New Rayovac "Beast" Flashlight

Does that mean your a secondary man :smiley:

Just ribbing ya, i also prefer rechargeables unless here is no other choice, but they are selling to non flashaholics who would not be wise to trust with enthusiast level technology and consider a flashlight an appliance to be used a couple times a year.

Looks like a nice host for a XHP build, very nice fins and OP reflector but a tube designed for CR123 is not likely to fit 18350/18650s.

Ah Ha! Just got an email from Rayovac. Until midnight of 2/29, one can use the promo code of LY29 to get 29% off their website. And it looks like all orders over $25 get free shipping…

Still pretty pricey even with the coupon, but just look at those fins

I “almost” pulled the trigger and ordered this before their sale went away, but I discovered something. According to their website, they only allow returns when the product is completely unopened/unused. Hmm. I didn’t like that part. But I’ve learned that Lowe’s has placed an order with Rayovac for these. So when they show up at Lowe’s website or their stores, I may just get one. I’d like to see if it runs just fine on two 16650/17650s instead of the primaries (since I’m a secondary man, ha ha), plus I’d like to check out the tint/color. Even though I own a JetBeam WL-S4 (MT-G2) that’s rated at 2600 lumens on two 18650s and don’t “need” the Beast, I like it’s form-factor and the look of those fins!

It looks okay. But only has two modes Hi and Low modes but at least now normal consumers can find a bright flashlight on the shelf’s and running 4 CR123 seems expensive.

I just bought this yesterday when i saw a menards torch claim 2000 lumen single emitter torch. It’s definitely pretty beastly but the 2k lumen I doubt. 18650’s don’t fit into the tube. The lens is kind of foggy even out of packaging. There is a high, low, and strobe setting but has no memory. Just joined the forums and thought I’d clear up a few questions :slight_smile:

ArmyTek Barracuda style.

Welcome! And thanks for your contribution!

welcome to blf :smiley:

mind sharing some pics of your light?

Welcome HuckLumens. When you say foggy, do you mean within the lens itself - as in poor quality optics/cloudiness? Or possible slight moisture behind the lens, and that it may clear up dissipate? Photos possible? Thanks…

PS. I like your signature line. But I believe you meant “there” instead of “the.”

Hey everyone! I’m new to these forums, but I picked this light up recently to add to my collection. The lens has a very light texture to the inside surface, almost like someone dusted it with a sandblaster. The lens is clear enough to see the shape of the emitter, but not clear enough to see the leads. I can post a photo, but will need to read the TOS to see if a newbie is allowed to do so :wink:

You most definitely ARE welcome to post photos. :smiley:

Alright then!

This a shot of the lens:

This a closeup showing the texture:

This is with the light on low (200 L):

And this is with the light on high (2,000 L):

The texture is very fine as you can see, and the light still has a well-defined hotspot. The reflector is deep and the beam is actually a little tight for my tastes, but it’s good for distances like in tunnels and large auditoriums. Not sure what it would be like if you went to a clear glass, though I suspect the hotspot would be irritatingly tight with little side spill. I like the light, although I don’t use it much because it’s a bit cumbersome and heavy, and you can’t balance it in your hand unless you have your fingers on the base of the fins. It’s also not much use for tactical situations because of the loud switch and the fact that you MUST click through the modes the get to the one you want every time. However with it being so big, I think my first instinct (if someone jumped out of a corner) would be to use it like a baseball bat :wink:

My current favorite light is much smaller, but has a more effective strobe. Let me know if you have any questions.

We started carrying this in our store recently. 18650’s will not fit, maybe 17670’s but I didn’t have one to test. The head has thread locker or something so I couldn’t see the emitter but the beam at close range has a x in it so possibly a 4 die emitter is used. There looks to be plenty of thickness to the battery tube to bore for 18650’s

I measured it this morning and found the tube inner diameter is exactly 17.2 mm, so 17670’s should fit inside the tube. The problem is that 4 CR123-A’s are 136mm long, and two 17670’s are 128mm long. This leaves you with a total length that’s 8mm shorter, and this light has 5mm of spring before the tailcap bottoms out against the body. You could stretch the spring or use a spacer, but you still have the big voltage difference: 12 volts total for four of the 123’s, and 7.4 volts total for a pair of 17670’s. Even hot off the charger, the 17670’s will only give us 8.4v, and I don’t know if this light will do anything with that.

CR123’s are not as expensive as I thought they would be (I’ve avoided them in the past), so I may use this light a bit more than planned because of the long throw. Despite the limitations, it still makes an ok camping light due to simplicity, or search light because of it’s throw. I’ll be taking it with me to the lake this afternoon along with my EC4S and a few other lights, and it will be a good opportunity for testing if we stay late.

Can you unscrew the head to see what kind of LED is in there? Maybe you can even take a few pictures of the LED.

It has thread locker on it and won’t come apart by hand, but I’ll give it a go tonight by padding the jaws of my vice. I’m amazed that no one has gotten this light opened yet.

By the way, we did end up closing the state park after sundown last night. I like testing in these situations better than home: No backwash from city lights, no streetlights, just an occasional firefly :wink:
After trying this light is several situations, from an empty 1,400 seat theater, to basements, to dark trails and woods, I have to conclude that I just don’t like the beam pattern on this flashlight. The small hotspot just blows out the middle, leaving the corona and side spill too dark to be useful. You can see the trail right in front of you, and little else. If I was caught far from camp when the sun went down, I would feel very vulnerable.
In contrast, the EC4S lit up a broad area with broad coverage, and had the power to light up trees across the small lake just as well as the Rayovac’s supposedly longer throw. In the woods, the EC lit up the trail and the surrounding woods comfortably. Sorry I didn’t get any beamshots, as the rangers were trying to move us along.

Well, wrapped it in grippy cloth and clamped in a vice in three different positions; the tube, the base of the fins, and the bezel. Could not get it apart, and it looks like it will take significant damage to do so :weary: