Lights for law enforcement

[black bear 84]

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.

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.

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.

G-2 WITH P-60 LAMP

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 84]

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 84]

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.

AND HERE NEXT TO THE MAGLITE 6 D

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

MAGLITE 6 D

BEAR CUB

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

 

[black bear 84]

THE BOREALIS FLASHLIGHT
1050 LUMENS

Three years ago the Borealis flashlight was conceived to be the most powerful military/police flashlight in the world. At 1050 lumens the beam of light is very similar to a two million candlepower spotlight, all that power cased in a 12 ½ inches long, 28 oz. light, that will run for 50 minutes before needing a recharge. Then the light uses a fast RC charger that does the job of recharging the high current batteries in 90 minutes.

Three years ago everybody was in awe of the Surefire M-6, a military/police light that makes 500 lumens for 20 minutes run time on six disposable 123’s batteries, at a cost of almost $12 per twenty minutes run.
When the agency pays for the batteries, all is well, but for the civilians that wanted to have those mega lumens of light, there was no option. Black Bear Flashlights wanted to produce a rechargeable light that surpassed the M-6 and still be affordable for those with mortgages and families, and the result was the Borealis 1050 lumens flashlight.

The light was conceived to make use of a well known flashlight shell that is available anywhere, that way after years of hard use, the shell can be replaced for less than $20 USD and in ten minutes of the owner’s time.
The super-bulb that is almost 3 ½ amps needs some very powerful batteries; those nine AA batteries of high current are housed inside a Rolls Royce battery carrier that has also a charging port on the negative side. Plugging the RC fast charger in this port for 90 minutes, will recharge the powerful AA Nimh batteries.

THE ROLLS ROYCE BATTERY CARRIER AND THE RC FAST CHARGER

The Borealis also has some especial components to cope with the increased heat from the bulb. A ceramic switch/bulb holder, a solid aluminum reflector and a Pyrex lens, take care of the high temperature issue.


The BOREALIS is the highest intensity incandescent flashlight available in the market. Some HID’s lights throw more lumens, but those are considered searchlights and not flashlights; as a HID can take as much as 30 seconds to start up, they are NOT instantaneous as the incandescent flashlights are.

HERE ARE SOME COMPARISON BEAM SHOTS AT 35 YARDS WITH THE MOST POWERFUL MILITARY/POLICE FLASHLIGHTS.
THE CONTENDERS FROM LEFT;
MAGLITE 3 D, MAGCHARGER, ULTRA STINGER, SUREFIRE M-6, AND BOREALIS

MAGLITE 3 D (the most popular police flashlight)

MAGCHARGER

ULTRA STINGER

SUREFIRE M-6

BOREALIS RECHARGEABLE

Black Bear Flashlights spends several hours on each light working on fixing all the internal resistance issues and pro-gold all contacts and components for an increased conductivity. This results in their trademark of intense WHITE light as more voltage reaches the super-bulb. This bulb is not a flashlight bulb, but one made for powerful medical instruments.

THE BOREALIS ROYAL MODEL, WITH THE NEW LOW PROFILE STAINLESS STEEL CRENELLATED BEZEL AND QUICK DETACH SWIVEL.

Police officers have adopted the Borealis for its tremendous throw and flood capabilities; hunters have abandoned their spotlights for the easy carrying of the Borealis, and civilians looking for a powerful light for the car or for home defense are flocking to the Borealis flashlight.
Respectfully


Black Bear

 

[Executive]

Black Bear, could you explain the differences between lumens, candlepower and watts. (I know watts is power but I'm looking for an apples to apples comparison when shopping flashlights) Thanks!

 

[black bear 84]

Black Bear, could you explain the differences between lumens, candlepower and watts. (I know watts is power but I'm looking for an apples to apples comparison when shopping flashlights) Thanks!

Here in the USA we used lumens and candlepower, in Australia and maybe other places they use watts.

Lumens and candlepower are not related, as candlepower measure the intensity of the hot spot at the center of the beam (should be use only to rate spotlights, which with their big reflectors concentrate light in tight spot).

Lumens is the measure of total light emitted by the source, (ex. a bulb) to muddle more the issue we have two kinds of lumens, the bare "bulb" lumens and the "torch" lumens.

This happens because some Companies will quote you the "Bulb" lumens figure handled by the factory of the bulb. The bulb is put into an Integrated Sphere Spectotometer and the lumens figure recorded.

The "torch" lumens figure is when the Company (Surefire does it) put the entire flashlight inside the Spectotometer, that way loses from the reflector and by the reflection from the lens are factored, and the figure will be lower than the "bulb" lumens

The Surefire method is more precise of the "real" lumens you get out of the light, as those loses could be considerable.

