorescents, since they're both a UV source covered in phosphor. (Yes, that's why white LEDs have such a high forward voltage: They're actually UV LEDs!) This has an annoying side-effect: Bugs LOVE them. While doing some after-dark tabletop gaming at a campground last fall, our group was inundated with winged invaders. All our lights were either fluorescent or LED-based, except for my million-candlepower spotlight. Luckily, said spotlight has a tiny incandescent "area light" in the handle, for when the main beam's not required. (It's a Vector VEC127C, the only Vector product I've owned that hasn't melted yet! I replaced the switch a few years back and it's been good since.) We perched the light overhead and turned off all the LEDs, and moments later the bugs seemed to lose interest. Food for thought. Anyway, it's fairly easy to keep a NiMH from overcharging. Most decent chargers include "-dV/t" charge termination, which measures the characteristic voltage sag (negative delta) over time as the charge state approaches 100%. If your charger shuts off or switches to trickle mode when it notices this, you're good and you never have to worry about leaving it plugged in. For $100, this thing had damn well better include that, and since they advertise 1000 charge cycles and 10 hours of runtime per charge, I think you'd have a good claim if it fell to less than 8 hours by the 1000th cycle. (Cycles to 80% capacity is the industry standard battery aging measurement.) However, for $100 I can build a hell of an LED-head mod for the incandescent worklight that came with my power drill and shares the same battery. I stirred the waters over on Candlepower Forums, but nobody seems to already be making a drop-in LED module that'll handle the 18-volt and higher packs we're seeing in cordless tool sets now. Maybe there's a market here... White LEDs will have nearly the same spectral output as cheap fluorescents, since they’re both a UV source covered in phosphor. (Yes, that’s why white LEDs have such a high forward voltage: They’re actually UV LEDs!) This has an annoying side-effect: Bugs LOVE them. While doing some after-dark tabletop gaming at a campground last fall, our group was inundated with winged invaders. All our lights were either fluorescent or LED-based, except for my million-candlepower spotlight. Luckily, said spotlight has a tiny incandescent “area light” in the handle, for when the main beam’s not required. (It’s a Vector VEC127C, the only Vector product I’ve owned that hasn’t melted yet! I replaced the switch a few years back and it’s been good since.) We perched the light overhead and turned off all the LEDs, and moments later the bugs seemed to lose interest. Food for thought.

Anyway, it’s fairly easy to keep a NiMH from overcharging. Most decent chargers include “-dV/t” charge termination, which measures the characteristic voltage sag (negative delta) over time as the charge state approaches 100%. If your charger shuts off or switches to trickle mode when it notices this, you’re good and you never have to worry about leaving it plugged in. For $100, this thing had damn well better include that, and since they advertise 1000 charge cycles and 10 hours of runtime per charge, I think you’d have a good claim if it fell to less than 8 hours by the 1000th cycle. (Cycles to 80% capacity is the industry standard battery aging measurement.)

However, for $100 I can build a hell of an LED-head mod for the incandescent worklight that came with my power drill and shares the same battery. I stirred the waters over on Candlepower Forums, but nobody seems to already be making a drop-in LED module that’ll handle the 18-volt and higher packs we’re seeing in cordless tool sets now. Maybe there’s a market here…

]]> By: Toolaremia http://toolmonger.com/2006/11/19/finds-the-ez-red-extreme-light/#comment-4306 Toolaremia Mon, 20 Nov 2006 20:01:26 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2006/11/19/finds-the-ez-red-extreme-light/#comment-4306 Henry beat me to the punch: The number of LED's is almost meaningless. The brightness matters more. More LED's might be good for spreading the light more cheaply than with optics. In any case, this looks like something we'll see at Harbor Fright [sic] for $19.95 (on sale!) before long. ;-) Another thing often overlooked on worklights is color spectrum. Many of these LED lights, and some "daylight" flourescents, have too narrow a spectrum. They are often deep into the blue end. Without enough red, it can be difficult to distinguish wire colors, especially if you have borderline color-blindness (or are just plain old and need lots of full-spectrum light to see well). It would be so simple to solve by just replacing say three of the "white" LEDs with red ones... Henry beat me to the punch: The number of LED’s is almost meaningless. The brightness matters more. More LED’s might be good for spreading the light more cheaply than with optics. In any case, this looks like something we’ll see at Harbor Fright [sic] for $19.95 (on sale!) before long. ;-)

Another thing often overlooked on worklights is color spectrum. Many of these LED lights, and some “daylight” flourescents, have too narrow a spectrum. They are often deep into the blue end. Without enough red, it can be difficult to distinguish wire colors, especially if you have borderline color-blindness (or are just plain old and need lots of full-spectrum light to see well). It would be so simple to solve by just replacing say three of the “white” LEDs with red ones…

]]> By: Henry http://toolmonger.com/2006/11/19/finds-the-ez-red-extreme-light/#comment-4257 Henry Mon, 20 Nov 2006 00:43:07 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2006/11/19/finds-the-ez-red-extreme-light/#comment-4257 Sorry, 30 LEDs is not really extreme. This: http://elektrolumens.com/K2-Stunner/K2-Stunner.html is extreme. Those thirty LEDs combined are less than a quarter as bright as a single one of the twelve super LEDs in the aformentioned flashlight. Sorry, 30 LEDs is not really extreme.

This: http://elektrolumens.com/K2-Stunner/K2-Stunner.html is extreme.

Those thirty LEDs combined are less than a quarter as bright as a single one of the twelve super LEDs in the aformentioned flashlight.

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