Short Description:

The CMG Reactor 3 is the next generation of the CMG Reactor, one of the few Luxeon Star LED based lights on the market. The Reactor 3 uses 3 AA cells (as opposed to 2 as in the original) and produces a much brighter light as a result. It is intended for camping, hiking, and general use. The Reactor 3 is available from Pocketlights.com.

Just like the original Reactor, the body is made of polymer and metal. The head of the light is made of polymer with a metal ring on the outer end. The inner end is scalloped to improve grip. The head is permanently attached to the body. Since the Luxeon Star LED never needs to be changed, there is no need to open the head. The light body is made of anodized machined aluminum and has a fine pattern knurling in the middle for improved grip. The "blank" areas of the body also sport a few grooves for appearance and a very fine texture. The tailcap is also aluminum and has a tab with a hole for attaching a lanyard. Inside the tailcap is a spring for contact with the battery. The threads and O-ring are lubricated at the factory. The entire flashlight is black in color.

The Reactor is advertised as very water resistant and has O-ring seals. The LED unit is sealed behind a clear plastic lens. It is not designed for use under water, although it is dunkable.

The light produced by the reactor is a smooth spot with little or no unwanted beam artifacts. The light uses the Luxeon Star collimator optics to produce a very usable beam. As is usual with Luxeon Star lights, you will be participating in what has been come to be known as the "Luxeon Lottery" when buying a Reactor. Your Reactor will have a tint to the white beam which will range from greenish-yellow to blue to purple. There is no way to tell what color tint it will have by looking at it until you turn it on. The good news is that your eyes get used to the tint pretty quickly and all tints have good full spectrum color rendition.

The switching mechanism is fairly unique. Turn the bezel relative to the body of the light in either direction for on/off. The system has detents that lock it in place in the on or off position with a very positive tactile feedback. When turning the head the LED unit can be seen moving forward and backward inside the head. This is part of its normal operation.

The Reactor 3 can run only on either alkaline AA batteries. Do not try to use lithium AA batteries in this light, as was recommended for the original Reactor. Batteries are included. Simply unscrew the tail cap, drop out the dead cells, and place 3 new alkaline cells in the light positive first.

No additional accessories are included in the package.

Reviewer's Impressions:

If you are looking for a flashlight that never requires a new bulb, puts out more light than flashlight with a cluster of 7 standard LEDs, and uses common, inexpensive batteries, the Reactor 3 is a good option.

Fit and finish are very good. The anodize and machining are clean and well done. The head of the light is well formed and operates smoothly.

Overall quality of construction seems good. The head is made of several pieces and when gripped tightly to turn it on it sometimes makes a plastic snapping sound like 2 pieces sliding over one another. This does not seem to affect its operation.

Output is very good - the Reactor 3 puts out a lot of light for an LED light. The output will diminish over time as is standard with alkaline batteries.

Beam quality is OK, creating a smooth spot of light with a bright center.

The light is not intended for submersion but is able to withstand a quick dunk. Just shake it off and keep going.

There's not much else to mention about this light. It's a touch long, but not overly so, the tint of the beam takes a short time for your eyes to get used to, and overall it seems to be a good extended-use light. With the discharge curve of the alkaline batteries you will get good light for about 20 hours and dimmer light for a much longer period of time, making this a good light to have if you needed light for a long time in a pinch.

+ + + Pluses: Water resistant, Tough/impact resistant, Long battery life, Bright, Easy battery change, Lightweight

- - - Minuses: Not Waterproof, Tints take a little time for your eyes to get used to, Cannot stand on end, Requires 2 hands to operate

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