Got my Gerber Infinity Ultra-M today - Tough yet dim

These things are very very tough... I can't think of any way that could destroy them (bar crazy stuff like being shot or blown up).

My only complaint is that they are very low brightness it seems.

I knew that going into it because I wanted the long run time, but damn, that's pretty weak of a light.

Maybe I have to wait until night to really appreciate it's brightness. After all, even 2 lumens can be bright when it's pitch black.

Just wanted to share my experience with everyone.

The regular Ultra is almost as tough the Ultra-M but has an exposed LED. Due to the construction of the Ultra-M it is only a 1/3 the brightness of the regular Ultra. The circuits are exactly the same but the light loss is due to the 2 lenses and the deep set LED. Battery life is exactly the same.

I have a non-ultra CMG infinity that is dimmer than the Ultra M(I presume). The thing about these lights is you DO need to use them in pitch blackness to appreciate them. They put out a very minimal amount of light. But that's the idea. My non-ultra will run for 40 hours on an AA and puts out just enough light to navigate in the dark. It's a great light, but definitely has a very specific purpose.

The Ultra-M seems like an interesting overlooked light. It's a shame that there are so few choices for low output long runtime lights.

I have a couple Gerber IU non-M lights. Great long lasting light. They're quite bright when it's dark and I've tested mine to run for 5 days straight with enough light to navigate a dark indoors on a partially drained alkaline (would run even longer if I used a fresh AA). I love my IU. If you don't mind the finish being less scratch resistant, I don't think the IU gives up much to the IU-M. Tho I believe the M may have been designed to be used in situations where spill light is not wanted (such as when you're in a building looking at documents and there are guards outside...yup, said like I've been there...ah, the wonders of TV).

I have a few Gerber Infinity Ultras and simply love them. They run forever, and are built to take abuse. I haven't used the newer IU-M as I simply don't have a need for it.

I don't think I would have gone for the M, because it has less spill. I have several CMGs (discontinued) and Gerber IU's, and they are great camping/emergency lights. Not the brightest by far, but the darker it is, the less light you need or usually want. One AA will last for days and days.

Edit: I didn't mean to imply that getting the M model was a bad choice. It's just a little different than the regular model and so has slightly different applications.

jsr said:

Tho I believe the M may have been designed to be used in situations where spill light is not wanted (such as when you're in a building looking at documents and there are guards outside...yup, said like I've been there...ah, the wonders of TV).

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That's what I keep my Solitaire around for! I bet it has less spill light and more focused beam than an Infinity!

carrot said:

The Ultra-M seems like an interesting overlooked light. It's a shame that there are so few choices for low output long runtime lights.

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One of the best choices is an EternaLight. Very long runtime when dimmed, but also capable of decent flood output at full power.

Still my favorite 'if I could only have one flashlight' category.

Absolutely the best for camping, and as a back up light.

Mine is the same, well made but very dim, its now sitting on my spare set of keys