So, if you buy Surefire the lumens figure of 65 lumens could be as much as 90 lumens from another Company.

I quote "torch" lumens in my lights.

Lumens been the measure of total light, and considering the side spill or flood, the lumens are more appropriate for flashlights than candlepower, as we use flashlight to illuminate the entire scene.

Watts are used to measure spotlight power in Australia (they hunt at night a lot). it doesn't mean much in flashlights as others factors as the kind of gases and pressure that the bulb is subjected to, have a greater influence in the brightness of the bulb, I use a 35 watts 50 hours bulb that when driven at normal voltage emits a yellow beam, but when overdriven (35 hours life) is strikingly white and bright.

There are watts used to rate LED Luxeons, One watt Luxeon is a thrower beam when driven hard (will consume good battery juice) when driven normally will give good run time and about 40 lumens.
Three watts is another thrower beam, but more powerful and will reach 80 lumens or more easily, of course using more battery juice.

Five watts is four one watt Luxeons together, is quite a flood light (as in the Surefire L-4 Lumamax) it will put a wall of light, but the reach is quite short. It is better to use 5 watts indoors.

Hope you are no more confused than before
Cheers
Black Bear

 

[Executive]

Thanks for a detailed and understandable answer. Black Bear is truly the Yoda of flashlights.

 

[drgrant]

Yes, Black Bear is the flashlight guru. I don't think I've
ever seen a better review of this stuff than what he's provided.

While we're at it, here's another question I've wondered the
answer to.... with these NIMH recharge-ables you show, what
is the "storage fade" on those things? Do they lose 1%/day like
nicads used to? EG, if I got one of these flashlights, how long
could I let it sit in my car (and still have like at least 20 minutes of
useable light left before having to recharge it?

-Mike

 

[black bear 84]

The POWEREX 2700 mah have a self discharge of 1/2 of 1 % per day. (Even better than Sanyo)
Lights left in the shelf for three months still have quite a bit of run time left.

My protocol is to top off the charge every time I pay the phone bill, it just take a few minutes and I am ensured of having 50 minutes run time when I grab the light.

Nimhs doesn't have the memory problems that Ni Cads do, so you can recharge the light at any time. Say you used the light for 15 minutes today, you put the Rolls Royce in the charger for a few minutes and tomorrow you will have full run time.

That is what my police officers customers are doing think about it, you can't do that with primary batteries unless you are willing to dump half used batteries every morning.

Best regards
Black Bear

 

[Executive]

Another battery question BB, and thanks again for providing such a wealth of information. Is it detrimental to leave a rechargeable flashlight plugged into the charger? I was thinking of something like the Magcharger type system where the whole light slips into the charger rather than a battery array. Have you looked into using the (admittedly more $$$) Magcharger as a host for your super-flashlights to gain this convenience?

 

[black bear 84]

Another battery question BB, and thanks again for providing such a wealth of information. Is it detrimental to leave a rechargeable flashlight plugged into the charger? I was thinking of something like the Magcharger type system where the whole light slips into the charger rather than a battery array. Have you looked into using the (admittedly more $$$) Magcharger as a host for your super-flashlights to gain this convenience?

With lights that use Ni Cads as the Magcharger and Ultra Stinger it is okay to leave them plugged permanently.

With lights that use high current Nimh batteries, you have to cope with an over-charge. This is a trait of Nimh batteries that accumulate an over-charge while they are been recharged. After taking the fully charged batteries out of the charger, this over-charge will die down in 90 minutes.

So Nimhs doesn't need to be on the charger, the charger will go into a gentle 50 mah charge to keep batteries topped off. It is okay to leave them overnight, but they should be removed from the charger and keep in mind to rest them for 90 minutes, or use a bleeding lamp for 40 seconds, or bleed off the over-charge with a 20 minutes discharge in the charger.

This little inconvenience of Nimhs pay off in longer battery life, more high current to move motors and bulbs that Ni Cads are not capable of moving, no problems with memory as Ni Cads have and full flat output to the end without going 1/2 output at half the run time, like other batteries.

New Lithium Ion batteries, are also as good as Nimhs with less self discharge.

I had looked into converting the Magcharger, but host cost is higher, the parts I have to replace are the same, and the design is inferior to the Maglite, (The Maglite protect the switch inside the body tube, while the Magcharger is a switch module that screw into a body, leaving the switch exposed and easier to break).
For long term ownership of the BOREALIS, when the Maglite "host" is scratched and dented, it is easy replaceable by the owner in 10 minutes and at a cost of less than $20. and available anywhere (for example; Home Depot).

