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Fluxmax™Fluxmax™ is the technology behind achieving our peak lumen output with the most efficient and lightest possible means. It is a combination of thermal, mechanical and electrical engineering disciplines as well as continual research, development, and refinement of our designs. Fluxmax™ technology assures our lights are both lighter and brighter than the competition. As an LED operates it generates not only an amazing amount of light, but substantial heat as well. An LED is not like a Halogen or HID bulb, in that it does not tolerate running at high temperatures. There is a direct relationship between the operational temperature and lumen output; lumen output drops off significantly as the LED temperature increases (a 20-30% decrease is typical). So simply stated, if an LED light is running hot it is probably making much less light than advertised. Our thermal designs accomplish a low operational temperature using the lightest possible means. It is the result of painstaking design and intelligent application of thermodynamic theory. Because our products have the ability to stay cool during use they simply stay brighter! Shown below are images from our computer design validation demonstrating heat flowing from the LED. We use computer simulations to hone our designs, and then confirm our results by taking actual temperature measurements on real components. It takes hard work to make a good product!
Hey! Where did all my lumens go? Why the "rated" lumens that most companies advertise are often higher than the actual lumens you will see.From the moment you turn on an LED light several factors will immediately start decreasing the amount of lumens (brightness) you will see on the trail ahead.
Each of the above plays into decreasing lumen output, and each impacts your output differently. The question now is, what measures have been taken to minimize all the above so your light can always run as bright as possible? Since we can't control trail dust or the aging of an LED, we took control of the temperature; the most significant factor in lumen decrease. Our cooling design is not only unique, but it is also measurably effective in preventing overheating and thus, any noticeable dimming as you pedal through the night. Maximizing our Human Night VisionNatural evolution has adapted us well for life on a sunlit surface but unfortunately has fallen a tad short when it comes to surviving at night. We lack the night vision of owls, will never have the amazing sonar abilities of bats, and in many cases can barely navigate along a moon lit trail without a few stumbles. It's hard to even imagine a world without artificial light and our relatively new found night time pursuits. But to understand how we can maximize our night vision we must imagine a world of only sun and moon light, for this is the world our eyes and mind have adapted to after hundreds of thousands of years walking the planet. The sunlight that hits our Earth's surface is a mix of the entire spectrum of visible light. While it is slightly weaker in the lowest violet-blue range after traveling through the earth's atmosphere, it can for the most part be considered very white in nature. After all, it is only after this light energy hits an object that it actually takes on color; the colors we see being what is not absorbed by an object. Plant leaves are green due to chlorophyll absorbing violet-blue and orange-red; black asphalt is void of light and gets so hot because it absorbs all frequencies so well.
A prism reveals the true nature of sunlight This reflection idea brings us to moon light; light to be considered by many to be blue. Moonlight, however, is not truly blue. It is the same white sun light that has reflected off the moon's surface, now only a lot dimmer. It appears to be a different color at night because it is so dim and because our eyes function poorly at low light levels. Scientifically speaking, the eyes switch off the primary cone receptors that work so well in full daylight to a partial mode which uses only rod sensors. Rods lack the ability to provide detailed color information to the brain, thus explaining why at night things seems so gray and colorless when they really aren't. Appreciating two key factors mentioned above unlocks the secret to better night vision.
If we can recreate the pure white daylight that our body has naturally adapted to we are guaranteed to perform better at night. Additionally, if we use white LED's to make this white light we will get a natural boost in our most sensitive violet-blue range as demonstrated below.
Typical emitted LED spectrum, White LED The two pictures below offer proof on our theory. Although both lights appear to provide similar illumination levels, the ultra white light provides a much more natural and thereby more meaningful illumination. This is not a camera trick; both are taken at identical settings. Is it now really so surprising why an ultra white LED is so superior? Our mission becomes to create the strongest and purest white light using LED's.
32 Watts of Halogen vs. 12 Watts of LED
More about watt power ratings >>
Understanding Watt Power RatingsA Watt is a unit of measure that is often used when talking about electrical power. To relate this power concept to something perhaps more familiar, let's talk about cars. The concept of engine Horsepower is similar to watts. A car with a given horsepower can accelerate down the road a specific speed, and everyone knows that a car with more horsepower is faster. Lights are similar in that a light with a high watt rating is more powerful than a light with a lower watt rating. Problems however arise when assuming bigger is better!
What
makes this all so is the technology differences between LED, HID, and
halogen lights. LEDs are the most efficient of the group, which means
that for a given watt power they make much more visible light than an
equivalent halogen. HIDs are not too far behind LEDs, but they're trailing
by a gap that is continually widening. That
all said, even among different LED manufacturers there are different
Luminous Flux (light) to watt ratios. As a result, new LEDs make more
light than old LEDs, and you can never expect two side-by-side 10-watt
LED lights to be the same. Makes
it all so confusing, doesn't it? "I just want the best light,"
I imagine your thinking. So just remember these tech tidbits:
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