Hello, I would like to introduce myself

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I am a new member in all respects ~ new to CandlePower, new to the flashlight industry and new to the ownership and control of PALights.

My name is James Meyer. At the beginning of this year I took over the PALights flashlight operation from Light Technology Inc. My company, Safe-Light Industries LLC, that manufactures LED signal lighting for the railroads, was loosely involved with Light Technology before then because of our similar technology, and at the end of last year, the owner of Light Tech who is 75 asked me to take PALights over. I have, and we dba PALights.

Our new website www.palights.com (http://www.palights.com) has recently been launched. Our website is the official PALights website although other companies have ‘cashed in’ on our product and registered websites using PAlight’s name: e.g. palight.com; pal-light.com; and I believe others, also. Most are our distributors, but some of their website promotional material is out of date, and of course, their prices vary from ours ~ mostly higher ~ but that is fair in a competitive world.

I am new to the flashlight industry, and I must warn: not technical at all (although I have great technicians with me who are), but I come with a deep desire to produce the highest quality and most useful hand-held flashlight ~ at a price that represents great value to the customer.

For some in the past, the PALight has been great, and for others, not so great. I was made aware of some of the failings by the team that came with me from Light Technology, and believe we have now addressed all of these. We think the PALight is now as reliable as any LED flashlight on the market, and in most respects, more versatile and certainly with longer lasting battery life.

But we welcome comment. Criticism, if constructive is not resented, but welcomed. Without this we do not always know ourselves where we need to improve. We cannot be all things to all people ~ PALights have limitations (not too many!) and a beam, for example, that projects high into the sky, is just not possible on a single LED and 9-volt battery. The PALights’ beam is great, but not equivalent to flashlights with much larger battery capacity. We may consider other models in the future, but right now we wish to carve out a niche for PALights in the hand-held, pocket size flashlight market.

So please, we welcome comments, harsh or otherwise.

Thank you for allowing me to introduce myself, and I hope to be part of your forum on many occasions in the future.

James Meyer ~ CEO PALights jmeyer@palights.com

[sunspot]

Thank you, thank you. Welcome to CPF. We love owners here. If you have done any searches here, you will know that PAL is respected by many of our members. We already know of your new web site and your new offerings of lights. We also are aware of the limitations of a 9v system. Stick around here. I'm sure we can give many suggestions some of which I hope you can use.
As to my input, it is the usual mantra "More light"

[bwcaw]

Yes, welcome to CPF!

[KenB]

Welcome, are you interested in continuing to improve the Pal 9 volt line or are you interested in a from the ground up light?

I am not sure how I would improve the current 9 volt line...but as others have said...brighter better...thats our general motto around here (all things being equal). So with that in mind ( I`m sure you will get lots of great ideas so don`t worry if mine seem stupid) how about 3 led`s in a row instead of one...I think there is room in the head, although of coures it would still need major design changes...recessed so as not to be easily damaged...sort of like a mini Eternalight...9 volt...3 led...keep the night glow feature...level one, 1 led half power...level two, one led full power...level three, all 3 led`s full power...and then off...something like that.

Run time with all three leds lit might not be as long as many...but 9 volt batts are not that expensive...and there is always the choice to run on a lower setting...could be the brightest for it`s size leader...unless someone wants to tape three Photons together images/icons/wink.gif

Ken

[Saaby]

Actually I was thinking it would be cool to have a dual power light. Will run on 9V or 2 AAs in a pinch, only prob. being that 6V difference...

[x-ray]

The PAlight is a very good flashlight, good light output for its size and adjustable brightness.

If I could improve any aspects of the light it would be water resistance and the lens(it scratches way too easily)

[Starlight]

The PALight is my wife's favorite light. She loves the always-on and the size. I like the size of the case and the 9V battery power pack. I own several and have given several to relatives. I do have two suggestions that I think would improve your light.

