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Archive for the ‘Lights’ Category

Pelican 2360 Tactical LED Flashlight

Sunday, August 16th, 2009

Below is a review by an Army Lieutenant we received of the new 2360 LED Flashlight from Pelican.

The Pelican 2360 is small and lightweight, weighing approximately four ounces and just over six inches in length. It replaces the need for lithium batteries with 2AA regular alkaline batteries yet it still works up to the performance of a lithium battery, giving it on average, up to two and a half hours of battery life. The brightness of the 2360 can emit from 95 to 100 lumens making it one of the brightest 2AA flashlights I have seen. The body is constructed of aerospace grade aluminum and boasts an impact resistant LED which makes it very durable. It possesses a non-slip design and easy to operate tail switch button so that you may operate it in even the most difficult weather conditions. The 2360 also comes with a two way removable pocket clip which can secure it in your pocket, or on the brim of your hat. In short the Pelican 2360 Tactical Flashlight is small, durable, and efficient.

That is an excellent summary of the light. For more info visit www.pelican.com.

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New TAD Gear Website

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

TAD Gear launches their new website today. Over the next couple of days, DNS servers will update the new site. Lots of new images were shot and new products are being unveiled along with the new site.

visit tadgear.com.

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Betalight

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

Issued to leaders in the 75th Ranger Regiment in the late 80s and early 90s, the Betalight Torch (NSN: 6260-99-965-3582) is still available today. While they fell out of use due to the proliferation of small, inexpensive flashlights Betalights still maintain a distinct appeal. As they contain gaseous tritium, they have a service life of 10 years.

In addition to the torch, Betalight also offers several other products including a map illuminator, compass, personal markers as well as aiming post lamps. For more information visit www.betalight.com.

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OR Summer Market Part II

Friday, July 24th, 2009

Equipped to Survive

Doug Ritter from Equipped to Survive showed me a sample of his new micro light. It weighs ounces and can easily be clipped to key chains and zipper pulls. The light will be available soon through Adventure Medical Kits.

Mountain Khaki

Mountain Khaki began showing the new Snake River line which consists of a short, pant, and pant with zip-off leg in both men’s and women’s sizing. It is their first foray into synthetics. The UVA/UVB SPF 50+, 100% nylon garments are lightweight and designed to dry quickly. Look for them in early 2010.

Surefire

Last year we unveiled the Saint headlamp and this year we have photos of the new Minimus Saint. Oddly enough, the Minimus will reach the market before the Saint and you should begin to see them within five weeks.

The Minimus Saint can be created from a Saint with a few simple mods which include removing the battery pack and cable. The Minimus runs on a single 123A and provides 0-110 lumens at a lightweight 3.3 ounces. There is an SOS preset for the lamp and the amount of illumination is controlled by a potentiometer. For more info visit www.surefire.com.

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Tactical Trinity System by Surefire

Sunday, May 17th, 2009

Based on over 30 years of tactical light development and training Surefire has determined that Law Enforcement personnel need three complimentary illumination tools to cover the full range of situations they may find themselves in. They must be able to identify threats, disorient opponents, and illuminate targets. Surefire refers to this concept as the “Tactical Trinity”.

Surefire goes on the further define the Tactical Trinity as a primary light, a backup light, and a weapon light.

The primary light must be handy and provide a consistent 50 lumens of light which they refer to as a tactical level of light. There are a number of lights on the market that accomplish this and at a wide variety of price points. For years I carried a Surefire 6P but these days you can get the appropriate amount of illumination at an even lower price with the Nitrolon series from Surefire. What’s more, they come in Black, Tan, OD and Yellow. Surefire has also incorporated self defensive features into their lights like those seen on the E-2D Defender above.

Surefire urges the officer to select a backup light that is ultra compact yet provide the same level of light as a primary light. Some might think this is simply an excuse to get a guy to purchase an extra light but “Murphy” can rear his ugly head anywhere and there is nothing worse than needing light just when your batteries go on your primary light. Oddly enough, Surefire actually offers a light called the E1-B Backup and it is a great light. It is very compact and offers two-stage illumination. The initial click of the tailcap causes the light to provide a full 80 lumens and a second click brings it down to 5 lumens for administrative functions.

The final piece of the Tactical Trinity is a weapon light which must offer “overwhelming output”, offer practical, ergonomic switching options as well as be reliable. Depending on the primary weapon, Surefire offers everything from illumination tools purpose built specifically for weapons to to the X300 and new X400 series of pistol lights. The latest in the series, the X400 also integrates a visible laser.

