Reviews > Lighting > Flashlights - LED > Seattle Sportz LEDHedz > Ralph Ditton > Long Term Report

Manufacturer: Seattle Sports
Website: http://www.seattlesportsco.com
Made in: China
Product Range: LedHedz Micro Hat Lamp
Model: Cruizer 10
Bulb: 10 mm (0.4 in) LED
Listed Weight: 14.2 g (0.5 oz)
Batteries: Two Lithium Cell CR2025  3V. (included)
MSRP:US$7.95

Field Test

Since my Field Report I camped again at Prickly Bark Campsite on the Coastal Plain Trail on four occasions.
 Each trip was an overnighter, thus giving a total of fourteen days and eight nights over the four month period.
Temperatures during December 2005 and January 2006 ranged from a low of 8 C (46 F) which is most unseasonal to a high of 39 C (102 F). Our start to the summer has been the coolest for fifty years according to the Weather Bureau. Just lately the temperatures are going into a normal pattern.

With regards to the testing around my streets and river front pathways whilst walking the dog, I still use the light to find the dog when he is off the lead by calling his name so that he turns to face me. The light reflects his eyes even though I cannot see the beam reaching him when he is beyond 8 m (26 ft). The beam is visible up to that range. With the dog's retinas glowing, it was like looking at two silver circles about 20 mm (0.8 in) in diameter.
I used the light nightly when walking the dog, sometimes clipped to my hat visor or just hand held.

In my work I sometimes need to look down security doors adjustment screw holes.  I find the light from the Cruizer 10 is soft in its illumination which enables me to see the screw head to be adjusted.
 Using a regular torch light is too harsh as it causes too much glare to see.

Whilst camping I used the Cruizer 10 as a light source to change the batteries in my headlamp as they were flat. There was enough light for me too see the + and - stamped into the plastic of the headlamp to correctly install the four new batteries.

On my last camping trip I noticed that the light is not as effective as it has been. Previously, the light beam would light up the spiders eyes which appeared as moving dew on the ground. This time there was no reflection from the spiders eyes. By way of a control  I used my headlamp with the five LED bulbs and the spiders eyes lit up.
 
To further emphasize that the light output is fading, I was just able to discern the sandy track when going to the toilet which was some 200 m (656 ft) long. The track twisted around a bit. I did have some difficulty in identifying sticks across the track. I was unsure if they were sticks or snakes. There was no clarity in the light beam. The night was overcast with patches of rain. The night time temperature was 17 C (63 F).

Since my return from the camping trip in early January, I have used the light on a daily basis for walking with the dog to help in locating his "barker eggs" and picking it up in the doggy poo bags. There has been some ambient street light to help also.

It is getting to the stage where I will need to change the batteries. I estimate that the aggregate burn time of the existing batteries would be 20 hours. For close up work there is plenty of light and life in the batteries such as searching through a backpack, reading a street directory, illuminating street name sign plates and looking for items in a tent.
 However for clear illumination in the bush to use bush tracks for going to and from the toilet, and walking around a campsite without tripping over objects, i.e. sticks and rocks, the batteries need to be changed.

When I am using my sleeping bag, I put the Cruizer 10 in the internal pocket for easy location during the night when I want a source of light. On one occasion, I was woken up because something was sticking into my back. It turned out to be the Cruizer 10. It had fallen out of the pocket and I was laying on it. Fortunately there was no damage sustained by the light.

I took the case apart to see if any moisture from the atmosphere got into it from my last camping trip where it had rained. The humidity was very high as the location was on the tail end of a cyclone. The internal case and components were dry. Not a hint of moisture on the batteries where moisture would show up, being metal.

The finger pad has not become discoloured through body oils from my fingers. Nor has it failed and come away from the case.

The key ring attachment again spread open during the Long Term Report stage when it was on my car key ring.  I have taken the dog clip and chain off the light since I reported this problem in the Field Report due to the permanent gap in the dog clip. I did not want to run the risk of losing the light.

Things I Like

• The 10 mm (0.4 in) LED bulb gives a focused beam.
• The focused beam forming a circular pattern without too much side scatter.
• Lightweight.
• Multi functional. Not just a camping light source.
• Able to attach to my car key ring.
• Able to clip to some of my hat brims for a hands fee operation.
• Very sturdy after being dropped and slept on.

• Will not clip onto a thickness of 4 mm (0.16 in) and larger.
• On soft hat material the weight droops the brim.
• Key ring attachment spreads open and drops off the key chain.
• Dog clip loses tension and slips off the light.

Reviews > Lighting > Flashlights - LED > Seattle Sportz LEDHedz > Ralph Ditton > Long Term Report