Hellfighter Flashlights - Any good / bad???

[jwl]

Anybody know anything about the Hellfighter brand of flashlights? They do look pretty nice, but I'd like to hear from somebody that has one (or more) or has seen one.

They appear to be made by a company called Dark Ops Holdings.

Thanks.


BTW - Before people continue to tell me too 'look around you'll find much better lights'. Take a look at how long I have been around, I'm not new to this place, I had just never heard of this brand of flashlight. I do plan on getting a Surefire and probably a Novatac one of these days. The only reason I haven't asked this to be closed is so the next person that searches for Hellfighter will see just how bad a reputation they have.

Thanks again.

 

[KeyGrip]

Good question. The light itself is not too bad. I don't own one, but from the reviews I've read I know it's bright and very heavy duty. However, I do believe that there are better lights on the market for the money, and that the Hellfighter looks too bulky and heavy to be practical. Okay, now for the company. Dark Ops rapidly gained a reputation among the knife community for having some of the most outragous, insulting, and damaging advertisements of any knife company in business. By damaging, I mean damaging to the public's view of knife users through their mall ninja ads. The knives themselves are mainly copies of a pre-existing Italian company called Extrema Ratio. By all accounts, they are not worth the price. Also, I don't consider them a real knife or flashlight company because they are owned by an advertising agency. I hope this helps.

Edit: Oh snap, I broke 300 posts.

 

[mossyoak]

there is a reason we call them "dork ops" they over hype every spec in their product line.

 

[HeadCSO]

there is a reason we call them "dork ops" they over hype every spec in their product line.

Well said. :twothumbs


JWL - if you are a flashlight collector, it may be worth getting one as it will make an interesting piece. For ordinary use, there are cheaper and better options. If you are wanting to spend the price of a hellfighter, Surefire are nicer and more practical. As Keygrip has said, the hellfighter is big and heavy.

 

[jwl]

Wow, those are some BAD reviews. :sick2:. Thanks for the comments.

They do look nice but that sounds like that is pretty much where it ends.

Kind of explains why I didn't find much on CPF about them.

Thanks again for your comments. :twothumbs

P.S. No, I won't be getting one.

 

[sysadmn]

I wouldn't give a Dark Ops product to my worst enemy.

This question is asked periodically, and seems to generate interesting responses.

Search is your friend.

 

[jwl]

This question is asked periodically, and seems to generate interesting responses.

Search is your friend.

I did search, using hellfighter. When I was searching I had never heard of Dark Ops. :thinking:

 

[sb_pete]

It has an Iridium coating on the glass ala Oakley sun glasses, which serves no observable purpose and the bezel pins obstruct the beam to create a strange clover beam shape.

I'd keep your cash unless you generally break a lot of windows with your torch and find it's getting a bit dinged or if you wish your current light was so much heavier than it is.

Don't forget:
"The dedicated gun modules are Class 3 anodized for IR invisibility." That way when the bad guy with the thermal scope spots you holding a gun at however many yards, you don't have to worry, he'll have no idea your gun is special, it has a flashlight on it! Muahhhahahaha!

Also:
"The 3-volt lithium batteries have a ten-year shelf life and perform even in frigid underwater temperatures" Frigid UNDERWATER temps?:thinking:

It also has "patent pending" status on its revolutionary bezel lockout and tail stand ability! (otherwise known as a flat bottom or screw on head - yeah man! high tech!).

You know, its not that the light doesn't seem to have some good thought put into it. It seems built like a tank. 30mm body dia. to match up to standard 1911 rail rings seems a good idea. The belt clip looks nice. lots of easily replaceable parts including a tool to help with doing so stored inside. A lanyard hole large enough to fit paracord by itself (no snap ring necessary). I mean there is a fair bit of innovation here. The light is big and heavy for its output, but that may be a worthwhile tradeoff for its target market assuming its bright enough. Yet the advertising jerks itself off so hard you just can't take it seriously.
It's kinda like the knives, from what I understand (total heresay), the guy behind them used to actually design knives at extrema ratio. From what I hear, D.O. knives are built quite well and some have some innovative little features (of questionable utility and quite possibly answers to questions nobody ever asked sure, but innovative nonetheless). Again the main problem is the marketing of total tripe like blood grooves and the general projection of a gratuitously bloody-minded image which aggravates the peaceniks and causes normal knife users and collectors unneccessary headaches.

Anyways, as was said by others, unless you have some kind of fetish with illuminating the windows you break, I'd look around here and get an idea for what kind of lumens-size-price-quality eqaution fits you best.
-Pete

 

[Hodsta]

Don't forget:
"The dedicated gun modules are Class 3 anodized for IR invisibility."
-Pete

Hum? An IR invisible flashlight, man they will never see you coming, unless of course you turn it on:thinking:.

I knew there was a reason I bought this! Bloody Infidels.

 

[Dirtywhiteboy76]

Unlike the other people on this thread I own a Hellfighter x-8 flashlight and it is a very high quality flashlight, it is super heavy duty made of aircraft grade 6061 T6 aluminum. They are alodined for conductivity enhancement, hard anodized, triple coated with molybdenum disulfide and manganese phosphate finishing. They are also class 3 anodized for IR invisibility. They have 6Viton high temp double o rings at the connection surfaces making them waterproof. They also have high temp, high transmissibility iridium coated boro silicated glass that is recessed to avoid powder spray from the muzzle blast. They also have a lifetime warranty and most importantly they are blindingly bright! So I disagree that there are better lights for the money, IMHO you won't go wrong with a hellfighter light for your weapon. I'm not saying they are the best lights in the world, I'm just saying they are very good lights for the money and you would be hard pressed to find a better one for the same price.

