One to Watch–Prometheus Delta
Tony Sculimbrene 08.29.18
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A few years ago it looked like the high flashlight market was doomed. McGizmo, who basically made this segment of the market, released the AquaRam, his first and thus far only 18650 light. Cool Fall had released the Spy 007 and the Tri V. And then…nothing. Months turned into a year and there were no major releases. At the same time the production light market was humming. Surefire had finally caught up to overseas upstarts and there was an arms race of lumens and features. But new gleaming tubes of titanium perfection that were commonplace in the mid-aughts were nowhere to be seen.
Then Enrique Muyshondt released a little light called the Aeon and a totally new maker, Jason Hui dropped the Alpha. In about a year, the most abandoned market segment in the gear world was thriving. Now, four or so years later, high end flashlights come out at a withering pace. Even for true flashlight fans, it is hard to keep up. Sinner Customs, Barrel Flashlight Company, Mitch Lum’s lights…there is basically something for everyone, even those crazy folks that want full Moku Ti lights.
Now, Jason Hui is releasing a new high end light in time to debut for the USN Gathering X. This new light builds on all of Jason’s prior successes and incorporates new tech. The light, called the Delta (carrying on his Greek letter naming protocol) hits the market at just the right place. The light has a multi-array emitter, a battery tube that supports 18350 batteries (batteries roughly the size of CR123a batteries, just a bit fatter around), and it has a wonderful Prometheus Lights clip.
While only a handful of Deltas exist, because they are debuting at the show best known for gadgetry bling, the ones that are out there are frosted to the max. One particular Delta, an auction piece for GX, is gilded with a full Moku Ti body. The rest of the specs are quite nice. The high is a very good 875 lumens with a color rendering index of 92. The light sports the venerable McClicky tail switch and an Icarus LED driver. The emitter array is backed by an in-house glow board.
The big innovation, something that foresee becoming the industry standard, is the use of a graphite thermal pad to aid in heat dissipation. These new, multi-emitter array lights, especially the small ones, really pump out the heat. My BOSS 35, when run on high feels like it is seconds away from turning into a puddle of molten aluminum. Physics is working against the light—lots of energy in a small space with no way to dissipate the heat. Graphite is a very good heat conductor and Jason’s specs show it disspates 5 times the heat of traditional materials. By backing the lumens down just a smidge (and probably under the perceptual limit) and using graphite for heat dissipation, the Delta looks like one of the very few small lights that can run on high for a usable amount of time.
There are probably a dozen or so Deltas out there. One, serial #00001, is a showstopper. So if you are in the market for a high end light, there is another very interesting option on the market.
Important Info:
What: Prometheus Lights Delta
When: Released in small numbers now, price TBD, www.darksucks.com
Made in the USA: Yes
Specs: 875 lumens OTF, 92 CRI, runs on 18350
Highlights: Prometheus clip, tailstands, innovative heat management
