Quick Review: Pelican L1

Construction: 8.5
This thing feels very solid, more so even than my Streamlights. I think you would have to go to work with a hammer to harm this thing. That is what you have to do to offer an unconditional lifetime warranty, eh? The thing that gets me though is how a company that makes dive lights can not make this one model watertight? It has an O-ring where you screw the head out, but it doesn't have one between the lens and the bezel. The body of the light is made of polycarbonate, which seems stiffer than the polymer on the Streamlights. It seems to have very thick walls. The clip is outstanding, as long as you realize that it has limitations. It has a little notch on the body of the flashlight which makes sure that it will NOT slip off, once clipped onto something. The tail switch is nice. The keyring is a joke. It's not that the L1 is too big, it's just that it's shaped such that if you carry it into your pocket, the clip or gripping nubs will dig into your leg. You're better off removing the keyring and just clipping it somewhere or putting it in a pocket that isn't against your skin. Mine is clipped securely underneath the passenger seat of my motorcycle.

Beam: 10
I don't think you can get a better beam out of such a small flashlight. It is a bit stronger than the ARC AAA's beam, at the cost of constant brightness and more expensive batteries. I replaced one of the LR44 button cells with a nut and the brightness hardly went down at all. Now it draws about half the current and I think that will extend the battery life a good bit. The beam shape is a strong spot, probably about 25 degrees with lots of dimmer light spilling at a wider angle.

Overall: 9
This isn't a light that you will want to use for long periods at a time because of the battery expense. If you recognize that it was built as a backup light, always waiting, always ready, but never in the way, it is just the thing. I bought this light as a glovebox light for my car, but have since switched it as the 'glovebox' light for my motorcycle. (In the car, I now have a PrincetonTec Attitude for the longer run time) Many people have said the L1 it makes an excellent everyday carry light if you grind off the clip. I think I would also grind off the nubs behind the finger dents, as those dig into your leg too. it would be a shame though to get rid of that nice clip.

-Miscellaneous Dig-
What is taking Pelican so long to get into the LED game? They make such nice stuff, it is a shame to see them missing the boat...

Here's the runtime plot I did on the L1.

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Roy said:
Here's the runtime plot I did on the L1.

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Thanks Roy.

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Smaug said:
This isn't a light that you will want to use for long periods at a time because of the battery expense. If you recognize that it was built as a backup light, always waiting, always ready, but never in the way, it is just the thing.

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Agreed. I have one of these little fellows (with red lens) that I wear around my neck while night flying. I can't recommend it too highly as a back-up for the cockpit light, but I use a Maglite for pre-flighting.

Craig Johnson has a review up too:

http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/l1.htm

He mentions that the waterproof seal on his L1 leaked when immersed in water, and also that the pocket clip broke off.

I haven't seen an L1 up close and personal but it just doesn't seem that attractive to me. A 2x2016 coin cell light should both be smaller and stay usably bright somewhat longer. An Arc AAA is possibly a tad larger, but is a better light in just about every way.

I have carried the L1 on my second keychain for the last 2 years. The light would never stay waterproof anyway, because of the rubber tailboot which wears off by fabric friction inside of the pocket.

For power I use the rechargeable H40 NiMH buttons (same size as AG-13/357/76)which gives an average useable run time of about 45 minutes.

I literally had to take a hacksaw to my L1 clip to remove it, making it much more compact on my keyring.

I still like the light a lot because of it's quick, crisp clickie tailswitch action. YMMV 8>)

Photon Micro Freedom might be another choice if you want a quick one-button on/off.

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Smaug said:
...What is taking Pelican so long to get into the LED game? They make such nice stuff, it is a shame to see them missing the boat...

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Pelican M6 LED

Pelican 2020 Sabrelight LED

There are a few more.

Brightnorm

Up here in Canada we have stores called "A Buck or Two" (aka Dollar stores) where you can buy the LR44/SR44 button cells, in a pack of four or five for $2.00 Canadian. This makes the L1 operation dirt cheap. I have not tried them since I stocked up on cells from Electrosonic.