 

[AnAppleSnail]

They are also class 3 anodized for IR invisibility...and most importantly they are blindingly bright!

I still say that that's an odd mix of features. I do not know if it's the same thing, but any of my blindingly-bright flashlights can overtrip any IR thermometer I've tested on just by heating the thermocouple. Surely the LED, or the hand holding the light, will show up on infrared? The one that is specced on their web site seems to be incandescent, with the inherent possibility of bulb breakage. I didn't see shock-isolated bulb mount as a feature in the flashlight.

I'm glad it works well for you, but it's a little strange to see a new poster resurrecting a five year old thread to hit the sales highlights of the light. Welcome to CPF! Please stick around and let us know who you are.

 

[damion1975]

Ok, I've been looking at CPF for a few years, signed up a while back, but never posted anything. Just signed up again because I saw this posting, and had to comment. For all the people bashing Dark Ops, and Hellfighter flashlights, it sounds like you're not all speaking from personal experience, but from hearsay. I've been a flashlight collector for a few years, and have over 700 lights in my collection. I have four Hellfighter flashlights, the X-4, X-8, X-15, and X-21. The original question on this thread was about the quality of the Hellfighter flashlights themselves, not the marketing from the company. So, here's an apples to apples comparison. The original Surefire 6P compared to the Hellfighter X-4. Size comparison (which seems to be a major sticking point for some people) they are almost identical. The head on the X-4 is just a little smaller in diameter. The only thing that makes the X-4 bigger, is the rubber switch cover sticking out from the clicky tail switch compared to the original 6P momentary switch. Other than those two things, they are almost identical in size. The 6P has a constant beam where the X-4 has a focusable beam. Advantage; X-4. The 6P has slightly more light output than the X-4. Advantage; 6P. The X-4 weighs just a tiny bit more than the 6P, but it's a negligable amount. Price; X-4 $34.95, 6P about $60. Advantage; X-4. When comparing apples to apples, it seems to me that Hellfighter is not overpriced, or bulky, or heavy compared to Surefire as many posts in this thread state. Now lets compare the newer model Surefire 6P to the Hellfighter X-8. Size; The X-8 head is about a half inch longer than the 6P head to protect the lens from damage and a little bigger in diameter because of the thickness of the aluminum. This does not (to me) make the light big, bulky, or heavy. IMHO advantage, X-8. X-8 head, crenelated bezel that does not interfere with the beam pattern. 6P flat bezel. Advantage; X-8. Brightness. Out of the box comparison, almost identical with the exception of the iridium coating on the X-8's lens. If you don't like this coating, or the color rendition, you can get a replacement lens for a 6P and it fits. The reason for this coating is for cutting through smoke, and I've also found that it helps penetrate deeper into murky water. The lens is personal preference for your use. No advantage. Weight; The X-8 does weigh a couple ounces more, but not really enough to notice. No advantage. Build quality; While this is really quite close, I have to give the advantage to the X-8 for thicker material making it an obviously tougher light. Price; 6P, about $60. X-8, about $50. Advantage; X-8. When comparing apples to apples, the Hellfighter flashlights have a definate advantage over comparable Surefire lights. More to come later.

 

[mossyoak]

Nah...

 

[damion1975]

Ok, part 2. The next Hellfighter flashlight is the X-15. This thing is a tank. I've seen a lot of people comparing this light to the Surefire 6P lights. That's like comparing a military HumV to a Yugo. The X-15 is not designed to replace the 6P. In my opinion, it's an upgrade. It's waterproof to 100 feet. You could almost run it over with a Sherman Tank, and pick up and use it. And, just like the Surefire line, the bulb assembly is replaceable with any flavor of upgrade you want, so brightness is not really an issue. The lens does have that iridium coating that is designed to penetrate smoke and water better by diffusing the light, and it does work. If you don't like the color of the lens, get on eBay and buy a 6P replacement lens for a few bucks and change it out. I've seen complaints about the "clover leaf" effect from the spiked bezel on this model. Again, if you don't like this, you can get the bezel for the X-8, and it screws right on no problem. Although, I've used this light, and yes the shape seems a little strange, but it's never affected my ability to put light where I want it. It's really not that big of a deal. The pocket clip on this model is extremely sturdy. I've carried this clipped to my jeans pocket several times, and never had a problem. The weight of the light didn't really bother me either. I also see people complaining about the size and bulkyness of this light. It's shorter than a 6P with the extender on it, and smaller in diameter than a Thrunite Catapult. There are way bigger lights out there that I don't really hear people complaining about their size. This light can not tailstand, which is a downside to me, but not that big of a deal. The one other thing I don't care for is changing the batteries. Unscrewing the tailcap will not give you access to the batteries in this model. You have to disassemble the light below the head to get at the batteries. The company says they did this to make battery changes easier when the light is mounted on a gun. I can see how this would be a benefit in that situation, but not in my case. For the people who insist on comparing this model to the Surefire 6P, take both models and bang them together multiple times, and see which one gives in first. I can tell you that the 6P would crumble like a pop can. As far as the price, I did not pay full price for the one I have. I think I ended up paying around $60. Full retail is about $108. Yes, this is an expensive light. But when I see other lights out there selling for around $400, I don't think $108 is really that bad. Especially when you consider that this light will probably outlast your great grandchildren. In short, if this is not the light for you, fine. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who could use a light this tough, like military personel, firemen, police, and many others. Don't hate on this light just because you personally don't have a need for it.