Gerber Firecracker

Anyone seen one of these new Gerbers?
http://www.rei.com/online/store/Pro...productId=48149795&parent_category_rn=4500588

Specs: 1AA, clicky, 7 hr runtime, 4 inches.

Might be decent for 20 bucks.

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Not a clicky. Bummer.

Wonder what kind of LED it is? That webpage doesn't specify.

beakman

ringzero said:

Anyone seen one of these new Gerbers?
http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=48149795&parent_category_rn=4500588

Specs: 1AA, clicky, 7 hr runtime, 4 inches.

Might be decent for 20 bucks.

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Click to expand...

this kind of reminds me of the original ianova x1 ,that some are ocasionally pineing for......

Just a friendly bump to see if anyone has the Firecracker yet.

Nice but not regulated

It's interesting to see that the light is rated for runtime at 0' c.

I'm going to get one, hopefully it is brighter than the inova x1.

I would be really interested to see how brightness compares to the 3rd gen Inova X1?

I agree these are also worth watching. I'll have to schedule a little trip to REI and play with them.

I do like the "look" of these new lights and hope we will have a new player to give us more toys. The small light category is getting very hard to compete in these days to say the least......Maybe Gerber will suprise us all however what would really be nice if they would bring back the old style Ultra-G....you know old faithful that we all really once loved.

While speaking of the old style Ultras can anyone say if this new style single AA light will be replacing the Ultra modles? And also what does it mean when they say the beam style is "focused"......Is this new light using the optic as it is kind of hard to tell from that photo. I for one surely hope not as most every other maker is getting away from those magnified beams it seems.

beakman said:

Wonder what kind of LED it is? That webpage doesn't specify.

beakman

Click to expand...

saw these in Sportsmans Warehouse and the packaging says 0.7w Rigel LED

theres yet another light that's made for keychain carry and it uses a cr2 battery(included) same Rigel LED i believe

Lafayette Indiana has a Sportsman Warehouse. I was there today. The Firecracker and the Nitrus both sport a Rigel led. The Firecracker has a focusing lens under glass but not a moon spot type lens. Looks great but nothing to write home about beam wise. The Nitrus is an all plastic jobby that has a CR2 battery inside. It also has a rectangle MOP reflector, under what appears to be glass again.

Not too bad for general purpose use even with the rectangle hot spot.

The faux clicky on the tail of the firecracker would have been better if it were a magnet.

Lithium L91: 390 ma current
Duracell LR6: 380 ma current
Hybrid NIMH: 300 ma current (dimmest)
14500 LiOn: 660 ma current (very bright)

I only flashed the 14500 cell long enough to get a reading. It prefers Lithium AA primaries best, possibly Oxyrides too. I am out of them at the present.

Gerber seems to miss the mark most of the time. Good builds so so performance. The Little lensless Tempo looks like a better choice than the Fire Cracker does.

Pellidon said:

Gerber seems to miss the mark most of the time. Good builds so so performance. The Little lensless Tempo looks like a better choice than the Fire Cracker does.

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Thanks for a nice mini-review Pellidon.

At their price points, both the Firecracker and Tempo look very hard to beat. I really like the looks of both. Most of the Gerber lights I've tried out have been well built and tough. Gerber has had a few misses with its lights, but most are practical and very durable.

I like that the Firecracker uses a Rigel LED as they are more efficient than Lux LEDs. At 190 mA draw, I'd expect fairly decent runtime on an alkaline.

I'm guessing the output would be around 20 lumens on alkaline, which is kind of a sweet spot for a one-cell pocket light so far as I'm concerned.

I'll probably get both the next time I order something from REI. At 20 bucks for the Firecracker and only 10 bucks for the Tempo, they seem like solid values. At worst, I can give them away as gifts.

Thanks again.


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Wonder what kind of switch the Tempo uses anyone know?

Strangely enough I also kind of like the Xenon single 123 cell RX350 model.

For 28 dollars how bad can it be and it has a nice look to it plus a pocket clip and spot to flood focus. Maybe there will be some way to use some of the higher power Lumens Factory lamps in this little light powered by a rechargeable Li-Ion....anyone got any of these new models yet??

I saw that one at Sportsman's Wharhouse. They also had it rebranded under the Winchester name with the same model number. They use a Bi Pin lamp not a lamp assembly. Don't know if they are capable of the LF units but I doubt there is room for it.

I'll have to schedule a little trip to REI and play with them.

Click to expand...

you know how those all turn out....
since they have demo headlamps and flashlights...
waaaaay too much fun

I went to REI today to buy a Bear proof canister, and ended up buying this gerber Firecracker, too, and a pelican case and a hat. Hard to resist buying gear there.

The firecracker uses a tiros type lens, which should make some happy. It is what I was hoping Inova would make, an AA tiros light. It has a faux clickie, and the light only turns on when the cap is fully tightened.

It's significantly brighter than the v.2 inova x1. Compared to the v.1 model, the firecracker has a bright hotspot and a dimmer corona. There's very little spill like one would expect. I prefer the v.1 inovaX1 and the moon style spot.

greenlight said:

I went to REI today to buy a Bear proof canister, and ended up buying this gerber Firecracker...It's significantly brighter than the v.2 inova x1. Compared to the v.1 model, the firecracker has a bright hotspot and a dimmer corona. There's very little spill like one would expect. I prefer the v.1 inovaX1 and the moon style spot.

Click to expand...

Thanks for your report, greenlight.

Happened across this page: http://www.knifesupplycompany.com/80106.html , which gives a little more info.

The claimed output of 18 lumens sounds about right for a Nichia Rigel LED after optics loss.

If the runtime of 7 hours on alkaline is accurate, this is a fairly efficient light. I'd hoped that Gerber would go for a long runtime light of moderate output, given their choice of an efficient emitter.

If this light is built as tough as the Gerber Infinity, I think it'd make a great backup light because of its moderate output and long runtime. 18 lumens is plenty of output for a backup light. Good enough for close to medium distance tasks and for walking a rough trail.

For its modest 20 buck price, the Firecracker looks like a winner to me.

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