Dorcy 1 Watt Luxeon LED
Flashlight
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Excellent - Outstanding
Flashlights are never in short supply, and can
be fround in practically any general or hardware store. Though,
for disaster situations there are some better suited than others.
Dorcy's entry into the Luxeon bulb arena began several years ago.
Let it be known that they hit the ground running. This particular
flashlight was used for a year in many situations, to test its
versatility.
For those of you who don't know, Luxeon bulbs
are a new form of LED (Ligth Emitting Diode) bulb that generates barely
any heat and lasts 10,000+ hours. Their battery consumtion is
minimal compared to regular halogen bulbs, yet they shine significantly
brighter.
Cost:
Excellent
Dorcy offers their ever-increasing range of
Luxeon LED flashlights for very affordable prices. At most places
the Dorcy 1 Watt Luxeon LED shown above ranges from $18-$30. One
thing is for certain, this is a lot of flashlight for the money,
considering it comes with batteries.
Construction:
Excellent
This little flashlight (about 5 inches long)
is made from high-grade aircraft grade aluminum. The finish is
outstanding, and it has grooves in all the right places. This
particular model comes in several colors, all seeming to have a
metallic luster. The battery compartment cap threads clean, and
the gasket ensures a waterproof seal. The button snaps clean as
well,
with plenty of feedback when it is pressed. Overall this
flashlight feels like it should be a lot more expensive then it is.
As a test, I left the flashlight outside in
the snow for three days (of melting in the day and re-freezing
overnight). After day three, I brought it inside, let the
residual snow/ice melt off of it, and function tested it. It
worked as perfectly as it did the day it was opened, and there was no
sign or mark on it to indicate it had been left outside for three days
in the snow. The gaskets in the flashlight held up, and are still
rubbery. This is one durable flashlight.
Features:
Great
This
flashlight is fairly simple in its function. It would have
received an Excellent rating for the features, however I find one extra
feature somewhat annoying. The button has three settings; on,
intermittent blink, and off. The intermittent blink is not really
necessary, though it could be used to try to signal someone at a great
distance.
The battery compartment takes three AAA
batteries, though not in any traditional manner. Instead of just
dropping the batteries in vertically, this flashlight uses a battery
module. The module is dropped out from the bottom of flashlight,
the
batteries are inserted in the open slots along the sides of the module,
and the module is re-inserted into the flashlight. Think of this
module as sort of a big battery. It makes the batteries easier to
manage, and less likely to be dropped in the dark.
Function:
Outstanding
The
beam that the Dorcy 1 Watt Luxeon LED Flashlight emits is something
truly to behold in person. When compared to the large 3-5 D-cell
flashlights which use traditional bulbs, this beam is easily multiple
times brighter. It seems to have two cones of coverage: A
main focal cone which spreads at a moderate angle, and a less-intense,
ultra-wide "search" cone.
Since the initial purchase of this flashlight a
little over a year before the writing of this review, it
has been used fairly frequently. The beam seems to be as bright
as ever, and is still running on the original batteries.
That should speak for itself.
Overall:
Excellent
The Dorcy 1 Watt Luxeon LED Flashlight is an excllent value, as well as
a wise choice for any Readiness Kit or all-weather use.
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