Rufus Laggren wrote: > The spec's on the SignalMate web page claim 3 mi at 160ma, polycarbonate > lens, 50k hours, 5yr warrantee. The OGM site claims 2 mi @ 200ma, no lens > spec, 2 yr warrantee. Can't tell about workmanship w/out handling the item - > both look plausible in the pics. Neither specs lumens or lens life or > anything like that. > Reply; The OGM unit also uses a polycarbonate lens. (I use buterate on my lights, it is even tougher yet, and I use borasilicate glass on some models also). I do not know what the beam width of the SignalMate unit is but bet it is only broad enough (horizontally) to meet the regs, while the OGM unit is almost 180 degrees, like a 'normal' bulb, so it more visible under some circumstances than one that just meets the regs, like if the light is mounted high and you are close. I know for a fact that the leds the OGM unit uses have the highest rated lifetime in the industry. (Luxeon K2 leds, look them up on the web). No 'lamp style' leds such as the SignalMate uses can compare.
*Again* IT IS NOT ENOUGH to merely state the current draw of a led light for comparison purposes, as what is important is NOT simply current, but *POWER*!! Power (current draw times input voltage or I X E = W, watts) will change with some but not with others as voltage rises, a unit such as OGM will be a nearly CONSTANT POWER device across its input voltage range while most others on the market today are CONSTANT CURRENT devices and so will use much more power. It is consumed POWER that counts as that is what will drain your house bank. And power that is not used to make light as the voltage rises is wasted, turned into heat! Simply stating the current draw is very misleading and may 'sucker' the uninformed, so beware! The comment about assembly QA being very important is true, (I would add that failed connectors or connections are an even greater contributor to failure) but in my experience what makes most led marine nav. lights fail is not bad QA but limited (by dollars) design that results in poor surge and transient protection and inadequate max. thermal dissipation, followed by poor environmental protection. I would say that both the SignalMate and the OGM unit have the last covered well, and I know that OGM is pretty good about both of the others, I don't know that about the SignalMate. BTW an led light does NOT need a lens if the proper leds are used. OGM's 'lens' is just a clear tube. -Ken _______________________________________________ Liveaboard mailing list [email protected] To adjust your membership settings over the web http://www.liveaboardnow.org/mailman/listinfo/liveaboard To subscribe send an email to [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] The archives are at http://www.liveaboardnow.org/pipermail/liveaboard/ To search the archives http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] The Mailman Users Guide can be found here http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member/index.html
