Aldi CREE torches (5W - £11)

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gentlegreen
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Re: Aldi CREE torches (5W - £11)

Post by gentlegreen »

Woodbridge Pete wrote:You may need to use a bit more than a multimeter to measure the power. A lot of the circuitry for LEDs uses current pulses to the LED, so the average DC current you measure may appear a lot less. An oscilloscope may be better to view the power.

I hadn't thought of that - though in my case I'm pretty sure I measured it between battery and whatever regulator is in the end of the handle. Speaking of which, I'm repeatedly tempted to get my dremmel out and see what electronics is actually in there.
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gentlegreen
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Re: Aldi CREE torches (5W - £11)

Post by gentlegreen »

Aldi torch - supplied batteries - 0.75 amps x 4.5 volts = 3.375 watts.
Unscientifically measured, but it does indeed look close to the 4 or 5 watt single Cree MR16s I had on my bike a while back.

Hopefully in a little while they'll do a "10 watt" torch that's at least 5 !

Very nice torch for a tenner though so I'm not complaining.
RJC
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Re: Aldi CREE torches (5W - £11)

Post by RJC »

I had a quick look at the torch in local Aldi but didn't buy one.
They do come with 3 AAAs, not AA. Were available in black and a sort of khaki greenish.
Sticker on torch mentions rated 4.5V, but nothing mentioned about compatibilty
with rechargeables. The focus can be varied.
Moodyman1

Re: Aldi CREE torches (5W - £11)

Post by Moodyman1 »

I got to my local Aldi at 10.50am and there were very few left. I got two just in case. Opened one to try it.

Damn it's bright - even on the weakest setting my eyes were hazy for about 2 mins. It's got warnings all over it about damage to eyes and I can believe it.

It's 3 x AAA by the way.

I've seen the 5W ebay types on another cyclist's bike and this Aldi one blows it apart. Made of aluminium and feels solid.

3 year guarantee and in case of fault, there's a freepost address to Durham.

Leaflet says 10 hours run time on Maximum power and 14 hours on the other 2 settings. SOS mode is Morse code.

You can vary the beam pattern from very focussed to wide spread. Very useful.

Onny downside is that I now need to bodge up a handlebar mount. Any ideas?
SilverBadge
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Re: Aldi CREE torches (5W - £11)

Post by SilverBadge »

Phil_Lee wrote:A DealXtreme "3w" torch I have here (3xAAA) draws 0.24A at 3.7v, so at 0.88w, it doesn't even get close to it's alleged power even on brand new freshly charged Eneloops.
There is a Sacredfire front light in which some of the ebay etc ads acknowledge the model ID is "3W" but it is a 1W lamp (though not a bad one according to the users I have heard from).
wirral_cyclist
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Re: Aldi CREE torches (5W - £11)

Post by wirral_cyclist »

Moodyman1 wrote:I got to my local Aldi at 10.50am and there were very few left. I got two just in case. Opened one to try it.

Damn it's bright - even on the weakest setting my eyes were hazy for about 2 mins. It's got warnings all over it about damage to eyes and I can believe it.

It's 3 x AAA by the way.

I've seen the 5W ebay types on another cyclist's bike and this Aldi one blows it apart. Made of aluminium and feels solid.

3 year guarantee and in case of fault, there's a freepost address to Durham.

Leaflet says 10 hours run time on Maximum power and 14 hours on the other 2 settings. SOS mode is Morse code.

You can vary the beam pattern from very focussed to wide spread. Very useful.

Onny downside is that I now need to bodge up a handlebar mount. Any ideas?



http://www.dealextreme.com/p/universal- ... able-15642

seems secure with my ebay/deal extreme special that looks the same size as the Aldi one but the description has sizes.
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gentlegreen
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Re: Aldi CREE torches (5W - £11)

Post by gentlegreen »

Moodyman1 wrote:
Onny downside is that I now need to bodge up a handlebar mount. Any ideas?

Not a bodge, but these are highly regarded - I bought one but promptly lost it so can't confirm how it works long term.

Image

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/lockblock-cyc ... 43aaaabd90
resus1uk
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Re: Aldi CREE torches (5W - £11)

Post by resus1uk »

Another unshaven old bloke in hi-vis on a trike waiting for Aldi to open on a Sunday.
Torch fits the Fenix twofish lockblock.
Broader beam than my Tesco one watt torch which previously filled my lockblock
thirdcrank
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Re: Aldi CREE torches (5W - £11)

Post by thirdcrank »

I bought one at lunchtime at the Beeston, Leeds branch. They had a t least 20 left and nobody was fighting over them.

