Surefire Flashlights Reviews

Comment from Robert S. Tobias
Time: February 9, 2011, 9:34 pm

123 of 123 people found the following review helpful:

A 2 cent investment turns a 3-star light into a 5-star star, June 8, 2010

By Robert S. Tobias (Arlington, VA USA) –
  

  

  

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This review is from: Joby Gorillatorch Adjustable and Flexible Tripod Flashlight, Yellow (Tools & Home Improvement)

Customer Video Review Length:: 1:51 MinsWhat I really liked is the way this light could be positioned. The tripod legs bend in any direction. The light can be tilted as needed. The little colored bands are rubberized so when you twist them around something they stay put. The feet are likewise rubberized so they stay put even if placed on a slanted surface. Inside of each foot is a magnet and any one of then is capable of supporting the weight of the entire light. What I found misleading is the dimmer switch. This is actually a light with two levels of output, all the way on and about half way on. You adjust this by twisting a knob and might be able to catch some slight variations between the two but they are not really that useful even if they were easier to set. What I didn’t like was the beam focus. The center is tiny and really too bright. If you use it to light what your working on it is frequently so bright you have to look away. Outside the tiny center it’s usually too dim to be of much good. I fixed that problem for two cents. (Actually, probably lots less but I’m too lazy to do the arithmetic.) What I did was cut a 3″ square of Glad Pressing Seal 3 Pack and put it over the light. It acts as a diffuser and produces an evenly bright, wider angle beam that is (IMHO) perfect.

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Comment from Mark A. Adams
Time: February 9, 2011, 10:27 pm

97 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

Good product that delivers what it promises, September 23, 2009

By Mark A. Adams (Los Angeles, CA United States) –
  

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This review is from: Joby Gorillatorch Adjustable and Flexible Tripod Flashlight, Gray (Tools & Home Improvement)

I just received the Gorillatorch and have been testing it. In the short time I have tested it, I have found it to be an excellent idea with a good implementation. Pros: * The LED used in the unit is very bright and in conjunction with the dimmer function allows an excellent range of illumination * The legs consist of multiple ball and socket joints that allow easy positioning with good rigidity. * Each ball has a rubber-like ring around it (the gray rings in the photos) which provides a good friction grip when wrapped around an object. * The tripod feet have the same covering as the rings giving it a low slip tripod base. * The tripod feet contain strong magnets that hold the tripod securely to a metal surface in any orientation (up, down or sideways). * The Battery/Lamp reside in a single assembly so there is no restriction on rotating the light. Cons: * The unit I received has a battery compartment electrical contact issue. The battery compartment cover contains contacts that connect the battery (+) terminals with the unit body. This contact can be affected by tapping on the case, turning the lamp off and back on when it is switched on. * The dimmer works well, but is non-linear in operation. The dimmer/switch rotates over approx. 220 degrees, but the dimmer operates over the last 90 degrees. * The light produced is very similar to a flashlight – a bright center with a less bright surrounding light ring. As the primary use for the unit is as a work light a change to create a more uniform lighting area would allow the LED’s brightness to be better used. Overall this is a very good product that with minor gripes, delivers what it promises

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Comment from R. Herbert
Time: February 9, 2011, 11:10 pm

81 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

Good, But Disappointing In Some Respects, December 4, 2009

By R. Herbert (Charlotte, NC USA) –
  

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This review is from: Joby Gorillatorch Adjustable and Flexible Tripod Flashlight, Gray (Tools & Home Improvement)

This is a great idea that is well implemented – mostly. The standard Gorilla three-legged grips are great, and the magnetic feet have a stronger attraction and holding power than I expected. Where this falls down is the light. It casts a wide, but very uneven beam. It is super bright in the center, but falls off quickly to very little illumination beyond that. As an example; from two feet away, the super bright center is about 2″-3″ in diameter. Immediately past that, the output falls by 80-90%. And there is no way to adjust that, something that is common with many flashlights. There is no adjust-ability of the reflector to broaden or tighten the beam. You’re stuck with that hot center. All in all, I’d call it a good attempt marred by lack of one major feature. It’s still a potentially great product if that one issue isn’t important for you. But the addition of that one adjustment would make it a truly great item.

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Comment from DCode “Prog”
Time: February 9, 2011, 11:29 pm

73 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

Buy this flashlight, May 27, 2007

By DCode “Prog” –

This review is from: MAGLITE ST2D016 2-D Cell LED Flashlight, Black (Sports)