First, the beam quality needs to be improved. The lens idea is excellent, since it increases the "throw" of the beam. This allows it to compete with much brighter LED lights. The problem is that there is too much scatter outside the central beam.

Second, it needs to be brighter. You need either a brighter LED, or a an overdriven position. The always-on, low, high, and strobe positions are perfect. You just need to increase the output of the high position. I know this will decrease runtime, but the current runtime is way more than necessary.

[Quickbeam]

Welcome aboard, James! I'm sure you will get a lot of great constructive feedback and ideas from the members here.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Welcome aboard James Meyer!

I do not own, nor have I ever played, with a Pal Light. However, I do know it features a 9V power supply, and given that Luxeon Stars (the "brightest LED in the world" to quote someone prominent here on this board) perform super-brightly overdriven at 4.5V, perhaps you could look at a way of putting out a dual Luxeon superbright light that is not much bigger than the 9V battery itself. You would certainly sell them all, and carve out a HUGE niche all your own.

LEDs have developed a long way in a short while, and although I am sure PAL has a following, this loyal band is being chipped away at by the many brighter (still pocket-sized) and more convenient (they use 2AA batteries for example) LED lights that have been developed recently.

Respectfully,

MR Bulk

[Stainless]

Welcome, Welcome, and Welcome! I own two PAL Lights, and have given at least one as a gift. I believe you have picked up a product line which is very good; and could easily become excellent. I would like to echo the comments of Mr. Bulk, Starlight, X-Ray, and especially Quickbeam. The collective thoughts of 2000+ members is well worth sorting through... and the price is right!!

[KenB]

Originally posted by MR Bulk™:
Welcome aboard James Meyer!

I do not own, nor have I ever played, with a Pal Light. However, I do know it features a 9V power supply, and given that Luxeon Stars (the "brightest LED in the world" to quote someone prominent here on this board) perform super-brightly overdriven at 4.5V, perhaps you could look at a way of putting out a dual Luxeon superbright light that is not much bigger than the 9V battery itself. You would certainly sell them all, and carve out a HUGE niche all your own.

LEDs have developed a long way in a short while, and although I am sure PAL has a following, this loyal band is being chipped away at by the many brighter (still pocket-sized) and more convenient (they use 2AA batteries for example) LED lights that have been developed recently.

Respectfully,

MR Bulk<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Hey, this is a neat idea...even one would work. An LS Pal light.

[lightlover]

James Meyer, *Maker of Lights* welcome aboard !!

We mere mortals enjoy seeing a Manufacturer/Designer posting here.
I like the new S/Steel PaLight clip - is it possible to order one and avoid high shipping charges to outside the USA ?
I made a diffuser tube myself, just for fun - I see that you now sell them.
Will there be a waterproof version made, or a waterproofing kit ?

Would it be possible to upgrade a PAL by buying another PCB etc. to fit the case ?
Any chance of getting an improved "glass" lens ?
Or buying the coloured cases separately ?
I appreciate that it's difficult for a manufacturer to supply too many small items, but since you asked for comments ......

Could you make a small run of "CPF" PALights, f'rinstance ?

Jahn

Ps - in your profile, it says:
Favorite incandescent flashlight: None

Surely that can't be true !!

[Spudman]

Any CPF members specials on the horizon?

[MarcV]

It's nice to finally understand what the real story is about PALights. Thank you for posting here. I've used your products as gifts in the past and will again in the future. I, not unlike other CPFers, have one in my clothes closet, one in my ready-to-go travel suitcase, and one in the bedroom chest drawer. They're useful when I need to leave in the dark and not disturb my sleeping wife with normal room lights. Selecting tie, shirt, and socks requires good color rendition -- white LEDs reign here.

[Willmore]

Welcome, James. You might want to go over to the Arc flashlight area and see how Peter interacts with his customers. He's a very good example of how to find useable knowledge from the people here without letting their, uhh, peculuarities, get in the way. images/icons/smile.gif Yeah, we're all nuts or we wouldn't be here.

