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Available from BrightGuy.com
The Pelican SabreLite LED model 2010 is a unique departure
from most other lights in that it uses a Luxeon Star
high dome LED which points back at the user. The light
is then collected by a solid reflector which projects
the light forward. It essentially works like a satellite
dish. It is rated for diving and is fairly tough overall.
The SabreLite LED has a polymer octagonal shaped body which is available in bright yellow or black. The light operates on 3 C batteries that are placed in a carrier which provides polarity protection. Operation of the light is achieved by tightening and loosening the bezel. Inside the light are catalyst pellets to prevent the buildup of hydrogen gas which is a natural byproduct of battery use. The body is vented to prevent pressure from building up inside the light but the vent is one-way so that water cannot enter.
On the outside of the body, near the rear, is a large belt clip with a split ring and lanyard attached. This gives many different options for attaching the light to your gear. The clip, however, is so large that it interferes with holding the light no matter how you position it in your hand.
The bezel and reflector design is where all of the
innovation is on this light. The Luxeon Star LED sits
on a bar that spans the front of the reflector and points
backwards, toward the reflector. The reflector is one
piece and collects all of the light from the LED and
projects it forward. All of the light is concentrated
into a relatively small area allowing this LED light
to illuminate targets at a rather long distance.
Output is in the form of a tight square beam (which results from the fact that it is an exact reflection of the square emitter in the LED element). Distance illumination ability is quite good, but there is very little spillbeam around the central hotspot. I also noticed that the hotspot in the center of the square beam was a little off center in this light.
Beam at one meter at target center.
The runtime plot displays a pretty standard alkaline
cell discharge curve. It looks like it will go just
about 24 hours before reaching 25% original output,
so this must be what Pelican chose to use as their gauge
for runtime.
Runtime
completed with EverActive C alkaline batteries. More
information on runtime plots is available HERE.
Turning the light on and off is achieved by twisting the bezel. Nothing special going on here, except that Pelican recommends that you unscrew the bezel one full turn to make sure that the light doesn't come on accidentally. I have set a similar Pelican light on its face only to have it turn itself on as the weight of the battery carrier overcame the spring inside the light and made contact. Store it on its side to help prevent this from happening.
Pelican's special "umbrella vent" allows gas buildup inside the light to escape while preventing the entry of water when submersed. Large O-rings seal the light.
Ergonomics: Unfortunately the clip really gets in the way of holding the light in the hand comfortably.
Size compared to a common 2AA aluminum light
Three C cells are used to power the light and they are not included. To change the batteries, remove the bezel completely and drop out the battery tray that contains the batteries. The battery tray is designed rather poorly in my opinion. It contains all of the contacts for the inside of the light but it doesn't retain the batteries well at all. Be careful they don't fall out of the carrier as you try to insert it into the light.
What I Liked: Waterproof, Tough/impact
resistant, Long battery life, Bright, Innovative reflector
design, Good output.
What I Didn't Like: The clip is the most annoying thing about this light, and the other Sabrelights made by Pelican. It is too big and makes holding the light difficult - it should have been designed more flush with the body. Sure it clips onto your belt easy, just push it on; but then try to get it off! There's no counter lever to push to release the clip and the tab on the body forces you to mess around with 2 hands to release the clip from your belt.
Plus, the battery carrier needs to go. Awkward design plus the whole thing can move forward and make contact with the contact ring on the bezel, turning the light on.
Other Things I Noticed: Nothing.
Conclusions: Great output, very innovative reflector design, executed fairly well, but poor clip design and poor battery carrier design holds this light back making it inconvenient to use and maintain. Great features, assembled into a somewhat poorly designed package.
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