Opinions of Gerber Infinity Ultra?

I've been looking for a decent 1xAA light. I read the review at FLR but it doesn't look too swift., doesn't look even as bright as those $1 keychain lights. Any other beamshots? I'm flabbergasted at the lack of a reflector in them as well. Does anyone know where they are manufactured?

I have a Gerber Infinity Ultra and while it is nice in build quality and the amount of time it runs (18 hours), I am liking the Dorcy 1AAA LED flashlight (old style) that you can get at Walmart for about $6.00. They are brighter, easier to carry, and run for 5 hours on a single battery, maybe longer with 1000 maH rechargeables.

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/dorcy_aaa.htm

Also the one' shown here look different than the ones shown at lighthound and FLR....
I think that may be a new version...
I'll have to ask lighthound which ones' he has....

KDOG3 said:

Also the one' shown here look different than the ones shown at lighthound and FLR.......

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The one pictured there is the Ultra-M "government" edition. Much more expensive than the standard IU, without any real benefits.

I'm not sure where pradeep1 got his runtime stats, but I can tell you that mine will run at least 24 hours on Alkalines until roughly 50% brightness. It will produce useful light (enough to navigate by) for at least 48 hours.

KDOG, keychain lights are usually 3 or 6volts. Keep in mind that the Gerber IU is built for long runtime, and runs on a single, inexpensive, easy to find AA battery at 1.5 volts. It is plenty bright for night use when your eyes are accustomed to the dark, and has much better flood/spill than the keychain lights I've seen. The Gerber IU is a GREAT emergency light for these reasons. I have two of the old-style Dorcy 1AAA lights, and the newest version ("BBT") Gerber IU puts out just as much light and runs ALOT longer.

Why do you find it so strange that it doesn't have a reflector? The keychain lights you mention don't have reflectors either, so you know a 5mm LED doesn't need a reflector to produce good light. Many 5mm LED lights work great with no reflector.

It costs a little more but I'd pick the Civictor (available from 4sevens for under $30 shipped) over the IUs, unless you really need the extra run time. It's got (by FLR) like 30 times the throw and 20 times the output of the new IU, has a (my preference) front twisty design, and should be very reliable. My 2 cents...

Also very nice build quality.

Yeah, I second that.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/127520

Kees

I've got both the IU and the Civictor, but it's the IU I use the most.

I love the Civictor - it's thinner and weighs less and is easier in your pants pocket - but it's a bit of a toy. . . I find it's too bright for most indoors flashlight use. It just hurts my eyes when I switch it on in the middle of the night. If I was hiking in the woods I'd use something with a bit more power and longer runtime - SL PP Lux, not a single-cell light.

Yeah, the IU is a bit of an emergency light. It's kinda utilitarian. I don't get on with the rear twisty thing. It just seems wrong. But it's just the right level of light, and with a nice flood, for close tasks. And that's why I use it so much.

I keep trying to replace it, but keep coming back to it.

I also have the Dorcy 1AAA, which is just a bit brighter than the IU, but I find the beam blotchy. It's in my sock draw right now.

The IU is not a keychain light. It's too big for that. It'll go into cargo pants, I guess.

Maybe wait for a two stage Civictor to come out. . . Or for the FLR review of the Streamlight 1AA Task Light, which is supposed to have a low level equivalent to the IU and a much brighter high. This won't be a keychain light, either.

Are you looking for long runtime or bright output? That's the main difference between the Civictor and Gerber IU. I have the IU and use it mainly as either around the house light or an emergency light (I have 2, one is in my BOB). The new ones with the "BBT" printed on the package (which is larger than the old package also) use Nichia CS LEDs and are much brighter than the old ones. I checked mine and it seems as bright as my Nuwai TM-313X which is about the same output as an Arc-P according to FLR, so going by that, my IUs are as bright as Arc-Ps. I tested my IU to provide 5 days of useful dark indoors navigation light off a partially used (open voltage read 1.34V) alkaline AA. On a fresh AA (which normally reads 1.6-1.62V), it would last even longer, possibly 6 days. I defined "usable light" as being enough output in a dark indoors to see the ground 3-6ft in front of me with decent color recognition. The IU won't impress people or anything, but it provides good output for very long periods of time. After the battery finally died, just turning it off for a few minutes and back on provided good light again for quite a few minutes (recovery of alkalines).
Also, 5mm LEDs have a built in optic in the top portion of the plastic case so it doesn't need a reflector. I personally think the new Gerber IUs look a lot better than the old CMG ones (na uh, he didn't say that!).

