 |
|
|
|
Dimensions & Weight
Case Material
Case Features
Case Access Type
Switch Type
Reflector Type
Lens Type
Bulb Type
Circuit
Beam Type
Beam Characteristics
Overall Output
Nominal Color
Battery / Power Type
Battery Life (advertised)
Environmental Protection
Accessories
Special Items of Note
Warranty
Retail Availability & Cost |
.......
.......
.......
.......
.......
.......
.......
.......
.......
.......
.......
.......
.......
.......
.......
.......
.......
.......
.......
....... |
Diameter - Head1.1" / Body .9",
L 3.75", Weight 2.6 oz.with battery
CNC Machined aerospace-grade aluminum, HA Type III anodized
throughout
Machined textured grip, pocket clip with lanyard hole
Unscrew tail-section for battery change
Tailcap- Click On/Off, Momentary Off available
Shiny stochastic textured reflector
Polycarbonate
High Dome (Lambertian) 3 Watt White Luxeon Star LED
Regulated
Wide W/ Slight hotspot
Bright center and corona & very smooth transition to beam
edges. No voids or anomalies
75.0 Lumens (advertised)
Varies / 5400ºK Nominal
3V Cell Type. 1 x CR123A- included
1 hour regulated, diminishing thereafter
'O'-ring seals
lightweight nylon belt pouch
Retail presentation packaging
2 Year Limited (Excludes batteries)
$69.00(Black) > http://www.theledlight.com
$29.00(Black & Green)> http://www.amondotech.com
$45.00 Canada Dollars /$36.11 USD>http://www.j2ledflashlight.com |
|
Form Factor & Build
|
1- Modern industrial interpretation of the
classic hand-held flashlight form. Geometry is a radially
symmetrical (less spring clip) round cross-section / featuring
some geometric elements including: a basic cylinder that is
modified by a crenellated or 'notched' bezel, scalloped head,
scoop transitional collar and an agressively textured body
section. These aspects give the Quantum III
an understated industrial elegance. Most of these details
help to alleviate the monotony of mono-form design so typical
of flashlights. The Quantum III pays more
than cursory homage to the original flashlight on which its
design seems to be closely based.This light is manufactured
by Nuwai and is the 3W version of the OMBU X55, which uses
a 5Watt emitter and 2 X CR123A batteries.
2- The notches at the front of the bezel
are useful in non-lethal compliance as well as to indicate
that the light is still on even if it's placed head down on
a table. Oval 'scoops' around the head -behind the bezel add
a touch of flair without serving to allow for head removal.
The head is cemented in place against the body section. These
scoops do not stop the light from rolling on a smooth flat
surface, but the attached spring pocket clip does. The strategically
located aggressive knurling ensures a secure grip even with
wet or oily hands. The strong spring clip speaks of secure
and rapid deployment and stowage.
3- The head of light is wider than the body
& tail-piece which are approximately the same diameter.
4- The flashlight feels significantly lighter
than many flashlights of comparable output. Solid construction
and 'just enough' heft contribute to giving the Quantum III excellent balance in the hand. Ideal for individuals
with small to medium sized hands, it's quite holdable by users
with large or extra-large hands as well.
5- One's hand surrounds the aggressively
textured body section.The body of the light easily fills a
medium (*1) sized palm with no protrusion.
6- A scooped collar behind the head assists
in indexing the front of the grip.
7- The aluminum wall thickness of the battery
tube is 2.0 mm.
8- The two sections fit together fairly
well with only a slightly rough threading action.
9- Black or Green Hard Anodizing Type II
(Matte) on the outside and on the inside of the tailcap and
body section provide protection against corrosion.
10- The black finish minimizes reflections/glare
by day by night. The Green is ideal for outdoor sports/military.
The Titanium finish is easiest to locate in a dark pocket
, pack or bag and has a less 'tactical' look to it.
