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Written by Mikhail Ivanenkov
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Sunday, 01 July 2007 |
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Thanks to Kool Cases for the product sample.
Though new ideas are emerging monthly on PC customization, the CCFL is still king in whatever form presented. We're no longer limited to 12" lengths and companies like Sunbeam are now equipping fans with round bulbs to rival the much duller LEDs, with more bright ideas sure to follow. Lately pretty much every CCFL sold has been made my Sunbeam and rebadged/renamed/take your pick by store after store. All of which makes for a lack of variety. The first light I received from Kool Cases was one of the former but the bulb was DOA so a replacement was sent, and a very unique one at that.
Though I couldn't find it on their website, this light is supposedly made by Raidmax but aside from a YF-676 model number on the back the only clue is the sticker on the inverter. The packaging is moderately exciting and can be presented on a store shelf as opposed to Sunbeam's cardboard boxes. I assume it's also available in a 24V flavor as dictated by the options on the container. All in all it's merely a piece of cardboard with two plastic molds that encase the CCFL. Nothing fancy.
This is definitely the first light that requires absolutely no assembly. The tube is attached via two screws to the inverter and pivots 90 degrees. The latter is held tight by two more screws and is obviously translucent blue which goes well to accent the blue bulb. Once again the Raidmax sticker is present. The only flaw I could find with this setup is the lack of a pass-through connector, meaning you'll need an empty plug. However, with recent power supplies boasting more than enough wires this shouldn't pose a problem.
Much sets this CCFL apart from the rest. For one thing, the case around the bulb is a lot wider, thicker and more resilient than that of Sunbeam's, meaning a slight bend won't snap the bulb within. Everything is sealed off so you don't have to worry about your light shorting out. If it doesn't stay in the position you want, you can always tighten the screws around the bulb to "lock" it in place. You also get a piece of double sided cushion-tape to mount the inverter, though velcro would have been preferable. The inverter one of the best I've dealt with. Heat output is minimal and there's absolutely no noise emanating from it.
The bulb gets lukewarm at best. As for the 4-pin wire, when unraveled it's slightly more than a foot in length so when combined with the PSU's cable you should have no trouble mounting it anywhere even in the largest of cases. Some may snicker at the fact that there's no switch to turn the light on and off, but in my experience this is completely unnecessary anyway. Most people leave theirs on so long as the PC is running; at least I do. This really is a plug and play accessory; it works the second insert it.
But it gets better. Not only is it visually appealing and well designed from the start, it's also incredibly bright; much more so than any Sunbeam I've used. It literally hurts to look at it for more than a few seconds. The red might be a bit duller though (unfortunately only two colors are currently available). The three shots above are night with flash and night without flash. For comparison, I put it next to an 80mm Cyber Cooler blue LED fan which in itself is fairly bright. As you can see there's no competition.
Here's another attempt at the same thing. Both pictures were taken within a few minutes of each other. On the left is the case with just the LED fans. On the right is the same case with the CCFL on the bottom. The main attraction isn't so much the bright streak at the bottom as it is the rest of the case being lit up compared to what it's on the left. Even during daytime it glows pretty intensely. Pictures are just that; they don't capture the full essence of the product and it's one of those things you have to see for yourself. It's not out of this world amazing, but it is the brightest CCFL I've seen to date with the exception of black lights with UV sensitive components to boot.
I've been running it for a couple days now, no problems whatsoever. Rest assured that if anything comes up you'll be the second to know. Overall this is somewhat of a deviation from what we're used to. It doesn't have dual light per inverter capability, but then again it doesn't have an annoying whine or heat issues either. It doesn't have a rocker switch, though personally I don't see that as a problem. The only thing I would change would be to add a pass-through connector and use velcro instead of that sticky stuff.
Pros
- Unique, no switches
- Translucent blue casing to match light
- Very easy to use, no assembly required
- Pivoting bulb
- Wide/thick bulb case to prevent damage
- Minimal heat output, silent inverter
- Brightest CCFL I've seen to date
- Comparable pricing at ~$20
Cons
- No switch, might be a pain for some
- Pass-through connector needed
- Velcro instead of adhesive needed
I know this wasn't a very lengthy article but there's little to say. There's no assembly and there's no reason to take it apart. If you really want to peak at the inverter all you have to do is get close thanks to the translucent plastic. It's one of those products you take out of the box and have it running in less than a minute with little left to ponder. And it's bright, which completely satisfies its primary purpose: illumination. I recommend this over any CCFL I've reviewed so far. I'd like to thank Kool Cases once again for sending over this light and if interested you can get yours here. Thanks for reading and enjoy the site!
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