new kobalt 90 lumens tactical flasglight

[dimlight]

it has a high/low switch, deep orange pill , and 2 cr123.it also has a strick bezal top and bottom. the switch works the same as my surefire e2dL . it is allmost as bright as my e2dl and it is brighter then my olight m20 on med 90 lumens. it is quite a bight brighter then the med on the m20.if surefire is 120 out the front i would say the kobalt is 100+ out the front .it has a clip just like jet-beam up or down. the cost is 49.97 and the part is #300030.this is a very nice light and i think if it had a big name on it people would pay 80+ and give it a good review.

 

[Marduke]

Seems rather overpriced for what it is.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?p=2726285

 

[dimlight]

i put it side by side to the e2dl and my m20 and think the lumens are right on.surefire lumens are a benchmark and it meets that mark,and beats the med m20 mark.i know some say that the olight m20 is not up to par on what they say but surefire is,the build is less then the m20 but way better the any dorcy that people pay $30 to $50 for.i don't know of any $50 led lights that have a life-time covers everything guarantee.this is better then any light you can buy at wal-mart or target byfar.

 

[kramer5150]

There have been a couple threads on this light... mostly littered with negative comments, knocking it for its output and price. I for one am going to reserve judgment until I see some run time impressions. How long does it run above the %50 point? How well is it regulated throughout the run?

Sure 100+ Lumens for $50 isn't exactly cheap. HOWEVER if it runs for say 8 (or so) hours and is well regulated during the run, I think some members might find it a good choice. Factor in a Lowes www coupon (whenver the next one comes out) and it might be a good choice for some.

 

[eshishlo]

I looks like a Chinese copy of the E2DL. Or at least something that wanted to look and function like it. It has a crenelated bezel and tail cap. A clip from the E1B, the high first low second, just a Surefire E1B and E2DL. The tail cap is a pain to press for constant on. I would say that it is worth about $20 for what it is and the quality it. Not the $50 that they are asking for it. I think that it is better to buy an LED drop in for your G2 or 6P from one of online dealers and you will be even or even ahead and have much better quality item.
All this said, if I were to judge by beam alone, this is a great light, but it the sum of all parts is not there for $50.

 

[faucon]

I haven't seen this light yet, but for very little more you could get an EagleTac or a Fenix---surely brighter and better built lights for the money, judging by members' impressions.

 

[timguion]

I just bought this flashlight last night. At first seemed a good deal as it was on sale for $40. Came with sheath, clip. 2 output levels, 80 and 15. However, first teat run last night and in the middle of the woods as night it failed me. The tail cap on off is of poor design. Not only is it not easy to access, it seems that is where the flaw in the flash light. Would not stay constant on. When I could get it to stay on, there was a terrible high pitched whine.

 

[jfscmedic]

I just bought one of these...for $40 I guess it's not a bad buy. The carry case was a piece of junk...tiny little belt clip and it won't stay snapped but the light has a clip that holds the light neatly on my belt. Guess I'll see how it works out.

jfscmedic

 

[deeuubee]

Re: new kobalt 90 lumens tactical flashlight

Did they come out with a new version of this light?

I came across the Kobalt Tactical at Lowes the other day on sale for $40 with semi hard case, lanyard, clip, and two cr123 lithium batteries.
It seemed like a good deal considering any case is $10 and 2 lithium batteries $5 making the light a $25 buy in my book.

Since it was night, I tore it open in the parking lot and was pleasantly surprised that it was brighter than the 90 lumens that they showed on the box. The beam with the orange peel lens was good and the low level was bright enough for all the close up stuff I do.

I had'nt heard of this light before and didn't know it was out so long. I just found this thread, and I'm surprised by the bad reviews. This light is really bright. That said, I can only compare it to my similar sized lights: Lumapower M-1 Rebel and Lowes Taskforce 2C. It is just as bright. It was hard to compare to the Taskforce since the hotspot on the Taskforce might be brighter , but the Kobalt has a much better useful beam pattern with more side spill. If I can post beamshots tommorow I will. After perushing the web, I see that it looks a lot like the Surefire L4.

JSCMEDIC said the case was junk, but it just goes to show how opinions differ. One man's junk is another man's gold. The pouch is a rigid denim case. This will be another tool pouch light to replace my Lumapower M-1 Rebel as a work light which was comandered by my better half. It gets thrown into the tool bag and the semi hard case does a good job of keeping it from getting banged up. I do agree that it stinks for a hip case. I couldn't get it to stay on either, but my snap is real tight.

I took it apart... (isn't that what were supposed to do? ), to get rid of the clip. I lost one too many lights that were clipped on. I could only get the whole head off. The lens cap with access to the LED seems glued on, and I just don't feel like destroying the housing...yet.

Probably the only negative I see is that even though it has a textured honey comb finish, it does not grip well. When trying to work the switch to change modes, it slips through your hand. I'll fix that with a band of friction tape.

After reading the other post, I checked and also heard that it makes a high pitched noise when turned on. I have no idea what that's about. Time will tell about longivitey. I have never had to use the Kobalt lifetime warranty, so I'll wait and see how it goes.