As the Borealis go to some law enforcement agencies it was considered an important point the easy replaceability of the "host".

Best regards
Black Bear

 

[black bear 84]

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.

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.

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

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.

All the best,
Black Bear

 

[USMA-82]

Black Bear - anxiously awaiting your review of the FirstLight Liberator. Looks like a very useful design.

 

[black bear 84]

Black Bear - anxiously awaiting your review of the FirstLight Liberator. Looks like a very useful design.

I watched the video and read about it and I like the idea and the light. I don't know if I will be buying one, but there is plenty of information by Googling for it for those that are interested.

web site
http://www.first-light-usa.com/liberator.php

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TumYqrXp8ZY#

and a thread in CPF
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=167104

And I say it again, I like the idea very much.

Black Bear

 

[black bear 84]

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO MY FRIENDS AND FORUM STAFF

BLACK BEAR

 

[black bear 84]

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.

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.

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.

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 84]

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

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

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

Black Bear 720

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 84]

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.

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.

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 84]

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

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

SUREFIRE CENTURION III WITH P-91 LAMP

BEAR CUB 220 LUMENS

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 84]

I am not Navy Seal, but I need my lights to be waterproof.

I placed the Fenix T=1 in a vase full of water for four hours in the 60 lumens setting

No water got inside the light

Black Bear

 

[black bear 84]

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.

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,

Bear Cub beam from 26 yards

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 84]

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.

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.

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 84]

INOVA X 1
LED FLASHLIGHT

Unlike her big sister the Inova X5T light, the little X1 uses only one LED that is rated at 1 watt.
My sample purchased about two years ago has the loupe up front acting as a lens for the light. The location of it at a certain distance in front of the emitter creates a perfectly round and uniform in brightness beam of light. It is well focused and can be described at the Batman spotlight sign without the bat.
The light is run by one AA battery and will last for two hours. More than three years ago I started using Nimhs AA rechargeable for my cameras, flashlights, GPS’s, two ways radios, rangefinders, etc. and I am very pleased with them, as they offer (almost) free electricity and permit me to use the lights without guilt and without contamination of the landfills with the alkaline batteries.

THEY COME IN BLACK OR NICKEL FINISH

The X1 is four inches long, 7.20 in diameter and weights 2.16 oz. and it has the same kind of tactical switch that his big sister the X5, with the same quality of components and high quality workmanship.

At first I was a little ambivalent in using this light for wood navigation, but in hunting I want to pollute the woods with the least amount of light possible, this very tight focus beam is ideal to spot the cat-eyes that I usually follow to my tree stand without disturbing the area with flood light, and it have served me well doing exactly this chore for me.

THIS IS THE BEAM SHOT AT 14 FEET

This is a great quality light that it can serve very well in a lady’s purse, I have given out several as Christmas gift to lady friends as the street price is only 18 USD and the quality of the light is superb.
Regards
Black Bear

 

[black bear 84]

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.

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

 

[black bear 84]

HUSKY 2D 3 WATT LED LIGHT

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.

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

HUSKY 3 watt

MAGLITE 3 watt

BLACK BEAR 720 LUMENS

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 84]

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

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

Borealis 1050 lumens flashlight

Black Bear 720 lumens flashlight

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 84]

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

]

Another view

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

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
Black Bear

 

[Titan]

black bear,

I really enjoy your posts and have learned a great deal about tactical lights from you.

I wonder if you have had any exposure to the brite strike light used by some LE agencies. It is nominally rated at 198 lumens. If you have any opinions, or ever have occasion to test one, I'd be very interested. It is luxeon based.

 

[black bear 84]

I haven't seem the particular light in the picture, it sound interesting.

For tactical belt use I will recommend the fenix T-1 (or the Fenix TK-11 that is starting to show up).
Maximum output is 225 lumens and it also have a setting of 60 lumens for 10 hours.

Regards
Black Bear

 

[Titan]

I haven't seem the particular light in the picture, it sound interesting.

For tactical belt use I will recommend the fenix T-1 (or the Fenix TK-11 that is starting to show up).
Maximum output is 225 lumens and it also have a setting of 60 lumens for 10 hours.

Regards
Black Bear

Thanks, I will look into that.

I really like the operation of the Brite Strike.

The tail switch has a very simple one hand operation. One touch for bright on, second touch for reduced brightness, third touch for strobe effect, and final touch for off.

You can also just do hard touch on bright, and hard touch off.

It's a great light.