zespectre
Flashlight Enthusiast
REAL WORLD REVIEWS – Klarus G35 Hand-held Spotlight
URL: http://www.klaruslight.com/index.php?m=content&c=index&a=show&catid=174&id=155
================================================================
A brief opening note about the "Real World Reviews"
At this point many fellow "flashaholics" have developed very sophisticated and detailed methods for measuring nearly every conceivable technical aspect of the illumination products on the market. The "Real World Reviews" acknowledge the existence of the detailed technical reviews (and I'll link to them below if I can) but will not re-hash all of that tech data. Instead the focus of the "Real World Reviews" is to take that "laboratory" information out into real world conditions to give the reader an idea of how the numbers translate into actual use.
===============================================================
Technical Review (done by someone else):
Budget Light Forum: https://tinyurl.com/yd6yvhw3
You Tube Video Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBDAS0SCnpY
===============================================================
Intended Use: Searchlight/Spotlight
Power Source: 3x 18650 Li-Ion
Average Cost: $90.00 (USD)
What you get:*
· Nicely laid out Packaging
· Klarus G35
spare "O" ring
· Wrist Lanyard (loop type)
· Some documentation
*NOTE: I bought a package deal that also included the following
· 3x Canwelum 18650 Batteries (2,250mAh). These are the 3mm longer protected cells but still fit the light just fine.
· 1 USB LED light (a small stick that plugs into a USB port and lights up)
· 2x Plastic boxes to hold 18650 or CR123 cells
Initial Impression(s):
This light
I pulled the light out of the box and, well, "hefted" it in my hand would be the best description. It's not that it is especially heavy, but it is solid and I mean that in the best of possible ways. Everything was very well machined and coated and it is just a beautiful piece of work. Looking into the lens you see the big, smooth, reflector that is so surgically clean I can only assume that Klarus assembles the head in a clean-room environment. Turned on low I can see the glint of maybe a half dozen tiny specs of dust which is just astounding! My initial thought was "Man, I'm gonna have this light FOREVER"!
The interface is a dual button arrangement with one side switch and one larger rubber tail-switch. The light can still tail-stand though which is very nice. The multiple modes can be accessed with either switch which means that if you are wearing gloves it is a simple matter to operate from the larger, protruding, rubber tail-switch. The light cycles from dim to bright, and has memory of the last setting you used. Additionally if you press and hold either of the switches the light immediately goes into its maximum for as long as you hold the button. This applies if the light is on or off. I like this as you can be operating in a more battery efficient mode, still have instant access to full power, and immediately drop back to a lower mode without any fumbling. This is a very good real-word function to have.
The beam is what you would expect from a larger "Turbohead" design with a smooth reflector. A wide, somewhat faint, corona with clean, intense, and tightly controlled center that throws for the distance. When I say "the distance", I mean that it can throw further than I can test given my geographic limitations (more on that later). The beam color on my sample is white tinged to the blue end of the spectrum.
Output (Per manufacturer):
Mode 1 (10 Lumens/210hr): suitable for outdoors short distance use.
Mode 2 (100 Lumens/44hr): suitable for distance outdoor use.
Mode 3 (400 Lumens/13hr): suitable for distance/search and rescue outdoor use.
Mode 4 (2000 Lumens/3hr): suitable for lighting up low orbit satellites.
================================================= =================================
The "Standard evening walk" begins with illuminating 5"x5" white plastic test targets affixed to trees in my back yard (see below) and then takes place over either a 1.5 or a 2.5 mile loop on an unlit and mostly open grassy area with a few trees, and then ends going through a short, steep, uphill/downhill gravel trail surrounded by trees and heavy undergrowth which I call the "confidence course".
Target Test
1) 20ft (6 yards / 6 meters):.............................. Illuminated in mode 1+
2) 50ft ( 16 yards / 15 meters):.......................... Illuminated in mode 2+
3) 100ft ( 33 yards / 30 meters):........................ Illuminated in mode 2+
4) 200ft Fence ( 66 yards / 61 meters):............... Illuminated in mode 2+
5) 250ft ( 83 yards / 76 meters):........................ Illuminated in mode 2+
6) 350ft ( 116 yards / 106 meters):.................... Illuminated in mode 3+
Across The Park (approx 250 yards/228 meters): Illuminated in mode 4
Additional note: At 250 yards I could still see things clearly with this light so I decided to break the usual protocol and went down on the golf course to try for more distance. The furthest straight line-of-sight I could manage was to the clubhouse which is 947ft (315 yards) (288 meters) according to my rangefinder. At that distance I could clearly make out the red and green front of the two soda machines that sit in front of the clubhouse.
This is the first time ANYTHING I've ever held in my own hands could do something like that and I'm sure this light will throw even further.