While Surefire has developed this philosophy specifically for the LE community, the same tenets apply to military users but I would recommend the addition of a head lamp or helmet light. Surefire has invested in development of the latest technologies including Total Internal Refection (TIR) lenses and LED lamps. It is really worth your time to speak to a Surefire representative about their entire line of illumination tools to find the right product for your needs.

For more information be sure to check out their informative website.

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US Army Family of Flashlights

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

US Army’s PEO-Soldier has updated the Approved Product List for the Family of Flashlights in a message released on www.fbo.gov.

Basic White Light
ENERGIZERs 1AA LITHIUM
FIRSTLIGHTs TOMAHAWK-GP
GERBERs EXPERT M
PHANTOMs 34-S
STREAMLIGHTs TL2-LED
SUREFIREs BACKUP
SUREFIREs E2D DEFENDER
SUREFIREs E2L OUTDOORSMAN

Handfree Helmet Light
STREAMLIGHTs SIDEWINDER COMPACT

Tactical Handheld Light
ENERGIZERs GEN 2 HARD CASE
FIRSTLIGHTs TOMAHAWK-NV
GERBERs RECON M-II
PHANTOMs 41-S
SUREFIREs KROMA
STREAMLIGHTs SIDEWINDER

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PowerFlares – An Alternative to Incendiary Flares

Saturday, April 11th, 2009

Invented by a police officer, the PowerFlare PF-200 Electronic LED Safety Light is designed for use by police, firefighters, EMTs, rescue first responders, military, and members of emergency response teams. The applications are limited only by your imagination but work well for marking routes, drop and landing zones, and items of interest. It can also be used for IFF, Personnel Recovery, as well as illumination. In addition to a Morse Code SOS blinking feature the PowerFlare has 10 User-selectable blinking patterns.

The advantages are obvious as PowerFlares overcome the myriad problems experienced with incendiary flares. Flares/fusees cause unintentional fires, in some cases spontaneous trunk fires, they often donâ€™t light, leave toxic residue, and contaminate air and water. Additionally, flares are an expensive one time use item, not to mention that fusees burn out in in a mere 20 minutes.

On the other hand, PowerFlares can be used from 8 to 150 hours per battery (with a shelf life of up to 10 years) while the LEDâ€™s last for up to 100,000 hours. In addition, the systems are extremely impact resistant and can withstand the weight of a truck so they won’t need to be replaced.

PowerFlares are available in a variety of colors

Shells are available in Yellow, Orange, Blue, and OD. LEDs are offered in Amber, Blue, Green, Red, and White. Additionally, a special version of the PowerFlare is available with IR LEDs. The best value is the PF-200R 6-Pack Rechargeable System which comes with six of the PF-200R beacons packed in a recharging case. The recharger can be plugged into a vehicle hot point (12-30VDC) or wall outlet.

They also offer storage bags in UCP as well as other colors that carry four PowerFlares.

To order visit PowerFlare Distribution Center, Inc.

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Light for Life from 5.11 Tactical

Sunday, January 25th, 2009

Can you imagine owning a light that was designed to hand down to your grand children? Tired of buying batteries? Weary of requiring multiple lights due to charging cycles? If your answer to any of these questions was “yes”, then you need to take a look at 5.11 Tactical’s latest product unveiled at the recent SHOT Show in Orlando.

The Light for Life was developed in conjunction with IVUS Energy Innovations, the makers of Flashpointâ„¢ Power Technology. Utilizing a revolutionary design the Light for Life relies on three ultra capacitors rather than traditional batteries. The capacitors are rated for 50,000 charge/discharge cycles (a charge a day for more than 135 years) with virtually no degradation.

One of the most amazing points about the light is that it charges in 90 seconds. This means, it can be recharged virtually anywhere power is available.

The lamp consists of three LEDs rated for over 50,000 hours (40 hours a week for over 24 years) and features three outputs:
-90 lumens for 90 minutes and then 25 lumens for 30 additional minutes
-270 lumens for 30 minutes dropping to 25 lumens for an additional 30 minutes
-Strobe

The Light for Life will float and is waterproof to 3 meters.

The Light for Life flashlight is unlike anything we’ve seen in or out of the tactical industry. At $169.99 it’s a steal. After all, with stats like that, it’s designed to outlast you. The only downside is that they aren’t available until the end of May. The light will come with a charger and belt ring.

For more information visit 5.11 Tactical.

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