|
| Home | Guest - Not logged in | ||||||||||
|
» Register
» Login
Gear Reviews
Documents
Tools
» Contact
|
Reviews > Lighting > Flashlights - LED > Seattle Sportz LEDHedz > Becki Stacy > Initial Report
Age: 32 Gender: Female Height: 5' 3" (1.6 m) Weight: 150 lb (70 kg) Email address: beckistacy at comcast dot net Location: Royal Oak, Michigan, USA Background: I got bitten by the backpacking bug in 1994 when I was a volunteer at the Grand Canyon. My first backpacking trip was the same week I arrived, with gear borrowed from trail crew supplies. My husband and I enjoy car camping and backpacking (we use a double-wall tent), mostly in Michigan. We've pared down our pack weight a little (a necessity for a recent 12-night trip with no resupply), and we are continually re-working our gear list to cut weight without giving up the luxury items we enjoy (such as food that involves more than boiling water).
Website: http://www.seattlesportsco.com Product: LEDHedz Cruizer 10 MSRP: $7.95 Listed weight: 0.5 oz (14.2 g) Weight as delivered: 0.5 oz (14.2 g) including keychain, 0.4 oz (11.3 g) without keychain Batteries: two 3V CR 2025 lithium (included)
   From the Seattle Sports webpage: "Inspired by the lines of high performance sports cars, the Cruizer10 features a sleek contoured design and red side racing stripes. The unique 10mm LED bulb offers 20% greater brightness and a distinctive look. A soft-touch rubberized grip feels great in your hand. The integrated LedHedz Hat Clip provides hands-free versatility. A clip off key chain allows the light to clip easily to a pack or jacket zipper pull and ensures the Cruizer will be the trusty lighting source you'll never be without." The Cruizer consists of the lamp body, a metal clip, a metal swivel, and metal keychain. The lamp has 2 settings: on and off, and is powered by two 3V CR 2025 lithium batteries which can be replaced. On the underside of the Cruizer, there is one small screw that holds the body together.
Though the Cruizer's design reminds me more of my husband's remote door lock/unlock device than a performance car, I do find the design of the lamp appealing. Although I would prefer a lamp with a blue 'racing stripe' (which serves as a gasket to keep the water out) and on/off button to match my car, the red highlights are fine. I don't really present the figure of a color-coordinated backpacker when I'm hiking anyway, unless 'dusty' is considered a color. The one thing that I noticed instantly when I turned the Cruizer on is that the cast of the light is a blueish-white. Other LED lamps that I've used in the past are closer to a neutral cast. The tint of any given light isn't really important to me, though my first thought when I turned it on was "Cool! It's blueish!" And yes, blue is one of my favorite colors. In the picture below, the Cruizer has a beam diameter of approximately 16" (41 cm) when the lamp is placed about 8' (2.5 m) from the ceiling. The single LED of the Cruizer provides a brighter and more concentrated beam of light than other LED devices I own. The light emitted from the Cruizer is primarily in a narrow central beam. Because of the design of the LED itself, there is also an outer 'ring' of light. The pictures below show the pattern of light produced by the lamp. When I clipped the Cruizer to my baseball cap, I hardly noticed the outer ring of light. When I held the lamp flashlight-style in my hand, the dark doughnut pattern was a little distracting. In the top picture, the lamp is lying flat on a piece of paper. In the bottom picture (the settings of my camera exaggerated the blue tint), the Cruizer is about 1.5' (0.5 m) from the wall. The dark splotches in the outer ring of light appear to be caused by dust or tiny scratches on the surface of the LED.   Although the beam of light is narrower than what I'm used to, I was able to safely navigate my backyard and select ripe tomatoes from my garden for a late dinner. For a small, lightweight, single LED light, I feel that it does a very good job of lighting my way in the darkness. I like that this lamp is a multi-tasker, and between the built-in clip on the body, the metal clip, and the keychain, I can take this light anywhere and everywhere. I often forget to turn the porch light on if I know that I'll be coming home after dark, and this little LED looks like it will help me with this and at other times I need a little light. Seattle Sports claims the Cruizer can "Clip to your car visor for a more direct map light". When I attempted this, I found that the visor of a '98 Dodge Neon is too thick for the lamp. A hole that is in a plastic 'extension' of my visor allows me to clip the Cruizer to that, though I do not know how many other makes and models of cars would have a similar setup where there is indeed somewhere the Cruizer can clip on to. It clips onto the brim of my baseball hat just fine. When using the Cruizer flashlight-style, I've already taken to slipping the key ring around my little finger to get a little better grip on the lamp. The body itself is enough to give me a decent grip, but since I'm somewhat of a klutz I often find myself doing these types of things subconsciously. The lamp appears to be well-made and should be able to withstand standard home and trail abuse. With the racing-stripe gasket, it looks like the Cruizer should be at least water resistant, and if I get the chance later on in the testing period I'll subject the lamp to some use in the rain to see how it fares.
I plan to take the Cruizer 10 on my remaining trips this year, at least two overnighters and one 2-nighter. I estimate my pack weight to be about 35 lbs (16 kg), including water, for overnighters and two night trips. My trips will be in Michigan's lower peninsula, with the terrain varying from relatively flat to moderately hilly, with plenty of tree roots and rocks tossed in to boot. Daily mileages will probably be from 6 to 10 miles (10-16 km), with weather ranging from 23-85 F (-5 to 29 C) and from sunny to rainy. I hope to do all my traveling during daylight, but with a late fall/early winter trip I may have to rely on the Cruizer to light the trail. I plan to see if the Cruizer will provide me with enough light to pitch my tent, cook dinner, and settle down in my sleeping bag for the night. I will report on if I am able to adapt to a light that I can only adjust by moving my hat, and how well will it performs for a late-night trip to the latrine/cathole. Although I usually don't read at night, I plan to test the lamp to see if I can read with the lamp attached to my hat or somehow rigged inside the tent. When I'm not backpacking, the Cruizer will be used as the keychain for my car keys. I will report on how it endures being bounced around in my pocket and purse.
1. The Cruizer 10 is lightweight. 2. The lamp uses a LED, which means long life out of one set of batteries. 3. I can use the Cruizer at home as well as on the trail.
1. I'm used to a wider beam/area of light, and the "dark doughnut" this lamp creates when I hold it flashlight-style looks odd to me. I know this is probably due to the current technology, and the use of a single LED. 2. That the only color option for this model is black with red highlights. It's merely a cosmetic thing, but I prefer at least some choice of color.
Overall, I am impressed with this little lamp. It appears to be fairly versatile, something I can use at home as well as on the trail. Only testing on a backpacking trip will tell for sure, but I think this could be a decent replacement for my current (heavier) headlamp. I would like to thank Seattle Sports and BackpackGearTest for the opportunity to test the Cruizer 10. Read more reviews of Seattle Sports gear Read more gear reviews by Rebecca Stacy Reviews > Lighting > Flashlights - LED > Seattle Sportz LEDHedz > Becki Stacy > Initial Report | ||||||||||