NEW? Costco Coast \'Tac Torch\' 3xAAA luxeon $29
Hi all -
I was wandering the aisles of my local Costco (Bitter Lake, just north of Seattle), and found this little puppy priced for $29.
'Coast LedLenser TacTorch' - packaging claims a 1.25watt LED, and attempts to make a big deal of 'Certified 117.6mw' rating, noting that this is the independently tested output at 12 inches over an area of 1 square centimeter.
Package contains the light with one set of 3 AAA's installed in a battery tray inside the light, another set of AAA's, a nylon sheath of moderate quality, a low quality wrist lanyard, and smallish keychain-style carabiner clip.
The light itself is essentially identical in size and shape to an INOVA T1 - it's perhaps a 1/4 inch shorter than the T1, and diameter of the tubes at the front end is identical, as far as I can tell.
Quality is visibly lower than INOVA's - the T1's very cool checkered grip is flush with the tube, where the TacTorch has raised knurling, the switch is hard plastic compared to the T1's rubber, the threads are rougher, the finish is 'slicker' and feels softer, and in general, the TacTorch feels less 'tanklike'.
All that said, the quality of the TacTorch is pretty decent. My complaints above reflect more the outstanding quality of the INOVA, rather than specific problems with the TacTorch.
Down to business - with the packaged AAA's in it, the TacTorch provides a lovely hotspot and nice, solid corona - though it uses an optic, the beam looks like the best of reflectored LED beams - much like a JIL light. It's visibly brighter than a T1, and perhaps most importantly, has a useful corona, addressing the greatest failing of the T1. Color appears nice and white, perhaps a touch of purple, no hint of green at all.
I'll post pics in a bit, but this seems like a pretty decent little light. If you like the T1 form factor, but don't like the beam, this one's for you. While it beats the T1 in many ways, I think that's more because the T1 is remarkably huge for a 1x123 light.
Hi all -
I was wandering the aisles of my local Costco (Bitter Lake, just north of Seattle), and found this little puppy priced for $29.
'Coast LedLenser TacTorch' - packaging claims a 1.25watt LED, and attempts to make a big deal of 'Certified 117.6mw' rating, noting that this is the independently tested output at 12 inches over an area of 1 square centimeter.
Package contains the light with one set of 3 AAA's installed in a battery tray inside the light, another set of AAA's, a nylon sheath of moderate quality, a low quality wrist lanyard, and smallish keychain-style carabiner clip.
The light itself is essentially identical in size and shape to an INOVA T1 - it's perhaps a 1/4 inch shorter than the T1, and diameter of the tubes at the front end is identical, as far as I can tell.
Quality is visibly lower than INOVA's - the T1's very cool checkered grip is flush with the tube, where the TacTorch has raised knurling, the switch is hard plastic compared to the T1's rubber, the threads are rougher, the finish is 'slicker' and feels softer, and in general, the TacTorch feels less 'tanklike'.
All that said, the quality of the TacTorch is pretty decent. My complaints above reflect more the outstanding quality of the INOVA, rather than specific problems with the TacTorch.
Down to business - with the packaged AAA's in it, the TacTorch provides a lovely hotspot and nice, solid corona - though it uses an optic, the beam looks like the best of reflectored LED beams - much like a JIL light. It's visibly brighter than a T1, and perhaps most importantly, has a useful corona, addressing the greatest failing of the T1. Color appears nice and white, perhaps a touch of purple, no hint of green at all.
I'll post pics in a bit, but this seems like a pretty decent little light. If you like the T1 form factor, but don't like the beam, this one's for you. While it beats the T1 in many ways, I think that's more because the T1 is remarkably huge for a 1x123 light.
