I haven't held one in my hands, it's true, butI have to say I'm not keen on this light, by the look of it. Here's why...
LEDs guarenteed (sic) to last a lifetime
"A lifetime" is a very ambiguous term, used by many advertisers over the years to hype second rate products. How long is "a lifetime" ? The lifetime of a moth can be measured in weeks. Also what is the point of having such a long-lasting lightsource if, say, the switch is bad ?
Water resistant
How water resistant, exactly ? Splash ? Weather ? Dunk ? Submersible ? It doesn't say, which makes me suspicious. Another ambiguous description.
Stylish, rugged design
Well, thats a matter of taste. The appearance of this unit certainly doesn't light my blue touchpaper, but maybe that's just me being Mr. Picky.
Up to 80 hours battery life
Is that all ? Maybe this is why the dual power setting isn't mentioned, maybe they are referring to the battery life for the 3 LED setting. The Princeton Tec Attitude (for example) will last "up to" 150 hours on 4x AAA batteries - almost twice as long. The Lightwave 4000 (or Lucido C10, as it is known in Europe) lasts "up to" 350 hours on 3x D cells. Surely this alone makes this light a false economy, the cost of the extra batteries you will have to buy in the long term will surely eat into the money you have "saved".
Aluminium and rubber body
There's aluminium and there's aluminium. What sort of aluminium ? Aircraft grade ? I doubt it. According to Alans post above, the rubber grip doesn't sound like it will last. What then ? Slippery bare metal. This sounds like a cheap alternative to machining a proper grip into the metalwork.
Includes carry strap and 4 x AA batteries
Well whoopee-doo. Not exactly a unique feature, is it ?
I'd do yourself a favour, Zelandeth and spend your hard-earned on something made by a well-known manufacturer with a proven track record. It may cost you more in the short term, but will pay you back in buckets over the years to come. What I've seen here certainly hasn't sent me scouring the web for the manufacturer and I don't think I want to stock it myself. It strikes me as a "bandwagon" product, made to cash in rather than to genuinely serve the user long term.
The father of a friend recently expressed interest in what I had to offer, but decided to opt for a 4 LED torch on offer for £12.99 in a national newspaper, on the grounds that it was half the price of anything I had to offer. He ordered it, it arrived. Two LEDs worked OK, one was dim and the other was dead. The black finish on the torch was uneven and there was no grip at all. Back it went and he's asked me to drop around with the toy box sometime so he can pick "something decent".
As a general point: it is often better to spend "too much" money on something than too little. That way all you lose is a little money, of which there will be more one day. If you go for the cheap option you risk losing everything, because what you are buying may not be up to the job and could leave you high and dry. So when you are considering the cheapest option, don't forget to add something extra to the price to cover you in emergencies. When you do that you will find that you have the money for something better.
