Cree Q5 led x2000 zoomable flashlight review 240 lumens

The x2000 240 lumen cree Q5 flashlight is a bright and affordable alternative to more expensive Q5 lights. It uses some of the same great technology, like an aluminum heat sync, focusable flood to spot lens and an emergency strobe function that more expensive units do. It runs off of 3x aaa cells (I tested with NiMh rechargeable cells) and yields 2-3 hours of run time on high, 5-6 on low. The head and body of the x2000 are made of high quality anodized aircraft grade aluminum, while the lens and tail switch are plastic / soft rubber. The x2000 features 2 different brightness levels and a strobe setting (high, low and strobe in succession), all of which can be cycled by half or fully depressing the tail switch. The different modes selected will be saved in the devices memory for around 3 minutes, before going back into high mode as default. Since the x2000 features a cree Q5 emitter, boasting an eye searing 240 lumens, it is bright throughout all selectable modes and battery life. I tested the Q5 emitter in this unit for over a week and found it to be more than adequate for normal nightly tasks (walking the dog, dumping trash, checking out weird noises). The x2000 is small and light enough for every day use and can be carried in the pocket or via the included belt holster. The x2000 truly is a great device for the money, which flashlight fanatics and regular users alike will come to appreciate. This flashlight can be purchased on ebay as well as a variety of other sites for well under $20.


The ebay Link for the exact unit I reviewed is below:


Ebay link to X2000 cree Q5 flashlight

Link to my youtube page

Symtek Tekfuel LT & MD combo review

Symtek Tekfuel LT

Are you one of those people always running out of power for your portable devices. Everything from mp3 players and tablets, to laptop computers. I know for sure I certainly am, that is why I am always looking for portable charging gadgets to keep my devices topped off. Today I am reviewing two helpful gadgets from Symtek, the Symtek Tekfuel LT and MD. The LT is a small external laptop battery, which has four and three forth amp hours of internal storage via a lithium ion battery. It outputs said power via 5 volts / 1.5 amps usb, or 16-22 volts dc @ 3 amps max for laptops. This makes it the perfect device to keep my small netbook as well as my cellphone topped off for a few extra hours. The LT has a ton of great features, things like a led battery gauge, over and under voltage protection as well as a low battery alarm. As far as included accessories goes, the LT offers a variety of standard usb and cellphone adapters. What really surprised me was the adapter to recharge a psp from a usb port......It ended up working better than other usb chargers in the past. After using the LT to charge various devices, the unit can be recharged by the included ac and dc adapters. The dc adapter features a standard 12 volt to propriety adapter, which also includes a standard airplane adapter. The ac charger features a standard 120 volt U.S.A input socket, as well as multiple tips allowing it to be charged from 120-240 volts ac from countries around the world. (various wall tips included). The Lt takes anywhere from 2-6 hours to fully recharge, depending on discharge state.

Symtek Tekfuel MD

The Tekfuel MD is a usb backup battery, featuring a powerful lithium polymer rechargeable battery. It has a nice, thin design and offers a lot of standard accessories and features. It includes a charger for the psp, motorola, sony and samsung phones. It also features a led battery status meter and a switch to chose 5 or 5.8 volts dc @ 500 milliamps. I tested the MD with a variety of devices, including my ipod touch, cellphone and a strong 10 led usb reading light. As far as the cellphone and ipod, it ran them for over 24 hours (when both the MD and connected devices being fully charged) and would recharge them 5-6 times fully from a dead state. As far as the usb reading light, it ran it for over 8 hours before calling it quits. To recharge the MD, it comes with a standard 120 volt ac wall adapter to 5 volts mini usb usb, which generally takes 4-5 hours to fully recharge. The MD can also be recharged from a standard computer usb port, as long as the user has a usb to mini usb adapter (charging times are about the same with both methods).

To sum it up, both the LT and MD are great products for portable recharging, They also come with a lot of standard features and accessories, which gives them a high value. If I had to recommend either of these products to a friend, I would do so in a heartbeat. These products and more can be found at the Symtek website, which is listed below
http://www.symtekinc.com/

Store flashlights and batteries in a common place for emergencies!

What happens if the power goes out at night and you can't find your flashlights and candles ? Endless toe stubbing....At least that was the story with me. I am like most people, I don't really need a flashlight all the time, but I like to keep some in drawers for household repairs and power emergencies. The problem is either I can't find them when I need them, or they are dead when I get to them. This fact is especially harsh when your in level 10 pain from stubbing your toe into a wall at night. Recently I decided to do something about it.....FLASHLIGHT AND BATTERY STORAGE DRAWER!. All I did was bought one of those three drawer storage containers and fill it with useful emergency items. Instead of just filling it with flashlights and batteries, I also added other things that would benefit me in an emergency. I added cellphone chargers, laptop batteries, lighters and my old cellphone, separating them by battery type. Now I don't have to dig around looking for these items when I need them most. Next I placed the container in an area I know like the back of my hand (my solar system corner). I know it is kinda extreme, but I'll thank myself for not having a sore toe during the next outage.

Cheap 12 volt led lamp project

When I started out with my inexpensive solar project, I always dealt with trying to find more efficient items to run off of 12 volts. I searched the web for small dc powered devices (fans, lights, laptop power adapters) instead of items needing a power hungry dc to ac inverter. The problem, not a lot of everyday household items have 12 volt equivalents that are cheap. An average 120 volt ac table lamp can be purchased most places, for less than $15.....an average 12 volt dc camping / rv lamp will run you $30-$50 (depending on model). After searching around on ebay, I still found prices for 12 volt lights too high, so I decided to make my own. I came across these new 12 volt led bulbs with E27 bases (the standard base for a 120 light bulb). They were initally designed for an rv, but I figured they would work just as good with my solar system. The bulbs weren't too expensive, $20 for 2x 3 watt bulbs (that put out as much light as a 13 watt cfl). I already had unused 120 volt lamps laying around, so I saved myself on the lamps purchace. For $20 I now had something that was brighter than expensive name brand camping lanterns and had a deep cycle battery supply vs dinky internal batteries. I didn't even have to do much work!, all it took was cutting off the standard wall plug and soldering on a 12 volt cigarette lighter adapter. Now I have a light that I can use just about anywhere and I didn't have to spend a boat load of money to get it!

In closing, I'm just a simple guy, going green and trying to save a buck along the way.