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Detailed
Information:
The NightBuster Clipper LED Lights are pretty neat
little lights and a good value, in my opinion, for the
average consumer. They can be clipped almost anywhere
and the light directed to the work surface with ease.
Fit and finish is actually very good. I was surprised
by the quality of the light. There are no sharp edges,
the joints are all tight fits, and the clip is very
strong. The battery compartment door snaps on tightly
and creates a good water resistant seal.
The clip on the unit works very well and allows it
to be clipped to a variety of surfaces. The socket of
the ball joint has a notch on one side which allows
the clip to rest flush against the bottom of the light.
The clip can be removed with some difficulty. Inside
the socket is a very small O-ring to give some resistance
to the motion of the clip joint. The clip has teeth
in its jaws to prevent it from slipping off of a surface
it is clipped to. The headband (included) has a mated
set of teeth on the connection plate that result in
a very positive attachment when the light is clipped
to the headband. When attached to the headband I found
it to be a little front-heavy with the cliplight pointing
forward at the trail ahead. It was very easy to direct
the light anywhere I wanted as a result of the ball
and socket joint on the clip.
Both the battery compartment door and the battery cartridge
will only go into the light one way, preventing any
worries about reverse-polarity with the batteries. However,
you may need light to change the batteries since placing
the batteries in the carrier requires attention to polarity.
You can replace the batteries in the dark if you feel
for the springs and put the "-" end on the
springs, but when I tried this I found it to be a bit
tricky.
As mentioned earlier, the bezel is surrounded with
a rubber cover which is not removable. This gives good
protection against drops and bangs. The body of the
light is resistant to the usual abuse that a flashlight
would see. Because of the design of the ball-and-joint
socket on the clip, the light can be positioned in almost
any direction once it is clipped to a surface. With
a little attention to its balance, the light can stand
on a flat surface by resting it on the back of the clip.
This way you can direct the light anywhere needed.
Output on the light reviewed was more than adequate
for completing tasks in a darkened environment. The
light is advertised to last for 15 hours on a fresh
set of batteries. Beam quality was good and was a high
color temperature (bluish in tint) as is to be expected
from white 5mm LEDs.
Water resistance is very good and the unit can survive
rain and dunks in puddles without damage.
I would recommend placing a drop of liquid teflon lubricant
or silicone grease on the top of the contacts on the
battery carrier and then placing the carrier in the
light and turning it on-off several times. This will
coat the board's contacts and reduce friction and wear
on the circuit board.
What I Liked: Watertight, Tough/impact resistant,
Good battery life, Relatively bright, Lightweight
What I Didn't Like: Battery carrier cartridge.
Why can't manufacturers design the body so they are
not needed? Just one more part to lose or break.
Other Things I Noticed: Don't try to clip the
light onto a surface that is too large for the clip.
You will probably break the clip.
Conclusions: In a lot of cases, especially with
the new technologies available, we tend to look at "basic"
flashlights like this one in a less-than-appreciative
way. No regulator? No special lithium batteries? No
dimming circuitry? No. You won't get anything fancier
than a clip and a headlamp adapter plate and straps
(which is a pretty nice feature). However, this IS a
very nice basic light for tossing in your bag or briefcase,
taking camping or hiking, etc. Low price, low maintenance,
quite durable, low cost, and simply a handy little flashlight.
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