A Shockingly Terrible Flashlight For The Price
By Eli
Rated 1 out of 5
Date: 2022-05-01
First off, let me say that I am a big fan of pelican products, and tend to get their cases whenever I have the option. However, at only 130 lumens this light is not only far from modern standards, it would be a genuine disadvantage in the emergency use case it is advertised for. The fact that they are willing to charge $160 or even the $50 sale price for this glorified glow stick is quite unnerving. There are 5 virtues of modern flashlights. Brightness, beam quality, runtime, high cri, and build quality/ low weight. This light gets you none of that. It's dimmer than a $10 light. The optic is uneven, and the light is also too dim to take advantage of an even optic. The cri is low, and they don't list the emitter so it is unclear if the light is energy efficient. They don't state a runtime, but given that it does not use 18650 or 21700 cells we can assume that is also subpar. Last, despite the famous build quality pelican is known for, there is nothing remarkable about this product. Its made of plastic, they don't brag about the drop rating. It is only waterproof to 3 feet, almost every flashlight has that rating. There are many cheap dive lights rated to 75m+. It also weighs 170g at 130lm while there are full metal zebralights that weigh 80g and emit 1500 lumens high cri.
Looking at alternative options, $30 will get you a quality, all metal 18650 light with a good optic and ~1000-2500 lumen high cri emitter. $100 will get you into the ultra bright category with 4-12k lumen, or the ultralight/headlamp category at about 1-2k lumens. After a certain brightness level, the eye only sees 25% more brightness at double the lumens. However, despite diminishing returns, there is still a big difference up until about 4k lumens, so ultra high brightness is worth seeking out, especially if you need a wide beam. Every time you double the illumination width you halve the intensity.
There are many brands that sell quality stuff. If you're looking strictly on Amazon, Wurkos and Sofirn make good handheld lights and Nitecore makes the best ultralight stuff. Buying lights elsewhere will yield better specs/ build quality. Astrolux and several budget brands very bright lights for under $80. Olight, Zebralight, Emissar and a few others make the best built lights. If you want a alternative to this light in the right angle format, I would check out Zebralight. their headlamps are tough built, 1500 lumen and weigh only 80g batteries included. They also have high cri emitters, great optics, and the most efficient drivers you can get. A zebralight will run 3 hours at 750 lumens, or 12 hours at 150 lumens off a single 18650 cell. My personal favorite alternative would be Fireflies which specializes in making lights with good throw but even beam dispersion, similar to that of a fresnel film light. Their 21700 lights have optics that emit a wide 180-90 pattern for the first 25 feet, then an even but tight 15 for the next 300ft+. They come in high cri up to 6000 lumens, and low cri up to 12k.
There are lots of options, just try to find a light with a beam pattern that suits you. Some throw very far, some are short range, the best do both. 18650 designs are lighter but if you can take the extra ~70g, 21700 lights have much better runtime.
Whatever you choose, just DO NOT BUY THIS LIGHT. There are much better options for much less, and the better tech will certainly benefit your use case. Why deprive yourself of $160, and the thrill that an ultra bright flashlight can bring?
It's OK at $49.95
By Larry
Rated 3 out of 5
Date: 2022-02-08
It's OK at the sale price of $49.95, but the lanyard attached to the bottom precludes standing the flashlight on its base. The safety ratings make it useful for those needing a flashlight for special conditions, and the adapters for the charger plug are useful for those who travel to distant countries.
Is it worth the full price-not to me, but then I bought it because it was deeply discounted.
Great flashlight at a tremendous price
By Howard
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2022-02-07
I always keep my eyes open, dealing with the B&H email ads. Every so often, you run into great bargains dealing with pelican products! This is one of those items, pelican makes tremendous products here in the United States, but on the retail market, they're very expensive. My advice is simply snatch the deal when it's available it just doesn't get any better.
OK but...
By Ernie
Rated 3 out of 5
Date: 2022-02-01
...for Pelican, I'm very disappointed. I paid $49.95 for this unit, regular price $159.95 USD. I compared it to my Canadian Tire (here in Canada) rechargeable flashlight (Taller brand) I bought for $14.95 CAD ($12.00 USD) and it does not compare at all. Both are rechargeable. The Taller unit is much brighter. It has High, medium and flashing settings. Not a lot of difference except it is much brighter and much less expensive.
Bottom line - would I buy it again if it croaked on me? No.
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