Review 08.20.2010

REVIEW 08.20.2010 - 5.11 UC3.400 LIGHT FOR LIFE

In our Police Light category is a manufacturer shaking up the industry with their new Light for Life flashlight.  The light illustrated above is offered by the company 5.11 (model UC3.400) and charges in a mere 90 seconds.  We have been abusing this particular light for about a month now and can say it is certain to have an impact on law enforcement in positive ways.  Upon opening the box we were delighted to not only see a charger, but also a loop holder for a duty belt.  The manual recommends initially charging it for 24 hours, so we conceded to letting it charge for a full day before the abuse started.

Once we took it out of the charger we began our time test and turned it on after starting the clock to see how long it would last.  The light delivered perfectly for an hour and a half, then the normal light went to reserve power for about 15 minutes before dying out completely.  Our tests indicated a total run time of about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

We then put the light right back in the charger and watched the light flicker for 90 seconds before going solid.  We then took the light back out and were amazed to find out it worked on another cycle without any problems or loss of power.

The light performed very well and is extremely bright.  Functions are very straight forward for the light and if you squeeze the button it shines the light at its brightest and it turns off upon letting go.

This is just what most cops are looking for because often an officer wants to light something up momentarily.   Now that can be achieved without having to click several times to cycle the light back to the off position. 

If the light is clicked on from the off position the light just turns on and off as any other flashlight would.  If the button is clicked rapidly it cycles the light to the strobe mode which we found to be an excellent aid for traffic, and tactical situations.

After the initial test we were off running and we have not set the flashlight in the charger for much longer than a transport or radar post since.  We were interested in placing the charger in the car to optimize the use of the light so we could quickly charge it after depletion.  This came in handy when testers were at an accident scene or just using it on an unexpected double shift.

The light does not use conventional technology by way of batteries and instead uses a capacitor which rejuvenates the light much faster.  Overall we enjoyed the light and have since sidelined our patrol light as we continue to use the 5.11 UC3.400 in daily operations. 

The only special accessory most officers will opt to purchase is the cone, since the head of the flashlight is in an octagon shaped to prevent the light from rolling around when placed on vehicles or other structures.

For more information click any of the photos or visit the 5.11 website by clicking here.

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