On Mon, 08 Oct 2007 14:46:28 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:


I carry a very small pocket light that has 4 power settings. Most of
the time I use "low". I use it daily, sometimes several times a day,
but seldom for very long. A single 123 cell lasts me at least a
couple of months. At max power it is as bright as most tactical rail
lights but battery life would be about an hour total.

That's about what my tac light does, but I seldom use it.
Flashlighting is one of the tool sections I don't go crazy over. In
fact, my most often used light is a $2.50 Gordon headlamp from HF. I
have them all over the house and in several of my toolbags for use
anywhere. You must have a grand or three tied up in LED lighting, not
to mention the sweet little bike light you made for your daughter (or
was that the other Don? You all look alike on the Internet.

That was me. I have spent maybe a couple three hundred on flashlights
over the past few years. I do like flashlights, but not enough to
blow the toy budget on 'em. Luxeon III and Luxeon K2 emitters were
only about $6.50 each last I looked.

I put Luxeons in a couple of those Gordon headlamps. A bare Luxeon (no
lens or reflector) lights up everything I can reach with my hands or
tools, as in under hoods, under sinks, in switchboxes, etc. There is
no "spot".

Today I am building a single LED light using a single 5mm white LED. I
bought a Chinese LED flashlight with 25 bright white 5mm LED's for 9
bux, cannibalized it for the LED's. I'm coupling the LED to a piece
of 1/4" clear acrylic rod that I turned down to .218" on one end,
polished, and then bent with a heat gun. It'll be used for
inspecting the bores of .22 and .223 rifles and handguns. Lites 'em
right up, it does! Hoppe's makes such a thing using a penlight
bulb, but the LED works a lot better.