brightnorm
Flashaholic
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2001
- Messages
- 7,161
This is a rather strongly opinionated review, so please bear with me.
GALLS H.A.L.O TACTICAL light
SIZE: 5” x 7/8” (body) x 1 ¼ “ (Bezel)
WEIGHT: 5.1 oz (with batteries)
POWER: 2x123
ON/OFF: Push/turn (no lock-out)
FOCUS: Focusable LAMP ASSEMBLY: Separate bulb & reflector
REFLECTOR TYPE: Non-faceted
CONSTRUCTION: Aluminum with rubber grips
WATERPROOF: Yes (not a dive light)
COLOR: Black
PRO: Handsome, solidly built, well-engineered, finely finished
CON: Unfaceted reflector with compromised beam quality and brightness. Cumbersome assembly
COMMENT: Here is a light that is visually impressive, beautifully and solidly built, ergonomically excellent, and prominently displayed in the catalog of a highly reputable supplier to the law enforcement and emergency response communities as a new “High Action Lighting Option” tactical flashlight. In view of this it is beyond my comprehension that this little beauty should be stuck with a poorly functioning nonfaceted reflector, a traditional bane of flashaholics, and one of the greatest barriers to competent lighting in the industry. (ASP Taclite is the lone example of a non-faceted 2x123 with an exceptionally powerful beam). What possible logic justifies this? Certainly not cost; the LX Legend does it, and does it well for $19.95. Certainly not non-applicability; after all who needs it more than the emergency worker or the LEO in a tactical situation?.
To make matters worse, the light is compromised by an extraordinarily complex and cumbersome assembly. There are ten separate components to this light, as opposed to the usual four, or at most five.in comparable Surefires and other lights. From front to back they are: 1) bezel 2) lens reflector 3) lens collar section 4) unnamed washer-like spring-attached device 5 bulb 6) an unnamed plastic wheel containing a tiny center spring 7) an unnamed circular metal band which looks like a finger ring 8) the main body of the light 9) the switch pushbutton, which is separate from the 10) non-lockout tailcap. God help the officer in the field if he needs to change bulbs in a hurry! In fact, as I very carefully disassembled the light the tiny bulb popped out and is currently lost in my carpet. The focusing ability is compromised by the smooth reflector. Here again, the Legend LX, through the use of a faceted reflector and a simple yet effective focusing mechanism shows the way to have both in an economical package.)
I had intended to take some beam measurements, but I still haven’t found that lost bulb. I’ll leave it to my better equipped fellow flashaholics to review the technical aspects of this light. The H.A.L.O. appealed to me, it looked great, felt great, handled great, but unfortunately, a potentially superior little light was compromised by some incomprehensible decisions.
Brightnorm
GALLS H.A.L.O TACTICAL light
SIZE: 5” x 7/8” (body) x 1 ¼ “ (Bezel)
WEIGHT: 5.1 oz (with batteries)
POWER: 2x123
ON/OFF: Push/turn (no lock-out)
FOCUS: Focusable LAMP ASSEMBLY: Separate bulb & reflector
REFLECTOR TYPE: Non-faceted
CONSTRUCTION: Aluminum with rubber grips
WATERPROOF: Yes (not a dive light)
COLOR: Black
PRO: Handsome, solidly built, well-engineered, finely finished
CON: Unfaceted reflector with compromised beam quality and brightness. Cumbersome assembly
COMMENT: Here is a light that is visually impressive, beautifully and solidly built, ergonomically excellent, and prominently displayed in the catalog of a highly reputable supplier to the law enforcement and emergency response communities as a new “High Action Lighting Option” tactical flashlight. In view of this it is beyond my comprehension that this little beauty should be stuck with a poorly functioning nonfaceted reflector, a traditional bane of flashaholics, and one of the greatest barriers to competent lighting in the industry. (ASP Taclite is the lone example of a non-faceted 2x123 with an exceptionally powerful beam). What possible logic justifies this? Certainly not cost; the LX Legend does it, and does it well for $19.95. Certainly not non-applicability; after all who needs it more than the emergency worker or the LEO in a tactical situation?.
To make matters worse, the light is compromised by an extraordinarily complex and cumbersome assembly. There are ten separate components to this light, as opposed to the usual four, or at most five.in comparable Surefires and other lights. From front to back they are: 1) bezel 2) lens reflector 3) lens collar section 4) unnamed washer-like spring-attached device 5 bulb 6) an unnamed plastic wheel containing a tiny center spring 7) an unnamed circular metal band which looks like a finger ring 8) the main body of the light 9) the switch pushbutton, which is separate from the 10) non-lockout tailcap. God help the officer in the field if he needs to change bulbs in a hurry! In fact, as I very carefully disassembled the light the tiny bulb popped out and is currently lost in my carpet. The focusing ability is compromised by the smooth reflector. Here again, the Legend LX, through the use of a faceted reflector and a simple yet effective focusing mechanism shows the way to have both in an economical package.)
I had intended to take some beam measurements, but I still haven’t found that lost bulb. I’ll leave it to my better equipped fellow flashaholics to review the technical aspects of this light. The H.A.L.O. appealed to me, it looked great, felt great, handled great, but unfortunately, a potentially superior little light was compromised by some incomprehensible decisions.
Brightnorm
