Widget Review #2

[dougo83]

So..I decided that another review was in order. Hey, give me a break, I am stuck at a desk for 12 hours. Anyway...this time I looked at the Photn Micro Light and Princton Tec Pulsar II.

I was curious how they would work in a survival scenarioi, so I tried the easiest thing I could think of. I submerged my right hand in a mixture of salt, ice and water until it was numb.

So..here is what I determined..switch on the Pulsar II is flush with the body of the light and is damn near impossible to switch on and off with a completely numb appendage. This light would be very difficult to utilize in a survival sceanrio. The Photon is only slightly better. The switch is raised slightly, but is still difficult to operate.

Both lights, however, are bright as hell and put out some serious light for their size. While it is difficult to turn them on while numb, they are perfect once they are on. They are ideal for clipping on packs and people when stuck off the trail so they can be located again.

Here's a quick pic so you can kind of see how bright they are. The Pulsar is in the middle.

 

[storl]

I appreciate your putting yourself through pain to help educate us.

You might want to change your title to something more revealing so the thread gets more exposure. The usability of micro lights when cold is good information.

 

[TheGame]

Thanks for going through the mind (limb) numbing exercises to get this info across to us!

Very good info to know!

 

[AeroNautiCal]

The Photon Freedom Micro lights are push button operated, which makes them far easier to use when compromised by cold or injury.

This was partly why I got two of them.

 

[ejes]

I've been using some of the County Comm SO-LEDs over the last month. I had a week of night firearms training a couple weeks ago, and the one with the clip worked great on the brim of my cap while policing brass at night. They are pretty inexpensive and pretty bright. The clip is very sturdy and rotates with positive clicks. It wasn't cold, so I don't know how easy the switch would be to manipulate with numb fingers, but it is large and seems like it would be easy to use when cold. They also have a lanyard hole. The only downside seems to be that they don't appear to be water resistant. Most of the other guys wanted one when they saw it. We had some pilots in our group too that wanted them for reading maps and instruments at night.

http://www.countycomm.com/light10.htm

(Photos courtesy of countycomm.com)

 

[powernoodle]

Note that these lights are not regulated, so they begin to dim from the moment you turn them on. Also, batteries are somewhat hard to get and somewhat spendy, unless you order them in numbers off the internet.

For the same money as a Photon, a Fenix EO1 will run 8 hours without diminishing, with another day or so of diminishing light. And AAA batteries can be found or scavenged anywhere.

This is not to diss the button cell lights. They are very small and lightweight, and I have some Photons in my arsenal. But their lack of regulation and coin cell batteries are something to consider.

Plus, I suspect that a twisty AAA light would be easier to operated with frozen fingers, but maybe that can be your next experiment.

:thumbup:

 

[PayetteRucker]

You need to include the Garrity version you can buy at walmart, these are brighter than the pulsars and I'm sure cost less.

 

[dougo83]

You need to include the Garrity version you can buy at walmart, these are brighter than the pulsars and I'm sure cost less.

I didn't go out and specifically buy anything for this test. I picked up these lights for maybe a buck when SW shut down and decided to see how they handled. If I were out to pick up various lights to test, I would add the following:

Streamlight Nano
Inova MicroLight
My PIF Solar LED


Thanks for the suggestion though. I will try to track those down next time I am not broke.

@AeroNautiCal- How sturdy is that clip? I wouldn't want to break it when I need it.

@ejes- Thanks for the link. I will check those out. Actually, I will see if storl has them at goinggear.com. I like supporting fellow forumites.