Law enforcement flashlights

[black bear]

LIGHTS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT:

This post will try to show how different lights used in law enforcement compare with each other, and will clarify the difference between the lumen ratings used in Luxeon (LED) lights and incandescent lights.
In short, I will show (through pictures) how Luxeons lack definition when used at increased distances.

I have maintained for a long time that LED Luxeons don’t have the range over the incandescent to really be helpful for law enforcement. They are excellent lights to use inside the house; their beams are very clean, white and with substantial flood, and in the average house, that is all you need. However, when taken outside to the backyard, woods, or large structure and the distance to the target is 25 yards or more, they lack definition (as they lack the red spectrum of light), and their poor penetration of fog or rain makes them inefficient to clearly identify what you are seeing at that distance.
Moreover, when the subject being illuminated is an animal with a light-drinking fur (depth of texture), the blending effect of the LED’s (against the background) will cause the observer to lose perspective.

LOW LIGHT FOR WRITING

As the maker of Black Bear Flashlights, I have had the input of hundred of police officers that tell me what they really need to perform their functions at night.
What those experienced officers want are three lights that will cover specific illumination chores.
First, when writing a ticket at night, or looking for a dropped pencil in the floor of their own car or any other close up chore, they want a flood light in LED form: small and with an output of 20 lumens or less (LED lumens), and preferably with a clip incorporated to free both hands for holding the pad and writing.

LEO’s that have used my Fenix LOP (1 AAA) consider this light ideal (except for the lack of a clip). Another favorite is the ARC AAA. These lights can be held in the mouth without any discomfort.

Fenix has put out a bigger light (1 AA) with two stages output, and the lower output will be also ideal for these chores.

THE BELT LIGHT

Those same officers want to have a good light on their belt. Some prefer the two cell 123’s lights like the Surefire 6P, G2, or C-2 for their better flood beam over the more tightly focused Streamlight Scorpion, TL-2 and Night Fighter II (it is important for them to be able to cover an average room with the light, without the need of panning it).
They look for a run time of one hour and an output of 65 lumens.
Some opt for more intense lights like the Surefire 9P or the C-3 with their 105 lumens and one hour run time.
The Streamlight TL-3 is a little too tightly focused for clearing rooms, but it will do fine in an average backyard.
In LED form (Luxeon V), the Surefire L-4 is a good contender due to the excellent flood light that it puts out at medium range inside a house.

The main thing is that the officers want to avoid losing precious seconds by panning a light when entering a room. That is why the Surefires are preferred over the tightly focused others brands.

THE CAR LIGHT

These police officers wear a light holder in their belt (a plastic and leather ring). On exiting their cars, they slip in the ring one of the powerful rechargeable lights, most commonly the Magcharger (200 lumens) or the Ultra Stinger (295 lumens) and those that favor my products, a BOREALIS 1050 lumens.

Those are ideal lights for search, clearing houses, backyards, warehouses etc. Being rechargeable, they are always used with a maximum run time (taken out of the charger at start of the shift), a thing that you can not do with 123 batteries unless you are willing to dump half-used batteries at the start of a shift.

Their large diameter (2 inches) reflectors put more light at a longer distance than any of the belt lights. Even though some of the belt lights approach 200 lumens, they do it with reduced run time and much reduced throw, due to their small diameter reflectors.
A Magcharger will put a spot of light at 150 yards, as will the Ultra Stinger and a BOREALIS, which has the capability of illuminating the whole road for 250 yards.

Those lights are ideal for traffic stops, accident sites and the ones with major lumen output can even illuminate through heavily tinted windows.


Lets start with the popular Surefire G-2 (or 6 P) at 65 lumens, the target is the 8 by 12 tool shed at 30 yards.
We are going to pit the Surefire G-2 65 lumens $35.00 against the Surefire Digital Lumamax L-4 (also 65 lumens and with a price tag of $160.00).

Surefire G-2 65 lumens

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/Gtwo65lumens.jpg

Surefire L-4 Luxeon V, LED, 65 lumens

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/elefour65lumens.jpg

And now we are going to pit the Surefire 6 P with the P-61 120 lumen lamp (20 minutes run time) against the best Luxeon LED thrower that I have (similar to the cree LED).
This is a Mc Gizmo PR T head with a TWOJ bin Luxeon doing 120 plus lumens.

Surefire Centurion C-2 (same as the 6P) with the P-61 lamp, 120 lumens.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/centuriontwoP-61120lumens.jpg

And the PR T with TOWJ bin Luxeon, (LED) @ 120 lumens

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/TWOJbin120lumens.jpg

And now we are going to show a belt light of 200 lumens (The Surefire Centurion III with the P-91 lamp, 200 lumens, 20 minutes run) and three cars' lights of 200 lumens plus and beyond.

Surefire Centurion C-III, 200 lumens P-91 lamp.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/Centurion3200lumensP-91.jpg

And here the Magcharger also 200 lumens, with its bigger reflector and tighter focus will throw the light at 150 yards, while the Centurion III range will stop at 45 or 50 yards.

Magcharger 200 lumens (40,000 candlepowers)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/Magcharger200lu.jpg

And here is the Ultra Stinger, the most powerful of the rechargeables from Streamlight with 295 lumens and 75,000 candlepower.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/USTINGER.jpg

And now the BOREALIS, the light that I provide my customers, with the format of a 3 D (12 1/2 inches long) outputting 1050 lumens for 50 minutes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/boREALIS1000plus.jpg

And even that they have been there all along thru the shootout of the lights, you can see them for the first time. My assistant is at the left of the tool shed, leaning on the second tree, and the Bear's head is hanging from the tree to the right of the shed.
Do I need to say anything about the importance of a powerful light when clearing a backyard or wooded area?

Best regards,
black bear

[black bear]

MORE LIGHTS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT




As a continuation of the first post and for whatever value it has, I am going to do some more shoot outs of a mix of popular Luxeon lights and incandescent ones.

The first order of things is to change the target area, to make it a little more interesting to my viewers.
Consequently I replaced the tool shed target with a deer and bear mount.
The deer head mounted on the tree is exactly 26 yards from my second story window from where the lights are shinning.
The bear head in the fence is only six more feet further away from the tree.

In the summer I have plenty of bushy cover in the area, but this time I had to be creative and cut and nailed to the tree and fence, some branches from a pine tree, not to hide the animals from view, just to provide a natural blending effect, like they were coming from a natural habitat.

The camera was placed twelve foot away from the tree (and eighteen feet from the bear) in a solid tripod, and the night camera mode used (this mode shows in pictures the same light values that I am seeing with my own eyes).

The close proximity of the camera is for the viewer to see the target with clarity; if I were to place the camera 26 yards away the target will be awfully small.

Here it is the target area and how it looks in daylight.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/deerdaypicture.jpg

And here are the contenders, but before I describe them, let me voice my opinion that some manufacturers of Luxeon lights label the output in lumens in quite a wild way.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/ledInc.jpg


From left to right: # 1 Fenix L1P at about 40 lumens, # 2 Nuwaii Q III at 75 lumens (yes, sure!) # 3 Surefire L-4 Digital Lumamax at 65 lumens (this is a Luxeon V which is quite a flood light but with little throw).

# 4 Streamlight Task-Light 2 L (two Lithium 3 volts batteries, high and low output,
Cost is about $77.00) This is billed at a High Flux Luxeon III. With 75 lumens, which I think is about right.

# 5 is the Streamlight Pro Polymer 4 AA with a Luxeon I, billed as 40 lumens (3,500 candlepower according to the advertising) which I think is quite wrong, as it appears to me to have about 70 lumens or more, this light has a bigger and deeper reflector than the others lights and the beam is concentrated more than the others. This is a great light for the price of about $40.00

# 6, this is a PR T Luxeon III head done for me by master modder McGizmo, it is set on a Surefire E2e body and I am using two rechargeable 123’s with a voltage of 4.2 volts in it.
This light is my best Luxeon III light and up to two years ago it was pretty HOT STUFF, today the cree LED’s are approaching it in intensity, although it has not been overpower by any other Luxeon, yet.
My friends told me I have two of the Integrated Sphere Spectotometers just above my nose, those spheres are telling me that this light makes 120 to 130 “real” lumens.

# 7, this is A Surefire Centurion II in black with the P-60 lamp (65 lumens) this represents all the others Surefires lights that use this lamp, G-2, 6P. Z-2. etc.

# 8, this is another Surefire Centurion II, but in Hard anodized, it wears the HOLA lamp. The P-61 with the output of 120 lumens for 20 minutes.

# 9 this is a Surefire Centurion III (3 cells) this is usually sold with the P-90 lamp that makes 105 lumens for one hour, but in this case is set up with the P-91 lamp for 200 lumens for 20 minutes, as you will see in the picture later, the floodlight effect is great at 26 yards. All those P’s lamps start to lose range at about 45 to 50 yards, this is because the reflectors are fabricated to produce a good flood so police officers can clear houses with them.
I took this particular light out of my Remington 742 rifle, where it sits in the special quick detach mount in a Picattiny rail.

# 10, this is the BEAR CUB, this light weights 13 oz and measures 9 inches long, it works with two Lithium Ion computer batteries, and produces 220 plus lumens for 90 minutes. Thanks to the big and deep 2 inch mirror-like reflector, this light concentrates the beam like a laser and has a throw of 120 to 150 yards.
So the 26 yards distance is like child play for the Bear Cub and the light is so intense at the target that they had to close their eyes!

# 11, (last on the left lying in horizontal position next to the Bear Cub) this light is a KL-1 head Luxeon I of three years ago, it is set up in a Surefire Outdoorsman body and the lumens output is no more than 20, consequently I decided to strike it out from the competition, there is no room in my stable for weaklings and I will present it to my nephew on his birthday quite soon.

And now let’s go to the pictures:

Fenix L1P (40 lumens) Luxeon I

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/l1pfeni.jpg

Nuwaii Q III (advertised at 75 lumens in a website, which I don’t believe) Luxeon III.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/nuwaii.jpg


Surefire L-4 Digital Lumamax (65 lumens) this is very flood light and the lumens spread in a very wide area, so it cannot be expected to have a good throw at 26 yards. (Luxeon V ~which are 4 of the one watt together)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/l-4sure.jpg


Streamlight Task Light 2 L about 75 lumens on high, works on two 123’s batteries and has two levels of illumination. High Flux Luxeon III. About $77.00

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/tasklight75.jpg

Streamlight Poly Pro 4 AA Luxeon. This light has a deep and bigger reflector, the Luxeon is I, according to the manufacturer, is listed at 40 lumens, but to my eyes is doing about 75 lumens.
For the price of $40.00 this is a great light, and very battery friendly as it uses regulars AA.
I feed this light, rechargeable Nimhs AA of high current (Powerex 2700 mah) that hovers around 1.4 volts for weeks consequently it costs me nothing to operate it.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/4aaluxeon1.jpg


Mc Gizmo PR T head on Surefire body, Luxeon III, TWOJ bin,
My best Luxeon light putting out 120 to 130 lumens. This is a collector’s item and was state of the art, less than two years ago.
I have found nothing new that can approach its power, except the new cree 7090 that is getting close.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/prt120lu.jpg

Surefire Centurion II in black with the P-60 lamp (65 lumens for one hour)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/c-265lu.jpg

Surefire Centurion II in Hard anodized with the P-61 lamp (120 lumens for 20 minutes)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/c-2ha120lu.jpg

Surefire Centurion III in hard anodized, with the P-91 lamp (200 lumens for 20 minutes) as you can see it is a great flood at 26 yards.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/c-3200lu.jpg


BEAR CUB running for 90 minutes on two computer Lithium Ion batteries, driving a Xenon Magnum Star bulb for 5 cells pretty hard at 8.4 volts at a conservative 220 lumens (which make it a very white light) with a reach of 120 to 150 yards, even surpassing the Ultra Stinger.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/bearcu220luplus.jpg

Best regards
Black bear

[Flopsy]

Good job! I wish you'd done that a while back when I was researching lights. I ended up getting the Surefire Executive Defender, which is great but I'm not sure if it was worth $110.

[kkacatin]

I have bought the Borealis by Black Bear and I must say this is a VERY powerful flashlight. The only other handheld light that I have operated that even came close to this was the Streamlight UltraStinger. The UltraStinger was around 290 lumens and I was impressed by that light, but the Borealis is in a league of its own.

My brother has a regular Maglite 3D and the images below will show how it compares to the Borealis.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b76/Klit7/BorealisandMag3D.jpg

That was a little size comparison. The Borealis is based on the Mag 3D. If you ever damage the exterior of the flashlight, you can always change the body with another Maglite. Black Bear could’ve used a MagCharger host but it is a much more expensive flashlight to use as a host. Why pay $80 when you can pay $20 for a replacement body?

Also you can see that I bought the optional stainless steel Crenellated bezel and quick swivel detach end. The bezel really adds a unique look to it, but it is also an effective weapon when needed. The tip of the bezel contains many sharp corners and edges. I also ordered the quick detachable swivel, but I replace it with the hand strap of my camera. It is my personal preference and is the main reason why I paid extra for the options. Again, it adds a unique look to it.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b76/Klit7/BorealisandMag3Dcompareshot.jpg

On the left shows the regular Mag 3D and the right is the Borealis. As you can see, there is a HUGE difference. The Borealis is something you have to see in person. My camera dims a bit when trying to focus on the beam, but on the bottom of that, I showed how powerful it really is that it can literally light up your room. The Mag can’t do that.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b76/Klit7/Borealis2.jpg

More examples on how powerful the light can be. The top photographs are in pitch black (duh) and the bottom are the Borealis blasting light into that scene. The left column is an outdoor picture. I presume that tree outside my house is 7-9 stories high. You can also see that the light can light up the gutters on the top right of the image. That is quite impressive! The right column is me at the bottom of my 25-step stairs. As you can see, it can illuminate the whole room and the ceiling is 2 stories high.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b76/Klit7/Borealisparklamp.jpg

Here is a park photograph. Again, you have to be there in person. My camera could not really capture the intensity of the Borealis. My friend stood at the end of this basketball court about 30 yards away. It can hit the pole, but you can see that the tree (about 50-55 yards away) can be illuminated as well as the building behind that (about 65 yards away)!

Even thought this is a great product, Juan (Black Bear) is a great person to work with. I have sent him MANY e-mails since I bought my light from him. Most of the e-mails were questions or concerns that I have and Juan has replied to every one of them with great detail and attention. I am very proud to have bought the Borealis.

Where else can you find a 1050 lumen flashlight with 55 minutes of run time (with Rolls Royce battery holder) at the price of 260 dollars? That is great bang for the buck.

Please consider Black Bear’s products!! You won’t regret it!

[black bear]

Some members have asked for beam shots of their favorite lights to be added to the data-base I initiated.

The most popular of the requests is the:

Surefire E 2 e Series

The little MN03 lamp (60 lumens) in the E2e, is a big performer, I myself like this little light a lot, and I think it qualifies as a tactical light to be used at close to medium range.

Here is a picture of a few of the versions of the E2e.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/E2eseries.jpg


And here is the beam shot at the same distance than the others above (26 yards) and the camera placed at the same distance (12 feet to the Deer head and 18 to the Bear head).


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/SurE2ebeam.jpg


Kind regards
Black bear

[black bear]

PELICAN M-6 and TAC-STAR T-6
Tactical lights


About three years ago Pelican come out with his first tactical light in the M-6 incandescent, as others tactical lights it used two of the Lithium 123 batteries, the switch is in the tail cap and works like the Surefire 6P with lock and intermittent functions.
The light has some flats in the head that act as anti-roll, but not as well as the Surefire 6P.

