Manufacturer:- www.theorb.co.uk
Purchase Price :- $91.79/£50 http://www.xe.com/ucc/ c/w charger, Tritium and extra cells
Size:- 48mm long, 20mm Diameter
Weight (With Batteries):- 28g (1 oz)
Battery Type / Qty :- 1off 4.1V 300mAh CR2 Lithium-Ion Rechargeable.
Battery Life :- 12 Minutes (But what a bright 12 Minutes!)
LED Type :- 1off Luxeon III LED bin UW0J (Rare as hens teeth springs to mind)
Rated Output:- 100 Lumens (Yes you DID read that correctly!)
Estimated LED Lifespan:- Over 100000 Hours
Colour :- Aluminium
Working Temperature :- Not Known
Lens Material :- Glass with antireflective coating
Optics :- 20mm Reflector turned down to 18mm
Electronics:- None
Body Material :- Aluminium
Finish :- Bare polished aluminium
Seal Type :- None (Don't get it wet)
Depth Rating :- Probably not!
Manufacturers Guarantee:- 1 Year

Well how do we start this review? Good one... Lets starts with the advertising blurb, The ORB 3W Raw is currently the brightest flashlight in the world for its size. A Luxeon III with Bin UY0J helps an awful lot with this. But the really amazing thing is the super small package that this is supplied in. Pictures on its own do not do it justice. It really is TINY.

But that is not the end to the tricks up its sleeve as this light has a Rechargeable Lithium-Ion cell as it power source. So Guilt free use. What more do you want?

These are some downsides to this absolute power! Though don't worry as there are other lights that fill those needs. The first one is this is a direct drive light, with no electronics to give you a smoothly regulated output. It does have an upside though, it a lot cheaper than a regulated light. Plus the Lithium-Ion cell has a very flat discharge so you still get super white light for most of the battery life.

Battery life. Or battery Death is probably more appropriate in this particular case! LOL The total runtime is the not exactly impressive 12 minutes. But so what!? this is not your average torch with average battery life for the average user.

This torch is more like your TVR or GT40. Maximum output is all that matters. Forget runtime, forget nice cool running fully waterproof, fluffy coated, monster lights. This is just about RAW performance. In this it delivers big time. Massive output from a nice round unassuming object.

Just turn it on in a dark room and be amazed as your room is no longer dark! I cannot wait to try this on my friends. As I think will impress the pants off them. Or maybe not! They will most likely say, not another bl***y torch! LOL

Right lets get back to the review before I get even more carried away.

The light is made from aluminium alloy. Machined and left in its raw natural state. It is shiny in appearance but does not have a mirror finish. If you want one I am sure a few hours of elbow grease will reap rewards.

The light is made from two major parts that screw together in the middle. The base contains a spring and the head contains the glass lens, reflector, spacer and LED assembly.

There are no O-rings to seal anything. Even the glass lens rests directly on the aluminium bezel. So don't get it wet, as it is most definitely not waterproof. This is not a problem as I cannot see Ray Mears carrying one into the jungle with him some how! He would after all just rub two sticks together. This light is for dry use only. But most pockets are nice warm dry places so not to worry. Plus you can keep it inside the posh container it arrives in. This is the same design as the other ORB container. Works like a large screw thread.

When you split the light apart to put the battery in please be careful. As the parts in the head are not retained and will fall out it you invert the head. This will allow for easy upgrades and mods though. So when those 200 Lumen LEDs are available we will be able to change them without pain.

The tail has a slot milled into it all the way round. This can be used to attach a lanyard or length of para cord. As this torch is so light in weight you could wear it around your neck. Be careful with this though as you should really make sure you use a breakaway lanyard to stop any accidents.

The other optional feature on the RAW was for the addition of a Tritium vial into a slot milled into the body of the light. This should not be an option. They should ALL have this feature. Now you can find your torch in the dark. Great idea. I have similar Tritium markers attached to my keys and ARC LSH.

Lets get to the important bit! The LED. In this case the light contains a U bin Luxeon III. What is so special about the U bin then? Well they give out a lot more light than lower bin ratings do for the same energy input so more efficient.

Here are the stats :-

Lumileds Luxeon III LED

U=87.4-113.6 Lumens
W= 6050K Colour Temperature Tint White
0= 6050K Colour Temperature Tint White
J= 3.27-3.51Vf (Forward Voltage)

U bin take us into the mean average 100 Lumens bracket. So it's pretty good! Well until the next flashlight comes along anyway!

Let's get to the other parts of the supplied package. Included is a super small Lithium battery charger called a Nano. When I first got the postage tube the torch came in I thought the charger had been missed out! It is so small the packaging easily contained it along with two extra cells I ordered. Also included are two small magnets to act as spacers for charging the cells. These look to be of the Super powerful rare earth type so watch your fingers! Ouch! Handily they stick into the base of the charger when not in use so even I won't loose them.

The charger is multi voltage multi frequency so all world users should be fine. You may need an adaptor to attach the two pin plug connection though. My 30 plus year old shaver adaptor seems to work well with it.

The charger has a single LED on it which is green when no cells are inserted. Inserting a discharged cell turns the light red. When the cell is charged the light turns green again. Simple.

A quick work of warning on Lithium-Ion Cells. They can be dangerous if abused. Do not EVER charge them unattended. Do not over discharge them as you will affect their life span. Most important of all DO NOT CHARGE THEM IN A STANDARD NI-CD CHARGER. Doing so will probably burn your house down. Lithium-Ion is very particular about its charging cycle. Even a 1V overcharge can result in a thermal runaway which in a sealed metal container is NO FUN AT ALL. So play safe and exercise caution at all times. It would also be ago od idea to keep your spare cells in a safe insulated container away from keys or coins. You do not want a small bomb in your pockets.

Enough of the scary stuff lets more on to the my opinion of the light. Simple really. If you are any kind of flashlight collector, torch nut you NEED one of these. :-)

What's next? How about a fully regulated V or W bin version with a waterproof seals made from sterling silver with a sapphire crystal lens cover? Well I can ask can't I?

These things keep getting better and better. Nice to see some more innovation. I hope this is a continuing trend.

UK Dealers

www.theorb.co.uk The Manufacturers website

More info this and other lights here

www.candlepowerforums.com