Dorcy 220-Lumen Rechargeable
CREE XRE LED Flashlight Review
By: Michael Phrakaysone
The flashlight is without a doubt one of the most invaluable
tools ever invented. This hand-held battery powered light source
comes in various shapes and sizes and can provide important lighting in
emergency situations such as search and rescue, home power outages, in
leisure settings such as camping, hunting and much more.
Flashlight technology has progressed at such a drastic rate
within the past few years and it's just really remarkable to see
the changes we have to our advantage today. Every person has been
familiar with incandescent flashlights that we've had for such a
lengthy time (remember those disposable flashlights?) but now we have
another style of lighting technology that has currently replaced
incandescent technology; LED technology.
'Light-emitting diodes' or LED has just about every benefit
over incandescent lighting technology possible. Whereas
incandescent light bulbs generate lots of heat, LEDs are the
opposite. Incandescent lights soak up lots of energy (from
batteries for example) while LEDs do not, resulting in longer run
times. Also, incandescent light bulbs have a much lower lifespan
than their LED counterparts. That is why you would have to replace
the incandescent bulb than you would on an LED flashlight. In
fact, on an LED flashlight, you'll likely never have to replace the
LED, because they are either soldered on the board or they last a very
long time (anywhere from 25,000 to 50,000 hours). You probably
still have old electronic devices (1970-1980's) that use LED's and they
are still working today (I know that I have quite a few).
Today I will be reviewing one of those brand new high-powered
LED flashlights on the market from a company called Dorcy. It's the Dorcy 41-4299 220-lumen rechargeable CREE XRE LED flashlight. Read on
to see if this affordable LED flashlight should be one to invest in.
About Dorcy
From the Dorcy website it states that they are 'the leading edge
consumer goods marketer of flashlight and lanterns'. Dorcy is
a privately held company that operates in Columbus, OH and has been in
the business for over 55 years. Dorcy products can be found
easily at Sears, Wal-Mart, ACE Hardware, TruServ and Target locations
across the United States of America.
Dorcy Rechargeable CREE XRE
(41-4299) Product Overview
'The 220-Lumen Rechargeable LED Flashlight with AC and DC
Charging Adaptors features a super bright Cree LED. The 220-Lumen
flashlight is constructed of anodized aluminum and contains a side
barrel push button switch for ease of use. The durable flashlight
contains an optimized reflector system for maximum light output. The
220-Lumens flashlight is fully rechargeable and comes complete with an
AC and DC charging adaptor. This light has a 1-Meter drop test
resistance and runs for 12 hours on one charge.'
Dorcy Rechargeable CREE XRE (41-4299) Product Specifications
- Length x Width x Height = 6.00 in. x 2.15 in. x 12.75 in.
- Weight: 1.13 lb.
- Lumens: 220
- Run Time: 2 Hrs.
- Beam Distance: 200 meters
- Bulb Type: Q4 LED
- Batteries: 4.8V 700 mAh NI-CD battery pack (included)
- Product Material: Aircraft grade anodized aluminum
- Bezel Diameter: 2”
- Product Weight: 1.8 lbs.
- Additional Features: Comes with both AC (home) and DC charger.
- Available Color(s): Black
- Switch: Side push button switch
First Impressions
The Dorcy Rechargeable CREE XRE LED flashlight comes in those darn plastic blister packaging that I dread to open. Thankfully aside from that setback, the product packaging looks very nice with the product showcased on the front and the red accents surrounding the product. I didn't realize how tall the Dorcy 41-4299 really was until I had seen it in person.
With the purchase of the Dorcy 41-4299, you'll receive the following items in the package...
- Dorcy 41-4299 Rechargeable CREE XRE LED flashlight
- AC Charger (Home)
- 12V Car charger
- Ni-Cd Battery Pack (4.8V 700mAh, proprietary design)
Right off the bat, I realized that no wrist strap was included
because the Dorcy 41-4299 doesn't have a wrist strap eyelet anywhere on
the body. I find this to be a con because accidents do happen and
eventually you'll drop a flashlight out of your hands, and a wrist
strap would be a great help in this situation. The only other
thing that could be included that would be of help is a holster for the
flashlight for travelling purposes. But that's fine.
Now let us go over the Dorcy 41-4299 Rechargeable
CREE XRE LED flashlight.
The Dorcy 41-4299 features a CREE XRE LED that allows it to
output a rated 220 lumens at an impressive 200 meters, which makes it
quite a thrower-type flashlight. These numbers sound impressive
and it'll be interesting to see if the specifications on paper can
translate into real life.