The reflector is heavily orange peel and the pattern is nice and without artifacts. One thing in the design I like very much, in the tail cap instead of a spring bearing on the battery, is a plunger finished in gold plating, sure a very elegant way to produce the necessary contact.

The TAC STAR T-6 come into the market after the Pelican have already sold several thousands of lights and is in all effects a copy, same internals and same reflector and the only variation is the treatment of the outside body.
The T-6’s workmanship is not as good as the Pelican, threads in the tail cap are rough and the edges are not well finished, but the beam intensity and pattern are the same.

Two and a half years ago the Pelican cost me $60.00 it came with a very good holster in Cordura nylon.
The Tac-Star that I bought a year ago cost me $30.00 and came without a holster.
I use to have another T-6 that had a smooth reflector and the focus was adjustable, this was an early version that was changed not to infringe in the adjustable focus patent of another flashlight company.

The Pelican had a claim of 80 lumens in the outside of the box and 72 lumens in the instructions, the T-6 had no lumens claim in the paper work.

Here is a picture of the two lights.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/pelicant6.jpg


And here is a picture of the beam shot, if you are curious to see how good or bad it compare with the Surefire 6P, just look in the above post for the beam shot of that light.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/pelibeam.jpg

Many of these lights are still in use daily by police officers and civilians alike, I am sure some of the readers have one in their belt or night stand.

Kind regards
Black bear

[JShirley]

The Bear Cub is one of the best general purpose LEO lights I have seen, small enough to be convenient, extremely powerful, and user friendly.

I don't have all the lights Juan has, but I've owned Pelicans, Streamlights, SureFires, Fenixes, MagLites, and many others. The Borealis and Bear Cub are GREAT lights.

[Coronach]

When I first started reading I was somewhat interested, in two ways:

1. It's always amusing to see what someone else thinks a cop wants/needs (especially because they're often wrong)

2. I wanted to compare Juan's assessment with what I actually carry, since I have developed pretty specific light habits.

After reading...

Darned if he isn't dead nuts on. :scrutiny:

I do almost exactly what he says cops tend to do. I have the Magcharger that I still use occasionally, but which is now just a backup to one of Juan's earlier Borealis models. That torch will throw out an absolutely silly amount of light...every time we have to do an area search for small items (think shell casings in tall grass), I always manage to find one item that everyone else missed. It rides in my gear bag beside me, and goes in the D-ring on my belt when I leave the car (or, stays in hand).

I also have a Surefire 9Z that rides on my belt. It is a great small light that can blind under ideal conditions, and can be used with my sidearm more easily than a Maglight. It can flood an enclosed area with light, but is also concentrated enough to be blinding.

I carry a Fenix L2P for lowlight tasks as well. It is, perhaps, brighter than his other suggestions (the AAA L0-series), but it was a good deal at the time and it hasn't broken yet, so it's what I use. It also rides on my belt, but mostly because I happened to have a space that was juuuuuust big enough for it (I use it as a spacer between two other items on my belt). Otherwise, it would be clipped to my gear bag. Its use is as a general small utility light...bright enough to find the pen I just dropped on the car floor, write tickets, check paperwork, etc, and will not dazzle me with brightness or eat CR123A batteries like a crackhead diving into an 8-Ball. I think I've had it a year now, and it is still on its first set of AA batteries.

Juan's lights are seriously good. My Borealis has been flawless...and it looks like a stock Maglight. I love it when people are like "Dude...what the heck is that?" :D

Mike

[JShirley]

Last night, one of my squadmates kept shining his light on another guy- and me- after the lights were out, just to annoy us. I advised him it would be a good idea to stop. He did not. I dug out my Borealis, and lit him up.

"Dude, that's a ridiculous amount of light," he said.

[ABTOMAT]

If anyone wants to get more into lights, head on over to CPF and learn more than you could imagine. Older designs designs like these, newer and crazier things, amazing custom lights, etc. You can get the parts direct from the suppliers and start assembling them in any order you want. A few bulbs, batteries, and some minor parts will get you into the more popular designs.

If you're looking for a durable duty light you can mod a Magcharger to many levels of performance. That'll give you a very solid switch semmbly and a larger head designed for high-temp bulbs, plus the ability to recharge in a fixed cradle.

[black bear]

TALK ABOUT LACK OF ETHICS!


CREE 7090 XR-E LAMP

JET-I (AA) MK IIX FLASHLIGHT


I had the opportunity to test briefly this flashlight a few days ago; since I just got to handle it for a few hours I will not call it a review, but just a little trial.

The light was actually passing by, my friend Luis from Spain had ordered from me a Borealis 1050 lumens and a Bear Cub 220 lumens flashlights, he also wanted one of Emilions’ workbench JET-BEAM I MK IIX little lights that have multiple functions and are billed with a 100 lumens maximum power in the 1 AA version and with the extended tube for two AA batteries at 150 lumens.
So I had one ordered from Emilions and it arrived quite quickly, from Hong Kong to New York in just five days!

Physically, it is the size of my Fenix L1P light, (about 40 lumens) and it is very similar in shape and weight.
For those not familiar with these lights I have here a picture of them side by side.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/jbandfen.jpg

By adding the extension for another AA, it is claimed that the maximum output is 150 lumens. Now that is a serious lumens output that we are taking about, so my main interest was to see if really the little light was going to reach that high.
Unfortunately I didn’t have available any other comparable light, the closest that I had seem was my friend Fenix L2D that claims 135 lumens, but he was out of state, so the light was unavailable to me.

I have in my stable of lights, one PR T head (Pelican Reflector Turbo) that McGizmo made for me with a TWOJ Lumileds Luxeon III, which is a real screamer, going into the 130 lumens when pushed hard by two of the rechargeable 123’s at 3.7 volts each.
This head is in an E2e body and is my favorite of the Luxeons lights I own.

The comparison to the little reflector of the Jet Beam will be unfair, as the Pelican reflector is much bigger in diameter and deeper, concentrating the light in a much tighter and intense beam.
The smaller reflector of the Jet Beam will tend to disperse the light beam in a more open pattern which will compromise the throw.

But here is a picture of the two lights side by side, so you can see how they look like, and how the Jet Beam is with the added 1 battery extension tube.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/PRTandJB.jpg

And here is a picture of the beam shot against the ceiling at a distance of 6 feet, the one on left is the Jet Beam I MK IIX

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/JBandPRGizmo.jpg

And after that, I took pictures of the beams shots at my customary 26 yards against the Deer and Bear heads.
If the picture of the beam shot of the Jet Beam doesn’t look too impressive for the 150 lumens figure, keep in mind the terrible advantage in concentration of light that the Pelican reflector provides for my PR T 130 lumens light.

Beam shot with the Jet Beam 150 lumens (2 batteries, maximum power)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/JetBeamIIX.jpg

And here the beam shot with the McGizmo PR T head (130 lumens)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/Gizmo130lumens.jpg

I can’t close this account without telling my readers of the many features of the little Jet Beam light,
On the exterior the light is finished in hard anodized type III, the lens is Sapphire crystal and it comes with a set of extra switch covers, lanyard and a nice belt holster.

The circuit is 0.7V to 4.2V, after you click it on (Medium Brightness) soft touching the rubber switch will provide low brightness, maximum brightness and strobe, and one more touch will put the light in standby.

Waiting two seconds and clicking the light again will access the advanced mode with 10 levels of output, and five special functions including strobe SOS at 100 % and SOS at 5 % and others.

This seems to me, is the light to end all of the key chain lights and then some. As soon as my checkbook is recuperated from the ravages of uncle Sam, I am going to order one for myself.

I still think that for clearing a warehouse or a big yard, you need the longer distance reach of a good (in the 200 lumens bracket) incandescent light. When the factories start using the Cree 7090 with bigger reflectors, we will see the results, but I myself believe that the lack of the red spectrum in the Luxeons will always make them short distance lights and reduce the definition on the target; just look at the pictures that I have presented until now and see the performance of Luxeons even with the big reflectors of the Streamlight 4AA and the Task Light.

Kind regards
Black bear

[black bear]

THE SUREFIRE M-6, 500 LUMENS TACTICAL LIGHT

Hi guys,
Here is another of my tactical lights. This beauty is light, relatively small and VERY powerful, and it comes with two lamps; 250 lumens for one hour and 500 lumens for 20 minutes.
THE GOOD NEWS:
In reality, when using fresh 123’s batteries of Surefire brand this light puts out 650 lumens for the first 6 minutes, this is really an outstanding performance as at 650 lumens the light is very white.
After that, the small 123’s start feeling the problem of coping with the high amperage lamp and settle to the 500 lumens output for a little more time, but you can see in the beam how the sag on the little batteries affects the output.

I have had three of the M-6’s and I am very familiar with them, they are very sensitive to what batteries they like, performing quite well with the Surefire brand, but dropping down and with reduced run time with the Battery Station brand, (at least in my experience).

THE NOT SO GOOD NEWS:
Sometimes in a warm summer night when I use the light, I can expect it to shut down after about 11 to 12 minutes of running due to the overheat protection of the batteries.
Yes the batteries will shut down the juice when very hot to avoid reaching the melting point, it is very disconcerting to have the light going full blast and all of a sudden you find yourself in complete dark.
It will no happen often but it had happened to me three times last summer (I am an above average user of powerful lights).

The light that I use for the beam shot is not my own but one that a local customer of mine received in the mail the day I was delivering to him a Borealis 1050 lumens flashlight.

This great guy will start a conversation with, hi, I am Effie and I am a flashaholic, the day I visited him we spend hours talking and looking at his lights.
The batteries in the Surefire box, were fresh, I am sure because I deflowered the tough plastic wrapping with my trusty Ken Onion’s knife.
The guy have a one room house with garage in his big back yard, (for his teenage son’s to have his privacy) and that is what we used as a target, it been 27 yards away from the end of the porch where we shoot the beams of the lights and placed the tripod and camera.

As we needed another light to test it against, we used the Borealis 1050 lumens light, this being a top of the line model with the Quick Detach Swivel and the black hard anodized bezel with the glow dots.
Of course the Borealis been a bigger light made in the 3 D format and weighting at 28 oz. and with 12 ½ inches in length, overpower physically and in lumens output the M-6, but we didn’t have anything closer to the 650 lumens of the HOLA lamp of the M-6.
And here are the beam shots

SUREFIRE M-6 HOLA lamp (650 lumens on fresh batteries, 20 minutes run time)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/e-meseis.jpg


BOREALIS 1050 LUMENS RECHARGEABLE (50 minutes run time)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/boreas.jpg

And here the lights side by side before the shoot out.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/EMEandBO.jpg



THE ONLY REAL PROBLEM:
It is the cost of the batteries, Surefires are close to a couple dollars now with shipping, it hurts my pocket to pay that much when the light uses six of them every twenty minutes and I don’t use the light as much as when the batteries where going for a dollar each.
For the law enforcement sector, when the Agency pays for the batteries, it is not problem, but for us simple civilians like me, even that I don’t have a mortgage anymore, I have a kid with a foot in College and I have to watch out my wallet, paying $36.00 per hour to run a powerful light it is not longer fun.

It is the top of the line of the portable Surefires and at $400 it is well worth the money due to the great and precise machining and finish and the good design specially made for tactical situations.

Cheers,
Black Bear

[glockman19]

Thank you what a great help this is. You've saved me lost of time & money in trying to find a light or lights to meet my needs.

Great thread

[black bear]

Glockman19,
Thank you for your appreciation, it is very refreshing to learn that my efforts can be of benefit to some member of the forum.

Here is another one:

THE STREAMLIGHT SCORPION

I like the little Scorpion a lot, it is powerful (at 6,500 candle powers) light (at 4.4 oz) not too long at 4.9 inches and with a great feel in the hand thanks to the rubber boot that covers the body.
This rubber boot can be especially beneficial in the winter when others lights left in the trunk are too cold to hold without gloves.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/scorp.jpg



The switch is momentary and click on, exactly as I want my switches; it is located in the back of the light and protected by the rubber boot.
The momentary works well, the click is in my case too difficult to operate with my big thumb and I have to click it with my index finger.
But it rarely that I use the click as this light can be used as a “tactical” light and the momentary mode is preferred when using it with a gun. (You don’t want to drop the light “on” and that it will illuminate you or your partner, that is the reason to use the momentary).

The light uses two 123’s batteries and run a xenon bulb for one hour, this xenon bulb is quite small, (a spare is located in the bulb holder inside the head) I will hate to have to change it in less than normal conditions, for starters you have to pry a cover from the bulb holder to access the spare, you will have a few small parts in your hands and you will need calm conditions and plenty of light to do the job properly.

For those situations I really prefer the big bulbs with reflector included of the Surefires’ or even the smaller but easy to handle bulb of the E2e’s.

Why I consider this so important? Well, the bulb is rated for 5 hours of life, which is extremely short.

I say I like this light, but it is really not rational because we have much better designs, for a tactical light. The little Scorpion will roll out on a table that is not perfectly flat, for lack of an anti-roll bezel. Surefires are much better in this department.

The beam can be adjusted by rotating the head (the filament of the bulb will go lower or higher inside the reflector), in reality I have the light set to maximum throw that will not show any artifacts and I don’t twist the head at all because the quality of the beam will be spoiled by artifacts and black spots.
This light is good for throw considering the small reflector and the quality of the beam when set at near maximum throw is good, a nice round circle, (due to the short filament).

The lens is polycarbonate, I would like to see it changed to Pyrex, but that is my personal feelings that this light should deserve a better lens.
I bought mine two years ago from Cabela’s and it cost me $38.00; I think that the price is right for a quality made American product.
The bulbs run about $6.00 each and I also consider them in price, they are so bright because they are overdriven (hence their short life of 5 hours).

I have seen a holster for the light made out of Cordura Nylon, but I haven’t tried it and I don’t know if is any issues in removing the light quickly, the rubber boot cause me trouble when removing the light from tight pockets (read Jean’s) but is okay when the pocket is from s dress pants.
I also have seen filters made for this light in red, blue and yellow for those that would like to penetrate the deer’s woods with a minimum of light pollution.

As always the beam shot are coming from 26 yards away and my camera tripod is in the same position, 12 feet from the deer and 18 from the bear.
I have also included as way of comparison the beam shot with the P-60 lamp out of a Surefire Centurion C-2 (read it also Surefire 6P, Z-2, G-2 D-2 etc).

SCORPION’S BEAM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/scorpionsbeam.jpg

P-60 LAMP FROM a Surefire Centurion II

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/c-265lu.jpg

You will notice that the beam of the Scorpion is more concentrated than the P-60 lamp, making the target clearer at this distance, for tactical situations at short range the P-60 lamp is better for the extra flood, it will be easier to clear a room with a Surefire without the need to pan the light to cover it all.

Cheers,
Black Bear

[Marshall]

Black Bear,

What reflectors (smooth, LOP, MOP, LS, MS, etc.) are you using on your BOREALIS and Bear Cub in these beam shots?

[black bear]

Hi Marshall,
By coincidence both pictures (the one at the shed ~30 yards~and the one at the house `26 yards~) used the LOP (low Orange Peel) reflector.

The Bear Cub use the stock reflector (cammed mirror polish) this reflector is a good thrower.
The uncammed reflectors of the Borealis don't work as well in the lower lumens output of the Bear Cub, and I don't recommend the extra expense.

Black Bear

[Marshall]

Thanks BB!

