Thursday, November 6, 2008

NiteCore Extreme HA Bezel Tac Light







Over the last couple months I've been able to test out the NiteCore Extreme HA (hard anodized) Bezel tactical light. It wasn't until I started to write this post that I actually took notice of the cost of this light. For all the functions and features of this light I was pleasantly surprised at the reasonable cost. And it even comes in a nice case with extra parts.

This light is a hand held LED (light emitting diode) light with law enforcement, military and self defense in mind. It's not even close to being a typical LED either. The LED is a CREE Q5 WC LED...what all that means to me... a bright LED..up to 200 lumens of output. This is brighter than a couple of larger hand helds that have Xenon lights...so this LED packs a lot of power. LEDs will last up to 100,000 hours of use and have a longer battery life than traditional bulbs. I've found it's battery life to be excellent!!

Two of the features that make this a great self defense light are the strobe function of the LED and the hardened strike bezel. The strobe feature disorients anyone that it is used on. By placing the light in strobe mode and shining it in someone's face it will disorient them and allow you to either get off a shot if necessary, or to close-with and get close enough to use hand to hand techniques. When the strobe is shining in someone's face it is extremely difficult for them to tell that the person holding the light is moving closer to them...so this is a great feature to help effect an arrest. The other feature for self defense is the strike bezel that can be used to strike or apply pressure for pain compliance.

This flashlight has two modes which can be a little confusing at first. The first mode is the tactical mode which features the strobe and full brightness features. When the bezel is tightened down it's in tactical mode. The other mode is the variable digitally-controlled brightness mode. In this mode you can gradually go from 2 lumens to 200 lumens. When the bezel is slightly loosened the light is in variable brightness mode.

Tactical Mode: When in this mode the light will shine at it's brightest setting. To change from the bright mode to the strobe function you quickly loosen the bezel slightly, then tighten it back down again. You only need to loosen it slightly and this will take some getting used to. This method was something I really didn't like when I first got the light, but now that I've gotten used to it I do like it. You do the same thing to go back from strobe to full brightness.

Variable Brightness Mode: This mode allows you to go from the light's lowest possible setting to it's brightest possible setting. This is done gradually and takes about 6 seconds to go from one extreme to the next. A lot of lights that have variable adjustments will do it in preset brightnesses, but with this light it's infinite between 2 lumens and 200 lumens. The way this is done is just like the tactical mode, only in reverse. To get the light to start to get brighter or dimmer, just tighten then loosen the bezel and it will gradually change. Once you get to the setting you want just turn the light off, then back on and it'll be at your setting.

One thing that is nice about this light is that it has a digital memory, meaning that your setting in the tactical and variable modes are stored. When you switch between modes the last setting you had in that mode is stored. For example, if you're in the strobe feature in the tactical mode and you go to the variable mode, the light will return to the last brightness setting you had. If you go back to tactical mode, it'll return to the last setting (strobe) that you had.

The different modes and ways of changing and adjusting them took a little time to get used to, however, once I got used to this I have really enjoyed using this light.

The light has many other features that I'll list here:
  1. Tactical forward click switch. This rubber button (switch) is textured and easy to use, however, doesn't stick out too far to be easily activated accidentally. It is easy to use with gloves on as well.
  2. Battery reverse polarity protection.

  3. Anti-rolling design so the light stays where you put it.

  4. Metal reflector, not plastic.

  5. Impact-resistant optical lens with dual-coating. What this means is that there's not just an anti-reflective coating on the outside of the lens like some flashlights. The anti-reflective coating is on the inside of the lens and a layer of diamond coating on the outside to help in light transmittance and protect the lens from damage. All this is combined to add in light transmittance, abrasion resistance and anti-reflective properties.

  6. Constructed from military grade aluminum alloy.

  7. Mil-Spec Type III hard anodized finish.

  8. US Mil Standard impact resistance (Mi-STD-810F).

  9. Waterproof to IPX-8 Standard (immersion for 30 minutes in 1 meter of water). Which is plenty good for most military/LE/Security/civilian uses. I have tested it's waterproof properties and even clicked the button under water with no negative effects.

  10. Strong, removable pocket clip.

  11. Can run on CR123 or rechargeable Li-ion batteries.

  12. 12 months free repairs , except those caused by misuse.
This light aslo comes with the following replacement parts:
  • (2) switches

  • (1) switch cover

  • (2) O-rings

  • Allen key to remove pocket clip.
Runtime:

  • CR123 Battery: 190 lumens - 75 minutes, then drops to 50%. 2 lumens - 120 hours then drops to 50%.

  • Lithium-Ion battery: 200 lumens, 50 minutes, then drops to 50% power. 60 hours, then drops to 50% power.
I have used this light for every day use, tactical use, in hot and humid weather to cold freezing weather, in the rain, sun and water and this light functions and looks as if it just came out of the box. I really have no complaints on this light or any of it's features. It's rugged and reliable and has a great run time!

For the price of this light it's really a great value. You see these functions and features in many other lights costing $130 or more. If you need a tactical or other reliable light that has same great features you need to check out this light.

Dimensions: 92mm (L), 26mm (D)
Weight: 65g, excluding batteries

MSRP: $88.00

Buy it
HERE!











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