GearFlogger

LED Lenser F1 flashlight

LED Lenser makes some useful and stylish little flashlights. The F1 is a nice example of creatively integrating a few critical functions into a pocket sized torch for everyday carry.

The F1 is truly pocket sized, just three and a half inches long and two and a half ounces. It runs off a single CR123 yet still manages to pump out 400 lumens for two hours, or 60 lumens for three and a half hours.

You'd think a compact light like this would shirk the features, but not so: IPX8 waterproof (four hours submersion tolerance), removable pocket clip, and a glass-breaking bezel you can swap out between a brushed nickel and matte black option. There's an integrated hex ring that prevents the F1 from rolling off a flat surface, and you can even stand it on its tail for lamp mode.

Overall a beautifully executed flashlight with a rare combination of form and function.

$59.00 at Moontrail

Pelican Rechargeable 7060 LED Flashlight

I'm man enough to admit when I have a problem, and so I freely admit to a flashlight fetish. Being able to turn darkness into light with the push of a button is just awesome, I don't care how old you are.

Field expedient lighting of all kinds has gotten so much better in the last few years. I was looking at the Pelican 7060 LED rechargeable flashlight, and in between looking at it and receiving one in the mail the lumens increased from 130 to 175. Now that's progress! So here's the bottom line on the Pelican: it rocks. Seriously bright, throws light forever, tougher than nails (motto: "You break it, we'll replace it... forever), and rechargeable to boot.

The 7060 was developed in collaboration with the Los Angeles Police Department, and the attention to detail shows. It's rugged grip is no-slip, no way, no how, and even the serrations on the shroud have a purpose: if you leave it activated standing on a flat surface you'll see the light. The aluminum heat sink is effective, and the included holster is servicable, although you might want to upgrade to leather.

At 8.5 inches long and just under 11 ounces, it's not compact, but the extra length handles nicely. The dual switches - butt end and standard - have a great feel. Best of all: no paying out the nose for batteries: the 7060 plugs clips into a wall charger and the lithium ion batter takes less than an hour to fully recharge. You'll get well over an hour run time. Bottom line: if you're looking for a rugged, mid-size flashlight and want to make the move from halogen or xenon to LED, the Pelican is your light.

$141.34 at Amazon

LED Lenser P7 flashlight

LEDs and flashlights go together like chocolate and peanut butter. Like tinfoil and hats. Like hollywood starlets and inappropriate smartphone pictures. You get the idea. LED Lenser, a German subsidiary of shiny-gear-porn stalwart Leatherman, steps up with the P7 flashlight.

First, thank you LED Lenser for using a sane naming convention for your lights. Must be the Teutonic heritage, which would also account for the solid feel and immaculate fit and finish of the P7. This quality extends all the way to the box it comes in, and the included nylon holster and lanyard.

The P7 just fills up an average hand, making the ergonomics work seamlessly: press the tailcap once for bright (175 lumens), twice for dim (25 lumens). If you touch but don't fully depress (to a click) the button, you get a "boost" lighting mode that is just barely brighter than the high setting. This is most useful operating from the dim mode when you want to really zap something, and it only lasts while maintaining light pressure on the switch.

The P7 has a cool trick up its sleeve: the bezel slides forward and back along the main axis of the handle to focus the beam. You can do this with one hand, and it's pretty neat to be able to go from blinding spot to diffuse flood in a pinch, much better than a standard twist to focus design. There are a few design choices that might concern some folks: the P7 is completely round, so it will roll off a flat surface. The tail is rounded so you can't set it on a flat surface, without support, pointing straight up to act as a room light. And it doesn't have a voltage regulator, so the four AAA batteries start to dim after 45 minutes or so of continuous operation. Using better batteries definitely extends performance.

On the other hand, you get IPX4 water resistance, a crazy bright light with effortless focus, and outstanding quality in a light that just feels great in the hand. And all this at a reasonable price should make you seriously consider the P7 as a standout handheld light.

$40.78 at Amazon

Princeton Tec Amp 1L flashlight

Princeton Tec makes some nice lighting products. We're big fans of their cycle lights and their Byte headlamp, for example. The Amp 1L flashlight is a capable little flashlight if you value waterproofness in a lightweight light.