There is a lot of good info in here:


https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/125921

also a thread going on about getting the latest stock with the Nichia CS already in them. It appears hard to tell, and I am highly skeptical about the "BBT" marking on the packaging having anything to do with it. The light really needs a CS or simillar high performance LED to be impressive, and it definately will be as impressive as a single 5 mm light can be with it. My older Gerber IU's are modded with Nichia CS's and I have polished the reflector. But to be honest, with an uncut LED, the reflector polish is more for looks than performance. If the mod scares you, wait a little or buy from a high turnover dealer to get a new Nichia CS IU. I think it is a great light for any task that can be performed by a 5 mm light, and for those who can carry a single AA light when needed. The efficiency is super, as it draws only about half the current of my Dorcy AAA's for the same output. Combined with the higer AA capacity, the result is the nutty runtime that gives it it's name.

Hondo

I picked up a Gerber IU because I wanted a keychain light, and I was a little torqued to find the LED had a very violet tinge to it. I sure wish they would have designed the packaging so you could test them before opening them.

The fit & finish is nice on the light, but I wish they hadn't pre-installed the pocket clip. It's almost impossible to get the clip off w/o scratching the anodizing.

Greg

I'm not really interested in buying a Fenix or Civictor for personal reasons.

Anyway, Lighthound replied to my email and stated that he has some of the M series Gerber IUs' on order. I'd really like to see a beamshot of one....

KDOG3 said:

I'm not really interested in buying a Fenix or Civictor for personal reasons.

Anyway, Lighthound replied to my email and stated that he has some of the M series Gerber IUs' on order. I'd really like to see a beamshot of one....

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If the personal reason for not buying a Fenix/Civictor is based on the fact they are made in China, you should know the Gerber IU's are also made in China, though the company is American. The previous CMG versions of the IU were made in the USA.

I have an Ultra M. I've discussed the beam in another thread (do a search on Ultra M). The beam of the Ultra M removes all the sidespill of the regular version and the light is no more powerful. This might be great for covert military operations, but is pretty useless for such things as taking a walk or reading in bed.

That being said, I really like my regular IU. I use it every day for reading in bed, etc., but my Civictor handles the jobs where I need more light.

Ah, really. Crap. Thanks for the info guyz....

The GI is always willing to provide light for pennies a day, and you don't need cargo pants to pocket carry it. You can even take it swimming (if you've a mind to) and it just keeps on working. NOTE: Not good for shining deer.

KDOG3 said:

Ah, really. Crap. Thanks for the info guyz....

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Do not despair, there are options. I am told the Ultra M is made in the USA, though I suspect some parts are from China and I for one do not care for the beam. You can regularly find "new in package" Gerber IU's and Ultra G's (Military spec HAIII versions) in the "sell" section on CPF (I bought a few there).

If the budget allows, all PEAK lights are made in the USA. Maybe even an ARC AAA-P would suit you (USA made as well).

It's getting hard to find "Made in America" products even from US manufacturers. Many other US flashlight makers get some or all of their products from Chinese or Taiwanese plants.

hammong said:

I picked up a Gerber IU because I wanted a keychain light, and I was a little torqued to find the LED had a very violet tinge to it. I sure wish they would have designed the packaging so you could test them before opening them.

The fit & finish is nice on the light, but I wish they hadn't pre-installed the pocket clip. It's almost impossible to get the clip off w/o scratching the anodizing.

Greg

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The major blue tint is another reason to stick a Nichia CS in them, and I used a CO tint, which is very warm for a 5 mm. To remove the clip, just stick a small screwdriver, or anything rigid and small enough, through the clip at the "U-turn" at the front. Grab the front of the bezel and tailcap in one hand, and wrap your fingers of the other hand around the screw driver shaft. Keeping the thumb of the second hand on the tip of the clip so it won't straighten out, yank straight away from the light body, and the clip will snap off with no witness marks whatsoever.

Hondo

Flic said:

... all PEAK lights are made in the USA. Maybe even an ARC AAA-P would suit you (USA made as well).

It's getting hard to find "Made in America" products even from US manufacturers. Many other US flashlight makers get some or all of their products from Chinese or Taiwanese plants.

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also, depends on how picky one wants to be - as the LED's are made in China or Japan.
(My Ford F-150 pick up truck and many parts on it - wasn't made in USA either)

I'll look into the Peak lights. Thanks for the idea....

The Gerber IU is a more cost effective solution for the uses I have/need for this type of light. If you're concerned about Made in USA, then you should never buy any electronic item ever again as there is NO electronics mfr (be it discrete or system) that has devices mfr'd in the US. As long as the QC is controlled by the US company, it should be fine. The beam on my IUs are great, very smooth and even. They are a bit blue in the center, but for a survival/emergency light, I don't care. I'd rather see a nail I'm going to step on without knowing it's exact color when trying to exit a dark building than having a brighter light that has shorter battery life and have it die on me just before I step on that nail. And tho other 5mm LEDs have better tints and/or brighter, I still prefer Nichia CS for their robustness and lumens maintenance.

I really like the gerber infinity ultra. Do I think its worth 3-4 times as much as a dorcyAAA? Yes. It runs 3 times longer, has better beam quality, and is built like a tank.