radioactive_man
Enlightened
I just got a Wolf-Eyes Krait XM-L flashlight. Here are some impressions
http://www.wolf-eyes.com/product/Krait Detail.html
Impressions: The manufacturer states, that the light outputs about 100 ANSI lumens, which seems about right, when I compare to other lights. The focusing mechanism is a great idea, because the "flood" setting gives you an almost completely artifact free 48 degree beam, which is great for close up work. There a slight corona, but most of the beam is COMPLETELY smooth. In the "focus" setting you get a spill-free projected square picture of the XM-L led, which isn't artifact free. However the artifacts are insignificant in real life applications.
Overall it's a good light, but there are some oddities.
First of all, the manufacturer's claim, that this light is adjustable from 5 degrees to 48 degrees is unadulterated, weapons grade baloney. At 31 cm distance the fully focused beam has a "diameter" (it's a square beam, so by this I mean the length of the sides of the square) of 6 cm. Basic trig tells us, that this translates to a divergence of 11 degrees(!). This is probably due to the larger XM-L LED; the XP-G R5 version probably honors the 5 degree claim, but it's retarded advertising. However I didn't want this light for the throw (I have a G5), so I won't send it back, because the 48 degrees of flood seem to almost hold. It's more like 40 degrees, but no matter.
Second, the light can tailstand (yay!), but it can't stand on the bezel. The lens protrudes a little bit (< 1 mm) from the front. It strikes me as odd, that the bezel wasn't made to protect the lens. I'll never put this light down on the bezel for fear of scratching the lens.
Third, the focusing mechanism has a wee bit of play. You can wiggle the bezel a millimeter or so from side to side. Furthermore the "straight pull" focusing can go from "flood" to "focus" if you shake the light, so this thing is definitely not weapons mountable. Also, the focusing mechanism makes this light only splashproof (but I understand this is common for straight pull lights).
Conclusion: GREAT flooder, semi-reasonable build quality, somewhat dumb design and dumber advertising. I'll put this in my car, because a great flooder will be very handy if I have to inspect the engine or some other part in the dark. If I need to see something far away, this light will probably light it up, but the lack of waterproofness makes me consider this light a car and indoor light. Pop in two AA lithium primaries, and it'll be there when you need it.
I'm happy with this light, because I wanted a great flooder, but I no longer consider Wolf-Eyes to be a high end flashlight manufacturer, because of the obvious design issues.
http://www.wolf-eyes.com/product/Krait Detail.html
Impressions: The manufacturer states, that the light outputs about 100 ANSI lumens, which seems about right, when I compare to other lights. The focusing mechanism is a great idea, because the "flood" setting gives you an almost completely artifact free 48 degree beam, which is great for close up work. There a slight corona, but most of the beam is COMPLETELY smooth. In the "focus" setting you get a spill-free projected square picture of the XM-L led, which isn't artifact free. However the artifacts are insignificant in real life applications.
Overall it's a good light, but there are some oddities.
First of all, the manufacturer's claim, that this light is adjustable from 5 degrees to 48 degrees is unadulterated, weapons grade baloney. At 31 cm distance the fully focused beam has a "diameter" (it's a square beam, so by this I mean the length of the sides of the square) of 6 cm. Basic trig tells us, that this translates to a divergence of 11 degrees(!). This is probably due to the larger XM-L LED; the XP-G R5 version probably honors the 5 degree claim, but it's retarded advertising. However I didn't want this light for the throw (I have a G5), so I won't send it back, because the 48 degrees of flood seem to almost hold. It's more like 40 degrees, but no matter.
Second, the light can tailstand (yay!), but it can't stand on the bezel. The lens protrudes a little bit (< 1 mm) from the front. It strikes me as odd, that the bezel wasn't made to protect the lens. I'll never put this light down on the bezel for fear of scratching the lens.
Third, the focusing mechanism has a wee bit of play. You can wiggle the bezel a millimeter or so from side to side. Furthermore the "straight pull" focusing can go from "flood" to "focus" if you shake the light, so this thing is definitely not weapons mountable. Also, the focusing mechanism makes this light only splashproof (but I understand this is common for straight pull lights).
Conclusion: GREAT flooder, semi-reasonable build quality, somewhat dumb design and dumber advertising. I'll put this in my car, because a great flooder will be very handy if I have to inspect the engine or some other part in the dark. If I need to see something far away, this light will probably light it up, but the lack of waterproofness makes me consider this light a car and indoor light. Pop in two AA lithium primaries, and it'll be there when you need it.
I'm happy with this light, because I wanted a great flooder, but I no longer consider Wolf-Eyes to be a high end flashlight manufacturer, because of the obvious design issues.
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