Showing posts with label flashlight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flashlight. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Review: Streamlight - Wedge flashlight

Sharpie for Scale
I'd been without an EDC flashlight since loaning mine to Tactical Baby for school camp, never to be heard of again. (the light, not the TB, she had a blast). I made do with a petrol-station bargain bin LED light that was usually functional but not especially bright or reliable. So when an opportunity came up to  try out another I jumped at it. I had never heard of Streamlight or their Wedge light but as soon as I looked it up I knew it was the next light or me.
 
I liked the look of its sleek but robust design, bulkier than a pen-light and that it looked like it was designed for both pocket and PALS/MOLLE carriage. I have a Fellhoelter bolt-action pen light on my Hazard 4 chest harness (which is pretty much my principle EDC go-to), but its not much more than a "dropped my keys" or pupil-dilation checking tool. 

The Wedge has a pleasant solid heft to it at 4oz (113.4g) and it fits the hand nicely, with the finger groves fall naturally into index and pointer fingers, placing the wheel button squarely under the thumb. The heel of the palm seats the butt-end of the light, tucked in securely by the pinkie finger. It measures 5 4/5"X 2/5"X ~1" (13.87 x 1.52 x 2.54 cm) overall, ( not counting the subtle pen clip ( which is reversible for lefties or righties). I tend to wear it in my front right pants pocket with the short paracord loop easily hookable for easy access. A month of daily carry has worn the anodizing of the tip, to zero functional effect.

candle Mode 
The light is activated by rolling the wheel button forward to the stable mid point, producing a bright, clear white light rated at  300 Lumen. This is the Constant-On Mode, which has a 3 hour runtime. When engaged, a small green LED behind the wheel is illuminated. This seems redundant as the main emitter LED is very clear. My own testing has the battery life lasting over 4 hours but 3 hours is a safe benchmark.  The green LED shifts to red when battery life is low, which is a nice feature. Even after my 4 hour test it wasn't especially hot either which was nice, the heat-sink of the all metal body works well. 


Standard mode activate

The built-in Lithium Polymer batteries are charged via a recessed, waterproofed USB-C port in the butt of the Wedge. When charging, the behind-the-wheel LED is red until full charge at which point the indicator light goes green.

But this is where the extra distance on the wheel button comes in. If you push the wheel beyond the constant-on mid-point, you activate the THRO, (Temporarily Heightened Regulated Output) mode. This kicks the constant-on 300 Lumen up to a dazzling 1000 Lumen output. Light throw is rated at 225' (69m) at constant-on and 360' (110m) in THRO mode. One thing that impressed me was the wide cone of light, with the main cone being around 120 degrees wide, with a secondary cone at around 160 degrees. This extra wide beam provides for an almost full room coverage from a doorway, which is very handy for those "bump in the night" investigations or "where did that battery roll under the bed" searches.

The constant-on setting is standard, with the THRO mode requiring constant forwards pressure to maintain it, such that an initial push forwards may move directly to THRO-mode then back to constant-on. This isn't too much of an issue, but I did find that some finesse was required to switch it on without moving to THRO-mode, or flickering ON/OFF. That can be a little annoying, specifically because when I want light, I want constant, stable light NOW. 


THRO mode active: wider, brighter, longer
Another thing I like about this light is its slim but not skinny-size making it convenient to deploy in a pocket, on a belt or even in the channels of PALS/MOLLE. Perfect for placement on a chest-rig or on a pouch. It's a snug fit, especially on a rigid surface, but that adds to the security of it's carry. The para-cord fob allows for easy draw, and just like that you have the utility of a bright sharp white light at the slide of a thumb.

The base of the light, even with its recessed USB-C charging port and pen clip sits flat nicely allowing the Wedge to be stood up in "candle mode" and given it's wide arc, it will illuminate a whole tent, room or goodly sized cave. 