The Dorcy 41-4299 comes in black colored aircraft grade anodized
aluminum exterior which looks great and feels top-notch. The
aluminum exterior really feels strong, aggressive and embodies
confidence that it'll last through anything you put it through.
Once you've experienced such an aluminum constructed flashlight, you'll
never want to go back to plastic. The advantage is not only
aluminum will do better on impact, it acts like a heatsink and will be
better for heat distribution and dissipation, whereas plastic
flashlights would trap heat in the flashlight and not be as tough.
Disadvantage would be under cold weather, the aluminum exterior would
get very cold quickly.
The brushed aluminum black exterior actually shifts color
depending on how outdoor lights shine on it, which I thought was cool.
On the body of the flashlight, Dorcy decides to apply
knurling (diamond shape) around the Dorcy logo instead of making
the flashlight body naked. This is a great idea as it has allowed
the flashlight to provide better grip for the users hand and it
prevents greasy fingerprints from being showcased (cuts down the
fingerprints to a minimum. And I can tell you first hand that the
execution is spot on, this type of knurling really helps and is not
just for aesthetic purposes.
The Dorcy 41-4299 has a relatively smooth design
philosophy. The shape from top to bottom is generally round but
you'll notice that the battery terminal cover and front lens cover has a
crinkle pattern going on. My first guess was that Dorcy implemented this to prevent the flashlight from rolling. Flashlights
rolling away freely is one of those things I wished companies would
address and prevent. Unfortunately on this Dorcy, those crinkles
apparently are just for looks and not function. This flashlight
can roll away and fall on the ground if you are not careful.
There's nothing in the design stopping it from rolling freely away if
sat down horizontally.
One of the neat things about this Dorcy flashlight is that it
can 'tailstand'. Tailstand meaning you can stand it up and have
it illuminate the room you are currently in (or even in a camping
tent). Some flashlights do not have this ability and its really a
great attribute for all flashlights to have.
From the front lens cover and above, you'll notice that Dorcy designed and has implemented many fins that it kind of resembles a CPU
heatsink. In fact, it really is its own heatsink to dissipate
heat generated by the battery pack and also the actual LED. The
whole flashlight does a good job at dissipating the heat as the warmth
is distributed from top to bottom.
Right below the heatsink we find the charge port terminal cover which has round indentations that can be used as grips for your fingers when holding the flashlight. Turn it counter-clockwise to open and you are presented with the charge port connector where you can plug in the home charger (6v/300mA) to recharge the included Ni-Cd battery pack.
Dorcy recommends a 12-hour first time forming charge, and a 4-hour regular
recharge time from then on. Dorcy also recommends
unplugging the charger once the charging time is complete (because it's a
dumb charger, not a smart charger) to prevent overcharge to the Ni-Cd
battery. Overcharging the Ni-Cd battery pack will hurt the
battery lifespan. It is important to note with Ni-Cd battery
technology that you do not overcharge it for a long period of time or
overly discharge it, doing so will affect the battery in a negative
way. Nor do you want to keep recharging the flashlight when it's
halfway charged or else it will develop a memory effect thinking
halfway charge to full charge is full capacity, which isn't the case.
Since the Dorcy 41-4299 uses a proprietary battery pack and not
something that is commonly used or easily found such as AA or AAA,
you're going to need to purchase it directly from Dorcy or have it
custom made from another source. If you want to custom make your
own battery pack for this Dorcy, then you will need four 1.2v batteries
of the 2/3AA type (Ni-Cd or even NiMH would suffice). Thankfully
the battery pack is not expensive to replace ($7.99USD from Dorcy Direct) and thus I would suggest picking up a few packs for
backup. The battery pack that Dorcy supplies only has a
capacity of 700mAh which is really small compared to the capacity of
what can be achieved with NiMH. For example with standard AA
batteries, take for instance Sanyo Enloops, those have a capacity of
2000mAh while this one on the Dorcy only has a capacity of 700mAh.
Now taking a look at the front lens cover, please note that it
can be removed to attain access to the actual lens and
reflector. The reflector on this Dorcy is very smooth and has
little to no orange peel which leads me to believe that in action, this Dorcy will be quite the 'thrower' with its light output. If the
reflector would have an orange-peel effect, I would venture more
'spill" in its light output.
The lens cover is not made of glass but of plastic which has
its own advantages such as the ability to save weight and not shatter
if dropped. Unfortunately some of the drawbacks is that plastic
attracts dust and can be easily scratched, and that is the case with
this lens. Even wiping it with a microfiber cloth has instilled
scratches to the plastic lens. If you ever want to make a custom
replacement, the lens is about 2-inches wide.
