Buy Rigel Systems Skylite Switchable 2-Red / 2-White LED Flashlight

Customer Ratings:

Both the red and white light can be adjusted from dim to bright -very useful. When you are dark adapted, the red light set to bright is plenty bright enough to see your way while walking around. The white light seems very bright when you're dark adapted -too bright on the highest setting. And, since they are LEDs, they don't eat batteries.

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This is a decent flashlight if you want multi-level output with simple controls. However, it's not what I had wanted.

Pros:

1) Reasonably light weight.

2) Simple controls--turn clockwise for red, counterclockwise for "white" (more on this later).

3) Good light output at most levels.

Cons:

1) The case seems fragile and I doubt it would survive a drop onto a hard surface. It could also be a lot shorter than it is given that it's powered by a 9 volt battery.

2) Lanyard attachment (screwed in) argues for the lanyard coming out when you least expect it. The attachment should be molded into the case or added on like the PAL lights have it.

3) The red LEDs give very low to high output. The "white" LEDs start much brighter than the red and get far brighter from there. I don't know how anyone could retain any night vision using the white LEDs at any setting.

4) The "white" LEDs are oddly tinted. They start greenish at "low," change to white at medium, then get blue at maximum. If you need color discrimination, this is not the light for you unless you're at medium.

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I've been using this at public star parties this summer and it's been a great, reliable light so far. I like how it feels sturdy, the dimmer is large, sturdy, and has a large dynamic range from very dim to very bright. I debated between this and a headlamp, and i find that I end up shining headlamps into other people's faces and bumping them into eyepieces, so I like the neck lanyard except when my hands are full and I need to look at a star chart. But I still prefer the neck lanyard for most astronomy needs. The switch between red and white is very good with an obvious click and change of direction required, so there's no way to accidentally switch to bright white and ruin dark adaptation.

The only problem I've had so far is that the lanyard is attached to a fairly small screw in the back, held in place by a little o-ring. The o-ring looks like it could break or fall off if you pulled too hard, although that hasn't happened yet. What did happen, is that the screw must have been loose, or my wearing it loosened the screw, and it fell off my neck and opened up the case, since the screw holds it all together. I screwed it back tightly down and it hasn't come unscrewed again, although I occasionally think to check its tightness. I think this light needs an integrated lanyard eye molded into the plastic case to be at its sturdiest.

If they could strengthen the lanyard holder, I would rate it a 5-star product. If they could then figure out how to make it easy to go from head strap for chart reading to neck strap for unobtrusiveness, I would give it a 6-star review. I know, that doesn't exist. But I currently know of only one other headlamp that has a dimmable red and white light, the Photon Fusion, which is nice but a little clunky on the head and not usable around the neck, and its easy to accidentally turn on the bright white light. Most other dual white/red headlamps fail to add a dimmer to the red light. This light therefore fills an important niche, and it's great on it's own. And it could be even better and fill an even bigger niche with one or two modifications.

Honest reviews on Rigel Systems Skylite Switchable 2-Red / 2-White LED Flashlight

This a replacement for my original Skylite (red lite only). The original is 10 years old, still going strong, and I'm sure this will be as useful. I would recommend the product.

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I am a flight instructor CFII and understand the importance of having a reliable light. I have an original Skylite that I purchased many years ago and it still works flawlessly. This one is even better. What makes this light stand alone is the ability to adjust the brightness. I would highly recommend this flashlight.