It's hard to believe what a bright light this little thing puts out while running on 2 AA batteries. The case is durable metal, and the thing feels more solid than a maglight. If anything, my main criticism is that the thing is overbuilt. It's like a Swiss watch of flashlights- craftsmanship taken to an almost absurd degree.
I run with this flashlight. It is very bright at 100 lumens and has a nice wrist strap. It only has a 2 hour run time but uses cheaper AA batteries. I would buy another if the price dropped down to the price I paid in October...31.70.
Update: Bought a 2nd one for the wife to use. After nearly a year...zero complaints...still works great.
I wished it was cheaper but I had to try it out and I don't regret it. I have gone ahead and given away all my old bulb flashlights at this point and strictly only use LED flashlights. Now this thing is very solid. I compared it to my older bulb flashlights that took up to 4 D batteries and it is much brighter. I compared it to my 32 LED smith and wesson and it is way brighter than that one as well. Of course that one is meant for much longer battery life as well as red and blue. Yes I would recommend this flashlight to everyone and plan on buying more as gifts as soon as they go on sale. It has a very strong belt clip as well. If you're looking for something like this don't wait for a few buck price drop. Get your first one and then wait.
At ~$45, this strikes me as a frugal (not cheap) alternative to the premium brand(s). I let a tactically trained friend, who owns numerous Surefires, try it out, and he was very impressed. In fact, the performance of this LED convinced him that such a "bulb" can match the effectiveness of the best incandescents now. He'd been holding out until he could compare first-hand. The body is very solid; The nylon holster with belt strap & spare battery pouch is functional; The lanyard is a bonus, though a tad thin for my preference. At this point, I only have two "complaints." #1) The rear battery cap/switch is not as rigid as I think it should be. When screwed all the way in, the lamp is on continuously, which is no problem/typical. However, when backed off enough to turn it off and enable momentary mode, the LED will illuminate if you gently push/flex the endcap to the side. Don't interpret that it's flimsy -- It's not. And, this is probably not a big issue, but has the potential to cause accidental actuation if pressure is applied to the side of the cap while carrying it on a belt, in a pocket, or in a (back)pack. In turn, this could drain the batteries, since this LED is rated to do so in approx. 2 hours with quality alkalines (not confirmed by me yet). #2) It's made in China. Unfortunately, like so many other companies, S&W has sourced some of their products overseas. This certainly helps them compete and get their foot in this market, and the quality seems to be top-notch, so this issue is really just a disappointment for me, and FYI to you, as I didn't know this before it showed up on my doorstep.
I own other Tacical Flashlights having paid much more for the others. The Smith and Wesson preforms as well as the others I own, at half the cost. A plus is this light runs on AA batteries, not 123A batteries (more costly). You can use rechargeble batteries in this light, saving even more cost. Also has a much greater running time. Love it!
I bought this light for work to replace a SureFire G2, and this one puts it to shame. I am using it for extremely dark, low reflectivity areas such as inside a 60ft high boiler with dark, rusty walls and tubes. The Maglight I had at first didn't even illuminate the ceiling. I then got a SureFire G2, but the batteries were always running out (at $2 per battery). I then got this light, and just love it. The battery life really is what they advertise. I recommend this light all the time. Very well built and great optics. In case you're wondering, it is a spot-type of projection, not a wide general-lighting type of light.
Update! I now own 4 of them, all work great even after being put through hell for such a long time!
2 AA batteries. Brightest light I have found that does not need to be recharged. They say it has a two hour continuous run time, it will last for over a month with moderate use. It has a momentary button on the tail cap which allows you to use it regarldess of hand position, unlike others that the button is recessed, or turn the cap all the way in to use it in constant mode. It will fit into a mini mag light leather hoslter if you are interested in carrying it this way you just get the holster wet, put the light into the hoslter and let it dry. Also I have dropped it many times at work and it is still working fine. If you are looking for blinding light you have found it, a tactical flashlight like this one would normaly cost easily 100$
This is an amazingly bright lamp. The optics are fantastic for such a small unit.
The *only* issues I have are:
1: You can't use it in "candle mode" Not really a big issue, but it does come in handy once in a while.
2: Can't focus the beam. Again, not a huge issue, but sometimes focusing would be helpful.
3: Since the on/off is the base of the torch, you either screw it in tight or press on the base with your thumb, if you put it into the holster, be careful, pressure from the flap cover can activate the lamp and you'll not see it until it's too late.
In the dark, I was illuminating the back yard to the tree line from over 30 meters away. My 3 D-Cell mag LED was able to do this as well. But it is nearly 300% larger. - Led Mini Flashlight - Bright - Flashlight - Tactical'
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