Blue Badger Lights is an American owned company comprised of Military and Law Enforcement veterans. They offer state-of-the-art flashlights and related products.
I received one of their Eagle 1500 flashlights for evaluation purposes and would like to take this moment to thank Blue Badger Lights for the opportunity.
Blue Badger Lights is offering (limited time) free shipping for those who purchase an Eagle 1500 flashlight. Use discount code “KASSON” (check out page) to receive the offer. You can click on the following link to have the code automatically applied.
Retail price is $89.95
The Eagle 1500 arrives in a military green plastic case with a lanyard attached (to the case). The inside is well padded and contains the Eagle 1500 flashlight, an included 18650 battery (Samsung 3500 mAh) and a post card sized Quick Start Guide.
The case is a nice addition that protects the Eagle 1500. I think the biggest advantage though is for those who keep the Eagle 1500 in their vehicle: the case will make it easy to find the Eagle 1500 when it is needed (you won’t have to dig under the seat looking for your flashlight). The included case lanyard can be used to hang the case from a hook – keeping the case (and flashlight) exactly where it was placed.
The included Quick Start Guide is relatively large, very easy to read, and a very nice touch. It is far superior to any (flashlight) owner’s manual that I’ve ever seen. The Quick Start Guide is of thicker stock – my guess is card stock – and has a protective finish.
The Samsung battery (3500 mAh) is rated to be charged over 1,000 times. To give that a bit of perspective, the included battery could last up to 20 years (charging it once a week). I can’t say that the battery will last 20 years, but the math does show the potential.
The Eagle 1500 is finished in a striking gun-metal gray. It is a very attractive finish – in my opinion far better than the typical black that adorns so many other brands. The finish is perfect – evenly applied and no flaws found.
Build quality is fantastic – all parts machined to exacting tolerances with a perfect fit and no sharp edges. The body is cross-hatched to aid grip, while the head has a series of deep grooves for heat dissipation. There are 4 concave areas (two on each side of the head) for a natural fit of the user’s thumb (great for grip). On the top of the head (just in front of the side switch) is a shallow concave, with a similar shallow concave directly opposite (just in front of the usb input port) – again, a perfect fit for the user’s thumb. The flashlight feels great in my hand – very grippy and very comfortable.
There are two switches on the Eagle 1500. The tail switch is an ON/OFF switch, while the side-switch is the mode switch. The tail-switch cover is a black rubber with cross-hatching for grip. Feedback is excellent, with an audible click when fully pressed and released. The tail-switch does allow for momentary on – providing the side-switch is not in its off mode. The tail has thumb cut-outs to make accessing the tail-switch easy and comfortable.
The side-switch is located at the rear of the head. It has a rubber covering and provides a good grip (even when wet). Feedback is excellent and there is an audible click when the switch is pressed and released. With the flashlight on, the side-switch glows blue – a feature that I am especially fond of because it makes it so easy to locate the side-switch in pitch black conditions.
I find this two switch arrangement to be ideal for users; it’s easy to find the tail-switch (ON/OFF) even in the darkest situations, and with the glowing side-switch it is easy to find (and use) the right mode for the occasion.
The Eagle 1500 features a removable tail-cap as well as a removable body tube. I don’t know if Blue Badger Lights will offer an extended body tube (so two batteries can be used for extended run-times) but the capability to remove the body tube from the head unit certainly opens the door to such a possibility. (I’d like to see that offered).
Inside the tail cap is a sturdy spring. All threads are square cut and nicely machined; there are no imperfections to hinder the removal (or attachment) of the body tube or the tail cap.
On both ends of the body tube – at the base of the threads – are two O-rings (total of 4 O-rings) to prohibit moisture/dust from entering the flashlight. In my experience (over 100 flashlights) it is quite rare to see that level of protection (especially at the price point).
The bezel is crenelated and can be removed. It is black in color and compliments the gun-metal gray color very nicely.
The Eagle 1500 can tail-stand quite well – despite the thumb cut-outs for the tail-switch. There is a hole to attach a lanyard (lanyard not included). If a lanyard is attached, the ability to tail-stand would be compromised. I’d prefer an attachment method that wouldn’t hinder the ability to tail-stand.
The included clip is very stout. It can be removed if the user doesn’t want a clip on the flashlight.
At 6.1 inches in length and a head diameter of 1.38 inches I find the Eagle 1500 to be on the outer edges of comfortable pants pocket carry. It’s fine for short term pants pocket carry, but a bit too large (for my preferences) to carry for extended periods of time.