The Amp is waterproof to 100 meters, and with a carabiner clip it can accompany you pretty much anywhere and be there when you need it. The 45 lumen LED runs for 72 hours off two AAA batteries. A built-in bottle opener lets you pop a chilly one at the end of your epic.

The Amp is not so much an everyday light, since it requires two hands to operate the twist-to-activate head. There's no adjustable level in the lighting either, but hey, that's not why you bought it right? If you need an inexpensive, waterproof work light, check out the Amp 1L.

$15.95 at Amazon

TerraLUX LightStar flashlights

Now arriving in a comely GearFlogger-ish orange, among other classy colors, the TerraLUX LightStars (model 300 pictured) are aircraft-grade aluminum-clad light sabers. OK, they won't cut metal, start fires or cauterize bloody stumps, but they will light up your next adventure.

We tested two models, the LightStar300 and LightStar80, each named after their light output in lumens. Both units have tail cap buttons and belt/hat clips, the latter also handy for keeping the lights from rolling off a flat surface. The 300 is an inch by six inches and includes a wrist lanyard. The 300 runs on two AA batteries and has dual modes: 300 lumens (3 hours runtime) and 100 lumens (24 hours), accessible by lightly depressing the tail cap. The light beam is wide and white, great for area illumination.

The LightStar80 is a beefy penlight, about a half inch by five and a half inches. Instead of a lanyard there's a bite grip, a rubber sleeve at the tail end of the flashlight that allows you to hold it in your teeth comfortably. You'll still slobber like a asylum escapee, but it's surprising how often you do end up using it. The 80 runs its single output setting on two AAA batteries for five hours. The yellow-hued light is described as "high CRI" or color-rendering index, to allow the user to better distinguish colors (is that a yellow wire or a red wire? Hmm... *clip. BOOM*).

The lights are water resistant, with tight fit and finish, but not designed for truly wet applications. If you're looking for a rugged, compact light with great light output, good battery life and superior ergonomics, check out the LightStar line from TerraLUX.

LightStar300 $36.99 at Amazon
LightStar80 $18.42 at Amazon

 

Black Diamond Icon headlamp

This just in from the go-big-or-go-home-in-the-dark school of lighting: Black Diamond's new and improved Icon headlamp, sporting 200 lumens of good news on your forehead. Like a bright shiny unicorn, but black, and without all the phallic baggage.

The four AA batteries (included) insert quickly with a single twist of an oversize bail, and with them the Icon tips the scales at a modest 8.1oz. It feels even lighter on your head thanks to perfect weight distribution, with none of that annoying sliding-off-your-head feeling. The helmet compatible adjustable straps and coiled power cord resize quickly, and the battery pack is surprisingly comfortable against bare skin thanks to a nifty vented rubberized pad. The lamp housing adjusts vertically and is sticky enough to stay true while walking.

Pay attention now, because the big, sausage-finger-friendly button on top is smarter than your average honor student: push once and you get the monster QuadPower LED, throwing 700 lumens out to about 100 meters and good for 75 hours. Push off and on again for the two SinglePower LEDs, 4 lumens for 14 meters for 175 hours. If that doesn't get you through your epic, you're probably calling for rescue, so triple-tap to get the SinglePower LEDs to strobe. Need to go tactical? No problemo, hold for 3 seconds to get to the night-vision-saving red LEDs, and you can strobe them puppies too. Wanna get all custom? Hold the button down to dim either white mode.

But wait, that's not all! Hold the button down 6 seconds to lock the lamp to prevent premature discharge. That's still not all: it's crazy smart! A small green-orange-red color lamp on the bottom front tells you how much battery life you have left. Brilliant light, brilliant design. Did we mention it's IPX-7 waterproof? For all this you could expect to pay well north of $100, but no, our friends at BD are giving it away for substantially less. We never used the old Icon so we can't comment on any differences, and frankly we don't care. Biking, climbing, whatever, if you're in the market for a superbright lamp with features out the wazoo, and at a great price to boot, you're looking for the Icon.

$79.95 at REI

Princeton Tec Bot headlamp

Itty-bitty headlamps are insanely useful and should be near the top of your gift list this holiday season. Priced right for a stocking stuffer is the Princeton Tec Bot headlamp, targeted at kids but really, what the hell do they have to look at that's so important? The Bot is great for all sizes of peoples.