Oh, I've only seen reviews of your lights, but I've never used one. The one thing that you make that I have used (just now) is your web site. I hate flash, I hate it with a passion. I really hate when people use it as a 'gate' like that. It's very annoying and not a useful means of conveying your message to a potential customer. When I type in the address for a manufacturers page, I want to see information about their product, not some glitzy little movie. Please crush it with something extremely heavy and then find the person who thougth it up and have them beaten as well.

Best of luck!

[Stainless]

Mr. Meyer:
I just gotta post this in case no one else does. I believe that one model which REALLY SHOULD be added to the line - is one WITHOUT the signature "always on" feature. Shipped with a lithium battery, it would make an IDEAL long term storage light for emergency use at the office, and for emergency kits in general. The rubber shock and water resistant body already make it perfect to survive the endless vibrations in an automobile glovebox. With some kind of hibernation mode, it could be on standby for close to ten years, instead of just one or two. P.S. THANKS for adding the steel belt clip to the lineup!

[hank]

I'd urge you to get to know us here, then offer CPF members shipping by US mail -- a significant savings given the cost of these things. Get more of them into our hands, maybe get your own staff here to talk over what might be done better too.

And urge you to buy some of the other kinds of LED light -- Arc AAA as a good example -- for your own personal use, leave them around the house and the office, notice how you use them as well as the PAlights.

I never need to turn on an incandescent light to find my way at night anymore -- got enough LED lights to find my way around the house, which means I'm prepared that way at least for an earthquake or other power failure.

Hmmm, how about a PAlight that serves as a night light, a power failure light, and an immediately portable flashlight? A new PALight with a brighter LED or two, electrical contacts on the case and (or two!) 7.2v rechargeables (the "9v" shape) -- that would live in a little carrier(with a small 'float' charger on a chip) that plugs into a standard 110v outlet .

I'd have one in every room.

[Saaby]

Yes yea James, I've said it before and I will say it again...NO flashaholic, man, woman, or child is complete without an Arc AAA. Bonus points for adding a SS Clip from www.berleleypoint.com (http://www.berleleypoint.com) and they aren't even paying me to say this stuff!

[hank]

Suggestion (if it's possible) -- change the topic header here so it includes the PALights name?

For James -- I was just looking at energizer.com where they list all their 9v batteries, and they have the zinc-air and medical-lithium. Sizes vary a bit, and it'd help to know for sure whether these would fit into your lights.

I wouldn't use an expensive battery due to the always-on feature for ordinary household use -- but I'd sure want a high powered cold-resistant battery or three packed next to it to grab on the way out during an earthquake, so I could bring the Palight back up to full power no matter how long it'd been on the shelf bleeding down, and keep it going for a few weeks of heavy use.

[Bob Snow]

I visited the website and started to place an order. The product page states that all web orders are shipped free, yet during checkout a price added for all shipping options including ground. Am I missing something?

[Normark]

Hi James...

Good having you here..
I first learned of your product through Ron Hood,, of Hoods Woods..

Looks like a nice light...

If you want to improve your product,, this is the place to do it...

A Bunh of Techno-Geeks in one place, who know their stuff,, know flashlights and know what they like, and dislike...

They have been a Great help to me designing my limited products...

They Will put your products, through the wringer, and spit out the leftovers...

Looking forward in seeing more of your products..

ttyle

Eric E. Noeldechen
On/Scene Tactical

[vcal]

Hello James and Welcome
Would really like to see the Pal lights completely drop that VERY aggravating blinkety-blank not very used "strobe" mode, always making it necessary to hit the button Twice just to turn the light off. (BOO-OO!) Otherwise my 2 year old "Gold" still is very much used and appreciated.

p.s.-ditto to that suggestion re: a Luxeon Star (running at 200mA or so) for an Excellent new pocket light!

p.p.s.-a little belt clip for the present model(s) would be very nice. images/icons/smile.gif

[geepondy]

Originally posted by Bob Snow:
I visited the website and started to place an order. The product page states that all web orders are shipped free, yet during checkout a price added for all shipping options including ground. Am I missing something?<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">I agree. I was going to place an order tonight and faced the same dilemma. Also I don't like the "one to two weeks" shipping time. This is not a rebate or a cereal box prize mail in. I think I will call Palights tomorrow and find out what's going on.