A very bright torch. The focus is excellent - just slide the head up or down on the torch and it goes from a really tight beam to a bright flood.

The on-off switch is protected from accidental switching by a reaised rim on the torch end cap.

The downside for uing it as a simple torch is that it toggles amongst the modes with each press. For preference, I'd have simple on/off.

I can see some people might find a flashing mode useful but SOS is just a gimmick IMO. Would a rescuing party up a mountain ignore plain flashing? Presumably, it would extend battery life a bit for use on a bike.

("My client regrets the fatal collision, Your Honour, but as a former boy scout, now a Rear Admiral on the reserve list, when he noticed the internationally recognised distress signal, he felt obliged to pass three sets of traffic lights at red while urging his wife sort out the signalling flags. It is, of course well-known that it's diffult to judge the distance of flashing lights - my client instructs me to use the expression "range" - and, unfortunately, he ran over the bicyclist, while making, er, full ahead.")
Russell160
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Re: Aldi CREE torches (5W - £11)

Post by Russell160 »

Likewise very impressed: just been out for a walk with it: the narrow beam function seems very good. Thanks for the tips on handlebar mounts: I'm slightly worried about the waterproofness of it but also think a simple bit of inner tube round it will probably do the job. When you compare some of the top drawer lights at £150 plus this has got to be worth a try. My plan is to use it for a helmet light to back up my Hope vision.
thirdcrank
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Re: Aldi CREE torches (5W - £11)

Post by thirdcrank »

In the interests of science (and my fascination with torches :oops: ) I've conducted a comparative test with my Tesco torch which I fitted with new batteries for the purpose. Subjectively, the Aldi torch is substantially brighter, especially in the higher power mode. Even the broad beam gives really bright illumination. This torch is so bright it's not for shining in other people's faces.

Again subjectively, the build quality of the Tesco torch seems noticeably better but there's nothing wrong with the Aldi.
==============================
PS It seems that when the Aldi torch is first switched on, it always starts on main beam. I've no dea if this is normal with this type of switching or what delay is necessary before it forgets it was toggling, but it's much better IMO than switching it on and then faffing to get the most powerful light from a selection including morse code.
Last edited by thirdcrank on 20 Nov 2011, 8:01pm, edited 1 time in total.
cycloret
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Re: Aldi CREE torches (5W - £11)

Post by cycloret »

I bought one and confirm it's very bright, better than any of my other LED torches. The focus feature is useful, the SOS feature is a gimmick. I'm sure if I was using it for commuting I'd want it just to flash normally. There's no claim to it being waterproof. It will replace the wind up torch I use during my evening walk. With these sorts of LED torches available there's little reason to use a conventional filament based torch any more. When I remember my days of commuting on unlit roads with a dim Ever Ready cycle lamp with its 2 D-cells, this LED torch is light years ahead. Pity it doesn't come with a handlebar mount.
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Woodbridge Pete
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Re: Aldi CREE torches (5W - £11)

Post by Woodbridge Pete »

with all these old inner tubes being mentioned, why not make a mount using a bit of inner tube to both protect the handlebar and give some gripto the torch, then another 'band' to clip overeach end of the torchwhen going under the bar
Revenge is sweet, but nicer served with custard
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Phil_Lee
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Re: Aldi CREE torches (5W - £11)

Post by Phil_Lee »

Moodyman1 wrote:I got to my local Aldi at 10.50am and there were very few left. I got two just in case. Opened one to try it.

Damn it's bright - even on the weakest setting my eyes were hazy for about 2 mins. It's got warnings all over it about damage to eyes and I can believe it.

It's 3 x AAA by the way.

I've seen the 5W ebay types on another cyclist's bike and this Aldi one blows it apart. Made of aluminium and feels solid.

3 year guarantee and in case of fault, there's a freepost address to Durham.

Leaflet says 10 hours run time on Maximum power and 14 hours on the other 2 settings. SOS mode is Morse code.

You can vary the beam pattern from very focussed to wide spread. Very useful.

Onny downside is that I now need to bodge up a handlebar mount. Any ideas?


If that's true, it can only be using about half a watt, because you won't get more than 5 watt hours out of 3 AAA cells.
I didn't buy when I found it was only AAA cells, rather than the advertised AAs.

If it's the 3.375 watts measured by GG, it will be flat in 90 minutes.
thirdcrank
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Re: Aldi CREE torches (5W - £11)

Post by thirdcrank »

It will be interesting to hear any reports about battery life from riders using these on their bikes: a lot of light is coming from 3 small cells. I suppose this may be part of the reason for no elastic bike-holder being included.
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