Aurora 1.5 Watt Nichia Jupiter LED Flashlight

Gadgeteer Hands On Review by Judie Hughes

October 27, 2005

One of the things that I most like about reviewing LED flashlights is discovering some of the interesting shapes and styles offered; I guess that at times I can be a sucker for a cool looking light. But good looks will only carry a torch so far . To earn my approval flashlights must also be incredibly bright, easy to use and rugged enough to withstand my personal brand of klutziness.

When I saw the Aurora 1.5 Watt Nichia Jupiter LED Flashlight on the J2LEDFlashlight site, I'll admit that the first thing that impressed me were its looks. The greenish-gray machined aluminum body has distinctive grooves cut into its head and base, which reminded me of the cylinder on a revolver. I also liked that the cross-hatching on the torch's shaft and head looked like it would give a non-slip property that I have found missing in other lights.

Once I had the Nichia Jupiter in my hands, I was not disappointed. The flashlight lived up to the site's posted pictures, but it was actually a bit smaller than I had expected. In my case, smaller is better, so that was a good thing. The light is a compact 4.33" long x 1.14' wide at its head, and it weighs just 3.4 ounces with battery and lanyard installed. A black nylon belt pouch is also included in the package.

In hand, the Nichia Jupiter is comfortable and it feels quite solid, with no creaking or flexing. The only part of the light that can actually be twisted is the battery end, so there really aren't any parts that can break or offer any "give". Although it doesn't weigh much at all, it feels quite substantial and tough. This size flashlight is very pocketable and would not take up much room in a gearbag or purse. The lanyard on its end offers security when the user is holding it at night or in foul weather.

The Nichia Jupiter can be stood on either end, but no light will appear if it is standing on the head end, and the lanyard should be removed in order for it to stand solidly on the battery end.

The Nichia Jupiter is water resistant, as evidenced by its almost entirely sealed construction. The battery end has the only opening, and a fair amount of moisture will be kept out by its black rubber gasket. The flashlight is not waterproof, however - so don't plan on taking it along for deep sea diving or anything crazy like that.

The Aurora uses a 1.5 Watt Nichia LED with an output power of 43 lumens. It reported to have a burn time of four hours, with maximum output for three hours. In my testing, I found that it burned at what appeared to be full power for approximately 2.5 hours, dropping to slightly less bright at that time, and then something in the vicinity of 25 - 50% brightness before it became very dim and pretty much unusable at about three hours 45 minutes. The clicking on / off button is covered in flexible rubber.

I really like the beam on this light, it is an incredibly bright bluish-white that propels in a tight circle. At the far end of my 37 foot long pitch black hallway, the Aurora lit almost the entire door with its strong beam.

If you have been looking for a small and very bright LED flashlight that can be tucked into the corner of a gearbag or briefcase but that isn't too large to occasionally carry in a pocket, then you should take a look at the Aurora 1.5 Watt Nichia Jupiter LED Flashlight.

The Aurora 1.5 Watt Nichia Jupiter LED Flashlight is available from J2LEDFlashlight and other retailers.