CMG Task Light really ask bright as a Photon II ?

[Bagheera]

Hi,

I read while going over Triple Aught Designs website about the CMG Task Light.

They write that the Green one is used in Pilots Survival gear and and those are the words from them:

" LED TYPE LAMP PRODUCES INCREDIBLE BRIGHTNESS (RED & AMBER ARE ABOUT 2X's OVER A PHOTON II. WHITE IS BRIGHT, BUT NOT QUITE AS A NARROW BEAM WHITE PHOTON II, GREEN IS THE BRIGHTEST WITH THE NEW TEAL COLOR A CLOSED 2nd). USES 1AA BATTERY WHICH IS AVAILABLE READILY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. THIS IS THE MOST RUGGED, "BOMBER", STORM PROOF MINI LED FLASHLIGHT MADE TODAY. AS USED IN U.S. AIR FORCE PILOT'S KITS."

I'm just wondering if the Green CMG light is really as bright as the Green Photon II light that my friend Walt Welch gave to me.
I have to say that Walt put 2 Cr2016 batteries in it so my green Photon II is running on 6Volts and is very bright.

Nowhere I found that CMG is using some "electronics" to "multiply the 1.5 Volts from the AAA battery to 3 V or even 6 V and that would be needed to get as bright as the Photon II is I think.

The advantage that I see in the CMG is that a AAA cell costs about 1/6 of the price of 1 (one) Cr2016 Lithium Button cell over here in Holland. Two Cr2016 cells will cost me $8 and 1 AAA alkaline cell 60 cents.
And Scouts do use those LED lights quiet often I can tell you that

.

Best scouting wishes from Holland,

Bagheera


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[PsychRN]

Not to me. I had a CMG infinity tasklight and it was not as bright as my photon II. Granted, they were different colors but it wasn't even close. Someone also mentioned 1)the black paint flecks off easily from the tasklight 2) the battery voltage in the photon easily explains why they are brighter than the tasklight.

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"How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child.", King Lear, Act I, Scene 4.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

I got a red CMG, and it is so faint compared to the Photon II, Streamlight Stylus and Streamlight BatonLight (which does have 3 LEDs) that I don't bother using it. I doubt their white, or any other colors, are much better.

But it is tough, even if the finish doesn't hold up. It could serve as a nightlight, out on the trail or in a tent.

 

[Brock]

I like the infinity, but it would be great if they could do two things. First, increase the step up voltage to about 4.5v to at least match the brightness of a photon. Second, don't paint the case, anadoize (sp) it. It is great that the light uses a commonly avaiable AA battery, but if it is dimmer than most lights why do I want it?

I was told they kept the step up voltage to the rated voltage of the LED (3.6 I beleive). I suppose thats great if you want to get 100,000 hours out of the LED. I would prefer even 10,000 hours and twice the brightness. They are using the same LED as the Photon white, just not pushing it at all.

You can kind of cheat and put a lithium AA in the light and it gets pretty close to the Photon, but still dimmer, but again that defeats the purpose of using cheap AA batteries.

Brock - http://www.uwgb.edu/nevermab/led.htm