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Available from LongbowGear.com.
The Longbow Micra is on of several modular products from LongbowGear.com. The Micra is made of machined aluminum which is anodized for corrosion and abrasion resistance. Inside is a Luxeon 1 LED and a constant current driver circuit to maintain constant output brightness for over an hour on one 123A cell. Included with this sample was the Micra with a twistie tailcap and a clickie tailcap for evaluation.
The body of the Micra is very nice. The head has a smooth finish while the body has a micro-groove finish to aid in grip. Two flat panels are machined into the sides of the battery tube. The tailcap is knurled and has deep cutouts to improve grip for twisting. The tailcap also has two 1/4 inch threaded holes designed for tripod attachment - one on the end and one on the side - and a lanyard attachment point.
Twistie switch. Note threaded holes, upper center and right in photo.
The head of the light includes a recessed polycarbonate lens, an internal reflection collimator lens, a Luxeon I LED potted in place with epoxy, and a driver circuit in an aluminum module.
Output is in the form of a bright central spot slightly off center inside of a square corona. The beam is rather tight and the unit produces a very good amount of light. No artifacts in the beam are to be seen. The reason the beam has a square corona is that the lens system projects an image of the square die (light source) inside the LED.
Beam on target at one meter - note square corona beam.
The Runtime plot tells us a lot about the quality of
the components used in this light. It starts at 100%
and stays there, essentially rock solid, for about 1
hr 10 min. This is really great regulation. After it
drops from regulation it hits 50% output 10 minutes
later, and continues to drop for about another hour.
This gives the user plenty of warning and reserve time
to find more batteries.
Runtime
completed with included "Longbow Brand" batteries.
More information on runtime plots is available HERE.
The switch is in the form of either the standard twistie or the optional clickie. The twistie is easy to use, but is tight and firm. The rubber cover of the clickie is recessed so that the unit can stand on end and requires a deep press into the housing to turn the light on and off. The clickie does have a momentary option which is activated by pressing in on the switch part way. The twistie has two threaded 1/4 inch holes for attachment to standard tripod threaded accessories, while the clickie has one.
Clickie switch. Note recessed rubber cover, threaded hole on side.
Although no dive-rating is given, the entire flashlight
is well sealed with O-ring for water resistance. As
an added bonus, the entire light is designed to be completely
disassembled to facilitate cleaning and drying if need
be.
Ergonomics: It can actually be a little disconcerting trying to get used to such a small light! It seems to work best if you take advantage of the two flat panels machined into the sides of the light and use a "stogie" grip, holding it between and at the base of the index and middle fingers near the webbing between the fingers.
Size compared to a common 2AA aluminum light. Twistie
tailcap installed.
For batteries the Micra takes a single 3 Volt 123A lithium cell, included. Optionally, per the documentation, you can get a 2AA cell body extender for the Micra to run the light on inexpensive AA cells.
Several accessories are available, including a wrist lanyard (included), pocket/belt clip, clickie switch, coiled tether, 2AA cell extender and a "beam booster kit" which includes a new head and larger optics.
What I Liked: Water resistant,
Tough/impact resistant, Regulated,
Bright, Easy battery change, Lightweight, Stands up, Easy to disassemble and clean/maintain
What I Didn't Like: Nothing significant
Other Things I Noticed: Center
spot of beam was slightly off center, no way to tell
if the light is on when placed on a flat surface head
down (although it appears that there is an optional
crenelated bezel cap available).
Conclusions: The Longbow Micra is near the top of its class. There are very few lights available currently that can surpass the quality found in this product. An excellent, bright, tiny, versatile, and practical pocket light. Drop it in your pants or coat pocket, briefcase, or bag; because the Micra utilizes a practically shock proof Luxeon LED and a 10 year shelf life lithium battery you'll always have a bright light available when you least expect you'll need it.
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