================================================ ===================================
The Walk
The night was pure dark with a gentle breeze and somewhat cold (51F). Using the G35 at its lowest setting Mode 1 (10 Lumens/210hr) could be enough for walking a clear path simply because the light is so focused. However even at the lowest setting you get a pretty severe "follow the bouncing ball" effect which to my eyes makes it hard to watch the ground. Mode 2 (100 Lumens/44hr) was really bright for hiking purposes with a substantial increase in the FTBB effect and to be honest anything higher was just too bright creating an intense, eye-searing spot that obliterated all night vision and was just too strong to use for trail walking. When I hit the "confidence course" section I decided to bypass it because as I have found in the past and intense spot does NOT give one good visibility for finding footing and I didn't want to risk a slip or fall. If I had any sort of diffuser on my person at the time, even a white sheet of paper, I'm sure I would have had PLENTY of light to cover that trail and could have proceeded with confidence.
I could, however, see anything I wanted to at any available distance even through pine trees and some shrubbery. It was like having a magic "I want to see OVER THERE" wand!
Surprisingly, the intensely concentrated beam was actually very useful for looking around the engine of my vehicle. The extra intensity illuminated dark, oil caked, recesses of my jeep engine bay and let me see every detail. I could also see –all the way- down the heating duct I use as a test inside the house.
CONS:
· This light NEEDS to come with a diffuser for close-up work or just walking on a trail
· NOT and "in the house" or "midnight bathroom break" light
PROS:
· Beyond Solid construction.
· I'm pretty sure you can spotlight satellites in orbit
· Good user interface with easy to operate buttons
· PLENTY of battery power to feed the hungry LED emitter
· The "WOW" factor (I'm not ashamed to admit it)
· Instant access to full turbo mode
Summary:
So this light is somewhat of an odd duck in my collection since it is heavily biased towards distance activities like search and rescue and impressing the hell out of your friends. It does these things well, I mean really REALLY well. However that means that it probably won't get a lot of use in my household where the vast majority of things I do are shorter range. I think if Klarus made a nice (74mm?) diffuser to go with this light it would greatly increase its range of use.
That observation should in no way take away from the overall assessment of the light. If you need what it is designed for and understand what a turbo-head does then I think you will find that this is a superb piece of gear.
Final conclusion:
5 Photons (STRONGLY RECOMMENDED*).
*For distance use, search and rescue, and impressing your friends…understand what you are buying.
URL: http://www.klaruslight.com/index.php?m=content&c=index&a=show&catid=174&id=155
================================================================
A brief opening note about the "Real World Reviews"
At this point many fellow "flashaholics" have developed very sophisticated and detailed methods for measuring nearly every conceivable technical aspect of the illumination products on the market. The "Real World Reviews" acknowledge the existence of the detailed technical reviews (and I'll link to them below if I can) but will not re-hash all of that tech data. Instead the focus of the "Real World Reviews" is to take that "laboratory" information out into real world conditions to give the reader an idea of how the numbers translate into actual use.
===============================================================
Technical Review (done by someone else):
Budget Light Forum: https://tinyurl.com/yd6yvhw3
You Tube Video Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBDAS0SCnpY
===============================================================
Intended Use: Searchlight/Spotlight
Power Source: 3x 18650 Li-Ion
Average Cost: $90.00 (USD)
What you get:*
· Nicely laid out Packaging
· Klarus G35
spare "O" ring
· Wrist Lanyard (loop type)
· Some documentation
*NOTE: I bought a package deal that also included the following
· 3x Canwelum 18650 Batteries (2,250mAh). These are the 3mm longer protected cells but still fit the light just fine.
· 1 USB LED light (a small stick that plugs into a USB port and lights up)
· 2x Plastic boxes to hold 18650 or CR123 cells
Initial Impression(s):
This light
I pulled the light out of the box and, well, "hefted" it in my hand would be the best description. It's not that it is especially heavy, but it is solid and I mean that in the best of possible ways. Everything was very well machined and coated and it is just a beautiful piece of work. Looking into the lens you see the big, smooth, reflector that is so surgically clean I can only assume that Klarus assembles the head in a clean-room environment. Turned on low I can see the glint of maybe a half dozen tiny specs of dust which is just astounding! My initial thought was "Man, I'm gonna have this light FOREVER"!
The interface is a dual button arrangement with one side switch and one larger rubber tail-switch. The light can still tail-stand though which is very nice. The multiple modes can be accessed with either switch which means that if you are wearing gloves it is a simple matter to operate from the larger, protruding, rubber tail-switch. The light cycles from dim to bright, and has memory of the last setting you used. Additionally if you press and hold either of the switches the light immediately goes into its maximum for as long as you hold the button. This applies if the light is on or off. I like this as you can be operating in a more battery efficient mode, still have instant access to full power, and immediately drop back to a lower mode without any fumbling. This is a very good real-word function to have.
