List Price: $79.99
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I live on a farm and use a spotlight every night. This spotlight has been amazing. I used to have to recharge my last spotlight every night because it often died on me. My Cyclops is about half the size and I have been using it for over a month on the original charge!!! I really can't believe it. I would like to find a Cyclops with a little more power or throw for the really long distances, but this one has been awesome! Well worth the price!
This light is great for spotting critter from 150 to 200 yards out.
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When looking for a spotlight recently, I had a few different criteria that I used for my selection. First, I needed a good spotlight with a long throw, since I am using it for scanning fence lines and checking on horses at night. My barn and horses are not adjacent to my house, so I wanted to be able to do a "drive-by" check on things from my truck, or scan fence without having to walk the whole distance. My second requirement was that I needed something that would be long-lasting. The run/charge times on some spotlights is just atrocious. I definitely needed something that would not get hot (unlike HID lights), since I would be taking this into dusty barns and might need to set it down. Finally, I needed something rugged that would not "blow" a bulb if I dropped it.I currently have two MAGLITE S3D016 Heavy-Duty 3-D Cell Flashlight, Black flashlights with the "krypton" bulbs, and one Craftsman light that came with my drill. The maglites were just outmoded. The LED technology out now far surpasses the puny 45-lumnens that these old lights put out. Also, the batteries corroded in my newer one and it no longer functions. I keep the other in the door of my truck, more as a safety club than a flashlight. My Craftsman light comes apart far too easily and also was not LED, and recently blew a bulb with a simple drop. I did not want to invest in an LED upgrade for the Maglites, or buy all new LED Maglites which only put out 104 lumens and still suffer the "donut hole" effect.
In evaluating various lights, I did a lot of research. I looked at HID and LED flashlights my manufacturers such as Streamlight and Dorcy, but I did not want something that required Lithium batteries and were not rechargeable. When buying a light, you have to consider the purpose for which you plan to use it. One of my goals was to keep this light plugged up in the center console of my truck so that it was ready when I needed it. I closely evaluated the Coleman LED Rechargeable Spotlight, which gets strong reviews and is a bright light, but I felt it was heavy for an LED and awkward to hold. I also took a good long look at the Stanley SL5W09 5 Watt LED Spotlight. Honestly, this little light gets GREAT reviews and looks really solid for such a small light. It was also considerably cheaper. I only passed over it due to the lower light output and the issues with how the adjustable-output resets every time you pull the trigger.
So my final and top contender was the Cyclops CYC-9WS Thor-by-Sirius 9-Watt Rechargeable LED Spotlight. I was familiar with some of the light products Cyclops made and the good reputation they have. My only skeptism came in the fact that this light uses a sealed lead-acid battery. While SLA batteries are not subject to "memory" issues, and leaving them on a "float" charge for prolonged periods do not cause damage, they tend not to work as well at low temperatures. Given that I often need to use the light outside during the winter, we'll see how that pans out. My other hesitation was due to my experience with Cyclops' customer service. I called to clarify the lumen ratings and charging light issue referenced in other reviews. They informed me this light was indeed 240 Lumens, NOT the 300 Lumens that is shown (incorrectly) on their own web site. They further informed that the charging light would NOT go off, and that the instructions were "a misprint" and they would be changing them soon. Honestly, the Customer Service person was NOT good. She did not seem to know anything about the product.
Despite a long back-order process (due to supply issues), it took about 3 weeks to receive this product. When I did, it was packaged in a plain brown box with a photocopied instruction sheet. The light and chargers were loose in the box with some paper packing material. There were no protective coverings on the lenses or extraneous product information. It appears, perhaps, that this is the way Amazon received the item from Cyclops. Like I said, it was strange, but the items appeared new and in new condition. That said, this appears to be a hot item with limited stock available (everywhere)!
Per the instructions, this light needed a 10-hour charge out of the box. It worked, but I charged it anyhow as directed. After a couple of hours, the red charge light went off. That was interesting, because it was counter to what the Cyclops customer service person told me. I then used the light a little, and put it back on charge. Again, it went out after a few hours. The next day, I took it off the charger and used it about 10 minutes shining around the back yard. It was impressive! I could see the tops of trees that were 5 houses down. Curious, I then plugged it back into the charger. The red light did NOT go off, even after 24 hours.
In the final test, I took the light to the farm and used it to spot the horses and fence rows. It worked great! This little light is well-balanced and has a great throw. I could easily spot things that were 100+ yards away. The beam was tight in the center, but had a nice cast around it so that I could still see the things around me. That was nice! There was no donut hole in the spot like the Maglites. The six "low" LEDs were serviceable, but really could have been brighter. The light feels sturdy, and the rubberized coating keeps it from being slippery in your hand. With a little more effort, the light could have been made waterproof, which would have been a great feature. Hopefully Cyclops considers this in the future as it would be nice for boat usage or for rainy nights.
