List Price: $89.99
Sale Price: $28.66
Today's Bonus: 68% Off
I really wasn't sure what to expect from a $50 flashlight, but after reading a few reviews scattered around the web, I decided to go for it. I have to say, I'm glad I did. Though I still balk a bit at such a high price, the fact that the MSRP is so much higher at least makes me feel like I'm getting a deal. ;)
The LED's:
-The brightness of the main LED is quite good. It has a very even light pattern and isn't a "spot" on the wall. It diffuses well and offers a larger light circle the farther away the object. Though this necessarily means there's less illumination, the wider angle of coverage means you don't have to be so precise where you point the light; the general direction will do. The various levels of intensity are nice as well. Combined with the fact that you can run the flashlight off a single AA, you effectively have 6 different levels of illumination.
-The colored LED's are another strength. They are sufficiently bright at "max" and step down well at the mid and min settings. I did not notice a difference in light output between one and two AA's, so I think it's safe to count on only three settings. The red and blue lights had a nice, evenly diffused pattern, but the green showed obvious light and dark rings, so I'm not sure if that's a factor of its intensity (our eyes being most sensitive to green) or if the LED is defective. I may call Energizer to see.
-The UV light is a nice touch. It appears to be a black light, so UVA, and not the type of UV lights you might see on CSI (since we don't have blood spatter on our walls, I can't really test whether Grissom would use it or not ;) ). It only has one setting, but depressing the power button for the main LED (on the bottom) causes it to strobe (which gave me a headache after about 5 seconds).
-The switches are a bit of a weak spot, with the main LED switch being on the bottom and a bit recessed, and the color LED switches having nothing to distinguish the color by touch or sight aside from memorizing their location. I could see this being a bit of a pain with numb or gloved fingers.
-The three intensity settings on the lights are only available when you first turn them on, resetting to "off" after 3s. This is both good and bad as you can instantly turn off a light, but you would have to cycle through a full on/off setting if you just wanted it to be a bit less bright. No real way around this I guess. I don't count this as a flaw, just an observation.
Construction:
-The body seems fairly sturdy. The battery door has a locking mechanism and a beefy O-Ring, so I'm inclined to believe the waterproof claims (haven't tested it beyond letting it sit in a bathtub for about 5 minutes while depressing buttons, which it handled fine). The box gives a depth rating of 1m, so it's definitely not suited for swimming/snorkeling/diving, but should hold up well when fording a river. Given the construction, I also believe the 3m drop rating.
-The swivel feature is a bit disappointing since the detents are only at the 0º and 90º angles and are not solid enough for me (I can move the head back and forth slightly). In fact, I could see these becoming worn and possibly breaking if treated too roughly (at least there's a lifetime warranty). The swivel will not "lock" at a ~110º position (pointing toward the ground), though it can be swiveled that far. I see that as a possible issue if it's strapped to a shoulder strap for hands-free operation.
-The clip is quite solid, so no worry about this being knocked off a shoulder strap or belt.
-The locking switch that controls whether you can turn the LED's on/off strikes me as a bit on the cheap side. It's a plastic swivel switch so there's no positive "click" in the three positions, and I'm not sure how well it will hold up to a lifetime of abuse. Still, lifetime warranty...
Other:
-I haven't had a chance to test the battery life, but the fact that one battery can be stored "opposite" as a backup is a nice touch. The worst scenario would be having only one dead battery if it was accidentally left on. VERY nice to have.
-This flashlight won't win any beauty contests, but then again, who buys flashlights to look good? :D
-Ergonomically-speaking, I don't see the being a conformable flashlight to hand-carry for long periods of time, but the (removable) clip on the back would help in this respect, since it could be attached to something.
-No lanyard hole. Boooooo. I guess you could tie something to the clip, but still.
Overall:
I really would give this a 4.5-star rating, but I'm impressed by how much stuff Energizer packed in here, that I have no trouble rounding up. The weak spots are there of course, but I think they're relatively minor (except for the lack of a lanyard hole). All-in-all, Energizer did an excellent job, and the fact that it has a lifetime warranty really makes this flashlight a good buy. (To be honest, however, I wouldn't pay more than 50.)