[black bear]

CABELA’S XPG XENON FLASHLIGHTS

12 VOLTS MODEL
180 LUMENS AND 90 MINUTES RUN TIME


This light uses four 123’s and is 7 ¾ inches long. The claim of 180 lumen output and 90 minutes run time is what attracted me to buy one; besides, the price is only $50.00.

With the 123’s at almost $2.00 each with shipping, running this light is not precisely inexpensive, but is much better than running a Surefire 9 P with the P-91 lamp for 20 minutes to get 200 lumens.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/XPGandLeupoldring.jpg

This light went into one of my rifles; that is why it is set up with a Leupold ring.


This light is almost a copy of the 9P, but longer at 7 ¾; the tail-cap differs in that the switch is not momentary. When you press in the XPG switch, you click it on, and to extinguish the light, you click it off.

This feature will remove this flashlight from the “tactical” field; it is very important for tactical use to have a momentary switch so you can strobe it, or so you can control the light the way you want. It is important just in case you drop your light, that you will not get illuminated by your own light.

The lamp of this light is very similar to the P-91 Surefire lamp. The reflector has the same finish and configuration, and at $18.00 for replacements it is not bad at all.

To find out how it compares with the beam of the 9P or Surefire C-3 with the P-91 lamp (200 lumens for 20 minutes on three 123’s batteries), I tested the light at my usual 26 yards against the same bear-and-deer target that I used before for all the other lights, and from the same distance with the same settings.

As the reflector and head are so similar between the two torches, I was expecting very similar results in illumination, as the 20 lumens difference is not really so important to change the results in a big way.

So here are the pictures, and you can see for yourself how they compare.

CABELA’S XPG XENON 12 VOLTS (180 lumens for 90 minutes on four 123’s batteries)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/xpgcabe.jpg

SUREFIRE CENTURION C-3 (With P-91 lamp for 200 lumens. 20 minutes run time)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/c-3200lu.jpg

BEAR CUB 220 lumens for 90 minutes, rechargeable.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/bearcu220luplus.jpg


Lumen output is not all that is important to have a light that will be useful at a certain distance. The diameter of the reflector has a big influence in how those lumens are going to be distributed.
For example, in the same league in lumen output is the rechargeable Bear Cub, (220 lumens for 90 minutes), but the deep 2” in diameter smooth reflector of the Bear Cub will throw the light much farther and with more intensity than the small reflectors of the Centurion C-3 or 9 P or the Cabela’s XPG can.
Actually the XPG and the Centurion C-3 are very good (as you can see in the pictures) at the 26 yards distance, but at 45 to 50 yards they have reached the end of their useful illumination.

Cabela’s have always offered good value for the money, this light is not the exception, for the price it is a more than excellent light and the long run time offset a little the expense of buying four 123’s batteries to run it.

Best wishes
Black Bear

[Steel Talon]

Great Post!
Subscribing..

[black bear]

THE COAST MINI LIGHT


I discovered this small light a few years ago in the fishing aisle of a Wal Mart store, it was perfect for tying small flies to the end of my 5x tippet when fly fishing in the dark.
Clipped to the pocket of my fishing vest the neck could be positioned as desired for the light to fall in on the fly, it took just a few days to realize that was ideal for writing tickets or for navigating with map and compass in the woods or when doing as a co pilot in the car.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/coastflash.jpg

The instructions said something like 90 hours of light, it most be right because in four years of using it a lot, I haven’t yet put new batteries on it.

The batteries are four of the AG 5 button cells, not exactly a household item, but available in Walgreens or Eckers.

The light is a kind of flood, not too intense as to make you lost your night vision, but enough for the chores I mentioned.

The little light also has a ring to hang it from your neck or attach it to your key chain, but my preferred method is to clip it to the shirt pocket, there is so small and unobtrusive that is hardly noticeable.
Or you also can clip it to the bill of your cap, like that I have recently exchanged a faulty wall switch, and it is much better than holding a bigger light in your mouth.

I think that I pay for it near ten dollars, well worth the price if you like me are a user of lights.

Cheers
Black Bear

[BOONER]

Send me a borealis for testing.

[black bear]

Hi Booner
Sending you a P.M.
cheers
Black Bear

[black bear]

THE ASP TAC LITE

This is another very popular tactical light in the law enforcement circles, it is five inches long and one inch in diameter. As with the other tactical lights, it works for about an hour on two of the 123’s disposable batteries.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/asptaclite.jpg

This is the bulb of the ASP light, with a shock absorbing material wrapped around the base

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/aspbulb.jpg

The ASP line of batons is very famous for quality and craftsmanship; this light can be coupled to an ASP baton if you so desire.

Quality foam insulates the middle of the light and is a very welcome addition in the winter months when all metal lights are too cold to handle.
The Company states 7,000 candlepower for this light
. Candlepower in this light are high because the beam is quite concentrated. The ASP TAC LITE is famous for having a far-throwing beam.
The reason for it is the smooth-mirror polished reflector and the shape of the filament of the bulb, which forms an arc, as it is quite short, the light is emitted from a smaller filament than those of others lights.

A light that reaches far is of dubious utility in the tactical field for clearing houses and the like, when its long throw hinders the flood capabilities of the instrument.
Although the light features an internal capability to make it throw more flood, it is internal and is based on repositioning the bulb in the reflector, which introduces a series of artifacts into the beam.
Surefire’s with P-60 or P-61 lamps are well established as the ones that everybody likes as far as beam throw and amount of side spill; after all, most gun fights in low light situations happen inside of a few yards, and a tight beam is more of a liability than of an asset.

However I see this light as a good contender to install it in an AR type rifle, where illumination at longer distances is needed and desired.

The tail-cap houses a nice electronic switch that is quite responsive to the touch of your thumb, the switch button is recessed and the light can be used on candle mode if the operator wishes to do so.
However none of the additional features so desirable in a tactical light are present here. There is no anti-roll bezel to stop the light from rolling of a table or inclined surface, there is no fluted cap so light can escape if the flashlight is set on a table head down, and no grommet or stop to position the light in the Rogers-Surefire position.

As always the bear is set up at 18 feet from the camera and the deer at 12 feet and the light of the ASP Tac Lite is coming from the second story window from 26 yards away.

For comparison here is the beam shot of the Surefire G-2 with the 65 lumens (P-60) lamp

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/g-2surefire.jpg

And here is the beam shot of the ASP TAC LITE, notice how the concentrate light is brighter at the target than the G-2

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/asptacbeam.jpg

Kind regards
Black Bear

[black bear]

Hi guys,
Not all the lights that are good are expensive, i have get good value for my money from the lights of Princeton Tec, maybe they are not used for law enforcement, but even cops need a regular flashlight for camping or household chores.
Here is one I like,

PRINCETON TEC 40

This light is very popular with divers, inexpensive at about $19 it run on four AA batteries (included) for about five hours (in my experience it is more like 4 hours).
It uses a 4 watts halogen bulb and will output 28 lumens; the life of the bulb is about 30 hours.
You can substitute a Kripton bulb for 4 cells and the run time will almost double.

The body of the light is very light as is injection molded in one piece with the head screwing into the body to cap the light.
The switch is activated by turning the head, so two hands are needed to switch the light on, unless you have a very strong grip and fingers and can turn the tight bezel/switch with them.

Because the body have two flat surfaces it stay very well on any surface and have an advantage over conventional round flashlights that tend to roll off from inclined surfaces.
Those flat surfaces was that gave me the idea of putting a self stick length of Velcro in it and sew the matching male part to a baseball cap, it is a handy place to stick your light when you want your hands free.
I have a few of those caps in the cars and lights to go with them, just in case I have a flat tire or I need to work under the hood with my two hands, it come handy recently when I had to hook the buster cables on my battery and the other car’s battery.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/tec40.jpg

My lights are about two years old; the new Princeton Tec 40 is somehow different in that it comes with a rubber over-coat, still a very handsome light.

They are a class 3 light, so waterproof to 100 meters, one of mine was used by my brother in law to look for the lost engine of his boat in 100 feet of water.

Some of my Tec 40’s have a smooth reflector (mirror finish) that is a good thrower, others newer Tec 40’s come with a stippled reflector that have a very pleasant beam and are more flood light and less throw.

Here is a beam shot to my deer and bear target set up at 26 yards and with the camera at 12 feet from the deer and 18 feet from the bear.
This was taken with the light that have the smooth reflector, the intensity at the target is not that much with the Stippled reflector.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/PTQ-40beam.jpg

I like the little Tec 40 and I have given a few away to family and friends that were in need of a reliable light for carry in a pocket or keeping in a glove compartment.

I put one of the PT 40 in a BIG glass of water for several hours, without any issues, and this is a light that have 4 years old gaskets.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/ptagu.jpg

Kind regards
Black Bear

[black bear]

STREAMLIGHT TL -2

This is another of the two 123’s batteries lights, it claims to run one hour and outputs 105 lumens, which seems a little exaggerated, but then they must be talking about “bulb” lumens and not torch lumens, and not counting the loss of light by the reflector and the reflections from the lens.

Anyway, this is a great little light which weights 4.3 oz, is 09 “ wide and 4.9 “ long and can be found in the web for about $40.00.
Since we are giving measurements, the head of the light is 1.25” wide.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/tltwo.jpg


I would have preferred that they use a thicker body of one inch to take advantage of the popular one inch scope rings to mount it into a Weaver or Picattiny rail, the way it is, a suitable plastic ring had to be found to take the gap and make possible to use the scope rings.
I am talking, of course, about mounting it into a rifle or bow, because the light can made good illumination to serve together with a home protection gun or to hunt hogs with a bow at night.

The only thing I have against this light (and its brother the Scorpion) is the poor bulb life (estimated at 5 hours) but it is predictable as the bulb is quite small, the heat high and the gas inside not enough to provide a longer life to the filament.

The outside of the light is quite handsome as you can see on the picture, sorry that mine is cluttered with a piece of Velcro that I use to keep it on top of my cap.

In a hot summer day I let the light cool off for several hours in my 3 ½ gallons “beer” glass while I was watching a movie in my air conditioned living room, the light survived the dunking quite well without any signs of water getting inside.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/teeletwoagua.jpg

What I like about this TL-2 (Tactical Light -2 Lithium batteries) is the recessed switch that can be pushed to activate momentarily or can be screwed toward the body for constant on, as I said unlikely the Surefires this press on momentary switch is flush with the body, so the light can be used on candle mode.
The clip is a great one, long enough to make the use of a holster unnecessary but if a holster is what you want this light uses the same ones available for the scorpion.
One big plus over the scorpion is the nice glass lens (instead of lexan) or it may be even Pyrex, I don’t know for sure, but it have survived in my pocket together with keys and knives without getting the lens all scratched, in fact it still look like new.

In previous occasions I have compared it with the scorpion, (as they both use the same bulb) and find them quite the same in throw and brightness, I am well aware that this picture doesn’t show the same brightness, must be the fault of the new fresh batteries that I installed before the test, it seem to me weak even that they still show over 3 volts each.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/teletwolight.jpg

Respectfully

Black Bear

[black bear]

MAGLITE 3 D

I have received some e-mails and PM’s asking me to do a beam shot of the maglite 3 D, a light that is very popular in the law enforcement circles and with outdoorsman.

The light is billed as outputting 39 lumens; this is true with fresh high quality D batteries; however as alkaline batteries sag a lot under load, this output is maintained for only seven minutes, when it drops to 75 % of the output.

After one hour, the light is doing 50 % of the output (or close to 20 lumens).

Yes, I know this is probably a surprise to many fans of this light, so here is a chart that will explain graphically what I just wrote.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/mag3d.gif

Here is the beam shot, from 26 yards and coming from the second story window, as always my deer and bear are at 12 and 18 feet from the camera.

Maglite 3 D 39 lumens (fresh, new batteries)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/magnu3d.jpg

And here as a way of comparison, the
BOREALIS 1050 lumens (made on the same 3 D body)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/BoreALI26yar.jpg

Cheers

Black Bear

[black bear]

THE FENIX L1D
AA KEY CHAIN LIGHT
WITH CREE EMITTER

I finally remembered to order one of them, as I am not in any sense keychain-light poor, having several of them from the ARC AAA passing through the CMG (Course Made Good) to the Streamlight key mate and Fenix’s L1P and LOP AAA.

Not long ago, I reviewed the Jet beam II Mark VIII, which is a very similar light to the Fenix L1D. Any of the two can be considered revolutionary, and it is hard not to get excited about them.

I opted to have the Fenix L1D that works with 1 AA battery, as I like the size and shape which is the same as the Fenix L1P that I have been using for the last 18 months.
The L1P is a 40 lumen light that runs on one AA battery. I never did a timed run test because I always carry a couple of extra batteries in my pocket anyway to get extra run time from my lights, but wherever it is, it can never equal the multi-functional powers of the Fenix L1D.

The extreme power is achieved by a Cree 7090 XR-E LED emitter with a life of 50,000 hours- the little torch has two models of output selected by turning the bezel.
The first mode (as you click the light on) is 9 lumens and will last for 25 hours in the AA battery. The second mode (as you soft-press the switch) is 40 lumens and will last for 5 hours, and another soft press on the switch will access the 80 lumen power and your battery will last for 2 hours.
There is also an SOS mode (with another soft press) using the 80 lumens power.

Here are some of the lights, at top is a McGizmo modification (a collector’s item light worth $250 USD) it outputs 135 lumens and the big 32 mm reflector throws the light well at the 26 yards distance.
Next is the Fenix L1D which shows it is a tad longer than the Fenix L1P , below.
Next is the ARC AAA and the Fenix LOP, great keychain lights, all.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/keychainlights.jpg


The second mode of the light system is accessed by turning the bezel ½ a turn. It is a steady 90 lumens that will last for 1 ½ hours and with a soft press of the switch the 90 lumens becomes a very quick strobe, that can disorient people or help in disco dancing.

Most chores inside the house can be handled with the 9 lumen mode. For walking the dog or hiking a trail at night I will use the 40 lumen mode; in fact, I can see that attaching it to my cap with Velcro will beat all the head lights in the market, as it is so light and so convenient without the restricting head band around my head- and anyway, I always wear a cap to shade my eyes or protect my glasses from rain, branches, etc.

The SOS or the strobe mode will always be there if I need to attract attention in an emergency. It is even useable in the suburbs, like recently, when a member of my family fell and broke her arm in the rear entrance of a church, she landed between two pine trees and the pain was so strong that she was unable to move, or even scream for help, and a key chain light used as a signal called the attention of people nearby and she was able to summon help that way.

Here are beam shots with the L1P on left and the L1D on right both at 40 lumens, the L1P is more yellow in the corona, but at the center are of the same intensity

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/l1pnldp40.jpg


The 80 lumen mode or the 90 lumen mode puts a tremendous amount of light NEARBY. Yes, I emphasize the word because due to the small reflector (that will diffuse the light into a flood), the reach of this little light even at that power is very restricted. Oh yes, it will serve to illuminate a big room well, but when tested at the 26 yards distance where I have my deer and bear it was just as the poor results that I got before with the Jet beam, so you can check that post if you are curious about the amount of light reaching there.

For that long distance you just need a bigger reflector of a bigger flashlight. My PR Turbo head by McGizmo running two Lithium Ion 123’s is much more efficient in putting illumination in the 26 yard spot just because the Pelican reflector of 32 mm is so much more efficient in canalizing the light.

So, a long distance light it is not, but all the other common chores can be handled very easily with the new Fenix L1D light. The battery will last a long time on the nine lumen mode (25 hours) and will probably be my choice for hanging from the ceiling of the tent all night long, in replacement of the CMG LED that I was using until now.