Finally, worth noting is that when I plugged this into the charger in my truck, the red light stayed on for a few hours and then WENT OFF. It has worked like that regularly now, with the red LED charge light going off, then coming on when the light has been used and the battery drained. Something is definitely up with that function. Also, the red cap is nearly useless. The bottom "nub" that it latches onto was sheared off (not sure if I did it, or if it came that way), so it only connects at the top. But it works well enough as a cap to keep the lens from getting scratced up in my console.
PROS:
Very long, bright, and tight white beam (good throw)
Compact, lightweight, rugged, well-balanced design
Rechargeable (seems to have good battery life)
Comes with both home and auto chargers
Has high and low functions, and trigger-lock to keep light on
CONS:
Charging LED indicator seems inconsistent
Red lens/cover is nearly useless (poor connecting system)
Lacks a lanyard, even though a hole is there for one
Low lights could be just a little bit brighter. Output is kind of hazy.
Overall I am very pleased with this light thus far. The "Pros" far outweigh the "Cons", and it is MUCH better than my old lights. I just hope it lasts a long time! I would recommend it for anyone looking for a "general use" spotlight.
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Update 01/05/11: Apparently Cyclops support was confused, as others have reported theirs came in a blister pack that read 300 lumens (see responses to this review). Either way (240 or 300), you won't be disappointed!
Update 01/31/11: The charging via my truck has been working great, as reported above. I have also not noted any issues relative to the cold temperatures.
Update 11/19/12: My light was STOLEN from my truck! I liked it so much, I ordered a new one. The new light arrived in a blister pack with product labeling. I have attached a picture to the review so others can see.
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My wife loves this little spotlight. It is very bright, lightweight, and easy to use with a 'lock-on' feature when she wants it. She uses it when letting our dog out at night (in a rural area) to be sure that no strange animals are nearby. We have a tree line that is over 75 yards from our rear deck, and this light will easily show up any animal at that distance. I recharge it for her about once a month, just because I think I should, but the light has never really dimmed under her usage.Honest reviews on Cyclops CYC-9WS Thor-by-Sirius 9-Watt Rechargeable LED Spotlight
This is by far the best hand held spotlight that I've held. It is also very bright. The Lock feature is very useful so you don't have to hold the trigger to keep the light on. Great for outdoors in full mode and indoors in low mode. Can be a bit too bright indoors so I say set it to low. This unit is very difficult to buy elsewhere. They are mostly out of stock and the reason for that is because it is a great light.Ensure that you give it a full charge at first... this could take up to 10 hrs. Yes, 10 hrs. After that one initial charge, your battery should give you a good amount of use. I have not recharged it and it's been 3 weeks with daily full mode use of about 10 minutes a day.
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I read all of the positive reviews and was persuaded to try the CYC-9WS. First, you need to know there have been changes made not updated in the Amazon description. The light now puts out 300 lumens on high, not 240. Battery life is still rated for 3 hours. The low setting runs for 100 hours, not 40. The light also automatically ends the charging cycle when completed. Three very impressive updates and the price is still unchanged.I have used the light side by side with the Stanley 5 watt LED and there is just NO comparison. The Stanley uses a pencil lead sized beam which is pretty worthless in my opinion. While the Stanley's little white beam is brighter than the Cyclops, it has hardly any "area" lighting at all. The Cyclops puts out more of a flood light sized beam which lights up the entire area, making it much more usable. It will easily light up 100 yards with its amazing high powered throw. Using the low setting, I was equally impressed that it was an excellent flashlight in its own right. A good immediate area light.
I compared the Cyclops side by side against the Stanley HID. The Stanley was brighter, but back to that very hot spot beam. Not near as bad as the 5 watt LED as there is a lot more light to start with and more "spread". I would estimate the brightness is another 40% or so. The Stanley threw its beam much further as well, but I couldn't really see what it was illuminating. In other words, it lit up stuff you would have to use in conjunction with binoculars. That is probably a viable use if one needs that capability. Having used them side by side, I would not even consider purchasing the HID now (too late of course). It only runs for 30 minutes and feels like you're carrying around a boat anchor. You also have to monitor the charging process to make sure you unplug it when it's done so as not to damage the battery. I really don't want to have to worry about when to unplug the charger when the green light comes on. It can take up to 7 hours to charge. Two hours, is it done yet? 5 hours? 6 hours? Are you kidding me??? Why is an automatic shutoff such a hard fix for these spotlight makers???
I read numerous complaints about the red lens being loose. Unfortunately, that issue has still not been addressed. It is indeed loose. I keep the red lens on when the light is not in use just to protect the clear lens. A rubber band keeps mine in place but for folks who use the lens in the field, that is a poor fix.
In summary, I haven't found anything close to the performance of this light at this price range. The OUTSTANDING light that it emits in both modes, handy size, long battery life and automatic charge cutoff puts it head and shoulders above anything else I've found. I immediately ordered another one!
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