Dr. Jones
Newly Enlightened
I bought a couple of these, new, back around 1982. At the time they seemed to be the brightest flashlights I'd yet encountered, save for my MagLites. They're a 4-AA design, and came with a 4.7v krypton bulb, which at least in my usage had an extraordinarily long life given the overvoltage it was handling.
One outstanding feature this design has is that when you pull the reflector assembly out to use the lantern feature, not only do you have 360° of light all around you, but the area underneath the light is also illuminated so that you can avoid hazards like rocks, tree roots and the odd missing manhole cover. The light also changes from a thrower to a flood when the reflector assembly is moved a quarter-inch or so towards the lantern position. Not waterproof, but I've accidentally had them get wet with no real problems.
Weak points are that the internal battery holder often is found fractured, although you can still usually get it to work by shoehorning it, with batteries installed, into the case, and the "off" detent on the rotary switch sometimes breaks, allowing the light to accidentally turn on if jostled around in a bag or pack... and of course, like some other lights, storing these reflector-down with the batteries still in them can lead to a nasty surprise if they leak, as they'll drip down and disfigure the reflector's surface. Never happened to me, but I've seen examples of it occurring.
Overall, a very fine and practical design, indeed.
One outstanding feature this design has is that when you pull the reflector assembly out to use the lantern feature, not only do you have 360° of light all around you, but the area underneath the light is also illuminated so that you can avoid hazards like rocks, tree roots and the odd missing manhole cover. The light also changes from a thrower to a flood when the reflector assembly is moved a quarter-inch or so towards the lantern position. Not waterproof, but I've accidentally had them get wet with no real problems.
Weak points are that the internal battery holder often is found fractured, although you can still usually get it to work by shoehorning it, with batteries installed, into the case, and the "off" detent on the rotary switch sometimes breaks, allowing the light to accidentally turn on if jostled around in a bag or pack... and of course, like some other lights, storing these reflector-down with the batteries still in them can lead to a nasty surprise if they leak, as they'll drip down and disfigure the reflector's surface. Never happened to me, but I've seen examples of it occurring.
Overall, a very fine and practical design, indeed.
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