I paid $52 USD for the light and I consider the cost a bargain. With one in my pocket I just need two or three more powerful lights to cover all lightning situations that I can possible think of; for example, I will use a 200 lumen light in my belt for animal control (in the wild and in the street- and I mean two and four-legged animals) this could be a Surefire Centurion III with the optional P-91 lamp, or even better the rechargeable Bear Cub 220 lumen 90 minutes run time.
For my truck or cars, I am never too far away from a Borealis flashlight, 1050 lumens and 50 minute run time, the most powerful flashlight in the world with the power of a two million candlepower spotlight.
With that I am in control of riots, accident sites, search and rescue, and WWIII.

Coming back to the Fenix L1D, yes I am very happy with this light. Hopefully it will give me even better service than the Fenix L1P and the LOP that I have been using until now -lights that are very good and I have nothing but praise for them.
Respectfully
Black Bear
__________________

[black bear]

SUREFIRE A-2 AVIATOR
DIGITAL PLUS SERIES

Here is one of the higher quality Surefire lights, the A-2 Aviator which is a regulated light capable of running for 20 hours on the 3 LED’s that produce 3 lumens and for one hour on the incandescent bulb that outputs 50 lumens.

The light is available with white, green, yellow, red or blue LED’s, my version is the white LED’s as I need the light for navigation in the woods, the other popular choice is the red LED’s for the pilots of airplanes to use in the cabin, in the tarmac the main incandescent bulb comes in handy to check the tail and wings of the plane.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/a-2aviator.jpg

The light has a switch with two stages press a little on it and the 3 LED’s come first, a little more and the incandescent bulb will be on, this is the momentary phase, also you can twist the switch for steady on for the 3 LED’s and a little more twist for the incandescent bulb.
The switch also has a lock on position, aligning two marks on the body and tail-cap will immobilize the switch for safe storage or carrying in luggage.


BEAM SHOT FROM 26 YARDS

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/beamofa2.jpg


The light works with two of the 123’s batteries that are supplied with it, length of the torch is 5.50 inches and it weights 4.10 oz. the finish of the light is military hard anodized type III that makes it highly scratch resistant and it comes with a long clip that makes unnecessary the use of a holster.

As the light have a regulator chip the incandescent bulb get a soft start, which make it last longer than regular incandescent bulbs.

Surefire sell the light out of his web site and at dealers for $195.00 my light serial number is A-19737 which tells me that they don’t have any trouble selling them to selective customers.
Cheers

Black Bear

[Oldskoolfan]

These lights are very impressive. I wish I had not just bought a Surefire. I will definately keep this in my tag list so that I can get one soon.

[ABTOMAT]

Roll your own. The parts are off-the-shelf items and you can build it to your specs. Just Lego-like parts swapping for the most part. If you start with a Magcharger it's even more convenient and durable.

[fletcher]

How did I miss this thread? Great info - thanks for all the work black bear.

[black bear]

fletcher,
Thank you for your appreciation of the thread.

Here is one more.

RAYOVAC SPORTMAN XTREME
2AA 3 WATTS LUXEON FLASHLIGHT

I found this one at Wal-Mart and a fortunate find it was, the light is about the size of a Surefire L-4 or Surefire E2L, it even has a switch similar in operation to the Z-52 switch of the Surefire, press once for momentary, and twist the tail cap for permanent.

The package claims 80 lumens and it probably is, but of course, due to the small reflector and being a diode, the light is diffused and doesn’t have good throw, but good enough to make it comparable with other Luxeon III’s that I have seen at much higher prices.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/rayovxtreme.jpg

Yes, the price was $25.00 and therefore makes this light a bargain, and another great feature is while others lights consume the expensive 123’s, this one works with two AA batteries.

The body holds a nice clip that makes it unnecessary to carry the light in a holster. It even has a lanyard if you want to keep it with you when you open your hand to do any other task.

The run time is given at two hours, which is good and even better than others lights of this power can give even using 123 batteries.
If you need more runtime than this, you can buy the exact light in the 1 watt version with an output of 45 lumens and a runtime of five hours.
For a long time I have been using rechargeable Nimh AA batteries. I use them for all my power-hungry gadgets, GPS’s, two-way radios, cameras, etc. The Nimhs provide me no-guilt runtime and, at the same time, helps the environment.

Beam shot at 26 yards, camera at 18 feet from the target. I moved the deer up front a little, so the background and the leaves from my cherry tree will not interfere with the picture. I should cut the overgrown bushes that are taking over the fence, but the weather hasn’t cooperated lately for doing yard work.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/xtreme80lumens.jpg

Cheers,

Black Bear

[black bear]

MAGLITE 2 D LED
I was intrigued by this light for a while; I knew that the only difference from a regular Krypton 2 D model was in the self contained “bulb” of Luxeon LED.

Still I wanted to try it against a regular Krypton bulb model to see if the increase in price was going to provide an increase in performance.
Recently the Krypton White Star bulb specifications was upped to 36.5 lumens and 16,200 candlepower, I have in my arsenal a brand new Maglite 2 d with Krypton bulb and I just bought a new 2D LED model for the test, you can see them in the picture side by side, they are the two black lights.
The red is also a Maglite “shell” or “host” as I like to call them, but the interior have been changed into a Black Bear 720 lumens powerhouse.
If you are not familiar with the modifications of Black Bear Flashlights, they are full of special components and some skilled labor to convert the regular 2 D’s, 3D’s and other formats, into incredible bright lights outputting 220, 426. 720, 856 and 1050 lumens.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/three2ds.jpg


In playing the new LED against the Krypton model, my observation is that the LED light produces a more smoother beam than the Krypton model, the intensity of the beam is, in my opinion not changed, but is of course, whiter.

You can see the results here in my pictures taken at 35 yards distance. I have not seen any place in the package or in the instructions where it mentions the amount of lumens emitted by the three watts Luxeon diode of the new light, but the pictures will help to visualize it.

THE 2D KRIPTON BULB

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/2dkripton.jpg

THE 2 D WITH 3 WATTS LED

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/2dluxeonled.jpg

AND THE BLACK BEAR 720 LUMENS

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/bb720lume.jpg


The package mention the increased battery life and the more rugged emitter (LED’s doesn’t have a filament to burn and can last for 100,000 hours) so the light is an improvement over the Krypton model.
The light has a good throw thanks to the two inch diameter reflector that really help to deliver a beam at long distance, it is the best thrower of all the 3 watts LED in the market, it is an ideal light to keep in car or truck for emergencies and even if necessary, to use as a whacking tool (who knows, you may need it to check for proper inflation in the tires).

The light was on sale at Wal-Mart and I paid $25.00 for it, I think that for that price you get a LOT of quality in a very rugged light that will take abuse and even work underwater.
I recommend the new Maglite 2 D 3 watts LED highly, at 23 oz and ten inches long it is not too heavy but it makes a good impact tool, I know, I have used one to drive tent stakes when camping in the wild.

As for the Black Bear 720 lumens of Black Bear Flashlights, this is a light in another dimension, the internals parts are made with infinite precision and the highest material quality, the Rolls Royce battery carrier (it carriers six rechargeable Nimh batteries) is a work of art, the reflector is a heavy walled solid aluminum and the bulb holder is a quality aluminum and ceramic component, the lens is Pyrex and the torch is heavily modified for the lowest internal resistance.
This Rolls Royce of a flashlight largely hand made, is driving a super-bulb producing 720 lumens of light, only superated by the BOREALIS 1050 lumens, another Black Bear product that is made on the host of the 3 D, 12 ½ inches long and 28 oz.
www.BlackBearFlashlights.com

Back to the Maglite 2 D, LED this light is a quality product made proudly in the USA, the threads are cut with precision and without play and the interior is anodized as well as the outside, the tolerances are minimal and to think that all this quality can be had for less than $30 USD is a miracle of new manufacturing techniques. If some of you are old enough, you may remember that when the new Maglite came into the market in the 1980’s the retail price were $60 USD and the government agencies were flocking to buy them at that price, for the increased quality and innovation that it represented over the other lights in the market then.
www.Maglite.com

For years I had kept a 2D in the glove compartment of my cars and in the trunk the more powerful 6 D’s; I had two of them, one fitted with an orange traffic cone for road emergencies.
The addition of LED technology make the Maglites better than ever, there is many more lights using 3 watts LED’s on the market, but none with the reach of the Maglite and as affordable as they are.


All the best
Black Bear

[black bear]

SUREFIRE MILENNIUM SERIES
CENTURION M-2 WITH P-61 LAMP



This is the “combat” version with the shock absorbing bezel; it uses two of the 123’s batteries and comes with two lamps, the P-60 for 65 lumens and the P-61 for 120 lumens.

Run time is 60 minutes with the 65 lumens lamp and 20 minutes with the P-61 lamp.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/M-2.jpg

This shock absorbing bezel is supposed to take the blast and the heavy recoil of big guns. I haven’t try mine this way, but I have seen others in my group of shooters at the night range, using these lights and never hear a complaint about they performance.

In comparing it with my Centurion C-2 with the regular bezel and the P-61 lamp, I have noticed that the recessed shock absorbing head of the M-2 put out a more concentrated light.
This is because even than the reflector/lamps are the same, the reflector is more inside the light than in the Centurion II model.
Consequently it put out just a little bit less of a flood than the C-2.

This is at the 26 yards distance, camera 12 feet from the deer and 18 from the bear.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/c-2ha120lu.jpg

All the best

Black Bear

[Sistema1927]

I am not an LEO, but I do love flashlights. I have a Sure-Fire by my bed, a Streamlight Scorpion mounted to my AR15, and a couple of Brinkmans, Mag-Lites, and others floating around the house. I also have low output 1AA LED lights in my various 72 hour bags as well as one in my Disaster Relief "Go" bag along with a good shake light from Duluth Trading.

However, the light that I use the most, and the one that is on my belt 99.44% of the time is a Fenix Cree P1D. What a great little light for the size, much better than the Nuwai QIII that is still a little larger with much less output and much shorter battery life.

[PPGMD]

I like the Fenix P1D (Cree) as a general flashlight for non-tactical uses, but without a tailcap switch it's not that great of a tactical belt light IMO.

I use a Surefire G2Z with a Gene Malkoff drop in P60 Cree LED head. It puts over 100 lumens of light for 100 minutes, and a lessor amount for a total of about 3 hours of light. It has the same throw as my M3 on my AR.

[black bear]

I like better the Fenix L1D, it uses one AA battery that is available anywhere, even in third world countries, which is not the case with the 123 Lithium battery.

I use rechargeables Nimhs AA in my lights and it a good feeling of using them guilt free and without polluting the enviroment.

Cheers
Black Bear

[PPGMD]

I like better the Fenix L1D, it uses one AA battery that is available anywhere, even in third world countries, which is not the case with the 123 Lithium battery.

True that is if you are going to a third world country that would be a consideration, but for most people a flashlight is something you toss somewhere and only pull it out when you need it.

NiMH and even Alkaline aren't suited for that, lithiums are better with their long shelf life. This isn't just a random concern, it's happened to me on a couple of occasions. That's why I use all lithiums, sure I can get AA lithiums but they run twice as much as the 123's that I order.

[black bear]

DORCY METAL GEAR
1 WATT LUXEON LED FLASHLIGHT

I was walking by the flashlight aisle at Wal-Mart, when I spotted a side rack of these lights and I was instantly attracted because the Dorcy name is recognized as an innovative and progressive name in flashlights having put out in the market quality items before for no too much money.

The light is all made out of metal and is quite heavy (no aluminum here) the package will not say how much it weights, and my electronic fish scale refused to work today Sunday, so I am only guessing it at about 7 oz.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/dorcyiwatt.jpg


The light works with three AAA batteries that are included in the package, after unscrewing the clicky tail cap you discover a battery carrier for the 3 AAA and after installing them and closing the tail cap you have good illumination.

It is given in the package at 45 lumens and I think that is right, the beam is white enough without any tint of yellow or purple, nowhere in the package is run time mentioned, but I estimate it at five hours, which is a lot.
As I always use Nimh rechargeable batteries the runtime I get is guilt free, this light is a good value and is well made, yes the clip look a little cheap, but it works fine and is very sturdy, it was clamping my pants without a belt securely enough that I was not afraid of losing the light.

It is plenty of flat surfaces in the light, so it is anti-roll, a good feature, another thing I like is the “tactical” click tail cap, the action is very positive.

As always I took a beam shot at 26 yards from my deer head, you can make comparisons with the others lights in the thread, to see how this one perform.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/dorcy1wattbeam.jpg

Before I close, I want to tell you about one of the nicest features of the light, the price.
I just pay only $4.00 for it, a bargain for a light of this quality.

Best

Black Bear

[Bruce333]

DORCY METAL GEAR
1 WATT LUXEON LED FLASHLIGHT

I've had one of these lights for about 1 year now. Your guess on the weight is pretty close, my postal scale shows 6 oz. with batteries.
I've used it daily in a heavy manufacturing facility for up close work (6 feet and under). Overall durability is very good, some finish wear and the clip has sprung out a little (not enough to affect holding power, it stays where I clip it). I'm not sure what the lens material is, but it shows less scratches than my mini-mag light that I had used for about the same length of time.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/bru333/dorcy1.jpg
However the rubber cover on the switch has worn through, still functions fine, may be from getting dunked in diesel fuel. After cleaning the outside, I opened the battery compartment and did not find any trace of fuel. The rubber began to wear away shortly after getting dunked, I'm thinking the fuel softened the rubber.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/bru333/dorcy2.jpg
I'm very pleased with the light output and run time, and the non-roll shape is a definite plus. Think I'll go buy a couple more.

BTW, awesome thread, thanks!

[black bear]

Not exactly for law enforcement but a great light to walk in the woods to you tree stand during hunting season, I have been using the red light for that purpose and it is great!

Inexpensive too.

SPORTMAN XTREME HEADLAMP LED
BY RAYOVAC

I also got this headlight at Wal-Mart. The light is really small and lightweight, it works with one AA battery that drives a one-watt Luxeon with considerable brightness.
It also has two red lights and a blue light (probably Nichias 5 mm) that are set up at a side of the main reflector, and the main reflector has a filter to diffuse the light and make quite a big flood. This feature permits this headlamp to be a thrower of considerable brightness and a flood light to do close-up chores while camping or even reading a book in bed.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/xtrehead.jpg

Very versatile, the red light is a good feature for those that are considerate and will not shine a light in the face of others campers, and will preserve your night vision. Unlike others that I have seen before, this red light is good enough for walking.

The Nichia LED with the blue tint is billed as a tracking light. Good luck if you try to use the blue light for that purpose only: the main beam without the diffusing filter (that just moves to one side) is much better for tracking, as the white light will show the blood as a natural red color, while the blue light shows it in black.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/hearred.jpg

This light will appeal to the most ultra lightweight backpacker; it is really small and light in weight. The run time is given at two hours, while the lumen output is given at 45.

I am very impressed with the ample flood given by the diffusing filter at close range. It so happened that I was showing my car’s battery terminals to my brother-in-law that is a mechanic, and the little light was giving out plenty of illumination. I have found my new light for changing tires and looking under the hood, as well as hiking some trails.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/headblue.jpg

I decided to make a new distance standard for head lights and I fixed it at 16 yards. Some make it that far and some don’t; I believe that if a head lamp can’t make 16 yards it is not worth having. This light makes a good throw to the 16 yards where my deer target was, as you can see in the picture of the beam shot.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/xtreheadla16yards.jpg


I consider the price I paid for this light a bargain ($18.83) and it is available at Wal-Mart and I imagine in many other places. It uses easily available AA batteries and is almost unnoticeable in weight and bulk. I highly recommend it as an alternative to more expensive lights, and although the two hour runtime will not seem to be enough for serious hikers that spend several days in treks, I think it is okay for a day hike.

