So I want to upgrade the LED on my Cybertool Lite...

[EtherealityX1]

Hello guys,

After a long hiatus in lurking this forum (but not in loving appreciating SAKs) I'm back cuz I really need your help/expertise/input in a little project I'm thinking to undertake .

First a bit of context. My Cybertool Lite is by far my most used/EDC'd piece in my humble collection ( see below, ... and growing!), love it to death ... perhaps my favorite SAK of all time, neck in neck after my EvoGrip S557, my other favorite. It was bought in 2011, a present from my wife (hence the sentimental value)... it still works fine, not a single problem with it .... except that the OCD self in me is constantly bothered by the fact that it doesn't have the "latest and greatest" LED in it. As all of you may know, Victorinox apparently has upgraded the LED on their Lite series at least two times. AFAIK ( correct me if I'm wrong) 2009-2014 was the first iteration (grey housing) , but on the later years I've read that there was a stealth upgrade to the LED that was on the grey housing, so later grey housing ones are brighter. Then, lpost 2015 or so, they changed the housing for a transparent one, which had yet another improved LED and the housing itself, being transparent, diffuses light better around the tool itself, making it more useful to actually use the light to open/manipulate the tool at night. Only Spartan Lites, Huntsman Lites and Emergency Tools (Huntsman Lites  with StayGlow scales on them) where ever released with this new transparent housing, the Cybertool Lite models were already discontinued by the time these were released. And the OCD in me is bothered that my Cybertool Lite doesn't have this newest iteration of the housing.

Now, do I really USE the Lite on my Cybertool? in these 15 years I've owned it, I guess somewhat YES,  just a handful of times for tightening screws in darkened nooks and crannies and such. Can this be done with the better, higher lumen  keychain flashlight I EDC every day? ABSOLUTELY YES. So, do I really NEED a better LED on my Cybertool Lite? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Now, do I WANT a better LED on my Cybertool Lite? ABSOLUTELY YES.

So this is not a project I am after in order to necessarily improve its functionality, it is just an OCD thing wanting my Cybertool to be the best it can possibly be. It is as simple as that.

From what I reckon, I have only three paths for accomplishing this goal:

1 - I buy a Huntsman Lite or an Emergency tool Lite ( I live in Japan, the Huntsman Lite, although discontinued, its not that hard to find, the cheaper Spartan Lites are nowhere to be see though), DIY disassemble it, remove the transparent housing, DIY dissasemble my Cybertool Lite, replace the old version of the housing for the new one, DIY assemble again. Of all three options, this is my least preferred one because I have never disassembled a SAK, and certainly do not want to screw my beloved Cybertool Lite in the process, it has too much sentimental value. It is also the most expensive of all three options , because it involves buying a new SAK that I don't really need nor want. So this option is pretty much a no-no for me at this point.

2- "Accidentally break" the light function/housing on my  Cybertool Lite, send it to Victorinox asking them to fix it . Hopefully, they would do so under their lifetime warranty ( I still have the proof of purchase of the SAK), but if they don't, it's fine, I don't mind paying for the repair as long as they replace it with the new housing/LED version. I am inclined to go with this option .... but there is also option #3 below to consider.

3- Buy a LED that is the exact same size/voltage/power specifications as the old LED, but higher grade/more lumens, and replace the old one with this one. The problem with this is that I have NO IDEA of how to go about this option. Dunno which LED I would need to buy. Dunno if is even possible to remove the existing LED without disassembling the SAK and without breaking the housing (is the LED glued to the  housing???). Another drawback is that I would still be stuck with the grey housing, which is not what I want... I prefer the transparent one. Still, it is an option... but admittedly,  this option is the one where I would need your input the most, if there is a kind soul in this forum that can guide me in this regard.  It might be worth mentioning that I own a limited edition StayGlow Spartan Lite ( barely used, it is one of my display queens) on which i could "practice" doing this before attempting to do it on my Cybertool Lite. If I screw the Spartan in the process, I can send it back to Victorinox to have it fixed I guess.

So, your thoughts???  Which option do you think is my best bet? If you think option 3 is the way to go, your kind guidance in that regard would be truly appreciated.

Cheers!

[Tuisto]

So, I've never had any experiences with the Victorinox warranty/repair people but from what I've heard they'll effectively do anything you ask (within reason). I don't think this would be out of their purview and I don't even think you'd need to 'break' it. Just send it in and ask for a new one. Having said that, and this may just be the little people in my head talking but my ~2023 or 2024 Huntsman Lite (clear case flashlight) seems weaker than the Emergency Tool Huntsman Lite flashlight. So there may have been another sneaky LED upgrade in the very recent past. But honestly, if you don't really use it that much, I'd just leave it alone. The difference in brightness is really not enough to justify tinkering with it IMO. Good luck!

[rvlulu]

I just tested three Lite, Cyber ​​Tool, and Winter Magic (Climber) 2021 models with clear cases, along with a Voyager with a gray case.
 Between the gray and clear models, the lights are the same, although the Climber's is slightly greener.
 Disassembly requires removing the rivet. Simply cleaning the contacts might improve things.