The beam is what you would expect from a larger "Turbohead" design with a smooth reflector. A wide, somewhat faint, corona with clean, intense, and tightly controlled center that throws for the distance. When I say "the distance", I mean that it can throw further than I can test given my geographic limitations (more on that later). The beam color on my sample is white tinged to the blue end of the spectrum.
Output (Per manufacturer):
Mode 1 (10 Lumens/210hr): suitable for outdoors short distance use.
Mode 2 (100 Lumens/44hr): suitable for distance outdoor use.
Mode 3 (400 Lumens/13hr): suitable for distance/search and rescue outdoor use.
Mode 4 (2000 Lumens/3hr): suitable for lighting up low orbit satellites.
================================================= =================================
The "Standard evening walk" begins with illuminating 5"x5" white plastic test targets affixed to trees in my back yard (see below) and then takes place over either a 1.5 or a 2.5 mile loop on an unlit and mostly open grassy area with a few trees, and then ends going through a short, steep, uphill/downhill gravel trail surrounded by trees and heavy undergrowth which I call the "confidence course".
Target Test
1) 20ft (6 yards / 6 meters):.............................. Illuminated in mode 1+
2) 50ft ( 16 yards / 15 meters):.......................... Illuminated in mode 2+
3) 100ft ( 33 yards / 30 meters):........................ Illuminated in mode 2+
4) 200ft Fence ( 66 yards / 61 meters):............... Illuminated in mode 2+
5) 250ft ( 83 yards / 76 meters):........................ Illuminated in mode 2+
6) 350ft ( 116 yards / 106 meters):.................... Illuminated in mode 3+
Across The Park (approx 250 yards/228 meters): Illuminated in mode 4
Additional note: At 250 yards I could still see things clearly with this light so I decided to break the usual protocol and went down on the golf course to try for more distance. The furthest straight line-of-sight I could manage was to the clubhouse which is 947ft (315 yards) (288 meters) according to my rangefinder. At that distance I could clearly make out the red and green front of the two soda machines that sit in front of the clubhouse.
This is the first time ANYTHING I've ever held in my own hands could do something like that and I'm sure this light will throw even further.
================================================ ===================================
The Walk
The night was pure dark with a gentle breeze and somewhat cold (51F). Using the G35 at its lowest setting Mode 1 (10 Lumens/210hr) could be enough for walking a clear path simply because the light is so focused. However even at the lowest setting you get a pretty severe "follow the bouncing ball" effect which to my eyes makes it hard to watch the ground. Mode 2 (100 Lumens/44hr) was really bright for hiking purposes with a substantial increase in the FTBB effect and to be honest anything higher was just too bright creating an intense, eye-searing spot that obliterated all night vision and was just too strong to use for trail walking. When I hit the "confidence course" section I decided to bypass it because as I have found in the past and intense spot does NOT give one good visibility for finding footing and I didn't want to risk a slip or fall. If I had any sort of diffuser on my person at the time, even a white sheet of paper, I'm sure I would have had PLENTY of light to cover that trail and could have proceeded with confidence.
I could, however, see anything I wanted to at any available distance even through pine trees and some shrubbery. It was like having a magic "I want to see OVER THERE" wand!
Surprisingly, the intensely concentrated beam was actually very useful for looking around the engine of my vehicle. The extra intensity illuminated dark, oil caked, recesses of my jeep engine bay and let me see every detail. I could also see –all the way- down the heating duct I use as a test inside the house.
CONS:
· This light NEEDS to come with a diffuser for close-up work or just walking on a trail
· NOT and "in the house" or "midnight bathroom break" light
PROS:
· Beyond Solid construction.
· I'm pretty sure you can spotlight satellites in orbit
· Good user interface with easy to operate buttons
· PLENTY of battery power to feed the hungry LED emitter
· The "WOW" factor (I'm not ashamed to admit it)
· Instant access to full turbo mode
Summary:
So this light is somewhat of an odd duck in my collection since it is heavily biased towards distance activities like search and rescue and impressing the hell out of your friends. It does these things well, I mean really REALLY well. However that means that it probably won't get a lot of use in my household where the vast majority of things I do are shorter range. I think if Klarus made a nice (74mm?) diffuser to go with this light it would greatly increase its range of use.
That observation should in no way take away from the overall assessment of the light. If you need what it is designed for and understand what a turbo-head does then I think you will find that this is a superb piece of gear.
Final conclusion:
5 Photons (STRONGLY RECOMMENDED*).
*For distance use, search and rescue, and impressing your friends…understand what you are buying.
Last edited:
