Opinions please: Brunton Firelight & Lamplight

I found these at www.russellsformen.com.

They look cool, but are they any good?

The Brunton LampLight is an excellent light to take camping because the LampLight can be used as both a flashlight and tent lantern. The LampLight uses special optics similiar to the Princeton Tec Impact II to project light from a standard LED. The Brunton LampLight is not as bright as a Luxeon Star flashlight. However it provides plenty of light for camping situations.

I have the Eddie Bauer badged version of the Brunton LampLight. I've also seen it sold at the Discovery store and at Restoration Hardware. It seems well made and is certainly unique. The beam is very much a spot and is quite similar to the Inova X1. There is a bit of spill and it's a bit brighter and longer throwing than the Inova. It's also nice and white. The lantern mode works fine, but the light seems kind of harsh. A shade of some sort would help. I haven't used mine enough to run the batteries down, but I would assume normal runtime for a 3 AAA, 1 LED, unregulated light. I'd say it's worth it if you can find for $10-$15.

The Brunton Firelight is okay, but both the LED light and the lighter are not as good as dedicated tools. The LED light is very dim (tiny 3mm LED) and the lighter is not as windproof as advertised and gives the impression of not being very robust. The Brunton Helios is a much better lighter for outdoor adventures. As for better LED lights, I don't think that you need advice there... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

BTW: The Firelight is made in China

I agree with Flying Turtle on the LampLight: a nice light if priced under 15 USD. I wish the lantern mode scattered more light, as most of it still goes out the front lens. On the plus side, it's an extremely rugged light for something that is mostly made of plastic.

Thanks for your replies. Always good stuff.