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Peak versatility

us Offline NutSAK

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Peak versatility
on: March 30, 2007, 04:04:46 AM
Due to the recent flood of new high-powered, efficient Cree and Seoul LED emitters on the flashlight market, some great deals can be found on the older Luxeon and 5mm LED lights.  A fine example is a recent purchase that I would like to share with you.

I've always been a fan of the quality, American-made craftsmanship that can be found in the products manufactured by Peak LED Solutions.  They are no-nonsense, finely machined and made with high-grade materials and finishes.  Until I bought this set, I didn't realize that they can also be quite versatile.



What you see here is (clockwise from bottom):

CR123a Double-ender body with Peak Caribbean head on one end (lit); McKinley head on the other
CR123a keychainbody
2AA body for CR123a lights, with delrin cap
CR123a pocket body

The double-ender body serves two purposes.  First, it can be used with a single head on one end and the delrin cap on the other, to provide storage for an extra battery.  Secondly, it can be used double-ended, as you see it here, for a dual-purpose light.  The configuration I'm showing here gives you a long-running 5mm LED floodlight on one end (McKinley) and a Luxeon III "throw/spill" light to light up objects at long distances on the other (Caribbean).  Another great option would be to use a combination of the throw/spill light and a red LED McKinley head.  Light both ends, and you would have a great flashlight and taillight arrangement for evening walks.

The 2AA body allows you to use a 2 AA batteries with any of the Peak heads designed for 3V operation, such as the heads shown here.  Minimag switches, such as those made by Kroll or NiteIze, can be fitted to this body to provide a rear clicky-switch.

Below is the same arrangement, with the McKinley head lit:



If you decide that the double-ender or 2AA bodies are a bit to big to tote around, but you still want the option of carrying a spare battery, the delrin cap can be fitted to the end of the keychain or pocket body for storage:







The Caribbean with a single keychain or pocket body alone is $100 from Peak.  I bought this entire set with some slightly used, some new parts for the same price.



« Last Edit: March 30, 2007, 04:18:19 AM by NutSAK »
- Terry


us Offline parnass

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Re: Peak versatility
Reply #1 on: March 30, 2007, 02:54:16 PM
How do you like the Peak Carribean?  Does the head actually become hot as the printed warning states?   I am considering buying a Carribean, but was put off by the price.

I bought 2 Peak LED flashlights used, too.   Peak lights are fairly expensive when new and I wanted to "sample" them without spending much.   They both employ 5mm LEDs.  The machining and construction is very good to excellent.

I am particularly enjoying the 3-LED Peak Matterhorn, powered by a single AAA battery.  The light is tiny because it has the pocket style body.  Runtime is supposed to be considerably shorter than the Arc AAA-P, but I am still using the original battery.  The 3-LEDs don't produce a uniform pattern as the Arc AAA-P, but the Matterhorn beam color is much whiter than my bluish Arc AAA-P.

I might have bought Peak lights earlier, but was discouraged by the lack of information at their web site. http://www.peakledsolutions.com

Peak is redesigning the web site, but their current site does not show all the accessories and parts they sell.  Their former site was daunting, too.  I had to read through many postings on CandlePowerForums.com to learn about Peak lights indirectly.   
 
matterhorn-3-led.jpg
* matterhorn-3-led.jpg (Filesize: 41.43 KB)
Retired engineer, author.

A man with one multitool always knows exactly which to use. A man with many multitools is never quite sure. - parnass


us Offline NutSAK

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Re: Peak versatility
Reply #2 on: March 31, 2007, 12:29:36 AM
The Caribbean only gets hot on rechargeable CR123a batteries (RCR123a) after extended periods of use; say more than 10-15 minutes.  Even then, I don't believe it gets hot enough to worry about durability.  It never gets hot on primary CR123a batteries.  If you are wanting to use RCR123 Li-Ions for extended periods, you should consider the Mediterranean instead, as the larger head is designed to sink more heat away from the electronics.   I love the Caribbean, but I would likely not pay full price for it.  I paid $65 for mine, and it's definitely worth that.

I've owned a Matterhorn also, and the 3-LED version's runtime really shouldn't be compared to the ARC-P.  The output is much greater than the ARC.

If you want access to all of the parts that Peak offers, you must call them.  They have never advertised parts like the double-ender bodies and 2 AA body, shown above, on their website.  I'm not sure they ever will.  I'm hoping that when the new catalog becomes available it may contain some of these items.
- Terry


 

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