511 Tactical Light for Life Flashlight- 05.01.09
OMG, tactical flashlight that will supposedly out live it’s owners… just arrived today ~ meet the 511 Tactical Light For Life - charges in 90 seconds… uses 3 LEDs and is super bright with 3 modes (including “a 270 lumen tactical strobe used to instantly illuminate objects in a dark space, signal others or disorient a perpetrator, giving you valuable time to assess a situation”)… and uses “FlashPoint that merges state of the art ultracapacitors with advanced solid state programming to efficiently load, unload, and manage energy.” - in otherwords it recharges in 90 seconds in the car charger (a/c adapter coming soon) and then outputs “60 minutes in standard mode (90 lumens) and gradually reduce intensity to the 25 lumen standby mode for an additional 60 minutes.” or “a full 15 minutes of the 270 lumen peak mode, followed by 60 minutes of 25 lumen standby light.”
Also ~ how eco-friendly is it? Well if its the only flashlight you’ll ever need (as in it will supposedly last more recharge cycles than you can pull off in a lifetime), uses LEDs, has no batteries… and just imagine hooking it up to a solar charger? Details wise, it’s pretty sleek, ans super light weight, and incredibly bright! To fully appreciate it, check out the VIDEO i made to show you the modes on the next page ~ as well as lots of close up shots and unboxing!
So firstly ~ here’s a quick video to see the Light for Life in action with its various modes ~ it really makes the most sense showing you vs trying to explain it!
WARNING - i show you the strobe mode ~ so if that could be a problem for you, don’t watch?
Here it is alongside my trusty 3D Mag-lite i’ve had forever ~ unfortunately it doesn’t even compare in brightness, and is SO much heavier than the new Light for Life ~ it may have to just be a weapon more than a light… the Light for Life is ridiculously light - about 1lb and 11.5” long…
Charges through its base…
Charger charging it up in the car…
While it does have a metal mount you can use to attach it in the car, found that it also fits in the cup holder quite perfectly…
3 leds…
Regarding how it actually works - here’s what the Light for Life says…
How It Works
Charging
A quick 90 seconds on the charger, and you’re ready to go. The Light for Life can be plugged into a car lighter or an AC electrical outlet.
And, the Light for Life features Flashpoint™ Power Technology system is rated for 50,000 charge/discharge cycles with virtually no degradation—that’s a charge a day for more than 135 years! Through 50,000 cycles, our testing shows that the Flashpoint™ system will still retain 96% of its full capacity.
Proprietary Power Source
The Light for Life™ contains no batteries and is fully powered by a proprietary energy management system that utilizes revolutionary ultracapacitors and computer circuitry. Ultracapacitors quickly load energy, and then quickly unload it—the same way the flash works in most cameras. With our Flashpoint™ Power Technology, we’ve taken it to the next frontier, harnessing the energy and slowly discharging it over time, at precise levels, to produce prolonged light with maximized performance and run time.
LEDs
Powered by 3 LEDs rated for more than 50,000 hours each (that’s40 hours a week for more than 24 years) there is nothing to replace on the Light for Life. Ever.
Perhaps i’m not their dream demographic ~ but i do find it a little odd that it only came with a car charger! Ideally i’d probably keep this bedside… but luckily these are some of the upcoming accessories…
unboxing! It even comes with a belt ring ~ not sure i’m hard core enough to pull that off with my current outfit, but hey, never know, it might come in handy some day…
And as for how green it is and how long it will last?
Eco-Technology
This is the first flashlight that just might live longer than you will. The Light for Life is rated for 50,000 charge/discharge cycles (that’s one charge a day for 135 years) and comes with LED bulbs that provide more than more than 50,000 hours of light. And there are no batteries or parts to replace or dispose of, making the Light for Life a bright opportunity to live green and save some green.
I charged it for about 120 seconds in the car (got distracted while taking pics) ~ and been playing with it since…
(Click the one below to view larger)
OH! And they literally just came out ~ and they even have a BLOG! Here’s a pic from their blog ~ maybe my flashlight was even one of the ones in those boxes…
Ok and just for fun because i think they actually made a pretty cute flash ad where you can try it out yourself (grabbed it from their blog):
Agree with Mike - worst flashlight i’ve ever owned was a 5.11 - maglite all the way.
----- Tara 19.12.13 09:49