MOLLE carry
The lens glass is slightly inset from the rim of the frame, offering it some measure of protection against  scratches and impacts. Whilst I wouldn't recommend using it as such  I suppose one could grip it like a kubaton for self defense purposes. Every tool is a weapon if your imagination can stretch far enough. It's not going to do you as a set of brass knuckles, but if you ice-pick your grip you'll make a bit of a impact focus point, even if you have to drive the switch with your pinky. Good for temple-indexing, OK for cool. 





ergonomics
I really like how the light indexes in my hand, how easy it is to activate and the sheer volume of the light it emits. It is certainly one of the most powerful lights (especially for its size) that I've had. Its sleek form factor makes it unobtrusive and easy carry and quick to deploy. My only complaint would be that the thumb switch slips back from ON to OFF too easily, if its not seated quite right. This may "wear-in" over time, and hopefully in the right direction, but isn't enough to put me off this light. I've subsequently found that flicking it to "ON" then getting my thumb of the dial reduces this stutter effect, so i'm willing to concede some user error may be in play here

One last thing, if you ever felt the need to illuminate your brain, the emitter end will fit up the standard adult nostril and will light your honker up like Rudolph. Tastes like Crayons too.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Review: Danforce G1 Pro Modular flashlight

My love of flashlights is well documented and nothing new. I do however keep losing or breaking them, so I keep an eye out whenever I can for new exciting models. One such light was Kickstarted a while back by redoubtable gearsmiths Dan Force who offered the modular DanForce G1 Pro Flashlight. 
One big draw-card for me is the modularity and the accessories offered in this kit. These include:
  • Weapons Rail Mount(not included in my pledge)
  • Pressure Switch (not included in my pledge)
  • Emergency Power Bank
  • Tactical Pouch (not included in my pledge)
  • Lantern Attachment
  • Red & Green Light Filters
  • Compass
  • Bike Mount
  • Protective Carrying Case
  • 3200 mAh High-Power Rechargeable Battery
  • Fast Charger
  • USB Cable
  • Hand Strap
  • Neck Strap
It's a lot of loot in one kit, that's for sure. So, the flashlight itself is milled from 6061 aluminium and in its "short" configuration weighs 220g and 275g in the "long" configuration.
The body of the light is  1 1/16" (27mm) wide, 1 3/4" (44mm) at the bezel and 10 3/4" (27cm)tall in the long and  7 1/2" (19cm) in the short. 



The difference between the two is the addition of a second battery segment, which is a conversion of the "Emergency Power Bank" component,  and attaching it to the light. The lens head unscrews from the primary battery component, as does the push button end cap. I'm not sure why  the head unscrews as it seems irrelevant as its threading only fits the primary battery segment, and is incompatible with the other parts.  The head houses a mighty CREE L2 LED panel behind an adjustable lens. The lens has a ratcheting twist action, with a loud click, and spreads the light out from a corridor filling long distance spot to a room filling or road illuminating lantern. The light is fitted with a broadly crenelated bezel, which is also replaceable (and accompanied by a spare)

 The Cree L2 emitter has a listed output of570+ lumens in the short configuration, and 1080 in the long, thanks to the combined charge of the  3200mAh 3.7v 18650 batteries, which in turn will power the light in high for 7-8 hours in single and 10-12 hours in double.

 A rotating ring behind the bezel unscrews to reveal a Micro-USB port that can be utilized to charge the battery. It features a blinking green and red LED indicator, green to indicate charging and red seems to indicate charge full. The light flashes once when hooked up to a power source.

Its possible to recharge the "Short" segment  from the extension segment by using its Power Bank end cap. The Power Bank end cap has a micro USB charging input and a red charging indicator as well as a standard USB-a output.The silicone dust over keeps your ports clear of crud.

As well as being able to charge the flashlights battery in its short configuration but can also be use to charge up other devices such as GPS units or phones. Being a separate unit means I can charge one battery as the other is in use which is handy. Especially as I like to keep multiple power generation sources available.

The G1 PRO is all about putting you in control, giving you six separate modes of operation, Featuring high, medium, low, SOS and strobe modes, as well as an eco-mode for when you need extended battery life in challenging situations. Each mode is accessed by clicking the power button on and off in succession to cycle through the modes.


One of the neat accessories is the lantern dome, an opaque cap that fits snugly over the bezel end turns the flashlight into a room illuminating lantern, perfect for power outages at home, in a tent or even just to scope out a dark car boot.

Unscrewing the bezel allows the fitting either of the two included colored plastic filters to project red or green light as needs be. The addition of a compass to the end-cap of the 

The rubber o-rings at each of the seams and the precision manufacture ar what rate the G1 its IPX04 rating (IPX4 – Protects from splashing water, no matter the direction). The bike mount allows clamping the G1 to handlebars to act as a very effective headlight.
The G1 light is bright and robust and the utility of the lens as well as the modular Power Bank components makes for a truly memorable unit

High power mode on wide lens setting.
Unlit testing conditions, suburban street



High power mode, lens in tight focus
High power mode, lens in tight focus, square emission clear















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