SecTrainer
01-24-2011, 05:42 AM
First, I'm no phlashlight phreak, so excuse my terminology below if inaccurate.
So, I was needing a small but capable flashlight for the vehicle emergency kit and picked up the Nebo Redline at my local Ace hardware store the other day - $24.95.
This is some kind of bright, white light (220/110/22 lumens). Focuses from a very broad floodlight to a very intense spotlight that throws a beam a helluva distance (sorry - I haven't measured, but I can easily light up the flag on the 3rd green from my back porch, which is about 100 yards, I'd say). Company says it has a range of 150 yards, but I'm not sure about that.
I don't have 97 brands of lights around to run comparison tests and do scientific research, but can say that of the 10 or so lights I have around, this is the one I'd grab if I really needed to actually see something. I've got a Garrity that's almost the exact same size and this Nebo runs rings around it in every way - tighter spot, wider flood, and brighter by far.
Rear-mounted switch button cover glows in the dark so you can find the light without having to already have the light in order to turn it on and find the light - if you follow me. Good idea! High, mid, low intensity, SOS and strobe functions with alternate clicks of the button. The strobe will temporarily blind your adversary - I wish it was the second function in the "click order" instead of the last. (All of them seem to put the strobe last, I guess.) I turned on the SOS function and pointed it in the direction of the police station, but no one came to my aid. I may write a letter to the mayor about this. :rolleyes:
Runs on 3 AAA's that sit in a battery caddy. No, I haven't tested the run time yet, but I will.
Good size to stick in your pants pocket, although you'll notice that it's got a bit of heft for such a shorty.
Oh yeah - the crenelated bezel. I really like a crenelated bezel; I won't say why. (Someone told me the TSA won't let you carry a crenelated light onto a plane - true?)
On the downside:
1. There's no hole at the end to attach a lanyard. There's something about a hefty metal object that can be swung from a lanyard that just speaks to my soul. Again, I won't say why. Guess I could cobble something up using a small C-clamp or something like that. There's no way to drill a hole in the end cap, where the function circuitry lives, or in the tube, which is chock-full of battery caddy.
2. Despite the cross-hatching on the tube, it's a little slick to hold - I wish it had the soft rubber knobby sleeve that some of the other Nebos have, which is very secure from slipping. I'll look for something at the hardware store - or I might wrap it with tape or leather.
3. When the head-end is fully extended (for tightest spot focus), meaning that its at the far end of the threads - like in the illustration below - it doesn't fit as snugly and gets a bit wiggly, if you can understand what I mean. No big deal at all, just a little wobble that you might not even notice.
4. Personally, I don't like end-cap switches that much, but it's a small quibble.
5. I don't see any point at all in the semi-transparent plastic ring beneath the bezel that's illuminated when the flashlight is turned on. It's not like you could use it for a traffic wand or anything like that. Oh well. I paid nothing extra for the plastic ring.
Anyway, this flashlight is a very good value IMHO - I'm gonna pick up another one, or maybe two.
So, I was needing a small but capable flashlight for the vehicle emergency kit and picked up the Nebo Redline at my local Ace hardware store the other day - $24.95.
This is some kind of bright, white light (220/110/22 lumens). Focuses from a very broad floodlight to a very intense spotlight that throws a beam a helluva distance (sorry - I haven't measured, but I can easily light up the flag on the 3rd green from my back porch, which is about 100 yards, I'd say). Company says it has a range of 150 yards, but I'm not sure about that.
I don't have 97 brands of lights around to run comparison tests and do scientific research, but can say that of the 10 or so lights I have around, this is the one I'd grab if I really needed to actually see something. I've got a Garrity that's almost the exact same size and this Nebo runs rings around it in every way - tighter spot, wider flood, and brighter by far.
Rear-mounted switch button cover glows in the dark so you can find the light without having to already have the light in order to turn it on and find the light - if you follow me. Good idea! High, mid, low intensity, SOS and strobe functions with alternate clicks of the button. The strobe will temporarily blind your adversary - I wish it was the second function in the "click order" instead of the last. (All of them seem to put the strobe last, I guess.) I turned on the SOS function and pointed it in the direction of the police station, but no one came to my aid. I may write a letter to the mayor about this. :rolleyes:
Runs on 3 AAA's that sit in a battery caddy. No, I haven't tested the run time yet, but I will.
Good size to stick in your pants pocket, although you'll notice that it's got a bit of heft for such a shorty.
Oh yeah - the crenelated bezel. I really like a crenelated bezel; I won't say why. (Someone told me the TSA won't let you carry a crenelated light onto a plane - true?)
On the downside:
1. There's no hole at the end to attach a lanyard. There's something about a hefty metal object that can be swung from a lanyard that just speaks to my soul. Again, I won't say why. Guess I could cobble something up using a small C-clamp or something like that. There's no way to drill a hole in the end cap, where the function circuitry lives, or in the tube, which is chock-full of battery caddy.
2. Despite the cross-hatching on the tube, it's a little slick to hold - I wish it had the soft rubber knobby sleeve that some of the other Nebos have, which is very secure from slipping. I'll look for something at the hardware store - or I might wrap it with tape or leather.
3. When the head-end is fully extended (for tightest spot focus), meaning that its at the far end of the threads - like in the illustration below - it doesn't fit as snugly and gets a bit wiggly, if you can understand what I mean. No big deal at all, just a little wobble that you might not even notice.
4. Personally, I don't like end-cap switches that much, but it's a small quibble.
5. I don't see any point at all in the semi-transparent plastic ring beneath the bezel that's illuminated when the flashlight is turned on. It's not like you could use it for a traffic wand or anything like that. Oh well. I paid nothing extra for the plastic ring.
Anyway, this flashlight is a very good value IMHO - I'm gonna pick up another one, or maybe two.