Foy's First Big Boy Flashlight: the Solarforce Skyline 1
I don't mean for this to be a review, actually. As far as I can tell, the Skyline 1 is no longer available so, I hesitate to review a light that cannot be purchased. My affection for this phenominal little thrower can easily be justified by its superb performance but this Skyline 1 means much more than that to Foy.
I'm a little embarrassed to sentimentalize a flashlight but as was said recently in a couple of threads, males in particular do sometimes form an attachment to tools and/or inanimate objects. So it is for me and this particular Skyline. A little over a year ago I was spending a fair amount of time at CPF, wanting to participate but unwilling (and unable) to purchase the kinds of flashlights I was seeing . . .
. . . from where I do not know but a link was followed and presently, I found myself at Solarforce-sales.com where I was stunned to discover that a high quality torch didn't have to cost $100, or even $50. Right there in front of me was a beefy looking flashlight and it was only $30. Not only that; there were lots of awesome lights here that were even less. Some a lot less and the epiphany was; I could afford a flashlight that I would be proud to own. Proud to show others . . .
. . . a few weeks later, this amazing torch arrived and even today, its ability to amaze me remains, despite the accumulation of several dozen far more powerful flashlights. The Skyline 1 is endowed with the surface brightness king of emitters; the XR-E. This is the WC/R2 version and it rests behind a reflector over 57mm deep . . .
. . . out of the head, it measures 42mm in diameter and from any angle, it looks like jewelry. What it also does is give the smallish Skyline 1 the reach of a much larger flashlight.
To be sure, the Skyline 1 is modestly driven at 1.40 amps with two CR123s. Pop an 18650 in there and .85 is about as good as it gets and therefore, it is one of the very few lights I have that I use primaries exclusively. The Skyline can handle up to 6 volts and is fully regulated so, an IMR works perfectly.
Everything about the Skyline 1 is thick and heavy. I've often thought it a shame to make a light, so clearly able to efficiently wick away heat, and not use a more substantial emitter.
The pill is a huge chunk of near solid aluminum just begging for a XM-L . . .
. . . you can see how thick the aluminum is here.
Smooth, square threads are silky smooth.
The Skyline uses a unique tail cap switch that Solarforce called the "Infinite Output System. It's 3 functions are; high, fast strobe and the "infinitely" variable mode. Turn on and hold and the Skyline 1 will gradually dim until you release the button, and remain there until it is turned off. There is no mode memory and at its lowest brightness, PWM is so bad it could almost be called a fast strobe . . .
. . . none of that matters because the safely driven XR-E means you will use it on high no matter what.
I absolutely love this torch. It introduced me to the world of budget flashlights and by connection, BLF. It opened my eyes to a hobby I was begining to think was out of my reach. My budget flashlight experience has given me many new friends I would otherwise never had met. This Skyline 1 lead me directly to a forum and an unlikely group of world wide acquaintances that have come to mean a great deal to me.
My flashlight interests are always looking, and finding, new directions. These have necessarily kept my Skyline on the shelf unused. But I keep a fresh pair of CR123s loaded inside at all times because every time I see it I'm reminded that the opportunity and means to indulge in a hobby like this, to whatever level success, luck or fate makes possible for each of us, reveals just how lucky we all are to have stable, secure circumstances in which to invest the blessing of discretionary time.
Boaz once said to me, ". . . it's not about flashlights . . ." Indeed it isn't.
It's not about flashlights and this particular Skyline 1 is not just a flashlight . . .
Flashlight Foy
I played with it for a while then put it back in my flashlight box. Until next year.....