11- There is only some battery rattle. Substantial
'O' ring seals provide shock absorption, a snug fit and a
seal against the elements- especially water.
12- Very rugged look & feel with substantial
toughness. It's suitable Military/SWAT/Law enforcement caliber
flashlight that would more than satisfy the needs of a consumer
demanding an overbuilt product even for everyday use. |
| Ergonomics
& Mount Options |
1- Ambidextrous. Center of balance slightly
in front of the midpoint on the body section.
2- A medium palm partly surrounds the body
of the Quantum III, with the thumb and first
or second fingers- naturally positioned on the front of the
body section just behind the head-portion and indexed to the
scooped collar. Ideal for individuals with small to medium
sized hands- it's quite holdable by users with large or extra-large
hands as well. It is specifically designed to be held using
various 'tactical' grips including: Harries Flashlight Technique
, -Rogers grip, forward, upward and downward pointing 'standard'
flashlight hand-held modes.
3- A medium duty Click On/Off tail-piece
switch and rubber button allow for either constant or intermittent
light de-activation-especially with one hand.
4- No native mounting options for firearms
use are evident, though the mid-section is gripable by clamping
brackets or other improvised and custom designed attachment
solutions. |
| Affordances |
1- Stowage- An extra heavy duty spring steel
clip allows for head-up stowage in pockets of all fabric thicknesses
up to about 1/4". A 1.5" long clip has a 1mmX 3mm
cut-out in it to allow the attachment of rings, and lanyards.
A lightweight nylon belt pouch with a velcro flap affords
hand and accessible belt stowage.
2 - Activation-In normal
use- light emits from the front of the flashlight when activation
occurs through an inward pushing of the rubber covered tail
cap click switch . A partial (soft) de-activation causes the
light to turn Off momentarily . Turning the light permanently
'Off' requires a repetition of the button clicking procedure.
This dual functionality is known as a 'toggle'. Intuitive
use involves the thumb or first or second fingers of the flashlight's
supporting hand- pressing the switch while the light is held
in one of various possible grasps- or is supported by a tripod,
clamp or other support. One hand may therefore be used to
activate the light in 'full-momentary-On' -in the Harries
or /Rogers holds for example. The tailpiece may not be turned
anticlockwise into a 'lock-out' position to prevent unintentional
activation.
3-The head is threaded to the body section
but is cemented in place- preventing user replacement or crossgrade
of the head assembly. Properly heated, the cement will yield
and the head may then be disassembled.
4- The removable tailpiece protects the battery compartment
from the environment by a single 'O' ring and allows for click
switch maintenance. Battery replacement entails the removal
of the tail section from the body section-batteries are then
fed into the battery compartment -as is common in most tactical
type lights.
|
| Human
Factors & Usability |
1-Matte
anodizing protects a surface that is finely machined throughout
.
2-The Quantum III design promotes
intuitive grip focus on the region between the tailcap and
the scooped transition ring.
3- We did not perform a 'pull' test but we
judged the combination of aggressive body texture pattern,
combined with matte anodizing to be effective mitigators against
hand slippage- especially under wet or oily conditions .
4- The lightness, brightness and sturdiness
of this light make it suitable for critical inspection, law
enforcement, military and security. It is additionally suited
for rough outdoors,and other rough environmental use .It's
viability in water-sports or underwater is probably very good
(untested)-due to the impressive, medium duty 'O' rings and
precision threading both at the head and tail sections. it
really deserves to be used anywhere where a combination of
lightness, brightness and ruggedness are all equally important.
5-The toggling push for click On/Off activation
procedure is an intuitive and fast implementation of the switch.
6- Due to a protrusion
of the rubber switch button- the light may not be stood on
its tail for ceiling bounce mode. Candle
mode is also not an option due to the inability of the user
to separate the emitter from the rest of the head section
and exposing it. NOTE- The shroud surrounding the switch button
is no more than 1.5 mm short of being adequate for enabling
this light to stand upright on it's tail. In mimicking the
original light too closely, the designers of the Quantum III fell short of improving on it's shortcomings
- by 1.5 mm!
