Haxtec contacted me asking if I’d like to review a flashlight kit. Honestly I’ve never heard of them but after carrying and toying with the light and charger for a couple weeks I can now give my thoughts.
The light came in a nice plain cardboard box with ample padding. Inside we have the light, spare O rings, manual, Unprotected 18650 battery, charger, and charging cord.
The light has a good build quality for the price point (at the time of writing on Amazon the price is $24.99) with even anodization throughout, solid construction, good firm springs, clear glass, and a nice smooth and deep reflector. The light does seem to have triangular cut threads and PWM that’s not noticeable to my eyes in any mode.
A nice addition is the charger that will accommodate any lithium cell that will fit, up to a 26650. It can also be used as a portable power bank. I used it to charge my Galaxy S6 Active at a rate of 20% in 50 minutes.
The manual doesn’t state anything about low voltage protection. In my time lapse video of running it down from high I ended the test at 32.5 hours and measured the battery voltage at 2.8 volts. A bit low, I know.
The light is IPX-7 rated for 1 meter and 30 minutes under water. I dropped the light in a creek at 3.5 feet for 30 minutes. Unfortunately I did get a little bit of water in the light. The light worked fine anfterwards and now after drying it out and a week later, the light is still in good working order.
A Cree XM-L2 LED provides the, what seems to me, neutral beam. Most likely somewhere in the 5000K range. On high the light will produce 800 lumens for 1 hour, medium 400 lumens for 2 hours, low 80 lumens for 10 hours, and also includes strobe and SOS.
The rear switch has a very solid feel, not quite like some of the mushy switches that we often see at this price point. Usage is nice and simple. A quick click to turn of and a half click to cycle between modes (High, medium, low, strobe, SOS).
With the large head the light is a bit throwy. The bulding is a “stepped off” 109 yards away.
Low
Medium
High
As a utility tool this is a great package. While a bit big for everyday carry it would be great for the home or vehicle. Since it comes as a kit, it would make a great gift. The budget light market seems to get better and better as time goes on.