Light Monkey Options

[The Duck]

Looks like Light Monkeys are up and running

http://blog.lightmonkey.us/

With stores in the US already having them up on their web sites: http://www.addheliumstore.com/salvolights.html

Now I know I could just buy from the US but I'd rather buy here in the UK if possible, so I wonder if there is going to be a UK distributor .... Deep Ideas ???

[Deep-Ideas]

We intend to stock them but are awaiting confirmation on the spec and pricing.

[The Duck]

We intend to stock them but are awaiting confirmation on the spec and pricing.

Great

Please let me know when you have something confirmed as I'm after the 21W with the 10.?Ah battery pack.

[The Duck]

Well I couldn't wait and so ordered the Salvo from Deep-Ideas - it turned up today, very fast and efficient service many thanks.

I have one question though - the old Salvo's (like my 10W) had the battery rattling around inside and to charge it you took the battery out. The new versions have the flood resistant battery compartment and solid "banana" connectors.



Now when charging is the battery left in the canister? - I ask as there is no obvious way to access it. If not, how do you get the battery out?

EDIT: No found the manual (http://l.b5z.net/i/u/49176/f/Salvo_Primary_Lights_Manual.pdf) and it's a clear DO NOT TOUCH for the battery - just plug charger leads in.

[Deep-Ideas]

Looks like Light Monkeys are up and running

http://blog.lightmonkey.us/

With stores in the US already having them up on their web sites: http://www.addheliumstore.com/salvolights.html

Now I know I could just buy from the US but I'd rather buy here in the UK if possible, so I wonder if there is going to be a UK distributor .... Deep Ideas ???

Paul we've been talking to Light Monkey for a while and now the stock is in and the website has been updated. Sorry for not responding sooner but didn't want to announce until we were ready to go live.

We're stocking the 10W & 21W variable focus HiDs, the 2W and 3W back/up lights, the spools, the P-valves, BP webbing and most commonly requested spares (bulbs and Goodman handles).

If anyone wants anything that we're not currently stocking then drop us a line at info@deep-ideas.co.uk.

The key improvement between the 1st generation Light Monkey HiDs and the last generation of Salvo HiDs is that the Goodman handle baseplate on the Light Monkey range is aluminium instead of plastic. Other than that the range will be immediately familiar to anyone who has owned or used a Salvo HiD.

[Aquaman]

So how do these stack up to Halcyon, Salvo, Solus, Agir, Greenforce, Tilly Tec etc. Do they actually exist and are they any good? Is Light Monkey just Barry with a different hat on or what is going on? What happened to Leviathan? That went quiet pretty quick (although at least that had a website)!

[Rob Dobson]

I don't know what (if any) changes Halcyon have made to their lights recently but I never saw a difference in beam performance between the last generation of Salvo & Halcyon lights; and Agir HiDs for that matter. There was a difference between the battery technologies used and therefore the burntimes (SLA or NiMh on the Halcyon and Li-Po on the Salvo) and of course the price (the 'H' hikes the price by quite a bit). Agir shared a lot of technology and design with Salvo but used NiMh battery packs instead of the Li-Po. All excellent lights.

Solus folded earlier in the year (or was it the year before?). They specialised in LED primary lights which utilised LED arrays. Decent light output and useful stepped power options but the lack of focus meant the beam lacked penetration. No good for scootering.

I've yet to see a Greenforce torch I would want to use - under powered and badly focused. I hate the battery designs and the changeable heads seems a bit pointless. I've not seen a Tilly Tec in the water but I think they're based on Greenforce so I'd be surprised if they were anything to get too excited about. Greenforce seem to be well priced compared to a lot of what is around but still a lot of money for what they are.

Light Monkey was set up by two ex-Salvo employees but it has nothing whatsoever to do with Barry. It's simply guys who found themselves out of work after their employer vanished and decided to set up on their own (as is the American Dream).

Salvo folded not because it was financially unviable or because of any issues surrounding IP, but because of the continued legal wrangling between Barry Miller and Halcyon:

Barry stole material from Halcyon (he claimed in lieu of unpaid royalties)
Halcyon took legal action and recovered a quantity of materials
It went to court
Barry pleaded guilty, paid a fine, spent a year in jail
Came out - thought that it was over
Halcyon was awarded an additional settlement
Barry went "Feck this - I'm outta here" and vanished.

Then ex-Salvo employees set up Leviathan but it was too close to Salvo (same building etc) so that was strangled at birth.

Light Monkey was set up completely away Salvo / Leviathan and is in no way connected other than the guys who work there are ex-Salvo employees. Oh and the lights are pretty similar - unsurprisingly.

[MartinH]

Anyone seen the new UTD 10W LED in the flesh? Any idea who is actually making it?

[jo_c]

Anyone seen the new UTD 10W LED in the flesh? Any idea who is actually making it?

They look like Light Monkey to me... but haven't seen them up close.

[Rob Dobson]

I have been asking around but no one is saying. I too would suspect Light Monkey as they have a number of OEM agreements whereby other companies sell their lights but I can't confirm this. Full variable focus LED is an interesting development and I have no doubt that this is a well constructed light; but it is still only a 10W LED and they simply don't produce enough light or project the beam over a long enough distance to meet my requirements (scootering in shitty vis).

I won't be moving away from a 21W HiD any time soon.

[The Duck]

I have been asking around but no one is saying. I too would suspect Light Monkey as they have a number of OEM agreements whereby other companies sell their lights but I can't confirm this. Full variable focus LED is an interesting development and I have no doubt that this is a well constructed light; but it is still only a 10W LED and they simply don't produce enough light or project the beam over a long enough distance to meet my requirements (scootering in shitty vis).

I won't be moving away from a 21W HiD any time soon.

21W HID seems to be almost a "standard" amongst tech divers (I use the term standard in its very loosest sense), so LED really needs to be aiming to match this IMHO.