7-The integrated emitter assembly is not
intnded to be user accessible or modifiable. |
| Beam
Quality & Characteristics |
1-
The stippled or 'stochastic' reflector of the Quantum III
creates a bright circular beam that is a wide flood of light
with a wide circular hotspot in its center and no voids or anomalies
whatsoever.
2- The wide and round-shaped beam is excellent
for general searching and is bright and wide enough to create
a floodlit effect in a room or to shed a wide swath of light
on an exterior scene.
3-The Quantum III creates a
subject illumination in a category that we've codified as an
extremely Context Inclusive Illumination Window (CIIW)
as compared with a Context Exclusive Illumination Window
(CEIW) (*5)
4- For one test, we used the Quantum III
proped on a tripod as we changed a tire in the dark. It brightly
illuminated the entire side of a medium size sedan, casting
an even beam over the entire side of the car . Handheld it performed
marvelously in close proximity foraging -never creating 'blindness'
from an overly bright hotspot. The Quantum III
was also excellent for penetrating tinted and dirty glass and
screened security grates.
5- Due to it's blue biased LED bin lot, the
Quantum III exhibited significant light scatter
when used for foraging on a hot humid night. Though uniformy
the same color throught its beam the bias created significant
glare.The addition of CC 10Y or 1/4 CTO filtration would help
to correct this bias.
6- Due to its very smooth beam, the Quantum III did not exhibit object 'burn-out' at medium ranges.
7-To test the throw of the Quantum
III, we conducted a Maximum Distance for Object
Identification or MDOI (*2) trial
and managed to confidently differentiate our test subject (a
Black 33 Gallon (124Litre) Trash Bag) from
its immediate surroundings, from as far away as 126
feet with the subject area in near total darkness and
the evaluators and flashlight in a moderate level of street
sodium vapor ambient lighting (RH=50% at 65ºf). This test simulated
a person searching for an object of known size -a person for
example- but located in an unknown or difficult to spot container
-a black trash bag, for example. From 126 feet away,
the Quantum III positively lit up the vegetation surrounding
our subject enough to clearly distinguish it from the Black
33 Gallon Trash Bag, that lay on the ground.The estimated
contrast ratio was 2:1
Beam-shots Page >> |
| Light
Quality |
The color
chart tests photographed with a digital camera set for Daylight
White Balance and exposure set- to properly expose the gray
areas of the chart to 50% or Zone V- 'Mid-tone Gray', revealed
that the Quantum III's color is consistently
around 5,700ºK from center to corona. Comparing the Quantum III chart photograph with a flash (White Balance set
to 'Flash') exposure of the same chart reveals a distinct shift
to blue. This makes it slightly less than ideal for situations
demanding the highest fidelity of color differentiation. While
ideal for most uses, a beam color so blue might make it subject
to some glare if used in conditions of high water vapor / humidity
or smoke.
Beam-shots Page >> |
| Brightness |
The Quantum III scored Maximum
Distance for Object Identification or MDOI at 126
feet -and did so while displaying one of
the brightest/ widest coronas we've seen to date from any
flashlight of its class. The Quantum III's
brightness is more than adequate for general law enforcement,
security,and general searching- as well rugged outdoors use.
Beam-shots Page >>
|
| Conclusions |
1- The Quantum III is a
medium/heavy duty rough use flashlight that's ideal for general
flashlight tasks in a number of everyday and several demanding
applications. Due to its robust construction and waterproofness-
combined with bright beam, we judge it to be an excellent
choice for any flashlight tasks that demand reliability and
a relatively long-life bulb.
2- Longer lived than Xenon bulbs of comparable
brightness- the 3 Watt Luxeon LED that the Quantum
III uses has a substantially longer life (10,000
Hrs) than a the same flashlight with a 5 Watt Luxeon LED (800hrs)
- making it around 30% less bright than a comparable 5W flashlight
but in exchange for 10 times the lifespan of the Ombu X-55.