[Darell]

Hi James and welcome. We have a wealth of information here. But the best advice I can give you at this point (almost three weeks after you began this thread) is to RESPOND. Please come back and chat with us. Let us know that you really are interested in what we have to say. We're the guys who buy your products by the case, and we know what we want to see in flashlights. Take advantage of us... Please! And let us take advantage of knowing you better.

Ask Peter Gransee what we've done for his AAA line, and you'll soon realize that keeping an open dialog on this forum has its rewards.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Hi, I apologize for my long absence. Just returned from weeks down in the Southern Hemisphere. Hope to answer any new queries. Thanks for the many welcome and helpful comments from members.

James (Meyer) PALights

[Unforgiven]

Mr. Meyer
We would be very interested to hear what you think of some of our suggestions. That way, we could maybe modify them or add new ideas to make an even better product AND a more profitable one for you, which IS the ultimate goal. images/icons/smile.gif

[TheMechanic]

Is it just me? I went to the PAL website, clicked the "Skip &lt;annoying&gt; Intro" button, and all I get is a "404 Not Found" error.

Gee, it would be nice to actually SEE the product line...

[x-ray]

Originally posted by TheMechanic:
Is it just me? I went to the PAL website, clicked the "Skip &lt;annoying&gt; Intro" button, and all I get is a "404 Not Found" error.

Gee, it would be nice to actually SEE the product line...<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Works ok for me, try this more direct link (no intro):
http://www.palights.com/welcome.cfm

[Al]

Hello James,

I'm the "Al" that suggested you get involved with CPF a while back ... hope it's been informative. I've been reading with interest the many posts by members of CPF, some of whom would like to see the PALight modified to such an extent that it would no longer be a PALight.

IMHO, keep the features and variety - (some members don't like the "strobe" feature but are evidently not aware that not all models have it) - but try to incease quality (glass lenses?) and light output. Clearer descriptions along with beam shots on your website might also be of help.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Hi Unforgiven,

Thanks. Yes, I have to be first to say that I have been amazed by the response. If I was to ignore the many useful and helpful suggestions, I would do so at my own loss. Now I know how the Forum works, I shall participate as much as I can. Recently I have tended to reply mostly on the other 'PALight' Forum ~ your member's original forum.

Hi TheMechanic, Gee! That's bad. It has not happened to me yet ~ Error 404 ~ and I hope second try it worked. Like most new intricate websites, we have had our 'wrinkles' to sort out, and no doubt a few more will surface, but I hope we will have got it virtually right by now. Any suggestions for future 'this month's specials' that would suit our members?
Yep! Sorry about the (annoying for some) intro. Heck, cost a bundle ~ We've got to let it run images/icons/smile.gif

Al, thanks to you, too. Yes, I will try, or rather, I will keep on trying. And thanks for introducing me to this great forum. You had August Bank Holiday in the UK last Monday ~ but to all those members in the USA ~ have a great, happy and safe Labor Day.

James

[**DONOTDELETE**]

To TheMechanic

Gee, sorry you got a 404 error message. I have tried several times and so far the 'Skip' has worked. Please do not give up trying.

If you are on ~ I'll be there to bat these comments Friday evening

james

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Al, thanks for this constructive criticsm. I'll try and do a revamp of the trechnical side of our web site as soon as I get a moment. Right now its a little hectic 'back at the ranch' as I know you'll apPreciate ~ but I will dos o. Thanks.