Here are two new lights from DieHard - yes the Sears brand... but brought to you by Dorcy (who I believe have been bringing you Sears and Craftsman brand flashlights for a while now).
So I couldn't decide which one to get - and so like any true Flashaholic I looked over the specs for quite a while, compared the form factor; the batteries type used; runtime; output; modes; etc;etc;etc - and of course decided to get both! LOL
The first one (240 lumens) runs on 4xaa and reminds me a lot of a Streamlight flashlight I own and like the form factor of. This light slips easily into a pocket - typically my rear pocket with ease due to the more oval than round shape. It has a tail cap clickie and two levels.
Aside from the form factor I like, I really like the output levels and associated runtimes: 240 lumens for almost 3 hours is pretty good for the "average Joe" flashlight - and then the low setting, which I'm thinking would be great for enough light to get around during an extended power outage (like we just had here in New Jersey for 10 days) - 31 lumens for 70 hours! Not bad for Joe homeowner. The beam pattern is nice and smooth with a decent hot spot. I'm not sure yet where this light will fit into my collection - perhaps in my tool box, or in the glove box of my truck. It seems very durable and with some lithiums in it will make a good "there when I need it" light.
This 300 lumen light rocks! Really nice beam, a true ANSI 300 lumens (both lights are ANSI spec), easy to use side push button switch and battery indicator. Yeah it runs on 6xaaa batteries, and I know a lot of people will take issue with that, but with the listed runtimes (save me the re-typing - see below), it actually gets decent runtime out of the little aaa's. As for me I happen to have 6xaaa rechargeables looking for a home, and this is it. I really like the look and feel in hand of this light - it also looks good on my shelf, but it isn't sitting there much lately, as that it has been put on dog walking duty. My PT Apex healdamp is my primary dog walking light, but I always bring a flashlight too.
I really like them both and may even buy more of the 240 lumen versions to give my friends for Christmas. Both lights tailstand, which is very important to me. One minor gripe - on the 300 lumen one the switch could possibly turn on by accident. The switch is recessed pretty well, and does require more than a ultra light touch to turn on, but still it could accidently get pushed in a tool box or glove box. You can not lock it out by unscrewing the tail cap, however I did notice a really cool design feature - the battery carrier can be flipped around (upside down) safely. A little more effort than a half turn to lock it out, but it works fine and will allow it to be carried anywhere without fear of accidently turning on.
Both lights come with DieHard batteries. ...nothing to do with anything else, but as a side note: I remember growing up - as a kid my father always bought DieHard batteries for our cars. I always enjoyed going to Sears with him and picking out the best DieHard battery we could get for our car and helping him put it in. Just a warm memory that flashed through my mind as I loaded the little AA and AAA batteries that say DieHard on them into these lights. :)
Sorry for my crappy cel phone pictures - I spend all my money on flashlights not cameras! LOL Anyway you can see these lights at some Sears locations or online at the Dorcy website.
--KartRacer31
Sorry I don’t know what type of emitters they are but here is the best picture I could get of them. The OP reflector is the 240 lumen. --KartRacer31
