Cavechat.org

The skinny black thing is a 2.5 amp hour battery. Yes, the white thing is a US adaptor for the charger and the wire(kevlar)is to attach the battery case lid so ya don't lose it when you change batteries!

Cavemud wrote:The Scurion is actually dated as Bif has come up with a way to have 3.7 volts run the leds which I do believe increases efficiency and allows a much greater runtime.

The Rude does run on 3.7V, whereas the Sten and Scurion run on 7.4V (2 Li-ion cells in series). I don't think it's accurate to claim that a lower voltage is more efficient. I think the only advancement is that the XM-L LEDs are capable of being driven off a lower voltage, but this is generally available to any light using these emitters. I think maybe the main advantage of running at a lower voltage is that you can run 1, 2, 3, or 4 Li-ion cells in parallel, which maybe allows more flexibility. For 7.4V systems it has to be even numbers of cells, e.g. 2 or 4, in order to have at least 2 cells in series. One advantage for having the Scurion run on 7.4V is that the batteries are interchangeable with the Sten, which is a fairly common light. I've swapped all my connectors to the Sten-style Molex for that reason, and I have loaned out a spare battery to a Sten user when they developed a short.

Run times for either system will be a function of battery capacity (mAh) and current demand. Efficiency would be a function of how many lumens are output at a given current draw. This is primarily driven by the type of emitter, but can be affected by circuitry and optics. I suspect all of the modern high-end XM-L based caving lamps - e.g. Rude, Scurion, Manley Light, have similar efficiency and therefore run time - assuming apples to apples on lumens and battery capacity. All of these lamps have discreet output settings, and they are never exactly the same, so it's difficult to make direct comparisons. There are also a great many ways to quantify lumen output, making comparisons even more difficult. Also, efficiency is not linear with current draw, so the lumens per watt varies.

Here are the lumen outputs, current draws, and battery life values for the settings I have programmed in the Scurion. My calculated battery life values are almost exactly what I get in real life. These are for a 5200 mAh, 7.4V battery pack (2s2p, 2600mAh LG, 3.7V).

Nice looking light. Is the battery compartment able to be disconnected from the light head, or are they hard wired together?

That Scurion is a nice lamp! Thanks for the info on the output and duration. Here's a link to Nora's. http://www.littlemonkeycaving.co.uk/Pag ... ation.aspx

NZ...the battery case is hard wired. Heavy duty all the way around!

1xLithium (or 3xNiMH) was pretty much always a feasible power source for LED lights not running at the higher powers, it's just that over time it has become increasingly practical for high power lights without having to meaningfully worry about things like variation between components.

Having battery packs which are 3.7V does seem likely to simplify charge/discharge protection - there's no need to do any balancing if the cells are all in parallel.

How long did it take to get the RN? I'm normally a sten guy but I like the look and the specs of the Nora. I'm stationed overseas so I was wondering what the shipping time might be.

You guys should check out the El Speleo. So far we've had about 20 of these things get purchased out west here. The lights are almost as incredible as the Scurion (we've compared them side by side), and the price can't be beat. Shipped to your door with everything you need for $250 or less. http://dougwarner.wordpress.com/2012/01 ... ave-light/

It was around 3 weeks from my first contact until the Noras arrived at my home. I'm pretty sure John builds the lamps when they're ordered because of individual preferences.

I suspect a used Sten would catch a fair dollar at auction, could help get you a Nora!

ian1210 wrote:You guys should check out the El Speleo. So far we've had about 20 of these things get purchased out west here. The lights are almost as incredible as the Scurion (we've compared them side by side), and the price can't be beat. Shipped to your door with everything you need for $250 or less. http://dougwarner.wordpress.com/2012/01 ... ave-light/

I'm starting a new thread about the El Speleo. It looks interesting and I hope to see more details and results from use.

I've seen this light in action and it's amazing... I'm going to be ordering one very shortly!

ian1210 wrote:You guys should check out the El Speleo. So far we've had about 20 of these things get purchased out west here. The lights are almost as incredible as the Scurion (we've compared them side by side), and the price can't be beat. Shipped to your door with everything you need for $250 or less. http://dougwarner.wordpress.com/2012/01 ... ave-light/

For sake of buttoning up some loose ends in this thread, please note:

1. That link is now dead. The proper link for the El Speleo is: http://elspeleo.com/index.php/lights-ca ... egory_id/1
2. "$250 or less" is, unfortunately, off by at least $150. As of this writing, light kits at the link above are $400.

Not commenting on either light, just clearing up some outdated information for those in the market.