Question about LongBow lights

socom1970 · Oct 2, 2004

Does anyone know about the quality or performance of LongBow lights? Are they as good as SureFire? (Surefire is my quality and performance reference point for tactical lights) I know they are only 1 watt luxeons, but how is their brightness performance? Are they worth the money? Will they be making 3 or 5 watt Luxeon lights? Thanks for any help. I'm glad I'm not the only flashlight fiend in this crazy world...

Haesslich · Oct 2, 2004

socom - from what I've heard, they're not as good as Surefire, but they're cheaper and they're very modular. Very few people, outside of our custom modders like Mr. Bulk or McGizmo, are as good if nto better than Surefire. They use optics rather than reflectors, though they're moddable enough for you to throw a reflector in. The Longbow Max is supposed to be their 5W series, though that needs at least a 2x123 pack of some sort, so won't run on the Micra pack, at least according to Morganch_oh.

If you want a short, compact light that's very bright, I'd go with a Nuwai Quantum III if you want cheap or an Aleph 2 with 1x123 pack or MrBulk's Lionheart if you're willing to pay for quality. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Otherwise, buy SureFire if you want something to compare to a Surefire.

Besides, what're you doing with this? The purpose you put it to will determine the light you need to get.

357 · Oct 2, 2004

Not as good as Surefire, not even close when it comes to performance (beam quality, circuit, output).

Circuit and electronics are not as efficient as Arc LSH (poor runtime the Micra has and some have startup problems with low batteries). However, exterior fit and finish is better than Arc LSH.

I personally like the LB Micras very much, as fit and finish are excellent...better than Arc, not quite as good as Surefire. However, the performance is several notches below Surefire and Arc (my Micras do NOT come close to their stated runtimes, and one is showing the symptoms of failing to turn on with near dead batteries). Beam quality is lacking due to the optics, one can get a drop in reflector to fix this but even the drop in reflector is only a modest improvement....its still no where near Surefire beam quality. Considering that price is still good on these, its a good light for the money if you can live with its limitations.

Dizos · Oct 2, 2004

I've had a LB Micra for a couple of days now and really like it. Not sure if I just got lucky but the beam is much brighter and whiter than my SF KL1 and the Arc LS I had. The light is fully waterproof which is better than the SF KL1. The finish quality is flawless, but glossy (I like the flatter SF finish).

-- Dizos