LIONCUB


LionCub, retail (no less than $200) (http://darkgear.com...)
Manufactured by MrBulktm of DarkGear(http://darkgear.com/mrbulk)
Last updated 03-28-07




The LionCub is the latest offering by well-known flashlight modifyier and maker MrBulktm (Charlie) from Hawaii in the United States.

The LionCub comes in an all-metal body (available in bare aluminum, anodized aluminum, and brass). The version I'm evaluating for you today is in a bare aluminum body.

It uses a single Li:ION (lithim ion) rechargeable battery in the barrel, and a 3 watt Luxeon LED at the bottom of a smooth reflector to produce its light. The LED and reflector are protected by an AR (antireflective) glass window - or "lens" if you prefer that term, even though it does not focus or defocus the light in any manner. If you do not have a Li:ION battery handy, you can use a standard disposable CR123A cell.


SIZE



Feed the LionCub first, then you can go to town.

Press and release the rubberised button on the side of the barrel to turn the flashlight on.
Press and release it the same way again to turn the flashlight off.

A semi-momentary mode is available if you hold the button down after the LionCub first comes on. If you hold the button down for 1 second or longer, the flashlight turns off when the button is released.

The LionCub has no fewer than 64 brightness settings; to activate them, turn the light on as usual, then press and hold the button down to decrease the brightness to where you want it; release the button at this point.
To increase the brightness, hold the button down until minimum intensity is reached, release the button, and then press and hold it again to ramp the brightness back up.



To charge or change the battery, unscrew the two halves of the LionCub, and set the bezel aside. Remove the cell from the tailcap, and charge, dispose of, or recycle it as you see fit. If it's a rechargeable Li:ION cell, charge it as directed in the instructional materials included with the battery and charger.

Insert a new or recharged cell into the bottom half of the LionCub, orienting it so its flat-end (-) negative goes in first.

Screw the bezel back onto the LionCub's body, and be done with it.

Due to the way the LionCub was constructed, I am not able to furnish you with current usage measurements.

***VERY IMPORTANT***
Light output will be SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER if the LionCub is used with a Li:ION rechargeable cell!!!




Photograph of the LionCub's "business-end", showing the LED and reflector.

The LionCub appears to be reasonably sturdy. Ordinary flashlight accidents should not be enough to do it in. I administered the smack test on it (ten whacks against the corner of a concrete stair; five whacks against the side of the tailcap and five whacks against the side of the bezel), and found the expected damage. There is some very minor gouging on the side of the tailcap where it was struck. No optical or electrical malfunctions were detected. Because of this gouging, I could not sell it as "new", but the gouging is very, very, VERY minor.

The LionCub is water- and pee-resistant, and probably submersible to at least shallow depths too. When the tail section was removed, and that dreadful suction test was performed on the bezel, it held a vaccume (vacum, vaccuume, vaccumn, vaccuummnne, vacuum, etc.), so I believe it is both weather- and water-resistant. So you need not be concerned at all about using the LionCub in rain or snow, and water landings will not kill it either. And if somehow the LionCub falls next to the mailbox and the dog lifts his leg and relieves himself on it, just take the garden hose to it or douche it off under the faucet - good as new.

There is a small opening on the side of the tailcap to allow you to affix a lanyard to the LionCub; a lanyard is not included, so if you wish to use one, you'll have to procure it elsewhere. This opening is in the side of the tailcap, so you may stand the flashlight on its tailcap for ceiling illumination even with a lanyard affixed.

One thing I like about the LionCub is all those brightness levels easily accessible with a single button.

The light produced by the LionCub is a pure white, with no pink, yellow, blue, purple, or "rotten cat urine green" tint to it. Not in the hotspot; not in the corona either.



Beam photo (high) at ~12".
Measures 188,000mcd (high) and 2,080mcd (low) on a Meterman LM631 light meter,
with a disposable CR123A cell powering the flashlight.

***VERY IMPORTANT***
This output will be SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER if the LionCub is used with a Li:ION rechargeable cell!!!

Measures 1,737,000mcd (high) and 1,541mcd (low) with a Li:ION rechargeable cell.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrometer plot of the LED in this flashlight.

USB2000 spectrometer graciously donated by P.L.



ProMetric analysis
Beam cross-sectional analysis.
Image made using the ProMetric System by Radiant Imaging.




Beam photo (high) at ~15'.

That red star thing is from an American DJ Laser Widow.



TEST NOTES:
Test unit was purchased from a private party overseas (Singapore), and was received on 07-29-05.


UPDATE: 00-00-00



PROS:



CONS:



    MANUFACTURER: MrBulk
    PRODUCT TYPE: Small flashlight
    LAMP TYPE: 3W Luxeon LED
    No. OF LAMPS: 1
    BEAM TYPE: Medium/narrow spot with corona
    SWITCH TYPE: Pushbutton on/brightness change/off on barrel
    BEZEL: Metal; AR-coated glass window protects LED and reflector
    BATTERY: 1x R123A Li:ION rechargeable/1xCR123A primary lithium
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Unknown/unable to measure
    WATER RESISTANT: Yes
    SUBMERSIBLE: Unknown
    ACCESSORIES: None that I'm aware of
    WARRANTY: Unknown/TBA

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star Rating





LionCub * http://darkgear.com...






Do you manufacture or sell an LED flashlight, task light, utility light, or module of some kind? Want to see it tested by a real person, under real working conditions? Do you then want to see how your light did? If you have a sample available for this type of real-world, real-time testing, please contact me at bdf1111@yahoo.com.

Please visit this web page for contact information.

Unsolicited flashlights appearing in the mail are welcome, and it will automatically be assumed that you sent it in order to have it tested and evaluated for this site.
Be sure to include contact info or your company website's URL so visitors here will know where to purchase your product.


WHITE 5500-6500K InGaN+phosphor 
ULTRAVIOLET 370-390nm GaN 
BLUE 430nm GaN+SiC
BLUE 450 and 473nm InGaN
BLUE Silicon Carbide
TURQUOISE 495-505nm InGaN
GREEN 525nm InGaN 
YELLOW-GREEN 555-575mn GaAsP & related
YELLOW 585-595nm
AMBER 595-605nm
ORANGE 605-620nm
ORANGISH-RED 620-635nm
RED 640-700nm
INFRARED 700-1300nm
True RGB Full Color LED
Spider (Pirrahna) LEDs
SMD LEDs
True violet (400-418nm) LEDs
Agilent Barracuda & Prometheus LEDs
Oddball & Miscellaneous LEDs
Programmable RGB LED modules / fixtures
Where to buy these LEDs 
Links to other LED-related websites
The World's First Virtual LED Museum
Legal horse puckey, etc.
RETURN TO OPENING/MAIN PAGE
LEDSaurus (on-site LED Mini Mart)



This page is a frame from a website.
If you arrived on this page through an outside link,you can get the "full meal deal" by clicking here.