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Survivor Hax Tactical Flashlight review

Like any Gadgeteer worth his/her salt, I love, Love, LOVE flashlights! Even though the most common use is when walking the dog at night, I still like to have a light that can pierce the darkness at the push of a button. The Survival Hax Tactical Flashlight is very similar to many that you’ve seen reviewed on this site, but there are a few little things they bring to the table that set it apart.

Note: Photos may be tapped or clicked for a larger image.

A 10 watt LED at 1000 lumens is not too shabby of a place to start. The Survival Hax encases this bright LED behind a zoom lens that will throw a beam hundreds of feet through the darkness, or pull back to fully illuminate an area about 80° in front of you with bright white light.


The simple tail switch cycles through the five included modes – Full, Medium, Low, Strobe, and SOS. Once the light is on, a partial press of the rubber covered button will cycle to the next mode. The only drawback to this cycle is that when you turn it off while in, say, Low power when you next turn it on, it’s in Strobe. I’d love to have a way to keep it at a setting every time I turn it on.


Included in the package are two nice add-ons: a battery charger for the (included) 18650 Lithium battery, and an insert that will allow you to run the torch with three AAA batteries, should you not have a charged 18650 handy. The life of three AAAs pushing that much power is not nearly as long as the 3 hours of full power the Lithium will provide, but they are available everywhere and may be easier to find in a pinch. (AA and AAA batteries will be useful as currency during the Zombie Apocalypse, I hear!)


To top off the package, there’s a nice webbing wrist strap that attaches to the tailpiece through an eyelet, and the rubber gasket over the button glows in the dark.
It is IP66 rated, which means it is protected from total dust ingress and protected from high-pressure water jets from any direction. Not for your next snorkeling adventure, but for that plumbing leak you’re fighting under the sink or searching for that lost cotter pin in your woodshed amid the sawdust, it’s not going to kill the light.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Survival Hax. Please visit http://survivalhax.com for more info and check Amazon for pricing.

 

Product Information

Price: $39.99
Manufacturer: Survival Hax
Retailer: Amazon
Requirements:
  • None
Pros:
  • Comes with charger and Lithium battery
  • Adapter for very common batteries included
  • Weatherproof
Cons:
  • Adjustment takes two hands
  • No way to lock unit into one mode – each off/on switch progresses it to the next mode.

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Survivor Hax Tactical Flashlight review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 23, 2017 at 9:56 am.

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Mychanic Blade Multi Light rechargeable work light review


I may have a flashlight problem.  No, I definitely have a flashlight problem!  Why can’t someone make the perfect light? I believe there is no such thing because every situation calls for something different. This time, I get to try out the Mychanic Blade Multi Light, a rechargeable light that flexes to your needs.

  • Weight: 1.4 lbs
  • Blade: x 7″ tall 1 1/2″ across x 5/8″ deep
  • Extended: 17.5″ tall x 2″ across x 2″ deep
  • Folded:  10″ tall x 2″ across x 2 1/4 deep
  • LI-Ion rechargeable battery with micro USB AC charging adapter
  • Durable ABS housing
  • Low heat output
  • Patent pending

My sample didn’t come in retail packaging.  I received a sheet of instructions, wall charger, and microUSB cable for charging.

You can use any microUSB cable (as I did here).  Note the red LED that indicates charging.  It turns green when full. Why can’t all manufacturers do it this way?

There’s a hook that at first, I could not figure out.  To extend the hook, you push IN to the light. I naturally tried to gorilla-pull the hook out, to no avail.

There’s also a magnet along the green rubbery strip where the microUSB is.  The problem?  Once you’ve stuck it on a surface, you’ve just covered up the power button.

There are four different lighting modes:  Full bright (250 lumens), Low (difficult to photograph!), red flashing, and directional.  The direction pattern consists of one red LED flashing in one direction, sequentially.

Here’s the light attached to the underside of a hood using the magnets.

And, here’s the light again, this time hung by the hook.

How long does the battery last?  On the brightest setting, I got 4 hours.  It’s likely longer on the low setting.

My only complaint about the Mychanic Blade Multi Light is that there’s no obvious way to have it sit upright on a desk or flat surface.  It may take you a moment of twisting and flexing to figure it out.  The magnet isn’t the strongest, so a bump could dislodge the lamp.  I’m still slightly embarrassed about the hook thing, too.

What I do like is the light weight (1.4 lbs), and the USB charging. The red/green LED indicator is simple genius that I wish was more commonplace.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Mychanic. Please visit their site for more info.

 

Product Information

Price: $34.99
Manufacturer: Mychanic
Requirements:
  • Charges via microUSB
Pros:
  • Light weight, four light modes, magnet and hook mounts. MicroUSB rechargeable.
Cons:
  • Not totally obvious how to get the light to stand on a flat surface without some trial and error.

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Mychanic Blade Multi Light rechargeable work light review originally appeared on on July 4, 2017 at 8:22 am.

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