Phantom Warrior LED light.......

I hope this isn't a duplicate post...I tried earlier, but something went wrong. I came by this light via a trade. It is used by many branches of the U.S. military. It is handheld, waterproof and operates on 4-AA batteries. It has a variable intensity white 5mm led, controlled by a thumbswitch rheostat. it also has a cobalt blue 5mm led for use by medics doing eye-exams under night vision goggle conditions. reverse the batteries, and you enable a infra-red 5mm led for NVG use. Overall pretty cool, and the instruction book that comes with it says it cost the U.S. Govt. $79.00. I'll post pics. if anyone wants.

please do post pictures, of beams and the light itself! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

More details can be found at the phantomlights web site.

Please post pictures.

After playing with it for a while, give us a report /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[ QUOTE ]
A normal white or red filtered flashlight emits visible light. Unfortunately, it also emits infrared energy at an intensity 20 times greater than the visible light. To our soldier using a normal white or red flashlight, the infrared portion is of no use because it does not improve his ability to see. To the enemy wearing his NVGs, the infrared light coming from the filtered light is a substantial benefit. It allows him to locate our soldier easily because infrared light is primarily what the NVGs pick up. The Phantom white® light is a special blend of colors that radiates only visible light---NO INFRARED. Therefore, the Phantom white light does not project the type of energy that the NVGs easily detect. Furthermore, the Phantom has a special hood that directs the visible light only in the required location.

[/ QUOTE ]


When I last used NVG's I saw someone taking a drag on a ciggarette nearly 300 feet away light up his entire area, so I don't doubt the infared idea, but I'm wondering what makes this light so special...

Does this mean I can use a regular led in the same way and not "flash" the NVG optics? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

I have one of these lights as well, except mine doesn't have the blue, just the white LED and two IR ones (that you use by reversing the batteries). They are pretty flexible about configuring the colors per request, some aircrews like the green, some folks like red... It's actually a nice little light, I really like the rheostat - you can't imagine how handy dimming can be until you use it. I'll put up some pictures in the next day or two.

Their claim to fame is the use of a phosphor that doesn't radiate in the region NVG's can detect. I don't know what the current spectrum of standard white LED's is, but a few years back this was pretty unique stuff.

The light uses 4AA in a 2x2 arrangment, inserted from the bezel end. The switch is a rotary design, with a lock in the off position. Retracting the lock tab and rotating it CW makes it go from dim to bright. Rotate it CCW, and it can be used as a momentary switch for signalling. No fancy electronics are used. Body is plastic, and it has a metal clip (whose plastic attachment ring seems prone to breaking).

I'm not sure what the depth rating is off the top of my head, but in the system we used it with it had to survive locking out of a sub at 66' under water, so it's reasonably waterproof.

-bj

I have had one for awhile as well. Mine has the cobalt blue led for medic use. My main gripe is that the main white led isn't as bright as most single led lights on the market. However, I'm sure this makes for an awesome run time. Turn the switch one way and you get variable white, the other way is the cobalt blue. Put the batteries in backwards and you turn on the IR led. The lockout on the switch is a little funky but all in all its a well designed light.

I've found I really don't have a use for mine and was going to post info about it one of these days before I sell it. Keep an eye on the B/S/T if anyone is interested in it.

Mark

I don't have one of these, so I can't comment on its quality or lack thereof. However, I always get a little suspicious of advertising with pictures like this...

http://www.phantomlights.com/rfnvg3.jpg

And this is what you would see looking through GenIII at a red-filtered light? Hmmm...where did all that blue come from? Looks Photoshopped to me.

Well, not the best pictures, but here we go. First is a picture showing the switch. Everything is black plastic, so it's a little hard to make out...



Next up is the other side, showing the metal clip. It's a decent clip, but the plastic part that holds it on has cracked, I'll try and get a replacement.




Finally, a picture of the business end. Single white LED in the center, with two blue-domed IR emitters poking through the reflector. If you reverse the batteries, you get the IR instead of the white. Guess you really need to know in advance which you're going to use.




I'm actually a pretty fair photographer, but my little digicam is only a megapixel, and not great with the macro...

Anyway, an interesting light, very rugged in my experience (and in testing we've done on the range), but the white LED just isn't up to the performance we've come to expect these days. It does have a nice beam shape, very round and uniform - I'll try and take a picture if anyone's interested.

-bj

I think I'll sell mine....I really don't have a need for it. I wonder if there's a market anywhere for this piece of military hardware?