The Krill Light
- Details
- Written by Joseph Canady
The Krill lamp is a unique product developed by the Kriana Cooperation. It was originally developed as a replacement for the traditional Cyalume light sticks and other chemical lighting devices. It uses a pair of AA or AAA batteries and electroluminescent lighting. This type of lighting combined with the durability of the design makes up for some of the disadvantages of traditional chem-lights. They have now become the standard light source for many types of Law Enforcement, SAR, and Military operations.
They come in four versions and in six different colors as well as and IR version. There are the 360 (360 degrees of lighting), the 180 (again 180 degrees of lighting) and then the extreme (this means brighter light) of both. The krill comes in green, blue, white, yellow, orange, and red. The standard green is NVG compatible and the red is usually regarded as best on your night vision as it will not degrade it. There is some debate in this fact at the moment however. Then of course there is the IR model which looks black. This is usually a restricted item and available only to Law Enforcement, or Military.
The technology that it uses is very unique; it is called Electroluminescent Technology (EL for short). It sounds new and exciting but in reality has been around for many years. You have probably seen it in flat panel displays in cell phones, PDAs, keyboards, GPSs, and even in some cars. It is also used in the commander arm board marketed by Diamond Back Tactical. Electroluminescent lamps are similar in operation to a capacitor. They illuminate with AC current. In order to use the 3-volts of DC provided by the batteries inside it has what is the equivalent to a power converter. This converter is no different than one you may find in a car or truck it is just on a smaller scale.
In the EL lamps there are no filaments to break. Therefore you can torture them in many different environments and conditions. The light sources will not break or be subject to malfunction under extreme conditions. In addition to the EL light source, the body is comprised of a thick, clear polycarbonate tube with a cap at the end made of the same material. This cap acts as the switch and has o rings to make it water proof to 150ft. The other end cap is stationary with a lanyard hole. This end is where all the electronics are housed. EL lights generate no heat; this makes them very energy efficient. This gives the krill a long life span in battery use and in useful life of the product.
Normal chem.-sticks have a life of 8-12 hours. The krill light has a life of anywhere between 50-120 hours depending on whether or not it is an extreme model. This means it is also cost effective. The average price is between $25-$30 plus the cost of batteries. In contrast the cost of chem-lights is between $1.50-$3. That is quite a huge price difference. Consider this though if you use a krill 2 hours a night for the standard battery life of a krill it would take 60 chem-sticks to equal the same. It also meets mil specs on the light source according to the information provided by Kriana. This set up with materials used make for a very tough product.
How tough and durable is it? I had my doubts because it only comes right now with a 90 warranty. We tested it in a few different harsh environments that one may be subject to in the real world. These tests were done in succession with no break for the krill. The only thing done in these tests was replacing the batteries once.
The first test done was in the water. I placed a Krill 360 in a hot tub approximately 4 ft deep and kept at a constant 103 degrees F. It was left for 24hours. When taken out the krill was still glowing bright. There was no sign of softening of the tub, no leakage in the body itself, and the batteries were providing adequate power still.
So in the spirit of things the second test done was in cold water. This krill was immediately taken after evaluation and placed in water and placed in the freezer. Why in the freezer you ask? Well one cold water provides a different kind of stress on things. The krill was again left for 24hours. When taken out of the freezer things did not look good. I thought I had finally broken it and with little ease. As I began to unthaw the mighty krill I found out I was wrong. The krill again had no compromise in structure and no evidence of leakage at anytime. The batteries however were dead. I attribute this to cheap batteries, when replaced the krill glowed just as bright as the day I got it.
Not to be defeated just yet I decided to bury my krill. I buried it in a mud pit I created in the backyard. I then packed the mud and allowed it to dry and sit for 48hours. I then undertook the task of trying to find my krill. After about an hour of digging and sifting through mud I found it. Once rinsed off with a water hose I was able to inspect it. Mud had gotten into every grove and crevice in the light. When take apart there was no mud on the internal components of the light. It was still structurally sound as well as glowing bright and strong.
At this point I am frustrated; there are very few products that I have found I cannot destroy during testing. This is on the path to be one of those. Kriana has the claim that it can survive a drop onto concrete from 50ft. I now have taken my krill into the parking area of my home which is asphalt. With a sling shot I shoot it straight up into the air, it becomes a distant spec. The krill lamp came whistling down, then smack! It hits the asphalt with an awesome amount of force. Surely this impact destroyed my light, WRONG. The light while nicked and scratched is still working. Not just glowing but the switch is in perfect working order too. Well in the interest of being thorough I repeated this test four more times for a total of 5 slingshot heights. It emerged like a champion of lights, battered, scratched, nicked but not beaten. It was still in good working order with no compromise to the shell, light, or the switch. At that point I decided this device was tough enough there was nothing within the realm of reason that I was going to do to be able to destroy it.
There are very few downsides that I have found to this product; however I did find a few. The first downside is the product is electronic. As we all know anything electronic is subject to failure at anytime. Therefore if you life and survival depend on it carry two. There is also only a 90 day limited warranty; however Kriana is working on this. The other is this; because of the lighting system your light cannot be directionally controlled. This means that it is not a good replacement for a standard flashlight for distant light. It also is not neutrally buoyant; krill lights sink like a rock. This means if you are using it in the water and you drop your krill it is gone, unless of course you are going diving to find it.
On the good side though the krill is tough and virtually indestructible in the normal world. It offers many advantages over conventional chem-lights. This to include cost, unique design and lighting system, as well as the different versions and colors for almost any application you can think of. Will a krill replace your flash light absolutely not, but a flash light could not replace a Krill either (The standard Krill can be seen from about 100ft away but effective illumination is limited to about 3ft). They complement each other nicely though. The krill is a great product and I would recommend it to anyone in the Law Enforcement, or Military community. It has many uses and once tried is sure to become an indispensable part of your standard equipment.
Krill Lights are avaliable in Mutiple different colors and 3 sizes. The Micro which uses 2AAA batteries, the Standard Size uses 2AA batteries, and the Krill torch which uses 5AA batteries. For a guide on how to choose a Krill see the link here.
