Little Monkey

[bif]

Hi

I’ve been working on a caving lamp for a while, so I thought I should take a deep breath and show it around. I’ve built a website at www.littlemonkeycaving.co.uk which is a miracle in its own right. I had to scrape an inch of mud off of my keyboard first.

Thanks and hope you like.

Bif

[Cody JW]

Looks like a nice light but I am not sure of the conversion for price and if the charger will work with American electrical outlets.Also I wonder about the "spill" compared to a Sten since it has one bulb.Would this give the same type of spill as the HP-10?

[David Grimes]

That looks and sounds like a very nice durable light. My question is, did you manufacture the housing yourself or have it built by a fabrication company? I ask because of the price, while I am sure the light is very nice it is also pretty close to (if not) the most expensive caving light I have seen. Is the price high to offset the cost of manufacturing and low orders or do you plan to keep the light at that price regardless of demand?

[Amazingracer]

while I am sure the light is very nice it is also pretty close to (if not) the most expensive caving light I have seen.

David, you've never been to the Scurion site have you?
http://www.scurion.ch/jm/
http://www.scurion.ch/jm/images/scurion/docs/Pricelist_Scurion.pdf

I am curious about the price as well. It costs more than the upgraded StenLight and nearly the price of the Scurion P4.

Is the light configured as a spot or wide beam?

[bif]

Thanks for the replies guys

Please don’t get too hung up on the price. This is after all a low volume, top end lamp and these don’t appeal to everyone. I imagine it would be logistically tricky for me to sell these to the US, so this side of things wasn’t forward in my thinking. I’m showing you more as a caver, so you can see where the technology has moved since lamps such as the Sten were first introduced.

I’m sure you’ll appreciate that I’m trying rather hard at the moment not to get drawn into a lamp showdown. Comparisons are it seems tricky to avoid. The only lamp that can be reasonably compared with the Little Monkey is the Scurion. This sells for well over UK£ 150 more, for an equivalent setup, here in the UK. The Little Monkey and Scurion have been designed to provide different things to different cavers. Any comparison would be like trying to compare top end trail running shoes with top end hill walking boots. The Sten sells for around the same price as the Little Monkey in the UK (I’m sure you probably pay less in the States) though other than the price, I don’t think there is realistic basis to compare the lamps and it would be a little unfair of me to go there. I think the Little Monkey website probably tells you everything you need to know about the technology, build quality, component specification etc to formulate your own opinions.

On a side note (apologies for skipping off topic), if anyone reading this thread caves regularly around Schoharie NY and might be available for a trip later in the year, please pm me as I'll hopefully be visiting.

[Amazingracer]

Sorry, wasnt trying to throw down a lamp showdown

It does indeed look like a nice light, it looks like a smaller version of my Scurion P7 in that it has some of the same features, except that it only has one LED and is only 367 Lumens. Is the LED setup to be a spot like a Sten beam, or is setup to be a wide beam? Or cooler yet is it switchable? Light definitely has potential. It is just below the pricepoint of the Scurion P4, which makes it attractive for those looking for a Scurion-type light but dont want to pay for a Scurion, and it gives the Sten some competition over there in the UK. Be sure to let us know how it goes.

[bif]

At 367 lumens the Little Monkey R5 is around the same level of light as a Scurion P4*, and IMO more than enough. However at 111 lumens per watt, the Little Monkey is considerably more efficient than either the Scurion P4* or P7 (meaning a lot more miles per gallon). It has a single optic that provides a considered balance of focus and spread. These factors have enabled the Little Monkey to be compact and less than half (almost a third) the weight of the Scurion, certainly a benefit on those long hard trips.

*Scurion datasheet that I have reads 400 lumens for 2 x P4 LEDs. This equates to around 6.75 watts or only 59 lumens per watt.

[Amazingracer]

the Little Monkey is considerably more efficient than either the Scurion P4* or P7

That's pretty cool actually.

It has a single optic that provides a considered balance of focus and spread.

That's nice. That's why I sold my sten, it didn't have a balance of focus and spread, and I just found myself staring at a spot on the floor pretty much. Glad you found some harmony in the light throw.

These factors have enabled the Little Monkey to be compact and less than half (almost a third) the weight of the Scurion, certainly a benefit on those long hard trips.

Also a big plus, however I have never found the weight of my Scurion light itself to be the problem. However the battery pack is a different story, granted it is 4 cell battery though.

*Scurion datasheet that I have reads 400 lumens for 2 x P4 LEDs. This equates to around 6.75 watts or only 59 lumens per watt.

Rolf said they had a "firmware" update on the lights around Convention time last year to boost efficiency. Im not sure if the datasheet reflects that update.

[YuccaPatrol]

That's a great looking and performing light. Nice to see someone using the most up to date LED's! Well done and beautiful machining!

It is only too bad that the exchange rate between the dollar and pound makes it out of my range.

I'm planning on buying a Sten soon, but am weighing all of my options. . . . .

[bif]

Hi Andrew and thanks

I might be mistaken, but a Sten s7 premium seems to retail in the US at $370. Add another low capacity brand unspecified Sten rubber battery pack for $50 to give you a comparable runtime/ light output ratio as a Little Monkey. I don’t know if you can get a 12v automobile smart charger for a Sten, but add another $30 (at a guess) and $20 plus on sten accessories and you’re up to $470. When I checked the exchange rate the other day it was about $1.5 US to £1 UK. That makes $470 around £315 UK, £35 ($50) more than the complete Little Monkey setup; even at the moment when the exchange rates have not stacked up in your favour if purchasing outside of the US.

Anyhow, great forum. I will make a point of following in future and I must get myself an avatar.

[YuccaPatrol]

bif. . . . I think you might have just sold your first lamp in America!

[NZcaver]

I’m sure you’ll appreciate that I’m trying rather hard at the moment not to get drawn into a lamp showdown. Comparisons are it seems tricky to avoid. The only lamp that can be reasonably compared with the Little Monkey is the Scurion.

Welcome to the forum. I appreciate you not wanting to get into a lamp showdown, but doesn't the Scurion have more than one LED?

Personally I'm partial to headlamps with spaced LEDs because they seem to help with depth perception when moving over uneven terrain. Nonetheless, your Little Monkey looks like a solid, bombproof little light with fairly impressive specs. Nice work!

[bif]

I appreciate you not wanting to get into a lamp showdown, but doesn't the Scurion have more than one LED?

Hey, don't worry. I'm sure a number of LEDs battle won't upset anyone. You are of course correct, and there are design pros and cons to this.

[YuccaPatrol]

Well, the first Little Monkey in the US is headed to my doorstep.

[JR-Orion]

Well, the first Little Monkey in the US is headed to my doorstep.

Congrats. Looks like a very nice light. I like how it' small, clean looking, and lightweight.

Let us know how it goes.