Wiseled Tactical (my 1st review)

[Patriot]

Wiseled Tactical review

This is my first review, so please go easy on me Suggestions welcomed

I excitedly received my Wisled Tactical from Tactical Supply last Friday. I must admit to the fact that a few months ago I thought this light was stupid because of the write-up it received from Flashlight Reviews. I was very cloudy about the Tactical's operation and thought that the user interface was very strange.


What it came with:
Updated Wiseled Tactical
12 volt charger


http://s158.photobucket.com/albums/t98/Patriot222/?action=view&current=Picture24.jpg
http://s158.photobucket.com/albums/t98/Patriot222/?action=view&current=Picture26.jpg
http://s158.photobucket.com/albums/t98/Patriot222/?action=view&current=wisledlens.jpg


I also purchased seperately a knurled, stainless steel tail cap plug and a clustered, UV, tail light. At this time the UV, K2 LEDs are not available.
http://s158.photobucket.com/albums/t98/Patriot222/?action=view&current=Wiseled1.jpg
http://s158.photobucket.com/albums/t98/Patriot222/?action=view&current=Wiseled4.jpg


Impressions:
Now that I've got the thing in my hands and started doing some preliminary tests with it, I'm very impressed with this light so far and I'm definitely keeping it. It's quickly becoming one of my favorites in the short time that I've owned it.


One of the first things that I noticed is that my light has the updated fast strobe effect and updated pause points at the highest and lowest settings. The user interface seems to have been corrected pretty well. The other thing that I was surprised about was that the lowest level of output from this light appears to be very bright. It's somewhere in the neighborhood of 175-225 lumens. When the tactical is on low, it's about twice as bright as my L2, or L4 with a similarly shaped beam, but obviously doesn't have any dark spot (donut) in the middle. I do wish that the lowest setting would go even lower than it does. There is the option of purchasing a white tail light for times when less light is needed.


So far I've compared the brightness to several other lights, done a run-time test on low, and checked it for water resistance. I only have low-res images at this time because I loaned out my nice Cannon to my brother this week.


The first thing that I did with my new light was to take it and the M6 with HOLA to the park. I immediately noticed that the Wiseled was producing significantly more overall light output than the M6. The M6 throws better and lights up trees at 75 yards very well, but the Wiseled's beam is so much more broad, even and useful. The best that I can describe the beam difference would be to liken it to the difference between an E2E and a L2 on high. The incandescent E2 still has the upper hand in throw, but the L2 makes so much light. I have little doubt that the Wiseled is very close to the stated 1000 lumens.


My run test was performed at the lowest level of light and produced what appeared to be constant output from 11:15am to 7:40pm, (470 minutes) before dropping to a much lower level I was very impressed that this much light could be sustained for such a long time. The whole time the light was running it was sitting in about four inches of cool water in my bathtub. I didn't know how warm it would have gotten otherwise, but since I had to leave it unattended for a couple of hours and I didn't want it getting too warm. This probably wasn't necessary but I a wanted to test the water proofing of my light.


Some beamshots borrowed from Mike's Thread.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=1605900&postcount=113



Things I liked:
Ridiculously and unexpectedly bright for an LED light. I know that the manufacturer claims 1000 lumens but I figured it was a bit over rated until I turned it on and compared it to the M6 on fresh batteries.


Superb construction including fit and finish

Excellent switch feel

Improved user interface with pause points at the highest and lowest settings and the ability to go from a low setting to maximum at any time


The improved faster strobe, which my brother said was obnoxiously disorienting


470 minute runtime on low (verified)


100 minute runtime on high (claimed but not verified)


Many taillight options


Things I didn't like:
I was a bit disappointed that the Tactical only came with a 12V DC charger. Steven at Tactical Supply said that it was a "European thing." The AC charger is available as an option though.


It didn't come with instruction manual.

The lowest setting of the light is still very high. I estimate it at 175-225 lumens based on side by side comparisons with Surefire LEDs.


The 12 cluster UV taillight isn't very bright and the K2 UV is not available yet.


I wish that it had a glass lens over the LED optics to prevent water, dirt, or mud from filling the little optic holes. I measured the inside of the bezel at 56-57 millimeters in diameter. I've looked for something in this size but haven't gotten any closer to finding anything that would fit. Ideas are welcome.

 

[JanCPF]

Thank you for the review and your effort, but it still doesn't answer a question that I've tried to get an answer to for a long time now: What is the runtime on high when submerged in water? Why is it that nobody want's to do this test? This is a crucial test if you want to use it as a dive light as it is intended for. In free air the light apparently throttles down to lower levels by it self, probably due to thermal issues. If this is also true when submerged, I would find it unsuitable as a primary dive light. If I choose a level of output, I would be very annoyed if it didn't stay at that selected level for the duration of the dive.

Jan

 

[Strauss]

While I was at Mac's workshop a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to play with one of those lights as well. It had a VERY solid feel, and was very bright indeed. Their claim of 1000 lumens seems accurate if they are not talking "out-the-front" lumens. I tested Mac's with my lightmeter for overall output, and got around 600 lumens if I remember correctly.