Best wishes,
Black Bear

[black bear]

Hi guys,
I did this piece for a hunting forum, but I thought I will share it in here.

TWO, BLOOD TRACKING LIGHTS
BEAR CUB 220 LUMENS AND SUREFIRE M-4, 225 LUMENS

Hi guys,
I am the official tracker for our little group of seven bow hunters. Because of the small patch of private woods that we have for hunting, and to preserve the unpolluted area, all tracking is done only after dark when the hunt is over.
Our rules are that no more than two persons will retrieve the deer; this is to keep the woods as free of human odor as possible, not to spoil our chances for the next morning hunt.

I have had a lot of experience with blood tracking lights, since my father first taught me how to do it with the old gas Coleman lantern.
One thing that the old timers had right was the need for intense WHITE light. As time change, there was not need anymore to go back to the truck for the old lantern; the new crop of intense white light pioneered by the tactical lights used for SWAT and Special Forces can do the job of making that blood trail as clear as during the day.

At this point, a word about the blue lights now in use for this task, and is that in many situations they are completely useless, as I learned when I tested one of them by following a wounded bear in the Maine woods in late August. The black drop of blood blended so well with the dark green vegetation of the Maine woods, that it was impossible to track it using that light.
BLUE LIGHT


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/bluefilter.jpg

WHITE LIGHT

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/whitelight.jpg


I am a flashaholic, a disease that is kept in check only by buying and using lights, as I own more than two hundred of them; I am well aware what is good and for what purpose. That is why I am telling my readers that for blood tracking you need a very intense white light of not less than 200 lumens.
That figure rules out LED lights, not only they don’t make the grade in lumens output, they are poor penetrators in fog and are poor distance throwers.
Enter high output incandescent lights with good throw.

Not many of them out there, Surefire for sure was the pioneer with the M-4 and the M-6 lights; the M-6 with the 350 lumens lamp can run for 60 minutes, but it uses six of the expensive 123’s batteries, costing $12 per hour run. The M-4 with the 225 lumens lamp is what I have used for years with satisfaction, except for the cost of $8 per hour, as some tracking jobs sometimes took more than 60 minutes.

THE SUREFIRE M-4 AND THE RECHARGEABLE BEAR CUB

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/bloodlights.jpg


The M-4 is 9 inches long and quite light in weight, it have a stippled reflector that diffuses the light into a flood, which in my opinion is more flood than it is needed, I would like to see this light marketed with a smooth reflector for more useable throw, as sometimes the wounded deer circle back toward the open fields, and to spot one lying dead in the middle of the field more throw is needed.
For more about the Surefire M-4 ($330) contact Surefire at www.surefire.com

BEAMSHOTS FROM 26 YARDS, CAMERA AT 12 FEET FROM DEER

BEAMSHOT OF THE SUREFIRE M-4

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/emecuatro-1.jpg


The rechargeable Bear Cub is made by Black Bear Flashlights; it uses two state of the art Lithium Ion rechargeable batteries for 90 minutes run time outputting 220 lumens. This light is made

using the “host” of a maglite 2 C, which means than after years of hard use when the light is scratched or dented, you can renew it just by buying a new “host” for about $14.00.

The light is also 9 inches long, it has a smooth reflector that concentrates the beam and shoots it a long way, no problem with this light in spotting a dead deer in the middle of the field. The light is sold with a Li Ion charger that will charge the batteries in 3 ½ hours, so it is no problem to have it ready for the next morning, fully charged. These batteries last for 1,000 recharges so you have 1500 hours of use before needing another set of batteries. Before the M-4 can run for 1500 hours it will have spend $12,000 in batteries!

Extra lightweight Lithium Ion rechargeable batteries cost $30 per pair, so carrying an extra pair in a pocket will give you another 90 minutes of white intense tracking light.
When these lights are not used for tracking they make a formidable tactical light for home defense, with the capability of momentarily blinding an opponent.
The Bear Cub is available from the maker for $130 shipped, for more about this light contact www.BlackBearFlashlights.com

BEAMSHOT OF THE BEAR CUB


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/osopeqeno.jpg


Both of these lights will beat handily a 250,000 lumens spotlight; they are very convenient to carry in a pack or fanny-pack or even a large pocket. I use a red light to enter the woods without polluting them with light; I make a habit of always carrying my Bear Cub in my pack, ready for the most important chore of the hunting season, the retrieval of a wounded deer. I think that is our obligation to the game to make our best efforts to retrieve the deer we shoot, the use of the proper tool for tracking blood is imperative to aid in such efforts.

All the best

Black Bear

[Hutch]

What a gold mine of information. Thanks for the information, and all the effort that went into developing it.

[black bear]

A HAIR TIE FOR YOUR TACTICAL LIGHT

Hi guys,
Many tactical lights come with a lanyard, so you can let go of them while you are reloading or opening doors, etc.

However these long lanyards give the light too much freedom of movement, and sometimes can cause some problems as they can get hang on something or as I saw it happening, colliding the light into your head when trying to clear a stove-pipe jam.

The inexpensive hair tie can be knotted into a light that doesn’t have a point of attachment, so it more practical in all situations.
Its short length, help to keep more control on your light, and it is very easy to use; one flip of your wrist and the light is in the back of your hand, another flip and is back into your palm.

The pictures show it attached to my thumb (due to my large hands is in my case more comfortable) but it also can be used in the middle finger, or even in the index finger.

Visit your GF or wife and give the hair tie a try.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/tieonASP.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/hairtie.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/backofhand.jpg


Cheers
Black Bear

[black bear]

DEAL EXTREME VERSUS P-60 LAMP
FOR SUREFIRE TWO CELLS

A while ago I bought one of the Deal Extreme new Cree lamps advertised to fit the Surefires for two cells, like in the 6P, G-2, Z-2, C-2 etc.

Yesterday I installed it in a Surefire G-2 (the yellow one). The fit is not exactly perfect, as you can see in the picture, the lamp is a little longer than necessary and the bezel doesn’t close all the way, like in the green G-2.
I guess I can fix the gap by instating an O ring, a trip to Home Depot to get one in necessary.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/twog2s.jpg


Inside the house, at short range the output is considerable; I think that at the short distance inside the house I will prefer it over the P-60 lamp.
Outside, the P-60 lamp is giving me more range and more picture detail up to maybe 45 yards, at my usual range of 26 yards (where I test all my lights against the deer head) I will say that they both go head to head, as you may see in the pictures in the general illumination department, BUT the definition of the foliage to the right of the tree (at the height of the posted sign) is better with the P-60 incandescent lamp.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/dealP60.jpg



Many G-2’s gets to be mounted in carbines like the M-4 or M-16, I have people ask me if I will use the Deal Extreme lamp in them, (As they suppose to resist recoil better), well, no, I still prefer the P-60 lamp for the extended range and even better the P-61 lamp for the increase brightness and coverage with their 120 lumens.

G=2 WITH DEAL EXTREME, RANGE 26 YARDS, CAMERA 12 FEET.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/G-2DEALEXTREMELAMP.jpg


G-2 WITH P-60 LAMP

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/p60lampg-2.jpg



Any way it is not recoil that break filament lamps, but it is the vibration of many rounds while the filament is very hot, that explain why during the 1920’s and to the 60’s tigers were hunted from machans using regular 2 and 3 D flashlights clamped to the barrel in powerful rifles like the 470 Nitro Express, without any trouble with the bulbs. It seems that one or two shots, will not affect the filament, no matter how much the recoil is.
After all the filament is very lightweight and the inertia is just not there, because the lack of real weight.

All the best

Black Bear

[black bear]

DEAL XTREME LAMP, AGAIN

HI GUYS, THIS IS A COLLABORATION FROM
CHEVROFREAK

The problem with the Deal Extreme modules is that none of them use thermal regulation to reduce the drive current to the LED to control the temperature of the lamp. LED's do not like high heat. It reduces their efficiency, shortens their lives, and can cause the tint of the light output to change.

The Nitrolon body of the G2 acts as an insulator rather than a conductor, so that heat just stays inside of the lamp and cooks the LED. These modules are better suited for use in aluminum bodied flashlights like the 6P. They'll work alright for short bursts in the G2 (I'd say a max of 5 minutes) but extended use is not recommended outside of an emergency.

Surefire recently released a G2L and 6PL that uses their P60L LED module. It has a sensor under the LED to cut the current back when the LED gets hot, in order to prolong life. Well, the G2L has only been out for a few months now and Surefire has already made a change in it. They swapped the Nitrolon bezel out for an aluminum one in order to help dissipate heat.

Since they did this with a light that uses a thermally regulated module, it makes you wonder just how incredibly hot the non-thermally regulated modules actually get. Actually, I don't have to wonder since I tested a Deal Extreme 4068 module in a G2 and after just a few minutes it was too hot to hold in my hand, and the tint of the beam had shifted blue. It was perfectly fine in an aluminum bodied flashlight, though.

[black bear]

THE BEAR CUB
SMALL LIGHT BIG PERFORMANCE

Not long ago to get magnum illumination out of a flashlight, I had to drop down the tube, six of the big D batteries on a Maglite 6 D size.
That the light weights three pounds one ounce and measures 19 ½ inches was just incidental to the use if I wanted to get a really good, powerful beam.

Later Surefire come up with small lights that could take two and three or four small but powerful 123’s camera batteries, some of those lights, come up and surpass the 181 lumens of the big Maglite 6 D.
I am thinking now of the specialty tactical light than Surefire have as the M-4 that uses four of the 123 batteries for 225 lumens for one hour run time.
Incidentally the M-4 is not precisely inexpensive, costing $330 USD from Surefire or their dealers.

The only problem is that the little 3 volts batteries are quite expensive, and using four of them for one hour run time can cost you $8.00 for that hour.
And that is if you buy them at discount over the Internet, when purchased in the camera stores (such as Wal Mart) the little 3 volts batteries cost as much as $4 each.

So a light of the size of the Surefire M-4 (9 inches long) was highly desired if it could be made to run on rechargeable batteries, to avoid the big battery expense of the M-4.

Enter the Bear Cub, a nine inches light, with a 13 oz. weight that is rechargeable and uses Lithium Ion batteries.
This little light makes 220 lumens for 90 minutes of run time, and then recharges its two batteries with a fast charger that is included, in three and a half hours.
The Lithium Ion batteries can be recharged up to 1,000 times and when they eventually get depleted can be replaced with $30.

HERE IS A PICTURE OF THE BLACK BEAR CUB LIGHT, NEXT TO THE SUREFIRE M-4.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/bloodlights.jpg

AND HERE NEXT TO THE MAGLITE 6 D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/mag6dpic.jpg

And here a couple of beam shots at 26 yards for comparison.

MAGLITE 6 D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/maglite6dbeam.jpg

BEAR CUB

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/bearpeqenobeam.jpg

Yes the little rechargeable Bear Cub is characterized for an intense white light, and a run time of 90 minutes, all in a small size that can fit in any glove compartment or trench coat pocket.
Best Wishes

Black Bear

[ETCss Phil McCrackin]

So does the deal extreme review posted above pretty much apply to the 200-275 Lumen Cree Drop-ins listed on E-bay from Places like International Trading Company? If not, how do these drop-ins compare to the base Surefires?

[black bear]

I haven't tested any of the drop ins you mention, so I can't comment on them.

Cheers
Black Bear

[black bear]

ULTRA FIRE FMR1 REBEL LUXEON
200 LUMENS
ONE CR 123 A BATTERY

I bought this light from Deal Extreme for $23.24 shipped. I was very curious to try one of the Rebel 200 lumen new Luxeons and I think this is the best way to try one inexpensively.

The light has a click on, click off switch and five modes of intensities. The low mode is 30 lumens and is said to last for 24 hours. Another is 100 lumens for six hours, and the 200 lumens mode is three hours; then you have a strobe mode and an SOS mode.

I used a new Battery Station 123 and in the high 200 mode it lasted for ½ an hour, and it gets hot very quick. I don’t know if the poor run time is the fault of the battery that was under-charged, or if the light will perform the same with others 123’s, but that is the results I got.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/ultrf.jpg


Due to the small head, the flood effect is quite pronounced and the throw is poor for a 200 lumen light, but I was expecting it to be that way based on experience with other small headed keychain-type lights.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/rebelled.jpg


Two hundred lumens in a two inch head of an incandescent will put a level of illumination that is tremendous in comparison to the small head of the Rebel 200 lumens. So we are in a time when we can no longer make an assessment based on the lumens figure, that is when the comparison pictures that I have been taken show the value, as the viewer can see for himself how the different lights with the same value in lumens output perform in real life.

If I consider the low price I like the little light in general, excepting the side switch that can be a little hard to find in a rush, as it is kind of recessed in the head of the light and difficult to find by feel alone. I will have preferred a tail switch such as I have in my Fenix L1D, but it is a tremendous price difference between the two lights, so all things considered I think that the Ultra fire is a great value, and I can put up with the side switch.

After trying to like the clip for a couple of weeks, I ended throwing it away, it is too flimsy and I will not trust it to keep the light in my pocket. The light is regular anodized, but had stood well the use in my pocket with keys and coins.

Here is my usual 26-yard beam shot against my deer head with the Ultra Fire 200 lumens

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/ultrafire200.jpg


And here is a beam shot with the 220 lumens Bear Cub rechargeable that sport a two inch head and have a range of 150 yards.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/bearpeqenobeam.jpg


All the best,
Black Bear

[black bear]

Happy new year for my friends and Forum staff

black bear

[black bear]

STREAMLIGHT TWIN TASK 2 L

It is easy for me to do an objective review of this light. I have been using a couple of them for two years, quite often (not exclusively because I own other lights also for everyday use).

The light has performed extremely well for me. The Twin Task uses for power two lithium 3 volts, 123 batteries, and it have two light sources, one xenon bulb of 72 lumens and three Nichia 5mm LED’s of about 7 lumens each.
The LED mode will last for 28 hours (I have to take the word of the manufacturer for this, because I haven’t done a run time that long). And the Xenon bulb’s run time will last for 2 ½ hours.
The light is quite comfortable in the hand and similar to others 123’s lights, measuring 1.34” wide and 5.43“ long, and weighing at 3.37 oz.

Due to the micro-faceted reflector, the flood with the three LED’s or the Xenon bulb is ample. If you don’t have to illuminate things at a distance the light is useful for chores inside the house or in the campsite or trail.
I have used it mostly with the three LED’s and I have come to believe the run time of 28 hours claimed by the manufacturer because after two years of sporadic use the light is still going in the same battery set.

The switch is on top of the head, as this is not a “tactical” light I found the switch convenient, so does my wife, that have the same model but in Titanium finish.
The focus is adjustable, but even in the tight setting the light have a lot of flood. I have lend my second light to my hunting pal Frank, that left it on the three stand for a week, on returning the light it was just the same in finish having weathered the week without any mark or discoloration. So, I didn’t have any problem dunking it for a couple of hours in a big glass of water to see if it really was waterproof, and yes, it was, so far at this depth.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/twintaskagua.jpg

The beam shot at 26 yards using the xenon bulb doesn’t look impressive at all, and that is because the reflector is designed for extreme flood, but that is okay, this light is mostly for using indoors, walking the dog or for hiking a trail at the most.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/twintks.jpg


In this picture one of my Twin Task have a Velcro tape, this match with the Velcro in my baseball cap, and allow me to have my hands free for doing any chores while directing the illumination where I am looking.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/twintask.jpg

The street price is about $32 USD and I think that it is quite reasonable for the quality of the product, based on my experience with it I can recommend it highly.