The twin-LED Bot takes two triple A's - included! - and the battery cover is held on by a single screw. This frustrated the SheFlogger until I pointed out to her, helpfully and with only the barest hint of condescension in my voice, that it is after all meant for kids, so the screw makes sense instead of a quick release. She didn't even thank me for this information.

The Bot headband adjusts down for tykes and narrow-minded people, and the light is easily adjustable up and down. The button is smart: if you press it repeatedly it cycles through low (9 hours), high (4.5), blinking (11) and off, but if more than a few seconds goes by pressing it again turns it off without having to cycle through the modes. The Bot also shuts off after six hours automatically. That's pretty cool; really, a one-hour shutoff would have been perfect.

The housing is water resistant, so when it inevitably goes in the toilet it can survive if you get in there fast enough. Overall the lighting is great, the design fantastic and the price so reasonable you have to order three to get free shipping on Amazon!

$11.88 at Amazon

Princeton Tec Push front bike light

Biking at night seems like an accident waiting to happen, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. If you're one of those hardy souls who relies on your bike as your primary means of transportation, or if you're just one of those winter biking nuts, chances are you're out in the soup and the more light the better. Remember the GearFlogger motto: safety third!

Princeton Tec has a nifty package for you: the Push is a dual purpose front bike light that acts as a safety light while providing illumination. The rear button activates three modes for the main : bright, not so bright and flashing. In all three white-light modes there is also a flashing red light aperature on each side that provides effective left and right marker action.

The Maxbright LED is rated at 100 lumens, which in practice on hi-bright mode is enough to illuminate a solid 50 feet ahead at trail speed, and over 100 feet if you're stationary. That's enough to pick your line, and given that most night riding is done at a more sedentary pace you'll have no problem when Push comes to shove. Three AAA batteries give you 4 hours at max bright, 14 hours on lo-bright and over 60 hours on blink.

The mount is very well designed, with a quick-release tab to remove the light cylinder, and since it's self-contained you can then use it as a flashlight. The clamp should fit any handlebar setup, and there's even a few degrees of left/right pivot with adjustable tension. Rugged and water resistant construction tops off a nice design, and at 4.3oz it's light on the handlebars.

$49.00 at REI

Icon Irix II headlamp

Icon, purveyor of sexy-design yet reasonably priced lighting, has a tricksy new headlamp out. The weatherproof Irix II weighs just 3.1oz with its single included AA battery installed, and can run as long as 100 hours on low power.

The Irix II has a knob instead of a button to control the light. Twist the knob and the five power-regulated LEDs give you continuously variable output from 5 to 50 lumens. The light is sufficient for up to running-speed activities. It's nice that you can twist it to minimum brightness and back to off without cycling through higher brightness settings and waking up your tentmates.

The straps is broad and comfy, with a little neoprene pad in the front. The lamp housing unit clips into a holder on the headband, so you can remove the light if you need an impromptu hand held light. Under serious jarring, more than you would normally subject it to, the light might rotate, but you can put a thin strip of athletic tape where the clips go to stabilize it. The Icon Irix II is a nice light at a nice price, especially if you like the tricks.

$23.95 at Amazon

Princeton Tec Swerve rear bike light

Be seen. This is the advice I have for you. Especially if you're a crazy winter biker in the City with No Sidewalks (that would be Anchorage, Alaska in the winter when snow is plowed onto all horizontal surfaces).

A tail light for your bike can save your bacon, and Princeton Tec has a great one. The Swerve is waterproof, crazy bright, and has mounting options for your seatpost, seatstay, handlebar, fork, basically anywhere you want to clip it. The mounting mechanism is basically a solid rubber thingy that you can easily move around or even between bikes quickly.

Two Maxbright LEDs provide both solid and blinky modes with the flip of a toggle that's easy to operate by feel alone. You can forgo the mounting assembly and just clip it to your seatbag if you want, just make sure it's level to get the best visibility. Drivers will have no problem seeing you anywhere in your 180 degree rear sector. The advertised 70 hours burn time on two AAA's is roughly accurate. The Princeton Tec Swerve is handlebars-down the best tail light out there.

$25.00 at REI