 

[Patriot]

Thank you for the review and your effort, but it still doesn't answer a question that I've tried to get an answer to for a long time now: What is the runtime on high when submerged in water? Why is it that nobody want's to do this test? This is a crucial test if you want to use it as a dive light as it is intended for. In free air the light apparently throttles down to lower levels by it self, probably due to thermal issues. If this is also true when submerged, I would find it unsuitable as a primary dive light. If I choose a level of output, I would be very annoyed if it didn't stay at that selected level for the duration of the dive.

Jan

Ok, I'll see what I can do for you here. I can't promiss a full run-time on high, but I will at least verify if it does or doesn't power itself down in cool water. I'll have to test it Monday evening and then I'll post my results.

 

[JanCPF]

Patriot36,
Thanks! :thumbsup: That would be very helpful indeed

Jan

 

[sims2k]

Patriot36,

Thanks for the review. I wish that it is glass instead of plastic lense. But for the size, it is just like holding to a D size Maglight. The lowest setting is still not low enough for me. That's why I carry my Surefire L2 everywhere.

 

[Patriot]

Patriot36,
Thanks! :thumbsup: That would be very helpful indeed

Jan

Ok Jan...In the open air at about 78 degees, it's powering down (stepping down to a lower level) after about 8 minutes. It goes instantly back to full brightness if the rear button is pushed.

Submerged in my bathtub at a water temp of around 68 degrees F. It ran on continuous high mode without powering down for about 25 minutes. I only stopped the test because I had to leave the house. It appears that the water kept it cool enough to prevent the thermally induced power reduction from occuring. Hope that answers things for you, but I can do the same test for a longer time period if you need me too.

 

[Derek Dean]

Wow, excellent first review Patriot36, and what a light to pick for reviewing! I've been interested in this one since I first saw it, and I'm glad to hear that it has lived up to your expectations.

I can certainly still see room for improvement, especially with needing a lower low level light setting and needing some kind of protective cover over the front.

BTW, you might check your local camera store and see if they have any odd sized clear protective lens filters that could work in that application. 55mm is a very common size, with 58mm being the next most common size. Maybe you could find an inexpensive used 58mm (many camera stores will have a used section) and remove the outer metal ring to get it to fit as a cover lens. Just a thought.

Anyway, just wanted to thankyou for the thoughtful review. I'll look forward to many more!

 

[JanCPF]

Ok Jan...In the open air about 78 degees right now, it's powering down after about 8 minutes.

Submerged in my bathtub at a water temp of around 68 degrees F. It ran on continuous high mode without powering down for about 25 minutes. I only stopped the test because I had to leave the house. It appears that the water kept it cool enough to prevent the thermally induced power reduction from occuring. Hope that answers things for you, but I can do the same test for a longer time period if you need me too.

Thanks Patriot36! That finaly answered what I've been searching for :twothumbs:

BTW does your Tactical have an exposed charging connector. What I mean is: Are the metal (gold ?) pins in the charging port exposed to seawater, or are they behind some sort of pressure resistant cap that needs to be unscrewed to charge the light?

Thanks again for your review of this interesting light.

Jan

 

[MikeSalt]

It seems that WiseLED took very careful note of Quickbeam's (Doug - flashlightreviews.com) suggestions. This is a very good sign indeed, a company actually listening to the customers, and implementing necessary changes.

 

[tenfour]

it's powering down after 8 minutes? it seems like you have a defective light like quickbeam's.

I have said it before, regarding this light, but i'll say it again:

It's not easy to test the runtime on high, because it automatically steps down in brightness unless you manually reset the brightness. It starts stepping down automatically after maybe 5 minutes or so. It's one of the huge annoyances in the UI.

When i first got mine, i timed it manually for over 1.5 hours on high, having to reset it every time it dipped lower.

So the whole "5 minutes runtime on high" thing to me equates to "5 minutes before it steps down in brightness" or "defective light".

 

[tenfour]

And... awesome review! And nice icon too =)

 

[Patriot]

Wow, excellent first review Patriot36, and what a light to pick for reviewing! I've been interested in this one since I first saw it, and I'm glad to hear that it has lived up to your expectations.

I can certainly still see room for improvement, especially with needing a lower low level light setting and needing some kind of protective cover over the front.

BTW, you might check your local camera store and see if they have any odd sized clear protective lens filters that could work in that application. 55mm is a very common size, with 58mm being the next most common size. Maybe you could find an inexpensive used 58mm (many camera stores will have a used section) and remove the outer metal ring to get it to fit as a cover lens. Just a thought.

Anyway, just wanted to thankyou for the thoughtful review. I'll look forward to many more!

Thank you D.D. for the idea about the filters. I think I've still got an old 58mm Vivitar UV filter that I'd be willing to take apart. I'll let you know if it works.

 

[Patriot]

Thanks Patriot36! That finaly answered what I've been searching for :twothumbs:

BTW does your Tactical have an exposed charging connector. What I mean is: Are the metal (gold ?) pins in the charging port exposed to seawater, or are they behind some sort of pressure resistant cap that needs to be unscrewed to charge the light?