Anyone else bought one lately?

 

[KDOG3]

Grrrrr.....lights like this really tick me off.....downright blatant rip-off of Surefire design....

 

[deeuubee]

Look at the bright side...

If we only had the top of the line lights to talk about, it would be pretty boring wouldn't it?

Anybody got the new Kroma...Yea it's great!

Anybody got the U2 Ultra... Yea it's great!

I don't think too many people are going to rip open a Titan at $240 to change the led just to squeek out a few more lumens.

We can trial and error on the junk stuff until we can afford to spend $$$ for a toy.

On the other hand, I wouldn't buy anything else but the original if I had to bet my life on it.

Just an observation... no slam intended.

 

[Pellidon]

Mine went by running (ruining) it with two rechargeable batteries. Then found out it runs just as bright on one 17650 cell as it does on two primary 123's.

The high pitched whine I think is micro-phonic oscillation of the inductor. It degrades the efficiency of the circuit just a tiny fraction. Probably not enough for someone to casually monitor.

At 90 lumens it is half as bright as my lowest rated P60 drop in but sometimes blazing bright isn't all it is cracked up to be.

It is a decent tool box light now with the following modifications.

Replaced the rubber boot with a GITD one. Softer operation of the switch now so the slippery body isn't as bad.

Removed the clip. I like clips on roughly 25% of my lights that have them. Just depends on the ergonomics of the light. Built the cavity back up with putty.

Removed the tactical crenelations from the tail switch. Found them too sharp and annoying for me. Negative is it can't tail stand. Not a biggie for me.

Removed the lanyard loop off the metal ring on the tail end. It just got in my way and annoyed me.

 

[deeuubee]

Just as bright with a 17650. Does that mean there's a driver in there, or just a resistor to drop the primary volatge down to Vf?

Good thing you mentioned not to use rechargable 123's, I was just about to try them from my other light. Did the directions say only use primaries? I don't remember and threw mine out. If not maybe the lifetime kobalt warranty might need to be checked out...

 

[think2x]

I got this light in a trade. Comparing it to my QUARK AA2 R2 it had more throw but wasn't nearly as bright. I started nosing around in it and measuring. I wound up replacing the board in it with the 3 mode 1.4A driver from shining beam. Minimal filing of the board edge and some careful soldering (OEM wires in the light head are short) and it now has more output than my Quark. I still prefer the Quark but this Kobalt isn't half bad now.

 

[LuxClark]

I know this is quite an old thread, but it was the most recent on this light.

For the longest time, I've wanted to get a 'hi lumen' light to use and saw this at Lowes one day last year. I paid about $40-$50 and have realized, thanks to this forum, that I overpaid. That said, I'm happy with the light in that it's the best one I have so far. It has a clean coverage and can reach to across the creek in my back yard from my house (about 20-30 yards?). For me at the time that was impressive!

Now I'm learning how much more is out there! But I still like this light. It works fine for my general needs and is still the best light I have.

I have a question regarding the batteries. Does anyone know if it will take 18650's? Since getting on this forum I am looking into a true tactical light. At the level of 1x18650 and I thought it would be great if I could use those batteries in this.

I've called the number in the manual... which is Lowes... they sent me to a number for Kobalt... who told me they can't handle tech questions and directed me to the Kobalt website... which send you to Lowes for questions.... So I wrote Lowes hoping to actually get an answer.

So any advice on this taking rechargeable batteries would be appreciated!

Thanks

 

[PocketBeam]

Someone said the 17650 would work. Personally based on how old the light is, and the fact you are thinking of better batteries, I would just buy a new light. In fact not you can get a single AA light that will push out over 250 lumens, and ones made to use a single 18650 that will push out around 900 lumens. Even if you are on a budget there are better ways to go imho.

 

[LuxClark]

That's where I'm heading. I had been looking for a new light after 'discovering' the new world of flashlights but I was trying to economize since my new one will be using 18650's. I even started looking into RCR's with 3V but then I'd be defeating the purpose (as with the 17650's).

I'll just keep it and have CR123 batteries around as back up since I can use them in both lights.

 

[leon2245]

I know this is quite an old thread, but it was the most recent on this light.

For the longest time, I've wanted to get a 'hi lumen' light to use and saw this at Lowes one day last year. I paid about $40-$50 and have realized, thanks to this forum, that I overpaid. That said, I'm happy with the light in that it's the best one I have so far. It has a clean coverage and can reach to across the creek in my back yard from my house (about 20-30 yards?). For me at the time that was impressive!

Now I'm learning how much more is out there! But I still like this light. It works fine for my general needs and is still the best light I have.

I have a question regarding the batteries. Does anyone know if it will take 18650's? Since getting on this forum I am looking into a true tactical light. At the level of 1x18650 and I thought it would be great if I could use those batteries in this.

I've called the number in the manual... which is Lowes... they sent me to a number for Kobalt... who told me they can't handle tech questions and directed me to the Kobalt website... which send you to Lowes for questions.... So I wrote Lowes hoping to actually get an answer.

So any advice on this taking rechargeable batteries would be appreciated!

Thanks

Wow! That's out of a cartoon or something.