Elzetta- The industry's best kept secret.

[nmiller]

I had one. Sold it. Regret it. Nice tint and able to run off of 18650 and cr123a cells. The hi/lo Bravo is nicer if you would settle for a 16650 cell...... Same tint etc.

 

[bykfixer]

I’m seriously looking into buying an elzetta bones. Can any that has one comment on the throw of it. Do you feel it throws at least as good as say a Malkoff M61? Thanks.

The Bones would be more like an M61N tint-wise. Throw-wise it has 3 distinct beams. A narrow center spot to throw like the old P60 did, a wider spot to spread the throw some like an M61 and a defined spill like a M61.

Now in the field all you see is a cone of light. Against a wall you can see the edges, but there's no rings or artifacts. I use mine in daylight to shine into pipes, manholes or inspect caverns inside of engine bays, under fenders and such.

I use a battery magazine from PowerTac (made by Olight) with CR123's in mine.

 

[fresh eddie fresh]

Right now I have settled on running a M61 in my Charlie. I was on the fence as to whether to put my M91 in it but the reduced runtime with the 91 is huge. Your taking maybe 45 minutes on high as opposed to something like 2 hours for the M61.but like I say I’m still on the fence.i think what I need to do is run the 91 in it and see what the output is at two hours. It might just be close to the 450 the the M61 is putting out. But doubt it.

Is it an M91 or M91A? I get really good runtimes with my M91s... I also have an M91A, and I feel the extra brightness is in a more dell defined hotspot that the M91 lacks.

 

[thermal guy]

I have the M91B.

 

[Dicaeopolis]

I have Elzetta Bravo and Charlie, with Malkoff drop-ins and AVS heads. I like them all. I never bought an Alpha until a few weeks ago. I think I am glad I waited. I got it for a good price new from a retailer with a coupon. It is 415 lumens on high and I have the high/low tail cap on it. I am not using it in a "tactical" role, so I put an RCR 123 in it. It seems to have increased the output. The low is almost all I need. I am very pleased with it so far. I don't use a clip. It seems to slide into my front pocket and just stay still. Talk about a little tank.

 

[Modernflame]

I never bought an Alpha until a few weeks ago...I am very pleased with it so far.

I'm happy you like it. I've had my eye on one for years but have never pulled the trigger. When they were first released, I didn't care for them, but that's only because I thought I needed a search light with miles of throw in those days. Afterward, I was able to appreciate the design, but I got obsessed with other stuff. My rapidly evolving wish list has a few other priorities, but I intend to get an Alpha before the year is out.

 

[Dicaeopolis]

It has a totally different beam profile than my Bravo AVS. It actually reminds me of my Malkoff 91BW. Obviously the Elzetta is more neutral, but it has a large hotspot. I just compared them on a white wall. I have never figured out how to post a picture here, or I would. Maybe I would have to upgrade to post a picture. The Alpha has pretty decent throw for what it is. I have been using a 3.7V RCR123. I ended up with the crenelated bezel, because I had a coupon and that's what was in stock. I don't mind them. It is thicker than the Bravo crenelations, more like the Malkoff crenelated MDX-16.5 head. Found out tonight it makes as excellent mosquito bite scratcher.:duh2:.[h=1][/h]

 

[Fuzzywuzzies]

Elzetta are designed around Close Quarter Combat scenarios, not Search and Rescue. The idea is that the user who needs to see at a distance is usually outfitted with night vision gear to avoid being spotted by a foe from a distance. They build lights with the flash/bang scenario in mind.

Malkoff are built largely for police and rescue folks who may be searching for a missing person or trying to spot a downed wire after a storm or wreck. Or the home owner who needs to see if the dog is barking at a racoon or a fox in the chicken coop (which was how Gene got started.)

bykfixer, I'm pleased to say it was your post that tipped me over the edge into laying down my hard-earned cash on an Elzetta Bravo with the flood lens. I was considering throwing a Malkoff into my very, VERY well-worn (almost through the tail stand ring) and modded Solarforce L2P, but went all-out on the Elzetta AVS flood instead.
Having bored it (properly - I'm an engineer) to take 18650s, and trialled it for a week or so now, I can say with absolute confidence that it is one of the best tools I own. (And I own a few)
Cheers!

 

[Modernflame]

Remind me, does the standard twisty tail cap from the Bravo/Charlie series work on the Bones?

 

[bykfixer]

My Alpha hi/lo works on my Bones. Cannot say for certain about the B or C though.

On and for fyi the Hi/lo thing kinda works but not really. It goes from full output to about 80% (looking) output with the Alpha hi/lo tailcap.

 

[thermal guy]

I have had a bones on my wish list for awhile now. And every time I’m ready to grab one I see a Malkoff I want instead. Decisions decisions

 

[Johnnyh]

I tried the Bravo/Charlie Hi-Lo cap on a Bones some time ago and it worked fine. Don’t have the Bones any more but there was no problem when I tried it. Don’t remember seeing the effect seen with the Alpha cap.

 

[peter yetman]

I get the impression that the tail end of the tube is a bit sharper on the Bones, i.e. not flat, so the pin that works the hi/lo bit can sometimes find itself over the edge of the tube and not butted against it.
So it may be a bit hit and miss.
P

 

[Johnnyh]

I get the impression that the tail end of the tube is a bit sharper on the Bones, i.e. not flat, so the pin that works the hi/lo bit can sometimes find itself over the edge of the tube and not butted against it.
So it may be a bit hit and miss.
P

Oh yea...now I remember...it worked on mine but as Peter said, this was a concern. (I wish I had the Bones in hand but I gifted it to my son). There is a marked difference...not much there for the high low pin to contact on the Bones.

 

[bykfixer]

Don't forget flamer, a clicky with a lockout feature can also be used as a twisty with momentary.
Just leave it clicked to on.

The Bones comes natural HA where the others are black. I use the factory tailcap for a twisty at times but the travel of the button is geared for momentary and the click is pretty quiet like all Elzetta clickys.

 

[CREEXHP70LED]

Don't forget flamer, a clicky with a lockout feature can also be used as a twisty with momentary.
Just leave it clicked to on.

The Bones comes natural HA where the others are black. I use the factory tailcap for a twisty at times but the travel of the button is geared for momentary and the click is pretty quiet like all Elzetta clickys.

I think the clicky is a little quieter because the Elzetta's boot is really thick, at least it feels much thicker than a SF or McClicky for sure. I always notice after the light has been sitting a few hours with no use, the very first click on is the quietest. Then if you keep clicking it, all the other clicks sound louder. Very strange sounding no pun intended.

 

[Modernflame]

Thanks, fellas. I like the idea of a no-nonsense, bullet proof, back up twisty tail cap. I doubt the clicky version would ever fail me, but I have a tendency to collect spares in my parts bin. I don't really need high/low for this application.

 

[bykfixer]

Agreed, twistys are definitely less likely to give out before a clicky.

 

[thermal guy]

Now if we could just convince Henry of that😁😁 But absolutely I love twistys. Not to much that can go wrong.

 

[Modernflame]

I finally pulled the trigger on one of these.

The threads came bone dry, which I found amusing in a poetic sort of way.

No worries. I've got more thread lube than Jimmy Kimmel has jokes. One outstanding feature is the mismatched anodizing. My photos don't do justice, but the bezel ring, flashlight body, and tail cap are all different shades of grey and have unique textures. Yep, instant Surefire nostalgia out of the box!