Manufacturer:- http://darkgear.com/mrbulk/
Purchase Price :- Production Version will be $199 plus shipping
Size:- 84.68mm ( 3.334Inches)long 31.58mm (1.243Inch) Diameter at widest point.
Weight (With Batteries):- 3 1/2oz. 100g
Battery Type / Qty :- 1off RCR123 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion (Optimum) or CR123 Primary (Backup)
Battery Life :- Varies depending on power setting see runtime data below
LED Type :- 3W Luxeon Bin TX0H
Rated Output:- Unknown but probably around 67-87 Lumens on High
Estimated LED Lifespan:- Over 100,000 Hours
Colour:- White
Reflector Type :- Plastic Drop in Mystery Reflector as used on the VIP BH
Lens Material :- Ultra Clear Coated Glass
Electronics:- uController based electronics to allow dimming and other advanced features. Now featuring fully regulated output
Body Material :- Aluminium
Body Finish :- Bead Blasted
Limited production run of only around 175 lights.

Firstly a big Thank You to Charlie (Mr Bulk) for giving me the opportunity to play with one of only a very small number of prototypes of the Chameleon. He wanted an independent view on this light and that is what I intend to give.

This light is a continuation of a range of custom lights from the people that make up the Mr Bulk design and manufacturing team.

Some comments have been made about the direct drive PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control on previous Mr Bulk lights that could on full power be running the LED at higher than the recommended range required for long life. I and many others were perfectly happy with this arrangement as it allowed the over boosted LED to give a lot more light output. Thus a turbo charged flashlight so to speak.

This new light has new software that addresses all of these issues, but more on that later. Let's start with the external design.

The first thing you notice on handling this light is that it is a little more Bulky (sic) than the last one.

The second thing you will notice is the finish applied to the raw aluminium. It has been bead blasted and this gives it a silky matt sheen. I like the finish. It stands out from most of my other lights. It has reduced the overall cost of the light compared with the hard anodised and engraved versions and I imagine reduced the required production time. It may not be so good if you drop or scratch the surface though as you will not be able to polish out the scratch as with a bare aluminium version. But I tend to be careful with my custom lights and am not too worried about that aspect.

It gives an excellent surface for gripping the light along with the shallow grooves.

The body machining is excellent with the joint between each of the part almost invisible once screwed together. As this is the Prototype I did not do my usual take it to bits disassembly. I just slightly unscrewed the head and battery tube to show the join points.

The head is a two piece design that splits in half to access the reflector and glass. Again I have not taken it apart. You will have to wait for my production version for that.

The head contains an old friend. The stunning mystery reflector that was included as part of the VIP BH (Bulk Head) add on. It is both smooth and dimpled in its surface finish and produces a powerful and smooth hotspot with a decent side spill of light.

The lens is an UCL type from our friends at http://www.flashlightlens.com this gives off a green tint if you catch the light at the correct angle. Just the anti reflective coating doing its thing.

Underneath the lens and the reflector sits the heart of the Light so to speak. The LED. This is the so called Charlie binned Luxeon's of a very very good BIN number (TXOH). This gives an excellent white (very slight blue) that makes my VIP look very slightly green. All these comparisons are very subjective and really only matter if you compare against another light on a white surface. The reality of the light in use is that you cannot tell the difference. Your eyes adjust and compensate telling you that this is the new white. Don't believe me! Go into your garden and shine any two LED light onto the grass. Does it look the same shade of green? Thought so. Just keep away from white walls! LOL

The light is designed to run on rechargeable RCR123 cells and a good supplier of these is AW from the CPF. See here for my full review on these cells and the charger.

The tail of the light unscrews for access to the battery. It is installed with the +ve end towards the head of the light.

The tail of the light is a flared design that gives the light a much more stable base than it would have with just a parallel sided tube. It also helps to give the light a better grip in your hand. Plus I also think it help to give the torch a little more character to it's design.

Operation of the light is through the side mounted push button switch. This has a slightly thinner rubber cover than the LionCub and gives a better tactile feedback to the user.

More thoughts on the light after the full operating instructions.

I am going to repeat the full operating instructions here as provided on the flashlight-forums.com this will hopefully cover all the questions about how it works.

This is the latest version of the Operating Manual for the Chameleon, laid out in a question/answer format:

The First Thing to know is the difference between a PRESS (push and hold button until something happens) and a CLICK (quick push and release).

Operation of the Chameleon - How do I…

...turn it on?