There are five regular modes:
Max – 1500 lumens
High – 600 lumens
Medium – 400 lumens
Low – 150 lumens
Eco – 35 lumens
The modes are changed by clicking the side-switch (once the flashlight is turned ON with the tail-switch). The modes cycle from Max downward – and there is an OFF mode after the Eco mode.
Max – High – Medium – Low – Eco – Off – Max etc…
There are two special modes:
Strobe
SOS
With the Eagle 1500 turned ON, double click the side-switch (mode button) to enter the Strobe mode. While in Strobe mode, click the side-switch to enter SOS mode. Double click the side-switch to go back to the regular modes.
Instant access to Max Mode:
With the Eagle 1500 ON – press/hold the side-switch for one second.
The Eagle 1500 features two methods for memory mode (see the attached pictures for directions).
For me it is more intuitive to choose the desired mode via the side-switch and then turn the flashlight OFF (tail-switch). When next turned ON, the flashlight will be in the last mode used.
Battery Status
When the battery is above 20% the side-switch will glow a steady blue. When 20% or less the side-switch will blink and the light output will dim as the battery depletes.
Charging the battery
Turn flashlight ON. Triple click the side-switch (light turns OFF). Plug type C usb cord into wall charger, then plug the usb cord into the flashlight port. Side-switch will glow red while charging and changes to solid blue once fully charged.
It takes roughly 1.5 hours to fully charge a depleted battery. My experience matches the stated time on the Quick Start Guide.
I’ve had the Eagle 1500 about 1 month now and used it frequently, but not for really extended periods of time. I’ve used all 5 regular modes, but mostly the two lower modes. In that time I’ve charged the battery twice – one of those times was when I first received the flashlight.
With a mix of modes used, I’ve found the battery lasts far longer than I had expected.
Lifetime Warranty
Beam
This is where the Eagle 1500 really excels – and there are a couple of very pleasant surprises too.
There is no step-down.
Choose your output and the Eagle 1500 runs at that output until the battery nears depletion. That’s right – 1500 lumens is 1500 lumens until the battery is nearly empty. Not one or two minutes at the highest level – but a full 60 minutes (fully charged battery).
That is amazing. It also directly addresses one of the biggest complaints users have about flashlights.
I have used the Eagle 1500 on its Max output for 15 minutes or so (at a time). It never faltered, it never stepped down. It did get warm, but not hot. It actually felt pretty good because it’s been somewhat cold during my time with the Eagle 1500.
The other surprise is just how bright 1500 lumens is.
To be completely fair I have to say that I don’t have the means to really measure lumens; I’m just basing things on how bright the light is to my eyes.
I’ve had/used a good number of flashlights that are rated at or above 1500 lumens of output. I’ve used a larger number of flashlights that are just below 1500 lumens of output.
In that general area (1500 lumens) I have not used a flashlight that is as bright as the Eagle 1500. Yes, I got some of them out and directly compared them to the Eagle 1500 and the Eagle 1500 is noticeably brighter.
There is a definitive hot spot in the center of the beam. Outside of that is a far less bright flood of light that extends (width-wise) to cover a large area (at a closer distance). The result is a beam of light that allow for good up-close visibility, as well as excellent throwing ability (center hot spot) that lights up objects out to a rated distance of 456 meters.
An example of that throwing ability is seen in the included beam shots – the perpendicular row of trees (in the distance) are a measured 280 meters away from the Eagle 1500 and easily seen.
The light color is cool white. I find the light temperature to be very good for visibility purposes; it does an excellent jobs of lighting an area up, but does not cast a blue tint.
The included night shots were shot in raw, then converted to jpeg files. They are as the camera saw things, with no color correction.
Summary
Blue Badger Lights designed a flashlight from the perspective needs of those in law enforcement and the military. As such the Eagle 1500 is built to be a tool that can be depended upon with daily hard-use being the normal.
The Eagle 1500 is no shelf queen; it was made to be used in all weather conditions – driving rain, sleet, snow, dust – and is drop resistant to two meters. It uses a top of the line battery, charges quickly, has long run times, and it gives you the full output as long as the battery holds a charge. And Blue Badger Lights back it up with a lifetime warranty. This is a tool that will work when you need it – every time.
I know of no other flashlight that offers so much at such a great price point.
I’ve had the luxury of owning/using well over 100 different flashlights – probably close to two hundred different makes/models – and the Eagle 1500 is, far and away, my favorite (especially at this size of flashlight). I can’t wait to see what Blue Badger Lights comes out with next.