[EtherealityX1]

I just tested three Lite, Cyber ​​Tool, and Winter Magic (Climber) 2021 models with clear cases, along with a Voyager with a gray case

Nice! I didn’t t know there was a LE Winter Climber Lite. When you say the one with the grey housing is "greener" what do you exactly mean?

Also, from what I've seen .... since the clear case also diffuses light "around" the LED as opposed to only as a beam in front of it, it seemed to me that is is brighter overall. Mind testing/taking videos in pitch black conditions to see if this is so?

[rvlulu]

The Climber's light with the transparent case is a little green.

I only tested the light beam. The rest is irrelevant.

As long as you properly illuminate the screw you are screwing in, it's fine.

[nate j]

When you say the one with the grey housing is "greener" what do you exactly mean?

Sometimes, the light from a “white” LED can look slightly tinged with another color rather than pure white.  This can vary from one LED to another.  It also seems to me that some people are more sensitive to it than others.  However, in my experience this generally doesn’t make much difference for most practical use.

So, I’m pretty sure what our friend is saying is simply that the light from his particular LED has a very slight greenish tint.

[fullbreakfast]

Sometimes, the light from a “white” LED can look slightly tinged with another color rather than pure white.  This can vary from one LED to another.  It also seems to me that some people are more sensitive to it than others.  However, in my experience this generally doesn’t make much difference for most practical use.

I don’t think it makes any difference for something like a SAK light, but for a flashlight you will use for general illumination I’d say it’s very worthwhile to have an LED with good (daylight-ish) colour temperature and tint. Makes for a much more pleasant experience than the harsh, bleached-out view of the world you get with a nasty LED.

[Tuisto]

Okay, I'm going to try to do some tests today with a grey-housing light (XAVT, and I'm removing the plastic on it for this test, so I hope it's worth it haha), a ~2023 Huntsman lite, and a 2025-2026 Huntsman lite, and then also that Winter Magic Climber lite. I'll post photos of what the light looks like in a dark room from all four.

[nate j]

…for a flashlight you will use for general illumination I’d say it’s very worthwhile to have an LED with good (daylight-ish) colour temperature and tint. Makes for a much more pleasant experience than the harsh, bleached-out view of the world you get with a nasty LED.

Like I said, some people may be more sensitive to it than others.
 

 

Joking aside, I probably should get a really nice high CRI light sometime.  But being able to see true colors isn’t a primary consideration for me, and the lights I have are working fine for me for the moment.

[fullbreakfast]

Like I said, some people may be more sensitive to it than others.
 

 

Joking aside, I probably should get a really nice high CRI light sometime.  But being able to see true colors isn’t a primary consideration for me, and the lights I have are working fine for me for the moment.

Well if you’re happy with what you’re using that’s all that matters really!

But I bet if you do try a light with something like a Nichia 519a in it, you’ll like it 

[Tuisto]

Okay, so I tested four models with flashlights and there was a difference between each of them. As I suspected, there's actually a significant difference between my 2023-4 Huntsman Lite and my 2025-6 Huntsman Lite Emergency Tool... In order, the four lights are from:

1) grey housing XAVT
2) clear housing Climber Lite Winter Magic 2021
3) clear housing Huntsman Lite 2023-4
4) clear housing Huntsman Lite 2025-6

P.S. this was the only room in my house that I could make as dark as possible since there are no windows; please excuse the toilet paper. I may also make a new thread with these data so it gets seen by more people.

[Huntsman]

Wow - That is a staggering difference.

I gotta ask the obvious question.... 
Did you use the same batteries for each test?      - Assuming the batteries are the same size and power
... Or new batteries for each test

PS. Loving the loo roll and seat 

[Tuisto]

Huntsman, so I actually didn't exactly do that. I put a new battery in the XAVT and the Climber Lite. Since the Huntsman Emergency Tool was brand new I didn't think to put a new battery in it. But I also didn't put a new battery in the older Huntsman Lite, which I now think I probably should have done. I didn't think to do it because the Huntsman Lite (non-Emergency Tool version) was also pretty new. But I'm going to put a new battery in that one and try the test again. And yes, this is my wife's washroom, but since she's away right now I get to use it (hence the seat up )

[EtherealityX1]

But I'm going to put a new battery in that one and try the test again.

Wow! Thank you so much for taking the time to test this for me. FYI, theres a guy in Youtube that tested this a few years ago :

https://youtu.be/Xj_X0QVeXIU?si=TWovsfm187C0oMAy


... but your tests seem to show that there has been yet another stealth upgrade tot he light module, specifically for the Japan market Emergency Tool. Great discovery! You should make a video with your tests and upload in Youtube for all to see!

Anyway, the path is clear for me : I actually live in Japan, so I'm gonna take my first iteration grey housing Cybertool Lite and Spartan Lite to Victorinox Japan and ask them to put the same module they put on the Japan Emergency Tool... they should be able to oblige!


Gonna try do this by the end of next month. I'll let you guys know how it all turns out!

[Reinier]

... but your tests seem to show that there has been yet another stealth upgrade tot he light module, specifically for the Japan market Emergency Tool.

There is also a "regular" Emergency Tool, not specific to the Japanese market. Now I'm wondering of that one has the same upgraded light module.

Great test Tuisto!
The differences are huge.