Energizer flashlights, any good?

[chip100t]

I have just ordered a couple of energizer tac 700 lights to keep in vehicles for emergency use. They are relatively inexpensive and come with two 3v lithium cr123a cells ideal for long term storage.

Now I know they are not going to be high end quality, but are they fit for purpose?

 

[bykfixer]

The Energizer tactical numbers like the 700 aren't bad flashlights. For storing in a car or shed for occasional use, they should be fine for that.

I'd say they aren't as robust as say an Elzetta or SureFire. I have the 1 cell and 2 cell version and find them decent in a pinch. For a duty light like a police officer or elevator repair person I'd opt for better.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Expect no better than IPX-4 for waterproofing in their lights. Their lights tend to use pulse width modulation vs. constant current (which is better). The thing that drives me nuts about their lights is how they dim to cheat on the ANSI specs for brightness and runtime. They start dimming after 30 seconds (ANSI tests brightness at 30 seconds). They rapidly dim down to just above 10% brightness within 15 minutes (ANSI tests runtime down to 10% brightness before considering the batteries dead). Then the light runs regulated at just above 10% brightness for as long as it can to claim the longest runtime. There are lights that are regulated and unregulated. I refer to these lights as worse than unregulated. Just to be clear, that is my experience with their alkaline battery lights. If you're lucky, maybe they don't do that with their lithium or lithium ion lights. I couldn't tell you because there are way better lights out there than that brand, and I'm not dropping that much money on an inferior product.

 

[xxo]

I have no experience with this specific light, but in general energerizer lights tend to have good designs, but energizer tends to compromise them by cheaping out on materials and workmanship and by overlooking details. A lot of energizers have high parasitic drain, so you may want to store the light without batteries or lock out the tail cap if possible.

 

[mikekoz]

They do make good lights. I have a few old ones that take 2AA batteries, and all you do to turn them on is twist the tail cap. They only put out 80 lumens, and just that. They are not multi level lights. They have never failed me and are probably around 15 years old. Their simple design makes them very dependable and robust. I also have a few of their more modern ones, that also take 2AA cells, and they have also worked well for me.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

They make some good lights just as other battery manufacturers make decent lights like Rayovac. I think that if one is serious about having a really good light they will likely skip over their product line and invest in better offerings that often cost more but offer better performance and features.