Info needed on TRG Night Fighter 1

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I asked about this flashlight on another forum and people found this flashlight too good to be true.Anyone here used this flashlight and what do they think.
http://www.tripleaughtdesign.com/night-fighter_1.htm

Many thanks Deano

 

[Gandalf]

If it looks too good to be true....
I think the limitations on white LED output make the claim of 165 lumens almost ridiculous; that's as much light as *3* SureFire E2's.

Maybe 16.5 lumens... but even that's a stretch for 8 white LED's.
There's simply no way to get that much light out of 8 white LED's.

Whoever is selling these things is really opening themselves up to a lot of trouble from dissatisfied customers. I, of course, won't be one of them.

 

[Prometheus]

the info we have on the light is as listed on the trg website: www.trgear.com

the 165 lumens output did seem "too good to be true".

we did a test between a surefire 6z and the nf-1 to see how they looked side by side. the 6z did appear brighter, however the nf-1 did put out a very impressive amount of light for an LED based unit. certainly enough for a usable tactical light.

IMO this nf-1 unit is a very good composite of LED based lights & front line weapons' lasers. the key factor being a very usable and well made device featuring both items in an integrated system.

currently under review by the US Gov't, and so far extremely popular by those who have purchased one.

there could very well be a "typo" on the trg site and i am sure you masteful-wizard-like flashlight sages could do them a favor by emailing them to educate them on their errors.

we as a retailer often often only have as much info as the manufacturer provides. we DO try out just about every product to determine whether or not they pass our mustard to have on our site to sell. we DO not carry junk, POS products.

we enjoy discovering nifty new goods to share with our customers.

and since the "customer is king"; don't like it, obviously don't buy it...

i research many of the products we carry, but i must admit i am but a mere dilettante in the flashlight world compared to most of you candlepower forum master-jedi's.

 

[JoeyL]

I agree. I think there is a decimal point missing. Their statement about 20 hours makes the battery drain on 1400 maH lithiums about 70 ma per hour. This current consumption is more in line with 16 lumens of output.

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Thank you all for your input, Prometheus thanks for the speedy e-mail.
I still may purchase this nifty flashlight just one last question is the lazer eye safe, I have no knowlege of such things only what I read in the newspapers and according to them all lazers will blind.
Yours in ignorance Deano

 

[Prometheus]

because of the intensity inherent in lasers, they will all damage your eyes if viewed directly for any reasonable amount of time.

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I have the Night-Fighter light and have been involved in a lot of testing with it at the Ft. Knox MOUT site (Urban Warfare Center). It is a very bright light that uses 2 3 volt lithiums for the light and 1 3v lithium for the laser. As most of you know, Lumens are measured at the bezel of the light and it measured 160 to 170 with our tests. It is not a focused beam like Surefire / Srteamlight. It works great in a tactical situations. It is not a spotlight but bascially lights up rooms perfectly when you need to clear it. It also allows you to come down a hallway with out the "High Beam Effect". Basically, what that means is it provides plenty of light, but if you are in a dark room looking at the base of the entry door to that room, waiting for me as I come down the hall, the NightFighter won't give you away. Also the laser is amazing and I have had my light operate for over 20 hours continous. I'm told that it can last up to 70 hours....
Put it up next to a Surefire and It will not be as bright. The manufacturer is working on a focused beam for the light and will be tested at Ft. Knox, Ft. Polk, and Ft. Benning in a few months.

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Deano32:
Thank you all for your input, Prometheus thanks for the speedy e-mail.
I still may purchase this nifty flashlight just one last question is the lazer eye safe, I have no knowlege of such things only what I read in the newspapers and according to them all lazers will blind.
Yours in ignorance Deano<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Deano, the laser is 5mw. Anything rater hugher will do damage upon impact. 5mw can hit you in the eys without damage, but if you keep it on for an extended period it can!
All of those laser pointers on the markert should be 5 mw or less
Tacman911

 

[Dizney]

The Night Fighter sounds like an awesome light, but I was wondering how the light operates. Is it via the pressure switch or is there a Mag type switch on the barrel?

I also heard that TRG also manufactures a four LED light (no laser) that is smaller than an E2.

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Tacman911 thanks for your input I look forward to hearing what the focused beam version is like before I buy. The reason I ask about the laser is because I would like to use it to dazzle agressors I come upon whist on patrol (i`m a police officer serving in West Belfast) this flashlight may be just the job as people would think all I am carrying is a standard flashlight (my authorities here would not allow such a device to be used, if they knew I used a Surefire 12PM they would probably tell me not to use it, such is the lack of support for officers here).
Deano32

 

[PeLu]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Tacman911:
As most of you know, Lumens are measured at the bezel of the light and it measured 160 to 170 with our tests.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Lumens are measured in a lap sphere. And 160 lm with 8 5mm LEDs are just not possible. And with a good efficiency of 16lm/W it will draw 10W out of 2 123 cells, giving a run time of 15-20 minutes. This would be for a good halogen bulb. Overpowered white LEDs will have 8-10 lm/W with a good switching regulator. If you horribly overpower them, you will get 25lm out of 8 white 5mm LEDs (at an even lower efficiency).

 

[Dizney]

I received my Night-Fighter 1 the other day and made these preliminary observations: It has a dull black finish and is approximately the same size as a SureFire 9P. The light is turned on by rotating the bezel back and forth while the laser operates via a momentary type pressure switch. The bezel and tailcap each have one rubber o-ring to seal out moisture. I was surprised that none of the threads were lubricated by the factory, so I put a dab of Nye 759G on em which made the bezel operate much more smoothly (Hey Al, I still have 15.99 ounces of the 759G left!)

When compared to my Lightwave 4000, the Night-Fighter emitted the same wide "floodlight" type beam but was noticeably brighter when shined on a white wall approximately 10 feet away. I know that's not very scientific but I don't have any light meters or gadgets to measure lumens with.

The Night-Fighter is a specialized tactical light that is ideal for use on a home defense handgun or shotgun. The only drawback that I can see right now is the operation of the LED light when mounted on a weapon.....a second pressure switch would be easier than twisting the bezel to turn it on and off. The other school of thought is that it's easier to manipulate your weapon without having to worry about pushing/holding switches. Since TACMAN's unit has been evaluating the light, I'd be interested in his expert opinion.

 

[Unicorn]

I think that I have to disagree that it is an ideal light for home defense. From what I read here it is a wide angle light, with a moderate output. For home defense, room clearing or whatever, I want the light to be able to blind my attacker, even to the point of causing pain to his eyes. A Surefire 9P, or Streamlight Stinger is about my minimum for this.

As a general purpose light, or mounted as a laser aiming module, with a decent light for moving around this seems like a good light.
Hopefully the vocused beam version that has been mentioned will be better for my wants/needs.