Why do all flashlights rhyme?

[Grant Lamontagne]

I got the Photon Proton, which I think is a great little light, but while we were at SHOT, Mikey and I came across another brand that neither of us had heard of before- ExtremeBeam.  You can see their site here:

www.extremebeamtactical.com



We initially stopped at the booth to make fun of one of their displays but were impressed with the lights and ended up getting one each- they gave us a special "show price" and we really couldn't argue with it!

The display we were laughing at was a fish tank with a couple of submerged, lit flashlights, which we jokingly referred to as "tactical fish" since there was "tactical" everything else, including a "tactical blanket system" which Mikey only wanted if it came with a "tactical teddy bear."  The folks manning the booth had a good laugh at our "tactical fish" comment, then took the time to tell us about their lights.



In the background was a video playing showing some of the extreme testing that is so popular these days.  One of their customers had turned on a light and placed it on a rock, then proceeded to smash other rocks, bricks and cinder blocks down on it.  The light bounced around but didn't break and stayed lit.  Great show, but probably not all that definitive as I'm sure most lights would survive that.

The model we bought was the Alpha Tac SAR 5, the smallest one in the line, and powered by a CR123 battery.  Everyone here knows I am not a big fan of lights with CR123 batteries because of the cost associated with them.  Well, this one is ok, because it includes a charger and a rechargeable lithium CR123 battery... oh, and a spare one so you have one charging, and one in the light! 



MSRP on the Alpha Tac SAR 5 is $120, but we managed to pick them up for half that- Mikey got the one with the glow in the dark switch and I got the one with the orange one, so we could each post pics of the different ones for everyone here. 

The one thing that also caught our attention is that these lights are measured in lux, not lumens.  I don't know the differences or if there's any kind of conversion, but the SAR 5 is rated at 2500 lux at 1 meter.  The rest of the lineup is 6,000 to 7,000 lux, except for the Alpha Tac 24, rated at 24,000-30,000 lux.  For reference sake, the SAR 5 is significantly brighter than my Fenix P1, which I have read is about 90 lumens.



All in all, this is a pretty cool little light, and I'm enjoying it quite a bit.  It's too bright for use at the bar, but for my day job, which often stretches into night time, it seems just about perfect.

Def

[Gareth]

Good looking little torch.  I like the idea of selling it with the charger because I have the exactly the same cost issues with CR123's. 

[Mike Micklea]

Three days of carrying mine in my hip pocket (where I carry all of my lights) and the clip broke... Very nice light with a good amount of flood, but the clip leaves quite a bit to be desired.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Yeah, the clip does seem a little flimsy.  Maybe you should contact Christian about it?

Def

[jzmtl]

I can't help but to think it's a rebranded something. The wire clip looks very ultrafireish.

[Mike Micklea]

Yeah, the clip does seem a little flimsy.  Maybe you should contact Christian about it?

Def

I plan on it.  Although I kind of dig the little sheath it came with.  I may try to carry it in the sheath for a while.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I can't help but to think it's a rebranded something. The wire clip looks very ultrafireish.

Actually you may have it backwards.  According to the company rep we spoke to (the afore mentioned Christian) they have been manufacturing lights for other companies for some time, and now they are producing them under their own name.

I forgot all about the sheath- I don't think it's even made it's way out of my suitcase yet!  It reminds me of the Fenix sheaths I have.  Almost like the sheath was an afterthought.

Def

[donvito]

Where are they made btw?

[Grant Lamontagne]

The packaging for mine didn't make it home with me unfortunately, so maybe Mikey can help.  I thought I heard the sales guy say they were made in the USA, but I can't find any reference to it on their site.

Def

[Mike Micklea]

Nope... I don't have the packaging for mine anymore either.  Nothing in the brochure about where they're made either.

[Grant Lamontagne]

My guess is they would be imported from somewhere.  If they were made in the USA then it's very likely that they would have that written all over them as that can be a major selling point.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

Well after carrying this one for a couple of weeks I have come to a few conclusions.  While I haven't had the pocket clip break like on Mikey's, I have been very conscious of how flimsy it feels in comparison to the rest of the light.  It hasn't been a problem yet, but I don't see it lasting.

The tail switch is nice, but it seems a bit too recessed.  It's a little uncomfortable having to push the button all the way in, and could be difficult for folks with larger fingers as well.

The last thing I have to comment on is the battery, and this is a good thing.  It gave almost peak lighting all the way to the end, when it suddenly dropped off, although it never went all the way out.  The output dropped significantly, but was still usable enough.  I have no idea how long it would have continued like that since we are about to get hit with a major storm and I thought it made more sense to have a fully charged light in case the power went out!  I also didn't see how long it took to charge since I put the battery in the charger and went to work.

It's also worth mentioning again that there are two batteries included with this light, meaning you can have one battery in the charger and the other in the light- I just put the spare battery in another light (Fenix P1) so I have two lights....

Def

[donvito]

Few things about rechargeable batteries: 1 they don't give ya warning when they're going to die, just shut off and 2 they lose charge over time, so your spare could be discharged by the time you'll be needing it. 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Yeah, that's why I prefer to discharge it in another light when it's not being used!

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

I got a message back from Christian, the gentleman that we spoke to at ExtremeBeam at the show, and he says that basically the lights are made all over the place, or at least components are, as with all lights, and while a percentage of them is done in their US factory, they aren't interested in playing the "Made in USA" game, when everyone knows components are made all over the place.  Kind of a bold stance, and I hope it works for them.

Some of his email, in his own words:

You see Grant, We've been making lights for quite a while and we made it our business to know who makes what where,…This knowledge was required to keep our pricing edge as a manufacturer. We Wanted to keep as much of our manufacturing here as possible and that alone makes it to difficult to produce for these other top brands....so we now will make and sell our own brand..

Whether you agree with this position or not, there are two important points to take away from this whole thing- one, it's a great light (made better by the included package!) at a decent price and when you are alone in the dark that's what matters, and two, you have to appreciate that a manufacturer like this is willing and able to write a long, detailed response to some yahoo whose forum isn't even dedicated to your product.

Talking to Christian you can really see that the man cares deeply about the industry he's chosen, and I would expect that a place like Candlepower forums would have gotten all the info and attention, but he's given just as much to us, and I have to appreciate that.

Expect to hear more about this brand here in the future, as I know I'll be a customer for a long time.  And Christian, if you are reading this, thanks for taking the time to read our forum and respond to the questions!

Def