CLICK once.

...turn it off?

CLICK once.

...access the five dimming levels?

From Off, PRESS and it will start at Level 1 (dimmest) and Step Up through the five levels.  Release the button when you reach the desired brightness level.  If you overshoot the level you want, simply release and PRESS again within 1½ seconds, and it will Step Down through the levels.  When you release the button for longer than 1½ seconds it remains set at that brightness level.

...go to Level 5 (Highest brightness) instantly?

While in any brightness besides Level 5, PRESS and it will instantly go to Level 5 (High).  When the button is released it will remain latched on High.  To go back down, PRESS again until it returns to the previous level, then release.  Or CLICK to immediately turn off from High.

...lock out the switch?

From On, CLICK 3 times quickly and wait for a flash.  After 3 seconds it will flash 3 more times.  The switch is now locked out and must be CLICKed 3 times to turn the light back on and resume normal operation.  Handy if packing the Chameleon in a bag or similar where the switch might come into contact with other items, thus preventing accidental turn-on.

...turn Auto Sleep on and off?

From On, CLICK 3 times quickly and wait for a flash.  Then CLICK once and in 3 seconds the light will come back on at a dim level.  This is the default to activate Auto Sleep and to leave it there, do nothing and wait for the flash.  To deactivate Auto Sleep, CLICK once and the light will become brighter, and then will go out after 3 seconds.  Auto Sleep is now inactive.

...set it to one of the four Current Tables?
   
From On, CLICK 3 times quickly and wait for a flash.  Then CLICK twice and in 3 seconds the light will come back on at a dim level.  By CLICKing 3 more times after this, the light will get progressively brighter and on the fourth CLICK it will return to the first dim level.  Each of these levels indicates which Table you are selecting, with the first (dim) level indicating 350mA max, then 500mA max, 750mA max, and finally 1000mA max.  Stop when you reach the desired Table and in 3 seconds a flash will indicate it is now set to the newly selected Table.

...set it to always come on at the same brightness level (Forced Brightness)?

From On, CLICK 3 times quickly and wait for a flash. Then CLICK 3 times and in 3 seconds the light will come back on at a dim beam level.  Then with 4 additional CLICKs the beam will get progressively brighter until upon a fifth CLICK, it will go out.

Each of these beams matches the brightness level at which the Chameleon will be forced to start each time, and the fifth CLICK will deactivate Forced Brightness, meaning it goes back to starting at the last used level each time.

*How Auto Sleep works

After the Chameleon has been on for 15 minutes it will step down one brightness level each minute until it reaches Level 1 where it will remain, and eventually it will turn itself off after a total of one hour has elapsed from when the light was first turned on.  But a CLICK or PRESS any time during this dim-down sequence will immediately bring the light back to its last used level, at which time the 15-minute countdown begins again.

Have Fun.

Here are the stats on the LED :-

Lumileds Luxeon III LED

The TX0H Bin code of the LED.

T=67.2-87.4 Lumens
X= 6700K Colour Temperature Tint White
0= 6700K Colour Temperature Tint White
H= 3.03-3.27Vf (Forward Voltage)

To continue with my thoughts on this light lets get around to the great new feature of this light. ADJUSTABLE REGULATION.

Regulation ensures that the current going to the LED is constant for as long as possible depending on the remaining battery capacity. So you get a constant light level with no loss of output until the battery is almost depleted.

Great so we now have a light with constant output and five adjustable levels!

But there is more

Not only is the light regulated but the maximum output level is also adjustable via the menu system. So you can select your preferred maximum drive level. So for all those people (Not Me) that would like to prolong the life of their LED you can now select a nice safe maximum level.

The proof of the regulation is in the test results below. I think they look pretty good. Even on the highest drive level of 1000mA running at level 5the light runs for 35 Minutes at the lowest level my results ran over my logging meter settings. Oops. On my second test attempt the light ran for 24Hours.

A worthy improvement to the already excellent LionCub the addition of the regulation really makes this a great light. The runtime on low of over 48 Hours with the PILA cell is pretty impressive too. Although my testing was hampered by first my meter batteries going flat then the lightmeter ones.

flashlight-forums.com The new kid on the Block. The place to be for any Mr Bulk related products and news. But also a great place for all flashlight related discussions.

www.candlepowerforums.com One of the best forums of any kind on the net. Lots of reviews, opinions and help for the novice to the expert on anything relating to illumination products.