Thanks again for your review of this interesting light.

Jan

Jan, the pins are recessed but exposed to water. In my forth or fifth picture link in a stainless, knurled, non-treaded tail plug with an exellent fitting red o-ring. It won't come out accidentally. When the light was under water I had the plug in and it was completely dry inside after removing the plug to check for water.

 

[Patriot]

it's powering down after 8 minutes? it seems like you have a defective light like quickbeam's.

I have said it before, regarding this light, but i'll say it again:

It's not easy to test the runtime on high, because it automatically steps down in brightness unless you manually reset the brightness. It starts stepping down automatically after maybe 5 minutes or so. It's one of the huge annoyances in the UI.

When i first got mine, i timed it manually for over 1.5 hours on high, having to reset it every time it dipped lower.

So the whole "5 minutes runtime on high" thing to me equates to "5 minutes before it steps down in brightness" or "defective light".

LOL at our avatars Tenfour. I used the incorrect terminology when I said that it "powers down." I should have said steps down instead. It only steps down to a lower level of brightness when it gets warm after about 8 minutes. As you stated, it can be manually increased to full brightness with the press of the rear most button. Thanks Tenfour.

 

[JanCPF]

it's powering down after 8 minutes? it seems like you have a defective light like quickbeam's.

I have said it before, regarding this light, but i'll say it again:

It's not easy to test the runtime on high, because it automatically steps down in brightness unless you manually reset the brightness. It starts stepping down automatically after maybe 5 minutes or so. It's one of the huge annoyances in the UI.

When i first got mine, i timed it manually for over 1.5 hours on high, having to reset it every time it dipped lower.

So the whole "5 minutes runtime on high" thing to me equates to "5 minutes before it steps down in brightness" or "defective light".

tenfour,
I don't understand how you can just select the highest level right after it steps down, because as Patriot36 stated, it doesn't step down when submerged in water, so this must be a heat issue, and not a UI issue right? Can you select the highest level immediately after it steps down, and when will it then step down again? :thinking:

Jan

 

[Art Vandelay]

tenfour,
I don't understand how you can just select the highest level right after it steps down, because as Patriot38 stated, it doesn't step down when submerged in water, so this must be a heat issue, and not a UI issue right? Can you select the highest level immediately after it steps down, and when will it then step down again? :thinking:

Jan

Thanks for doing this review Patriot36. I have a question similar to JanCPF's question above. Is it possible that the step down is due to the temperature rising? If you compare the MagLED's and WiseLED's run time graphs at flashlightreviews.com they are very similar. They both start out very bright, but the brightness drops steadily and rapidly as the temperature rises. This continues until about eight minutes when they both level out in brightness when the temperature reaches a more manageable level.

Here are links so you can see the run time graphs. The scale of the MagLED graph makes it easy to miss the initial burst of light in the first eight minutes. The readings start at 100% then drop like a stone so that within a few minutes they are just above 50 % of initial brightness. This gives the MagLED and WiseLED misleadingly high measurements of throw and overall output, because they are measured at the beginning. It also can give misleadingly long run times. For example, the 2D MagLED has a run time of 13 minutes until 50% of initial brightness, while the 3D MagLED goes 22 hours and 50 minutes to 50% of initial brightness. The real difference is that the 2D flattens out just below 50% and the the 3D flattens out just above 50%. The WiseLED flattens out at just below 25% after eight minutes.

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/maglite_mag-led.htm
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/wiseled_tactical.htm

 

[tenfour]

tenfour,
I don't understand how you can just select the highest level right after it steps down, because as Patriot36 stated, it doesn't step down when submerged in water, so this must be a heat issue, and not a UI issue right? Can you select the highest level immediately after it steps down, and when will it then step down again? :thinking:

Jan

I'm no scientist =) I turned it off, then back on, and hit the B button to bring it back to full power. It will step down quicker subsequent times, so clearly this thing isn't on some sort of fixed timer - it's temperature-driven.

 

[Patriot]

tenfour,
I don't understand how you can just select the highest level right after it steps down, because as Patriot36 stated, it doesn't step down when submerged in water, so this must be a heat issue, and not a UI issue right? Can you select the highest level immediately after it steps down, and when will it then step down again? :thinking:

Jan

Yes Jan, you're right. The light does step down and yes it does let you turn it back to high immediately if you choose to.

When the light gets hot it intentionally and immediately steps down the output. Now, you can overide it's..."recommendation" to cool things off by bumping it up to max output again, but I don't know if this is the best thing to do if you're interested in trying to prolong the life of the LEDs.

I see this as a nice feature because it's nice that the light inherently tries to protect itself from heat. If you are in an emergency and really need max output no matter what. The light gives you the choice of keeping it at high level if neccessary or needed.

 

[2jzpower]

good review!!!

does anyone know if the "Street" or "Adapt" with the 3 led head dimms like the "Tactical" after a couple of minutes of use????