Gerber flashlight reviews

[tritan]

I am looking for reviews on the newer Gerber lights tempo , cornea, and firecracker. I am looking for a 2aa or 1AA light for my maintenance job. I have searched, meijer, target, walmart, ****s sporting goods, home depot, lowes,Gemmens and can't find any of theses lights. Anybody know where you can get them at a retail shop? how does the tempo compare to the infinity series?
I have also looked at the Inovas at Target look like nice lights but looking for somthing running AA , or AAA as currently I run a stylus Streamlight with AAAA and sick of buying the batteries and i want more light output.
I read alot about the fenix lights what would compare to the ones above? I want a light with lifetime warranty and can take some abuse with great customer service for warranty work.

I have had 4 gerber mulitools and have had nothing but great service with them that is the only reason the gerber lights have my eye.

 

[willrx]

Sports Authority has some of these lights.

 

[z96Cobra]

I'd say get an Inova, Surefire, Pelican, or Streamlight if you need/want a lifetime warranty. If you want a solidly built light that runs on AA or AAA then you'll have to exclude Inova and Surefire (both make awesome lights!), because they mostly require CR123 cells. There are some Inovas that run on (IIRC, Radiant and Bolt series) AA, but I'm not sure if they are as solid as the X and T series lights (some of the most solid lights I own). That pretty much leaves Pelican or Streamlight. I have a couple of Pelicans and Streamlights and they are great lights and mine are all plastic bodies. You didn't mention if you want LED or incandescent lights, and I'm not familiar with the Gerber lights, but I have seen them at the local Bass Pro. I also like the Gerber multi-tool, and have EDC'd one for many years now.

I'm not sure what the warranty is on the Fenix lights, but you can't go wrong with one of them. The L0D, L1D, and L2D all have Cree LEDs in them, which are one of the brightest and longest running LEDs available right now. The L0D is an 1xAAA light while the L1D and L2D use 1xAA and 2xAA respectively. I have the P2D which uses 1xCR123 and I absolutely love this little light. These Fenix lights also all have multiple brightness levels and a strobe/SOS function.

I EDC a Surefire U2 in my right front pocket, a Surefire L4 on my belt, and a Fenix P2D in my left front pocket. Those are the lights that I use the most, but I do own multiple Inova, Streamlight, and Pelican (even have one on my fire helmet) lights as well.

If you do electrical work, be careful with some of the LEDs that are tinted with blue or green. I've been in electrical boxes before with my older LED lights, and the wire colors "changed" when looking at them with LED. When I looked at 'em with an incan light, everything was normal. I can't remember what color wire it was, but with the LED it wasn't the color it was supposed to be!

Roger

BTW, the next time you need some AAAA batteries, buy a 9V and open it up and you'll have 6 AAAA batteries, a lot cheaper than buying the AAAA's.

 

[thunderlight]

A few notes:

The Tempo and the Firecracker come with limited lifetime warranties. I have been happy so far with these lights. So far, they have been good lights for the money and my needs. I purchased both of these at REI.

The Tempo casts a beam similar to the Infinity Ultra, although brighter. The LED tint is typical Nichia blue, but improved over earlier Nichia 5mm LED tints. As someone said, it is an updated version of the Sonic in a different casing. I prefer the beam pattern of the Tempo to the Sonic, but the Sonic is more compact. I use both.

The Firecracker casts a beam with a somewhat blue tint, especially as it shoots into the distance. There is some spill, so to me it's not at all like the original X1 or the new Dorcy 1xAAA. It appears to have very good runtime for its output. The Firecracker's LED tint limits its usefulness for outdoor color rendition. [By comparison, the River Rock new version 1xAA has a much warmer tint and better outdoor color rendition, but significantly less runtime.]

Both of these strike me as very durable, however, no HA III anodizing or anything like that. I've been happy with both, but these are value models. Look elsewhere if you want state of the art.

 

[parnass]

I am looking for reviews on the newer Gerber lights tempo , cornea, and firecracker....

I returned the Tempo I bought for my wife at REI because it became intermittant shortly after buying it. I have a Gerber Infinity Ultra which I thought was the dimmest light in my collection, but the Tempo was even dimmer. The Infinity Ultra is more rugged and has worked flawlessly, though dimly, ever since I bought it over a year ago at REI.

There are threads on the Gerber Tempo here and here.

 

[Uncle Bob]

The Infinity Ultra is more rugged and has worked flawlessly, though dimly, ever since I bought it over a year ago at REI.

The IU rides in my pocket and is the first light I grab when I crawl out of bed to navigate my apartment at night. It gives me enough illumination without flipping the house lights on and helps retain night vision.

 

[fixitman]

I am a maintenance guy. I dunno if you carry a tool belt, I normally do.
My tool belt work light is just a cheepy "element" from Sam's club. Its insanely durable. It has a great beam for working, with a fairly wide center spot and bright spill. The color is slightly yellow, but whiter than most incandescents.

My pocket light is a Fenix LODce. Its very tiny, takes 1AAA battery. It has several modes. Low mode has long run times and is bright enough for navigating and looking into small cabinets. Medium is bright enough for most in close work, and high is bright enough for any interior searching, and close distance exterior searching. The beam is fairly white, with a very broad center spot and very little spill. It is also light enough to clip on a hat brim or the side shields of safety glasses for a headlight. I added some O-rings so I can mount it on the ear pieces of my regular glasses too.

For a 2AA light, I really like my Fenix L2D ce. Low/med/high/turbo modes gives you the right light for any occasion. Turbo is pretty much insane. With the lights on, I can illuminate the 30' ceiling in the production areas.
The beam is also fairly white, with a medium tight center spot and lots of spill.

Both of my Fenix lights have been very durable. The only reason I dont carry the L2D for my work light is that its kind of expensive if it gets lost or stolen, so I keep it in my car.

The Fenix L1D ce is just a shorter version of the L2D ce. Takes 1AA so is pocket sized. Its turbo mode isnt nearly as bright, but high mode is usually bright enough that I dont use turbo much anyway.

On a budget, Dealextreme.com has a nice 5 mode 1AA light that has decent brightness and excellent durablility. I have 3, and all of them passed my drop test (8' drop onto hard floor 3 times). The beam is a bit purple compared the the Fenix lights, but its alot less expensive. Its a very good work light for $20
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4896

You might also want to get a headlight. Energizer and Rayovac have some ok ones for around $10-15.

Some people might refer you to incandescent based lights, but I dont like them for maintainence lights, since the bulbs dont really stand up to the abuse, and battery life usually sucks. When you are on top of a ladder in the dark, you do NOT want your light to go out. Long run times and durability are the order of the day for me. Oh, and I have to have a clicky switch. Trying to hold the light and turn the bezel with one hand, while the other is holding something in an awkward position is a pain.

If you are just looking for simple no frills lights, I hear good things about the Rock river lights sold at target, and some of the Dorcy brand lights are ok too.

 

[parnass]

...
My pocket light is .... very tiny, takes 1AAA battery. .... I added some O-rings so I can mount it on the ear pieces of my regular glasses too.
...

That is a good idea. Thanks.