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
The video: Shot in our back yard with a Sony Bloggie. I did not realize how fast I talk.... but you get the idea. I demo all light modes, colors, etc.
This light is amazingly compact I had no idea it would be this small (5 1/2" long). The swivel face has 5 LED's:
UV
Blue
Red
Green
White
The UV LED is activated with the orange "lock" switch on the front. All the other LED's have their own switches you can turn on the LED's individually or in any combination. I wish the main LED light was not on the bottom it's awkward either you need two hands, you have to turn it upside down, or have it clipped to your belt to press the button. It really should be on the side or front. The "lock" switch for the U/V is overkill.
The colored LED's are the typical medium-power LED's. The white LED is the new generation high-power LED. It features a "TIR" lens. To quote the manufacturer...
"The TIR Lens(tm), is a Totally Internally Reflecting face angled relative to entry and exit faces to redirect the radiant energy incident from the entry face towards the exit face." Basically shallow lens, wide beam.
The swivel feature is great if you want the light at 45 or 90 degrees it locks there. There is no lock for in-between angles. The lock is also not very solid a hard bump will move the head.
Waterproof good to one meter so it's safe in the rain or on a boat or rafting. But it sinks. If you use the "Energizer Ultimate Lithium" batteries, it sinks slow enough that you can grab it (those batteries are lighter weight) with regular batteries, it sinks much faster. If you are going to use it around deep water, I'd suggest a leash or lanyard.
The belt clip is strong, and will secure the light to a 2" belt, pants, back-pack webbing, etc. You could clip it to the front of your pants for a forward-looking hands-free light. You could attach it to a 1" belt or webbing, but it will slide around.
If you're into a photographer, light painting with long exposures, this is a great tool it's a flood light, so you can get some great coverage fast.
Setting the power: Each LED (except the UV) has three power settings. Press the power switch rapidly to change power High Med Low. When you turn off the light (any LED) the light does not remember the previous setting it always turns on at full brightness.
Follow-up: Just used the light at several locations this weekend. As expected, it works well illuminating large spaces, and is great for light-painting. The blue and green beams actually light well. It's useless as a spot as expected tried to light a 2x3 foot tunnel than was VERY long. Only the first couple of feet of the walls were lit. That's where you need a spot. But for everything else, it's great!
Best Deals for Energizer Night Strike LED Light with Swivel Head
I like the compact size and right angle head. That's my preferred form for a flashlight; but it locks at 90 and 180 and floats anywhere in between. The light colors are intriguing and the intensity adjustability is surprisingly useful. Other than the UV, I didn't realize how useful the other colors would be. (Just try it around the house and office)My only disappointment is the UV wavelength...it does an adequate not great job of fluorescing some body fluids...yeah, gross. I travel a lot and have carried a much heavier Inova UV light to check out hotel rooms. The good news is that most of the mid-range hotels do well and a problem is rare. And I carry a small regular LED flashlight as well. I was hoping this would do double duty and I suspect that with judicious use of the different colors I'll spot more than I ever wanted to so this is the only light I will travel with now.
I came close to knocking off one star for the pricyness...but it seems like it's nearly unbreakable and durable (drop a Maglite and you'll understand the value of durability). It's a little odd, but I suspect if this thing were a foot long the price would seem to be in line, but it's far more useful in the small form.
Honest reviews on Energizer Night Strike LED Light with Swivel Head
Energizer does it again! This light has great functionality and is energy efficient. When I look for a piece of gear it must have a common power source, a rugged body, and a way to attach to other gear for transport. This has all of those in one package. I would recommend to anybody looking for a quality light source.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Energizer Night Strike LED Light with Swivel Head
This light is by far the best I've ever had. It's compact, versatile, bright, and has multiple settings, red for night, green for reading, blue for blood tracking, and even UV (which I use to find spots my cats leave). It is my go to light now above any other I own and I even take it traveling with me.
0 comments:
Post a Comment