Best regards

Black Bear

[black bear]

THE BLACK BEAR 720 LUMENS
RECHARGEABLE FLASHLIGHT

The Black Bear 720 lumens flashlight is 10 inch long and weights 23 oz. It has all the same high quality state of the art components as its bigger sister the Borealis 1050 lumens.

The Black Bear is made on the “host” of the Maglite 2 D., which is one of the advantages of the Black Bear System, as when after hard use, if the light is scratched or dented, a new host can be replaced inexpensively available almost anywhere, and the transfer of parts takes only ten minutes of the owner’s time.

The only difference between the Borealis and the Black Bear 720 (beside the shorter length) is in the shorter Rolls Royce battery carrier (for six batteries) and the reduced voltage super-bulbs.
The light has a 40 minutes run time and outputs an incredible 720 lumens, all this with rechargeable Nimh in the Rolls Royce battery carrier. This unit plugs into the charger for a 4 ½ hours charge.

THE BLACK BEAR 720, ROLLS ROYCE BATTERY CARRIER AND CHARGER

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/BlackB720.jpg


It is almost impossible to talk about the Black Bear 720 without mention its closest competition, the Surefire M-6.
The Surefire M-6 is well known in the tactical circles as the light used by SWAT teams and Special Forces, This light that cost close to $400, is 500 lumens for a run time of 20 minutes, running on six disposable 123 batteries, yes that is right! it uses six batteries, a value of $12 for a 20 minutes run time.

THE BB720 IS NOT MUCH LARGER THAN THE M-6, AND IT HAS A BETTER BATTERY CARRIER

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/BB720andEmesix.jpg


Clearly, the Black Bear 720 lumens is a better value as the batteries are rechargeable, with a life of 1.000 recharges and the run time is of 40 minutes.
When the BB 720 needs new batteries after 666 hours of running, a new set costs only $30.
While the M-6 has only one choice in reflector finish, the light stippled, the BB720 has a choice of four reflector finish, to customize the light to your work. Wildlife officers doing deer census in the field will want the long throw capabilities of the Smooth (mirror finish) reflector, same as firefighters that need to punch a hole in the smoke. Others can use the Orange Peel for a little more flood, and the law enforcement officers will like the capabilities of illuminating an entire warehouse with the extra flood provided by the Light Stippled and Medium Stippled reflectors.



None of the other incandescent flashlights used for military/police work will get near the lumens output of the BB720, the Magcharger is 200 lumens and the most powerful of the Streamlights, the Ultra Stinger, is 295 lumens.
The shorter size of the Black Bear 720 makes it a natural to store in the car, inside the glove compartment, and it is not too heavy to be carried in a trench coat or overcoat pocket and the power in lumens compares to a car’s headlights or to a one and a half million candlepower spotlight, really an amazing performance for a light of this size.

Surefire M-6

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/suremesixli.jpg

Black Bear 720

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/720bbtres15.jpg


Like its bigger sister the Borealis 1050 lumens, (12 ½ inches 28 oz.), the BB720 is hand made one by one on a semi-custom basis, using state of the art components and lots of hand labor to reduce internal resistance to make the white light that is the trademark of the Black Bear Flashlights.

All the best
Black Bear

[black bear]

INOVA X5 T LED FLASHLIGHT

My INOVAS X5 Tactical are about two years old; I bought them because the futuristic design, quality of materials and workmanship and because of the revolutionary technical advances in illumination was state of the art at the time of my purchases.

The INOVA X5 is a beautiful light, the smooth soft flood provided by the five Nichias 5mm LED’s is unparallel (or was at the time) in flood light illumination for short range.
Comparing it with others LED lights of the time like the Peltz Tikka (3 LED’s) the illumination provided by the elegant INOVA was far superior in flood and in range.

Probably the reason is the two 123’s batteries that the light works with, we have here 6 volts of power for the five Nichias, providing up to twenty hours of run time.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/3inovasx5t.jpg


Physically the light is 865.” in diameter and 4.75 “long and weights 3.56 oz. the flats along the body provide a nice grip, the tail cap is knurled very fine and it have a transverse hole for a lanyard. The tail cap is a “tactical” one in the sense that it can be pushed momentarily (on the soft pad) for illumination or can be locked steady for constant by screwing it more. It also have a lock up feature (unscrewing the tail cap a little) to prevent accidental activation.

I think that I paid about $37 or so for this light, it is a high quality light and worth the money, it will not have a long range and the stated 120 feet in the literature of the package seems a little excessive to my eyes, in any case it is a flood light and not a light for distance.

For the same reason I am not doing a beam shot to my customary deer target at 26 yards, the camera will not process enough light at that distance.
But this beam shot at 13 feet can’t give you an idea of the soft even flood illumination with a more intense center.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/inovabeam.jpg




There are some X5 that have a different switch (one that is not tactical) these lights doesn’t have the “T” denomination in the package.
The user of this light for the first time will be surprised by the arrangement of the batteries. They are installed with the positive going toward the tail cap. The threaded tail cap is butter smooth in the threads, high quality all the way in this light, good solid feel without being heavy and according to the literature, crush-proof to two thousand pounds.

The lights come in black matte anodizing or satin nickel, (called Titanium finish) and I have one of them sporting RED LED light, this red light X5T for some reason needs only one 123 battery. This is the light I use to drain all capacity from 123’s batteries that can not longer power my incandescent Surefire Centurion III. You can get several more hours of illumination from those “depleted” 123’s when used in this light.
Although we have now more powerful LED lights, the INOVA can provide many hours of illumination from the batteries and is a pleasure to use such a well constructed and designed high quality torch.
Cheers

Black Bear

[black bear]

THE FENIX T-1
TACTICAL LIGHT
Fenix has come out with a new LED tactical light. It runs on two 123 batteries and outputs in the high setting 225 lumens for 1.5 hours. In the low setting of sixty lumens it lasts, according to the instructions, 10 hours.
This new light uses a Cree Premium Q-5 7090 XR-E that is said to make 225 lumens. It could very well be as it trounces every other LED light that I have in the stables, including my darling E2e modded with MacGizmo PR T head.

The light output is really impressive for an LED; it even has a very decent throw that is sufficient for tactical use inside and even outside.
I have tested it against other tactical lights like my Surefire Centurion III with P-91 lamp (200 lumens) and it really compares very well, to the point that I will carry from now on the new T-1 instead of the Centurion III.

My neighbor’s door is 50 yards away and the light illuminates the target quite well. The package says that the range is 200 yards, which is an exaggeration, and I can’t see any illumination at a target placed 200 yards away. My regular testing for long distance is a hydrant at 88 yards and a group of trees at 111 yards. This light will illuminate the hydrant, barely. I can see that the outline of the hydrant is there (The same with the Centurion III) but I can’t make out any detail or see it sharply. If the target were a human at that distance, I will be not able to tell if it is a bad guy with a gun or a nun with a cell phone.

My incandescent rechargeable Bear Cub light at 220 lumens can illuminate the hydrant and the group of trees at 111 yards and go beyond, It is well known that incandescent provide longer range and better definition. Granted the Bear Cub has a bigger reflector and the light itself is longer at 9 inches.

THE BEAR CUB 220 LUMENS, THE FENIX 225 AND THE SUREFIRE CENTURION III WITH P-91, 200 LUMENS

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/t-1middle.jpg


The T-1 has a massive head with a wall of 4.5 mm thickness, and the light is quite heavy in comparison with other tactical lights. But it is the price you pay for running an LED at 225 lumens, as all this mass of metal is needed to divert the heat away from the batteries.
You may know that the LED’s unlikely incandescent that throw the heat forward as infrared, accumulate heat near the source of light, that is why they have to have a heavy heat sink, this heavy head act as one.
Otherwise the heat will reach the batteries and when a certain point is reached the internal protection that the 123’s batteries have, will cut down the juice, and stop the light.
So, they advertise the light as been built like a tank, but now you know what is the real reason behind all that metal at the head.
The light is say to be waterproof and it passed my four hour test in a BIG glass filled with water. Now in winter is no way that I am going to test it further by doing some diving.
I love the switch; it is just have the right feel for the momentary action, so good that it can be strobe as fast as you want if that is your cup of tea for tactical encounters. It is permanent on by clicking it, and can be unscrewed to put it in safe mode for when you carry the light in luggage or back pack.

The tail cap of the switch has a hole for a lanyard that is included and you can stand the light on its tail cap on a flat surface for a candle mode. What you cannot do is use this light with the Roger-Surefire or cigar grip because the rubber button is recessed flat with the tail cap.
Inside the package I found a spare button and O rings, I applaud that move by Fenix, and it is appreciated as some of us use the lights hard.

The T-1 comes with a holster, which is okay, but it also have a sturdy clip that grasp my belt very well and lower the profile on your waist in comparison with the holster. The only thing about the clip is that it rubs on the body of the light when you want to access the low mode of 60 lumens. We will see how good is the hard anodized type III as the clip is rubbing against the light with a good pressure and I suspect will be soon marked by a line.
BEAM SHOT OF THE THREE LIGHTS ABOVE, 26 YARDS RANGE, CAMERA AT 12 FEET

FENIX T-1

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/fenixt-1.jpg

SUREFIRE CENTURION III WITH P-91 LAMP

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/centu3.jpg

BEAR CUB 220 LUMENS

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/bc-22090.jpg

Anyway I think that the Fenix T-1 is one of the better lights that have hit the market lately, it is very rugged and is very well made, and well worth the price of 76 USD that I have paid for it.
Regards

Black Bear

[black bear]

I am not Navy Seal, but I try all my "serious business" lights for waterproof.

So I left the Fenix T-1 for four hours with the light on in the 60 lumens mode setting in a vase full of water.

No water got inside the light

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/fenixinwater.jpg

Cheers
Black Bear

[black bear]

THE FENIX P3D
FLASHLIGHT

I have purchased yet another light of the Fenix line. The new torch is the Fenix P3D, a multi-level light running on two 123 batteries.
The P3D I bought uses a premium (Q5) Cree 7090 XR-E LED. The light is digitally regulated and has six levels of illumination.

There are two modes of output that are selected by turning the bezel. The general mode is: 12 lumens for 65 hours, by softly pressing the switch; the second mode will be 53 lumens for 13 hours; pressing again will put you in the 120 lumen mode for 4.8 hours; and again will access the SOS mode (also 120 lumens).

By turning the bezel you can access the turbo mode at 205 lumens, and pressing again softly on the switch will put you in the strobe mode of 205 lumens.

The light has a low battery indicator. The indicator will strobe the light in low, very fast light; I had opportunity to test this when I put two inexpensive 123 batteries that I thought were both fully charged.
It seems that one of them was with a very low charge, even though it was a new purchase. I had learned to use only the best 123 batteries that I believe are the Surefire brand.
Putting the Surefire batteries in the P3D allowed the light to operate without a hitch.

The light is 4.5” long and 0.8 in diameter. The anodizing is type III finish and the lens has an anti-reflective coating similar to what is put in eyeglasses.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/fxp3d.jpg

As like the other models of Fenix lights, the P3D also can be used in candle mode, as the rubber button doesn’t protrude like in other lights that are uses as tactical.
A word of advice; use the 205 lumen mode very sparingly. The light gets hot very quickly in this mode and the excessive heat can damage the Cree emitter if used for a long time. If you need a light that can be used without damaging the LED in the higher setting for a long run, you have to purchase the Fenix T-1 that has a massive heat sink and bulky head that will draw the heat away from the Cree.

As the LED’s lack the infrared spectrum of light, the heat is concentrated near the head, instead of been thrown forward as the incandescent lights do.
The light comes with a handy holster. This is one torch that I don’t mind not having a clip, as the holster is very flat and comfortable to wear.

This light is so handy that it has replaced my Surefire E2e that was the light I used to wear for years when I went out of the house. I also have another light on my key chain, another Fenix product, the L1D, a one AA battery light with multiple levels.
Carrying now the two Fenixes, I will have light for a long time if I am involved in a situation that I need to use them.

The P3D can be used as a tactical light if the distance involved is short, like in an interior house situation. However, if the light were to be used to illuminate somebody in the back yard, the brightness of the 205 lumens at say, my usual distance of 26 yards, will be not be sufficient to blind a person as the tactical lights are supposed to do. I know because I tested it on myself at that distance, and the blinding effect was not present.

To illustrate the point I use another light that is also in the 220 lumens bracket, the Bear Cub incandescent, 220 lumens for 90 minutes. If you look at the pictures you will notice how strong the concentrated white beam of the Bear Cub is in comparison to the flood light of the P3D.

Also notice to the right of the subject how the incandescent light reveals leaves that are not shown in the beam of the Fenix. This is the famous lack of definition that I often talk in my posts; it can be translated as lack of detail from the LED beam.

For that reason I think that the 26 yards to the fence is the maximum range of the little reflector of the P3D. Bigger reflectors like in the Fenix T-1 with the same Cree Q,5 can reach as far as 50 yards. A word of advice, don’t try to make the little, svelte P3D do the job that is designed for the T-1, just confine the P3D for the house and other places with short range. After all what you should try to achieve if using a light in a tactical situation, is to indentify the subject as an intruder (it could be a member of you family or a friend of your son or daughter). The light has to be powerful enough to blind the person, giving you time to appreciate if the intruder is armed and with what, and if you are justified to shoot the intruder. This last step of indentifying the armament requires more time than you realize, as it is easy to (after being woken from a sound sleep) see a gun in the guy’s hands when he is actually holding a cell phone.

Taking into consideration all these precautions, so as not to shoot an innocent person that could be in your house as a guest of your son or daughter, my choice is a big powerful light (like the Borealis 1050 lumens) carried in the off hand and NOT lined up with the muzzle of my gun at all, just because I don’t want to cover an innocent person with my muzzle.

That is why I am not big fan of the tactical rail pistol lights, and when I clear my house (Had to do it twice in the last three months) my muzzle is looking down at the floor. It will take just a fraction of a second to raise it and tighten the grip to activate the laser. I much prefer the use of the laser if any shooting is to be done, as it avoids the tunnel vision that occurs when you place your gun in front of your face in a low light situation.

I have practiced with the laser grips for the last two years, and the speed of my response has improved by 33%. It is hard to beat a laser-aimed pistol to respond to low light encounters. It is way much better than night sights that have a relatively short spam of use when used by themselves, and are unnecessary when using with a light.

P3D beam from 26 yards,

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/fenix15feet.jpg

Bear Cub beam from 26 yards

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/bc15feet.jpg


Coming back to the P3D, it has a strobe effect in the 205 lumens setting; it will not do anything different to my eyes than the actual steady 205 lumens light can do. Must be all my disco dancing in the ’70 had me accustomed to the strobe effect.
The little torch is good, that is why it is my new light over the E2e. Placed in the holster or in your pants pocket, you hardly know that the light is there and a lot of cool features and power are just at your fingertips.
I recommend it highly.
Regards

Black Bear

[black bear]

THE ARC AAA FLASHLIGHT

There is a type of very small LED lights (called key chain light) that is ideal for police officers who have to write a report or a ticket. The light is very flood like and not very powerful at 5.5 lumens, it will not affect night vision much and will illuminate the pad very well if the light is clipped to your hat or epaulet.

The little ARC is small and almost weightless, it measures 2.7” long and 0.5 “in diameter and can last for 5 hours to 50 percent output on a regular AAA battery.
The body of the light is 6061 aluminum with military hard anodized type III and coated with chem-cote in the interior.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/arcaaa.jpg


Cost of the light is $29.95 for the regular model and $44.95 for the Premium model that has a more powerful LED of 9 lumens.

