Yes, that is spelled correctly - "XLM", not "XML" 
A while back I was contacted by The Firearm Blog and asked if I would be interested in serving as their 'dedicated flashlight reviewer.' I liked the idea and agreed.
DORCY FULL REVIEW POSTED HERE
Thought I'd share my thoughts with CPF!
Dorcy, an old, recognized (by many on this forum), Ohio based company sent me the reviewed flashlight. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm a "light snob." :shakehead After 4 years hanging out at CPF, most "blister pack, off the shelf" lights don't do it for me. Cool Fall, Malkoff, McGizmo, Mac's, Muyshondt, Oveready, Milky - that's the stuff that gets my attention.
But what the heck - it might be fun to check out something 'different.' Again, many of you are well familiar with the name and the brand. You can pick up a Dorcy light just about anywhere. As mentioned, Ohio based company but VERY global, and they own their own factory in and office in Hong Kong. They are privately held, and although they've been around and manufactured many mass market items, now their focus is on flashlights and batteries.
My full review of this light can be found HERE.
The XLM Metal Gear 618 Lumen light I received surprised me. Nice packaging...
Hefty - uses 6 AA batteries. A few photos....
Top mounted click switch - pretty basic. Comes on in high mode - next click low - next click off. Decent lanyard already attached.
Nice knurling - as big as it is, it's easy to hold.
As mentioned, 6 AA batteries - loaded from the tail - has polarity warnings etched in the plastic.
Nice beam, too - not green, but almost neutral warm. Throws forever (not a surprise considering the size of the reflector). This photo was after the light had been on for a very long time...more on that coming...
Full specs on the light can be found HERE. They claim 618 lumen, and to my surprise, it performed. With fresh Eveready alkaline AA cells, the light powered up at 600 lumen. It held for a few seconds then output began dropping very gradually. This is not an expensive light - I didn't expect fancy regulation on this one.
But the RUN TIME! I was shocked. Dorcy claims 5 hours and 45 minutes on "high". I'll tell you - I gave up at 50 (FIFTY) hours. After 40 hours it still produced 5 lumen. Of course the light was (is) down to around a lumen, but it still will light up a dark room with night adjusted vision. And it still hasn't died. I gave up. Once in a while I'll switch the light on and let it run for a few minutes, but it just refuses to die. No idea how long it would run if started out on low, which by the way, is still 173 lumen.
Now for those of you who (like me) consider yourselves to be "flashlight aficionados", no need to pan this light or turn up your noses. Rather, think about how useful one of these might be for a SHTF light or recommending to your low budget friends who want a high output light. Dorcy offers all kinds of discounts at their direct site, and these things can be found in a lot of retail outlets.
BTW, this light is NOT water proof.
So an XML blaster for less than $100 - uses ubiquitous AA batteries. Loooonnng run time. Good beam. Simple operation. What's not to like? (Other than the size, maybe.)
Again, my full review of this light is posted HERE at thefirearmblog.com. I just wanted to share the information about the light with my CPF pals.
A while back I was contacted by The Firearm Blog and asked if I would be interested in serving as their 'dedicated flashlight reviewer.' I liked the idea and agreed.
DORCY FULL REVIEW POSTED HERE
Thought I'd share my thoughts with CPF!
Dorcy, an old, recognized (by many on this forum), Ohio based company sent me the reviewed flashlight. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm a "light snob." :shakehead After 4 years hanging out at CPF, most "blister pack, off the shelf" lights don't do it for me. Cool Fall, Malkoff, McGizmo, Mac's, Muyshondt, Oveready, Milky - that's the stuff that gets my attention.
But what the heck - it might be fun to check out something 'different.' Again, many of you are well familiar with the name and the brand. You can pick up a Dorcy light just about anywhere. As mentioned, Ohio based company but VERY global, and they own their own factory in and office in Hong Kong. They are privately held, and although they've been around and manufactured many mass market items, now their focus is on flashlights and batteries.
My full review of this light can be found HERE.
The XLM Metal Gear 618 Lumen light I received surprised me. Nice packaging...
Hefty - uses 6 AA batteries. A few photos....
Top mounted click switch - pretty basic. Comes on in high mode - next click low - next click off. Decent lanyard already attached.
Nice knurling - as big as it is, it's easy to hold.
As mentioned, 6 AA batteries - loaded from the tail - has polarity warnings etched in the plastic.
Nice beam, too - not green, but almost neutral warm. Throws forever (not a surprise considering the size of the reflector). This photo was after the light had been on for a very long time...more on that coming...
Full specs on the light can be found HERE. They claim 618 lumen, and to my surprise, it performed. With fresh Eveready alkaline AA cells, the light powered up at 600 lumen. It held for a few seconds then output began dropping very gradually. This is not an expensive light - I didn't expect fancy regulation on this one.
But the RUN TIME! I was shocked. Dorcy claims 5 hours and 45 minutes on "high". I'll tell you - I gave up at 50 (FIFTY) hours. After 40 hours it still produced 5 lumen.
Of course the light was (is) down to around a lumen, but it still will light up a dark room with night adjusted vision. And it still hasn't died. I gave up. Once in a while I'll switch the light on and let it run for a few minutes, but it just refuses to die. No idea how long it would run if started out on low, which by the way, is still 173 lumen.Now for those of you who (like me) consider yourselves to be "flashlight aficionados", no need to pan this light or turn up your noses. Rather, think about how useful one of these might be for a SHTF light or recommending to your low budget friends who want a high output light. Dorcy offers all kinds of discounts at their direct site, and these things can be found in a lot of retail outlets.
BTW, this light is NOT water proof.
So an XML blaster for less than $100 - uses ubiquitous AA batteries. Loooonnng run time. Good beam. Simple operation. What's not to like? (Other than the size, maybe.)
Again, my full review of this light is posted HERE at thefirearmblog.com. I just wanted to share the information about the light with my CPF pals.
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