The 3W Luxeon head is a better long term value than the 5W
OMBU X-55 but a better option would be to include a dual or
variable power setting to help preserve LED lifespan as well
as battery power in situations that do not require the full
force of the 5 Watt LED's output.The same would hold true
for the Quantum III. A variable levels switch
would maximize battery life and better match brightness to
illumination requirement.
3-Value. With new flashlights in the Luxeon
market space -being released weekly- it's hard to define a
relative value when comparing non-comparables. The Quantum
III is a good value in a class with one best in class and
few other competitors. At this point in time, the
Quantum III rates 4.5 stars out of a possible 5
stars.
Our gripes were... A) No low power option B) Cannot stand
up in Ceiling-bounce mode C) Non (easily) user accessible
head section
4.5 Stars-
Highly Recommended
Pros= Very bright and smooth wide-angle beam
| Excellent build quality|Exceptionally user-centric ergonomics|
Task focused ergonomics|Regulated Curcuit | Rugged yet understated
styling| Exceptionally effective grip texture | Modern interpretation
of a classic tool| Very good LED lifespan | Compact | Very reasonably
priced
Cons= Cannot be used in ceiling bounce mode
| LED bin colors vary| No momentary On mode | Not cross-gradeable
| Packaging is merely utilitarian |
| Pictures |

ABOVE,Color Options: Top- Black , Middle-Hunter Green, Bottom-Titanium

ABOVE: Shown as possible illumination application






|
| |
Footnotes:
(*1) Medium Men's glove size- Also, a Standardized
Flashlight Hand Size Metric (SFHSM)
 |
|
Small
A-B = 4.5" or Shorter |
| |
Medium
A-B = 4.5"-5" |
| |
Large
A-B = 5"-6" |
| |
X-Large
A-B = 6" and Longer |
(*2) Maximum Distance for Object
Identification (MDOI). The maximum distance that
a person without the aid of magnification-can with normal
or corrected vision, under a given ambient level of light,
identify an object of known size, and clearly distinguish
it from its surroundings. We have tentatively identified the
following scenarios for such measures:
- A single average sized person/body identification scenario
- Urban (city, inside buildings, dark alley, lit streets)
- Rural (countryside,farm residential backyard)
- Environmental (dessert, woods, wetlands, over water)
- Natural & manmade disaster (fire, flood/mudslide,earthquake,
hurricane /tornado,bombing scene, collapsed structure
etc)
- Small Inanimate Object (smaller than a shoe-box)
- Medium Inanimate Object (Black Plastic 33 Gallon (124Litre)
Garbage Bag stuffed with a big sleeping bag)
(*5) Context Inclusive Illumination
Window (CIIW) as compared with a Context
Exclusive Illumination Window (CEIW)
.
- CIIW describes a subject illumination
paradigm wherein the illumination target is the focus of
the beam's brightest disc or 'Hotspot' and peripheral objects
to the target are more dimly illuminated in a larger disc
that surrounds the focus or hotspot. This outer region is
also referred to as a corona or penumbra.
- CEIW describes a subject illumination
paradigm wherein the illumination target is the focus of
the beam's brightest disc or 'Hotspot' and peripheral objects
to the target are not sufficiently illuminated
to be easily discernable at the periphery
of subject beam's focus or hotspot.
©
2004 - Imägo Metrics - All Rights Reserved
Original standards designations (including acronyms) depicted
in this, as well as all of our evaluations are the exclusive
intellectual property of Imägo Metrics LLC and subsidiaries.
Reproduction without prior written permission is strictly
prohibited.
All
Photographs © 2004 - Imago Media |
|
|
|
| |
Legal
© Copyright 2003 Imägo Metrics LLC - All Rights
Reserved |
|
|