LED bulbs are convenient for 4 reasons I can think of offhand: 1. they’re “solid state” devices so they’re waaay more rugged than incandescent bulbs, 2. they usually have an operational life in the tens-of-thousands of hours, 3. the white LEDs are so “white” in color that they make regular bulbs look yellow, 4. they usually drain batteries more slowly than incandescent bulbs. LED bulbs have only 3 problems that I know of: 1. they’re more expensive than incandescent bulbs, 2. their beams don’t seem to travel as far as incandescent beams (could be subjective or flashlight construction), 3. most flashlights that use LED bulbs REALLLLLLY SUCK–CAVEAT EMPTOR!!! I can’t stress #3 enough. If you’ve never purchased an LED flashlight before, you might be tempted to assume that their beams are just as bright as regular flashlights. You’d be WRONG! I’ve tried at least a dozen “inexpensive” LED flashlights ($<60) over the years. All of them have left much to be desired even though I was only looking for one that was as bright as a regular flashlight. Boy! Did I waste a lot of money pursuing that modest goal! Learn from my mistakes. If there’s one thing I can’t stress enough, it’s that more LEDs DO NOT necessarily equate to a brighter overall beam. In fact, the opposite seems to be true. If you start with a good LED bulb, you don’t NEED a bunch of little ones. Anyway, a Maglite 2D LED flashlight is every bit as bright (subjective) as Maglite’s regular 2D flashlight. It even appears a bit brighter because of the whiteness of its beam. It also appears to be able to throw the beam a commensurate distance. With a fresh set of batteries, I believe mine burned with enough light to read by for over 22 hours. It actually went a while longer, but I can’t find my notes on the experiment. Yes, I am a flashlight geek. I own SureFire flashlights that can stun a man in the dark and cost more than an iPod. Though the 2D LED MagLite doesn’t have the power to stop a man in his tracks, it should easily replace a regular 2D flashlight. It throws a nice white beam, and should should last longer on a pair of batteries. At its price point, I’ve yet to see it bested by any other LED flashlight. Mag Instruments took their time bringing an LED flashlight to the market, but they DID IT RIGHT! 10/31/08 Update. LED flashlights, in general, have come a long way in the past year and a half. Mags are still my favorite (relatively) cheap and long-life flashlights, though. 7/1/10 Update. LED flashlights are pretty amazing these days. You can buy small (3-AAA) LED flashlights that are only a bit larger than a roll of quarters for $30 at Walmart that are almost as bright as this Maglite. They won’t have the ability to focus on far away objects, but they are conveniently sized. Unfortunately, they seem to grow dim relatively quickly as their teeny-tiny AAA batteries can’t compete with this Maglite’s big fat “D” cells. It comes down to a choice between a conveniently small flashlight that drains batteries relatively quickly (hours) or a comparatively large flashlight with very good battery life. FYI, my 2-D LED Maglite (bought ~3 years ago) employs a standard bulb mount. It’s very unlikely that I’ll ever need to replace the LED (they’re tough and have lifespans rated in thousands of hours), but if I do, it’s nice to know that the flashlight will function with a regular incandescent bulb. Mine even came with a spare incandescent bulb stored in the tailcap. It’s a nice bonus. BTW, you cannot easily replace the bulb assembly in most other LED flashlights.

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Comment from SkinDiver
Time: February 9, 2011, 11:43 pm

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

Nice light, January 18, 2007

By SkinDiver –

Overall this light is a nice light for the low cost. The construction is classic Mag; durable and able to stand up to daily use. Battery life seems to be fairly long with normal use. The light output is a lot nicer than standard halogen bulbs with a white color output that makes standard lights look “yellow.” The focusing ability is perfect to give you a very small focused spot that should throw far. The only downside is with wide beam focusing – which has noticeable “rings” of light. Overall this is a nicely built light for everyday use.

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Comment from Dana Voigt “Disappointed”
Time: February 10, 2011, 12:41 am

25 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

Works great until you drop it by mistake!, June 16, 2007

By Dana Voigt “Disappointed” (Mesa AZ) –
  

This review is from: MAGLITE ST2D016 2-D Cell LED Flashlight, Black (Sports)

I agree that these flashlights work great for what they are, however, I have already blown 2 LED modules by dropping the flashlights by accident, once myself, and once by my 2 year old. The LEDs pop out of their housing rendering them uselsss. At that point all you can do is pull out the spare filiment bulb provided with the flashlight and use it. The replacement LED’s run almost 25 dollars. Not a good deal if you ask me. Buyer beware……

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Comment from Crisscross “XC”
Time: February 10, 2011, 1:23 am

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

Newer version is better and cheaper, December 13, 2008

By Crisscross “XC” (Toronto, Canada) –

This review is from: Stanley 95-112 Tripod LED Flashlight (Tools & Home Improvement)

The original Stanley Tripod Flashlight (model 95-112) has six weak LEDs. In 2008, the model was replaced with one having a single bright LED and the same model number. The new one lists at only $10 and sells for less. I compared them against each other. The construction is similar but the light from the new one is much more intense and useful. I don’t know why they kept the same model number but the six LED one is on clearance at most stores. Look for the one LED – it is marked on the box. And shop around – you’ll be surprised.

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Comment from James E. Madden “Iownabar”
Time: February 10, 2011, 1:28 am

65 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

Good concept, poor execution, December 17, 2006

A Kid’s Review

This review is from: Stanley 95-112 Tripod LED Flashlight (Tools & Home Improvement)

The tripod design is a great idea. The frame is also well constructed, and has quality feel. However, they must have sourced some lousy/cheap LED. The brightness pales in comparison to a LED flashlight that operates on 2 AA batteries, and this is in the brightest setting with all 6 LEDs on and brand new batteries. Also, I couldn’t find the lumens rating, either on Amazon or the box. Probably for a reason.

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Comment from Anonymous
Time: February 10, 2011, 1:56 am

47 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

Not Up To Stanley’s Standards, January 17, 2007

By James E. Madden “Iownabar” (Philadelphia, PA) –
  

This review is from: Stanley 95-112 Tripod LED Flashlight (Tools & Home Improvement)

This is NO $30 flashlight. Cheap on/off switch either doesn’t change the brightness or turns it off when you want it brighter. AA batteries are stored in the legs with very flimsy screw feet to hold them in. If you twisted too hard it would probably strip the plastic threads. Adjustable aiming beam has light detent stops. Overall, I would not buy this item again. It says “heavy-duty” but I don’t give it a year. Definitely not a professional grade tool.

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