The rubber on/off button is that of a clicky type and has good
tactile feel to it. This Dorcy is only a single mode
flashlight meaning there is only one mode of brightness. There
is no high, medium or low but rather just the high and that is simple
enough for most people's need.
Just wanted to end off by saying that the when removing
different pieces such as the battery terminal cover, heatsink piece or
front lens cover, the Dorcy's threads are really smooth and you don't
really have any issues when putting it back on. Everything slides
off and on easily and smoothly which means the fitment of all these
items is perfect.
Testing Phase
Not only will I share with you in words my personal experience
with the Dorcy 41-4299 rechargeable CREE XRE LED flashlight, I will seek to determine
if the runtime ratings are accurate by way of stopwatch and if the
rated lumens is accurate by way of a digital LUX meter (when it arrives
- will update with the numbers). Tests are completed with a
fully charged battery in place.
Additionally I will provide you with videos to showcase the
light output the best that can be done on a digital video camera.
Remember to take any videos of light output with a grain of salt
because no video camera can accurate depict and adapt to show you true
representation of what you will see in real life. The camera
constantly adjusts aperture and shutter speed and thus pictures and
videos cannot give 100% accurate representation but rather a guideline
to follow.
Results - How does it
shine?
Runtime Results
- Rated runtime: 2 hours
- Experienced runtime of useable light: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Runtime length to low battery: Over 2 hours
Lumens Rating Results
- Rated Lumens: 220 lumens
- Experienced Lumens: 17,300 LUX or 1607 lumens (*when converted from unitconversion.org) at a one-meter distance
Dorcy rates the runtime for the 41-4299 as 2-hours. This is sufficient
runtime for most situations but the light output did drop off after 30
minute intervals. Runtime can definitely be improved but with a
different battery type which offers more capacity such as NIMH.
Dorcy rates the lumens at 220 and with the battery fully charged, I
experienced 17,300LUX @ 1-meter distance with my digital LUX
meter. When using unitconversion.org to convert LUX to lumens (not
totally accurate) it becomes 1607 lumens which just shows you the
amazing torch power this Dorcy really has. It's really like a light
saber.
The Dorcy 41-4299 rechargeable CREE XRE LED gives off some
serious light! The beam it produces is highly intense but only in
a narrow fashion. This can be attributed to the reflector system
inside the Dorcy which is very deep (2-inches). The middle hotspot
is intense but the surrounding light around the hotspot is not nearly
as intense. This flashlight would be perfectly suited for spot
lighting in situations where you need to shine at a specific spot or
object. The Dorcy doesn't really give as much 'spill' or
fill-light, so if you need a flashlight that can illuminate a wider
area, this probably isn't the one but it's still very impressive! There
is some spill but not at the level that I would like. At the same
time, the intense hotspot will actually make up for lack of wider
fill-light.
Don't let me fool you with my words, this Dorcy LED flashlight
is literally like a raygun/laser beam pointer! The beam can
actually be seen over 200 meters away according to Dorcy and I definitely
can agree with that number because this thing throws!! You
can light up street signs and homes at the end of your street easily
and make out what you're pointing at quite easily...Insane!
To show you how crazy this flashlight throws, I have uploaded
three videos on YouTube showcasing the beam of the Dorcy 41-4299.
It's something that just puts you in awe.
I have been using the Dorcy 41-4299 for close to two-months and have nothing but great things to say about this LED flashlight. It's intensely bright, it throws like crazy, it has been holding a steady charge without issues and it's just held up cold weather without any issues.
Conclusion
Considering that you can find this Dorcy 41-4299 220-lumen rechargeable CREE XRE LED flashlight online for about $50USD, even less when on sale, at Amazon.com or other retailers such as Wal-Mart, etc, I feel that it's quite a affordable price to pay for such a bright and intense LED flashlight that can be recharged time after time. Totally recommended!
Pros and Cons
- + Terrific Light Beam thrower! Super bright!
- + Superb fit and finish
- + Aluminum exterior is super strong
- + Knurling helps with grip
- + CREE LED is comfortable on the eyes.
- + Home and Car charger included
- + Rechargeable battery pack is inexpensive at Dorcy Direct
- + Can tailstand to illuminate rooms
- + Affordable price
- - No wrist strap capability
- - Can roll over and fall
- - Doesn't come with a holster
- - Battery capacity can be improved to provide even longer runtimes