The light is provided with a clip that will stay very well put on the brim of a hat or cap, it also has a split ring to attach the light to a key chain. Of course it also makes a good light if attached to the bill of a sporting cap when camping.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/arcincap.jpg


There are some chores that require that you use your two hands, and the unobtrusive ARC is hardly noticeable until you need it.

As you can see in the picture, I use rechargeable AAA Nimhs as well as AA’s. The new Nimh batteries are really powerful and have lots of capacity, 1,000 mah for the AAA, and 2700 or more for the AA’s. They can be recharged up to 1,000 times which make them a great saving over using alkaline batteries.

Besides, you will be helping the environment as well as your pocket; I highly recommend the new rechargeable Nimh batteries.
Cheers

Black Bear

[black bear]

THE CLASSIC SUREFIRE E1E EXECTUTIVE ELITE
FLASHLIGHT

This light is a beauty, short, light weight, with considerable power and with a decent run time for an incandescent light

In today’s market it is a little obsolete in the power department, as the Fenix line of small pocket/key chain lights put out more lumens and have more features.
Still, the Surefire E1e is the “classic” small light that arrived at a time when 15 lumens was only achieved with big lights using 2D batteries.

The E1e is extremely well made and finished in hard anodized type III in an olive drab finish; it weights 2.20 ounces and has a length of 3.40 inches. The lens is Pyrex and the reflector is stochastic, meaning that is finished with a light stippled pattern that makes the beam free of defects, rings and artifacts.

The light runs on one of the RC123’s batteries with a run time of 1.5 hours, the beam is nice, but will not throw far as the reflector is quite small, and small reflectors produce quite a flood.

The tail cap has three positions: unscrewed a couple of turns it will lock up the light (what is considered a safety position); screwed a little more, will allow activation of the momentary position by pressing the rubber button; screwed further, will activate the light on constant.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/suree1ehard.jpg


The little light charges the battery from the front, that means you have to take the head out to install the battery, as there is not enough room for the battery to enter if you remove the tail cap, as in most other lights.

The 15 lumens lamp is called MN01, and is 15 lumens of course; the MN02 is 25 lumens but it’s used in the E series Surefire that carries two batteries, as is the more powerful 60 lumens MN03.

I see this light as ideal for a woman’s purse or a man’s pocket. Although the retail price is $79 USD the light is so well made that is worth it. Finally, the light sports a clip that can be used to clip it to the edge of a pocket for quick retrieval, or to the bill of a cap if you need to do some chore using two hands.
Cheers

Black Bear

[unreal45]

Great thread, thanks for the info BB.

[unreal45]

I am a flashlight nut and carry both a 6p led and a stinger xt on my duty belt.
I was wondering if you have an opinion on the stinger hp head that supposedly boost candlepower from 15,000 to 40,000. BTW I have my eye on your Borealis 1050 lumen flashlight I think I have a spot for one in my duty bag. :D:D

[black bear]

For the price of $23,99 I am recommending the upgrade kit 78004.
The lamp is different and your battery will drain faster, but I am guessing the improvement will be worthwhile as the light will put close to 200 lumens.

http://www.opticsplanet.net/streamlight-stinger-hp-upgrade-kit-78004.html

What the Stinger line needs is an upgrade to Lithium Ion batteries that are more powerful, drop less current and last much longer away from the charger.

E-mail me any time to admin@blackbearflashlights.com and I will send you more information about the Borealis, I am looking forward to put one inside your duty bag.

All the best
Black Bear

[black bear]

HUSKY 2D 3 WATT LED FLASHLIGHT



I was at Home Depot and I spied a new light in the flashlight section. The new torch is a HUSKY brand, which is a brand name of Home Depot. I have used some of their inexpensive lights; they are made in China and represent a good value in some models.

The new light uses two D batteries (that are included in the package) and the source of light is a three watt LED. The difference in this torch is that the switch activates three different levels of illumination.
The package lacks any instructions and doesn’t even mention the output of the light or the run time. So I am guessing that the first mode (the first click) is a 12 lumens light, second click at 40 lumens and the last click about 80 lumens.

The idea of having three different levels is good, it will conserve battery juice when you just need a little light for illumination, and at the same time, the other two settings are there for more lumens when you need to reach farther or put out more intensity.
As this thread is all about comparisons, I decided to pit the new HUSKY against a Maglite 2D LED 3 watt that I bought a few months ago. I purchased the Maglite from Wal Mart for $24 USD, but I think that it was on sale at the time, still price wise the two lights. Compare.

The HUSKY is ½” shorter, otherwise they compare physically to each other and they weight the same, although the HUKY have a slightly smaller head.
The outside of the Husky is finished in a slightly duller anodizing than the Maglite; both lights look handsome on the outside.
In the inside the Husky shows the threads of the tail-cap, body and head very rough. Removing the head I found an adequate heat sink, although the mounting of the LED looks a little lousy. I wanted to take a look at the reflector and plastic lens, but it was not possible to remove the bezel despite my superhuman and my weight-lifter friend efforts - the bezel seems to have been super-glued in place.

The tail-cap sports a flimsy lanyard that I will not trust to hold the light for long, and looking inside at the switch, I found it very cheesy looking, more appropriate for a toy than for a flashlight. The little strip of metal where the battery makes contact with the switch, it doesn’t look good either.

The Maglite 2D on the other hand, is a high quality product with butter smooth threads, a switch that will last forever and a lot of well thought-out features (cam action, self cleaning switch, etc).
The Maglite is an American product that should cost much more of what it does now. Old timers may recall that when they first show up in the 1980’s the price tag was $60 USD and that they were selling like hot cakes, the engineering of the Maglite was at that time well above any of the existing lights, including the Kel-Lite.

In the picture you can see the Maglite 2D LED on left, the Husky light in the middle, and the red one on right is a Black Bear 720 lumens, (1 ½ million candlepower) a custom made light that shows how much illumination we can put into a Maglite “host” 2D, with a little ingenuity, and if the people are willing to pay the price of a custom product.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/husky.jpg


Here are the beam shots for comparison, 35 yards to the fence.

HUSKY 3 watt

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/beamone.jpg

MAGLITE 3 watt

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/beam2.jpg

BLACK BEAR 720 LUMENS

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/beam3bb720.jpg


My impression is that the Maglite has a much better beam, in color rendition and in intensity. Also, I can throw the beam of the Maglite much further than the Husky, even that both lights are 3 watt, the Maglite is better in quality of LED and power.
Granted - the Maglite has a 2” full reflector, while the Husky could be only 1 ¾ “ that could account for the better throw, but the Maglite definitely has a whiter beam and it is more intense.

All the best
Black Bear

[black bear]

SUREFIRE E2e MODIFICATIONS

Judging for the mail I get from people, there is some interest in modifying the E2e (or E2O) for more lumen output.
The standard question is: Do you have any lamp that will make the E2e brighter?

There are two modifications made to the E2e to make it brighter. Both of them involve the P-61 lamp from Surefire, an incandescent lamp that output 120 lumens for 20 minutes.

The NASCAR modification (more properly named This_is_Nascar, for its developer), involves removing the stock reflector from the P-81 lamp and using the head and reflector of the standard E2e.

On top is the E to C adaptor model, below is the NASCAR model.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/E2CandNascarpic.jpg


And this is the E to C adaptor on top and below the NASCAR modification.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/nascardissasem.jpg


It is necessary to stretch the bezel of the E2e to accommodate the longer P-61 lamp. This is accomplished by installing an O ring between the head and bezel and using a thinner mineral crystal instead of the Pyrex lens.
A washer is also used to bring the lamp to the proper focal point in the reflector. This modification has a run time of seven minutes, when the heat of running the 120 lumen lamp will reach the batteries, causing them to kick the thermal protection. This stops the juice to the lamp. Of course, after the batteries cool down, the light can be used again.

This happens because of the little mass of metal at the head and reflector. If there was more mass of metal at this point the heat would be absorbed (and displaced forward as infrared) and the batteries would continue to provide the full run time of twenty minutes.

And it is here where the second modification makes its appearance; by using an adaptor to bridge the gap between the E series body and a C series head. It is possible to use the P-61 lamp without removing the reflector. All the mass of the adaptor, coupled with the bigger head and the mass of the reflector, perfectly handles the heat of the powerful P-61 lamp, and the full run time of twenty minutes can be achieved, as well as less heat in the part of the light that is held by your hand.

There are a couple of versions in the market of this E to C adaptor. The one shown here was made by Doug Speck in Toronto, Canada. It is hard anodized to match the body of the E2e (or E2O) and the Z-44 (The head of the Surefire Centurion II).
Also, as the reflector (and head) are bigger, the range (throw) is increased over the smaller reflector of the stock E2e. Not to mention changing lamps is a breeze.
For more run time, the P-60 lamp (65 lumens) can be substituted; it will give the light one hour run time with much better throw than the stock E2e.

The NASCAR version has some use when somebody desires a rifle light in the smaller format with an intensity of 120 “real” lumens, and a good flood coverage for clearing rooms. Using a 1” scope ring and a plastic bushing, it is possible to mount the light to any Picattiny or Weaver base.

Best regards,
Black Bear

[unreal45]

Thanks for taking time to reply BB.
I guess i will purchase the upgrade. To use until i can save up for a BlackBear. :)

[Box T]

Excellent thread!

[LopezEL]

Black bear, would it be possible or worthwhile to modify a mini maglite to compete with a surefire g2?

[black bear]

LopezEL,
It is possible but not wortwhile.
You have to turn the head of a mini maglite using two hands (most of the time), the mass of metal at the head is not much, and it will heat fast.

You are better off with one of the Fenix lights that use AA's and the Cree module. Check the Fenix Store and you will find advanced lights with multiple settings (long run time in a low setting and fantastic output in the high setting, plus the SOS and strobe functions).

Besides they have a nice clicky tail cap that permit one hand use.

Or if you don't mind 123's check the Fenix P3D and the Fenix T-1 or the new TK-10.

Best regards
Black Bear

[FSCJedi]

black bear, what do you think about Malkoff (http://www.malkoffdevices.com/)'s drop-in bulb replacements for Maglight and SureFire G2/6P series flashlights? I got one of his M60 drop-in's for my G2L that I have mounted on my carbine. I'd be interested in knowing what you think of this setup. Feel free to PM or email me if you'd rather.

[black bear]

I think that you got the best drop in. It will run at 235 lumens and is quite intense. The unit that I play with has some dark ring by the hot spot; I don't know what causes it.

I will feel more comfortable using the M-60 in an all metal flashlight such as the 6 P.

Good purchase, congratulations.

Cheers
Black Bear

[black bear]

Q-BEAM MAX MILLION II
TWO MILLION CANDLEPOWER
SPOTLIGHT


I very recently bought a new Q-Beam two million candlepower spotlight. I am a big user of spotlights, in my case I use them to give demonstration of the power of the Borealis 1050 lumens flashlight, in police reunions, night shots, and seminars.

When my eight month-old battery for my two million candlepower Optronics spotlight gave up the ghost, I had to get a new spotlight.
I spied the Q-Beam at Wal-Mart and I bought it on the spot. It is a large spotlight with a four-and-three-quarters inch reflector, and with some extra features not available in other spotlights.

For starters, it comes with two removable batteries. One battery could be on the light while the other is charging, a good feature. Unfortunately, in my case, one of the batteries was already dead and is not recharging. I will have to return the unit and get another, hoping for better luck.

However, bad batteries are nothing new in big spotlights. It seems that the Chinese haven’t gotten the hang of making lead acid batteries last any decent amount of time. I know; I have the corpses of seven spotlights to prove it (some day I will get around to rounding them up and take a picture of them).

I can safely say that I have tried all of them, and I can tell you that a quality spotlight is not available in the USA, unless you buy one of the Australian’s Night Force spotlights. Australians, with their liberal night hunting laws, know a thing or two more about night hunting and lights that the average American hunter does.

For law enforcement the panorama is different. With the advent of the Borealis 1050 lumens flashlight (12 ½” long, 28 oz) a spotlight in the cruiser is no longer needed.

After all, spotlight use for law enforcement is confined to operation from the car, which is why you don’t see a trooper conducting a traffic stop with spotlight in hand or chasing down a suspect with one in tow.


Coming back to the Q-Beam Max Million II, it also has another feature that was not available before in any other spotlight; a double trigger that when touched high, can activate mechanically a spring that will push the smaller part of the two-part reflector/ bulb holder, forward. This causes the focus to change to a wider flood; interesting concept, but perhaps of dubious utility. I have seen it employed in flashlights before, but by the use of two filaments positioned in the bulb envelope at different heights.

Here is a picture of the Q-Beam together with the Borealis

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/qbeamspotnew.jpg

Unfortunately the Achilles’ heel of any spotlight is the quality of its batteries. In the normal use that I give them, they never last more than 6 to 8 months, which is why I am not looking to pay more than half a century note for one, with is just what the new Q-Beam cost me at Wal-Mart.

How does it compare with the Borealis 1050 lumens (two million candlepower)?
To answer that question, I move them to the backyard of my local church, where I have a solid wall of trees and a range of 35 yards (I try to avoid solid light-painted walls that produce too much reflection and confuse the camera).

Q-Beam Max II Spotlight

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/q-beamtwomill.jpg

Borealis 1050 lumens flashlight

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/boreroja.jpg


Black Bear 720 lumens flashlight

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/bb720be.jpg



The new Spotlight did well in comparison, but it is more inside the range of the Black Bear 720 lumens (10 “ long 23 oz) than of the more powerful Borealis. Here are the pictures for you to judge; of course the Borealis and the BB 720 are better law enforcement tools as the side spill is bigger and the intensity and the color are brighter. Of course, you need side spill to avoid panning a tight focus’ light and losing precious seconds when clearing a room or warehouse.


For those that use the Q-Beam for varmint shooting (with a partner to hold the light of course) the light will do okay up to 300 yards.
For that use you can take advantage of the red filter (at shorter distance) and the other two filters, ( blue and amber), are completely useless for varmint shooting and for any other use I can imagine, as I can not see a blood tracker using such a big spotlight with the blue filter on it.

Respectfully,
Black bear

[JShirley]

On that note, the Borealis will illuminate small animals out to at least 200 meters. This is probably not a very fair statement on the surface, because I used it in Afghanistan, and the extreme amount of dust in the air (unless it has just rained) really cuts down on how far your light travels.

I can say the Borealis will power through snow, heavy rain, and dust to 200 meters or better, easily. When we were still using white light at night*, I could shine all the way across our fire base. I believe the Borealis is an ideal car/truck light.

While we're on this related subject, I think the little Gerber Infinity LEDs (http://www.newgraham.com/detail.aspx?ID=44919) in red are ideal for task lights for combat troops, who do not need an ultra-powerful light for most tasks. If you know a combat troop, buy him or her one today. They'll appreciate it.

John

*The ODA reevaluated this policy after we began taking frequent rocket fire, always at night.

[black bear]

THE UTG BARREL MOUNT



Hi guys,
For those wanting a barrel mount for a flashlight or laser, I have had good
results with the UTG barrel mount.
Initially purchased for an AK rifle, I found out that it can be mounted in
other rifle barrels, for example, it fits perfectly in a .22 rifle and also in
a Mini 14 I have.

It is a tri-rail mount with three Picattiny rails that will also accept Weaver
style rings. My model is the #2 mount which have two slots; the UTG is also
available with five slots that will accommodate the red dots scopes that are
in the market.

Picture of the UTG # 2

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/utgtwo.jpg
]

Another view


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/utgone.jpg



The UTG fully loaded with two TACM III tactical lights (one with a red filter)
and a laser.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/utg3.jpg


The UTG is sold by Cheaper than Dirt and I imagine others places that cater to
tactical rifles. Just look in their catalogue in the AK accessories page.

Cheers
Blacl Bear

[black bear]

VERY INTERESTING ARTICLE BY JAMES MAURER
ON THE BRIGHTEST LIGHTS IN THE WORLD
THAT YOU CAN GET OVER THE COUNTER.

THEY ARE ALL THERE
THE TORCH, THE POLARION, THE BOREALIS,
THE SUNFORCE, ETC.

READ IT IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN LIGHTS

http://www.jamesmaurer.com/worlds-brightest-flashlight.asp

CHEERS

[black bear]

REMOTE SWITCHES
WITH PRESSURE PAD

Hi guys,
I have been using remote switches in my tactical lights that are mounted in rifles, shotguns, and bows, for quite a few years now.
The most effective of them are the ones with a direct connection to the solder pad that touch the battery (no spring), like the ones in the TACM III tactical lights.
The reason that they are more effective is that they don’t rob the system of any voltage (in the way of internal resistance) as do the ones with heavy springs.

Internal resistance is the name of the game, some of them, for example the TAC STAR pressure switch, can really make a bright lamp like the P-60, looks dim and murky, due to too much internal resistance in the design of the tail cap.

THE TAC STAR REMOTE SWITCH

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/weaponlight.jpg

A good one that I have used for years in mounting lights on my friends’ bows and rifles, is the G&P tail cap with remote. Its design is quite good and the internal resistance is low, but it is not designed for pump shotguns as the cord is just straight and not curly.

THE G&P REMOTE SWITCH

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/gp_tapeswitch.jpg

A very good one that I discovered recently is the Aimshot curly cord remote, the spring is copper and quite light and it seems to have very low internal resistance.
I discovered the Aimshot in Cheaper Than Dirt catalogue and at a very good price ($14.97) and it has become my favorite.
I just used one in a Pelican M-6 tactical light and mounted it using a UTG Tri rail mount in an AK rifle, it does the job well.

THE AIMSHOT REMOTE SWITCH

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/aimshotremote.jpg

Cheers

Black Bear

[black bear]

THE 200 LUMENS BATTLE

There are now a number of aftermarket lamps for the popular series of Surefire lights.
They will fit the Surefires series: 6P, C, Z, D, G, and maybe others.

I just received a new one that claims 290 lumens and is called a Cree R-2 (it’s supposed to be even more powerful than the Cree Q-5).
I decided to do a shoot out with an assortment of lights that I have in the 200 plus lumens class. That way the members can see how they perform against each other.

Run time was not measured for lack of time and because I am running short on 123’s batteries. The bigger lights, namely the Surefire M-4 with the MN60 lamp (225 lumens for 60 minutes on four 123’s disposable batteries) and the Bear Cub from Black Bear Flashlights (220 lumens for 90 minutes on rechargeable Li Ion batteries) are big throwers and with them you can see clearly objects 120 and 150 yards away.

On the other hand the small reflectors of the Surefires G-2, Centurion 2 and Fenix T-1 are dispersing all those lumens close by, creating a great flood.
Those pocket lights will be great to use as tactical lights by law enforcement personnel, and especially good at clearing houses, while the Surefire M-4 and the Bear Cub will make great lights for car, truck and the open spaces.

The literature of the Fenix states that it’s good for 200 yards, it will probably make a reflective target like a stop sign glow at that distance, but it would hardly illuminate any other object. My perception from trials I made, is that this light as well as the others LED’s can’t be count to illuminate (poorly) objects beyond 60/70 yards.


In any case, a lamp upgrade if you own a Surefire pocket light, is a good idea as any of them are more powerful than the stock incandescent lamp of 65 lumens or the stock LED lamp of 80 lumens.


The lights as they appear in the picture are, from left to right:


Surefire M-4 MN60 lamp 225 lumens for 1 hour (running on four 123’s batteries)
Bear Cub 220 lumens for 90 minutes, rechargeable
Surefire G-2 in yellow. It is 65 lumens for one hour with the stock P-60 lamp
Surefire G-2 in black, Lumen Factory lamp incandescent of 160 lumens
Surefire G-2 in green, Cree Q-5 by Deal Xtreme, 200 lumens
Surefire Centurion 2 in Jungle Camo, 290 lumens (claimed) with the Cree R-2 lamp
Fenix T-1, 225 lumens using a Cree Q-5 lamp

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/S5300167200lumensplus.jpg


And now the pictures, target is 20 yards away, watch also the amount of side spill as well as the throw.

SUREFIRE M-4 DESVASTATOR 225 LUMENS

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/desvastatorm-4225.jpg

BEAR CUB RECHARGEABLE 220 LUMENS

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/bc220one.jpg

SUREFIRE G-2 YELLOW 65 LUMENS

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/g-265lumens.jpg

SUREFIRE G-2 BLACK LUMENS FACTORY 160 LUMENS LAMP

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/g2black160lum.jpg

SUREFIRE G-2 GREEN, DEAL XTREME LAMP CREE Q-5 200 LUMENS

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/g2greencreede.jpg

SUREFIRE CENTURION 2, CREE R-2 290 LUMENS (CLAIMED)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/surc-2cjcreer-2290.jpg

FENIX T-1 CREE Q-5 225 LUMENS

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/fenixt1q5225.jpg



One word of caution with high intensity LED lights: most are not thermally regulated and they will suffer from their own heat if used for an extended period. They will get very hot and the tint will change. Short use of 5 minutes or less is recommended, especially in lights like the G-2 that has a plastic body and head.

All metal flashlights like the Surefire 6P are better at dissipating the heat, and in them a few more minutes of constant use can be achieved before the heat will damage the module.
The big heavy head of the Fenix acts as a heat sink, and this light can manage to run much longer without the heat affecting the module.

Besides, the Fenix has a second setting that will run the light at 60 lumens for 10 hours.
So, if you already have a Surefire you want to upgrade, the aftermarkets lamps are great.
If you need a new light look at the Fenix line.

If you need a truck, open spaces light, the Bear Cub is a great value as it is rechargeable and very bright as well as a 150 yards thrower.

Cheers

Black Bear

[jayofthejungle1985]

IS it over?

[2nd 41]

Great thread. Thanks for posting. I buy my batteries from a company in Florida. Free shipping...great prices. I do not know him or benefit from posting this. Just trying to help THR members out.
http://www.cfrlights.com/servlet/the-Batteries/Categories

[black bear]

TERRALUX LIGHTSTAR 220
FLASHLIGHT

For the last two months, I have been using one of the Terralux Lightstar 220 lumens flashlights, which runs on two AA batteries.
This light has two settings on the click-tail cap; the first setting clicks on the light and emits 220 lumens for 1.5 hours.
The second setting of 100 lumens for 6 hours is accessed by softly pressing the rubber button switch.

The LED is a Cree RXE Q-4 and is controlled by a microprocessor for a constant light output. When battery juice is running low, the LED will flicker to let you know that is time for new batteries.
The unit comes with two Energizer AA batteries, a lanyard and a soft nylon holster. At an even six inches long, the light is quite portable and also features a clip to attach it to your belt or waistband.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/terralux.jpg


It is very similar to the popular 3 watt 80 lumens Ray-O-Vac Sportsman Xtreme (but is slightly longer as the click tail cap needs more room for the mechanism), and the head is smaller with a small orange peel reflector.

Due to the small reflector the beam throws quite a flood despite the 220 lumens figure. Small reflectors don’t really have much throw no matter how many lumens you make the light puts out. However, it is quite adequate for most chores inside a house and practical, too, for walking the dog or a walk in the woods.

LIGHTSTAR AT 20 YARDS WITH THE 220 LUMENS

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/terra220.jpg


LIGHTSTAR WITH THE 100 LUMENS SETTING

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/terra100.jpg




The really nice thing about these lights are that they are very inexpensive to feed as they use common AA batteries. As I use rechargeable AA batteries in all my lights, it is even more inexpensive to use.
The dark green anodized body is quite resistant to scratches as the light is still like new even after a couple months of sharing my pocket with keys and coins.

Cost of the light varies depending where you buy it, but it is around $35 to $40 USD; your best bet is to Google it to see who has a special on it.
I like this light to the point of recommending it to anybody that is looking for a light with these characteristics. The light is as good as the Ray-O-Vac Sportsman with the added power of the 220 lumen setting.
Cheers.

Black Bear

[LAK]

Have you seen or handled any of the Pelican 7060 LED LAPD lights?

------------------------

http://gtr5.com
http://ssunitedstates.org

[black bear]

No yet, looking forward to try it,

Black Bear

[LAK]

Additional thought; another light that has been available for a good while, yet often overlooked, is the Streamlight Survivor.

I have the rechargable LED version (which can also be loaded with AA using a supplied adapter), and it is an excellent light.

It is sufficiently bright on it's high setting for most practical purposes and can be used for prolonged periods - especially on low. And actually the output at low setting is not that much lower than on high. It also has a flashing setting - about a twice per second rate - making it good as a roadside beacon, etc.

It really is an ideal general purpose light for that matter. Popular with firefighters, I am surprized it's utility is not appreciated by many peace officers.

Like the Stinger, it can be left on the charger (AC and DC powered) ready for use.

Oh; and it is tough with a capital T; surviving the 30 foot drop test apparently.

[black bear]

WHEN A LUMEN IS NOT A LUMEN

A lumen is not a lumen when somebody intends to throw a big bunch of them out of a small reflector the size of a dime or nickel. At least it seems to be that way.

It used to be easy to tell the power of a light by the lumens figure, not anymore. You could be an experience user of lights, say a policeman that had used for years a 200 lumens Magchager and is well acquainted with its capabilities. Now he reads about this small light the size of a thumb that also outputs 200 lumens and is all excited to get the new marvel.

He does and is promptly disappointed because the small light seems to throw a good amount of light, but all close by, and is nothing that can compare with his duty Magcharger that can illuminate objects at 100 yards.

Besides emitters in the 200 lumens bracket can kill themselves with the heat that they produce when they are used in small lights with poor heat sinking. It is mostly a novelty thing and it should be used with caution. Some of them come in lights with multiple settings, and that is fine when the literature advice you to use the 200 lumens sparingly, and you follow that advice.

To illustrate the point, here are a couple of pictures of beam shots at 20 yards, you can clearly see the superiority of the Bear Cub (reflector size 2”) over the Lightstar 220, (reflector the size of a dime) even when both lights are rated at 220 lumens.

LIGHTSTAR 220 LUMENS AT 20 YARDS

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/terra220.jpg

BEAR CUB 220 LUMENS AT 20 YARDS

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/bc220one.jpg


Some manufacturers wishing to quote big numbers are now putting clusters of these small reflectors on duty size flashlights. Mind you these clusters that are from three to four are still all small reflectors with limited throw.

So, somebody putting a cluster of four reflectors in a big head can claim 800 lumens, but you know better now, knowing that those 200 lumens for each reflector are not really behaving like real lumens!

Unfortunately I don’t have one of those lights to prove the point. But I can get my own cluster of lights in the 200 lumens bracket, and demonstrate by picture what can you expect.

I have here two of the Lightstar220 lumens, plus a Fenix P3D of 205 lumens and an Ultra Fire with Rebel emitter of 200 lumens, all of which together in a cluster will throw the figure of 845 lumens.

The opposite number is a Black Bear 720 lumens flashlight, a light that is 10” long and weights 24 oz. and uses a 2” reflector that can throw several hundred of yards with a strong white light.

HERE IS THE PICTURE OF THE CONTENDERS

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/clustervsonereflector.jpg

The distance for both beam shots is in this case 35 yards to the target (The no trespassing sign tacked in the tree). The camera is 20 yards from the target.

CLUSTER OF REFLECTORS 845 LUMENS

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/clusterreflectors.jpg


BLACK BEAR 720 LUMENS ONE REFLECTOR 2”

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/onereflector720.jpg

Observe how the beam of the 720 lumens light travels beyond the range of the cluster lights, illuminating objects that the cluster lights are not capable of showing.
So, if you are in the market for a new light, this use of small reflectors in clusters to boost lumens figures is something you should be aware off.

Cheers

Black Bear

[black bear]

NEW BULB FOR THE BOREALIS FLASHLIGHT
750 LUMENS FOR 75 MINUTES

As you may know the Borealis 1050 lumens flashlight is the most powerful military/police flashlight in use today.
The Borealis will make 1050 lumens for 50 minutes on rechargeable batteries. Now a new bulb is available which will run the light for 75 minutes with a drop of only 300 lumens.

Lights in use by police today are the Magcharger, the Stingers, the SL 20 up to 200 lumens, the Ultra Stinger-295 lumens, the Pelican 7060-135 lumens, and the Fenix TK series up to 240 lumens.

Military forces use a variety of Surefires as weapon lights with 120 lumens and hand held like the Surefire M-4, 350 lumens and the Surefire M-6 at 500 lumens.
So, the above statement of the Borealis been the most powerful is not an exaggeration, many are been used daily by police and many are doing tour of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq.

What the new bulb does is extend the run time to 75 minutes without reducing drastically the output.

As no other duty flashlight with the same lumens is available, I decided to conduct a shoot out against a big two million candlepower spotlight, the one at hand was an almost new Brikmann Q beam Max million II (two million candlepower) with a reflector of five inches wide and a big bulb of 75 watt.
All this in competition to a bean sized 30 watt bulb and two inch reflector of the Borealis.


DAVID AND GOLIATH

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/davidvsgoliath.jpg


FIVE INCH VERSUS TWO INCH

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/5inchesvs2.jpg


This particular Borealis has a Light Stippled reflector, a reflector designed to give a good balance between flood and throw, but given the semi custom character of the Borealis three other reflectors are available, smooth for maximum throw, orange peel for just a little less throw but more flood (also called side spill) and a medium stippled reflector designed for a big flood but with the range limited to 100 yards.

As the night was bitterly cold I decided to take the pictures and shoot the beams right out of my second story kitchen window, with the short tripod legs resting in the kitchen sink.
The target is the white and blue cabana which is the second building in the picture after the fence.

The target is 74 yards from my window, with back trees as much as 85 yards (they are still visible with both lights).

Due to the big reflector in the spot light, the beam is concentrated in the center of the picture and illumination from the side spill is not as great as it is with the Borealis 750 lumens bulb.


Observe both pictures and you will see more area illuminated by the Borealis 750 lumens bulb, than is illuminated by the two million candlepower spotlight.
Still the intensity of both beams is similar at the center of the target area.

Q-BEAM MAX TWO MILLION

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/qbmaxmill2.jpg

BOREALIS 750 LUMENS 75 MINUTES BULB

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/blackbear11784/750lumenssmoothrefl.jpg


In conclusion the new Borealis bulb of 750 lumens is worthy for those that will want a run time of 75 minutes. Even after loosing 300 lumens the Borealis still is the most powerful flashlight used by the police and the military.

The light can be ordered with the 1050 lumens bulb installed and the spare as the 750 lumens or vice-versa. You can also order the reflector most appropriate for you work, the only light in the Industry that offers you a choice of four reflectors.

Cheers.

Black Bear

[PvtPyle]

Demoing products is one things, now offering them for sale this thread needs to be re-started in the forsale section. We have been very generous allowing you to pimp your wares in this section instead of where they should have been because of the info you made available.

Now they go in the "for sale" section.