The Pelican Stealthlite LED model 2410 is a unique departure
from most other lights in that it uses a Luxeon 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. This
type of light projection is becoming a little more common
and is useful in that it produces a very tight beam.
Body description: The Stealthlite LED has a polymer, roughly octagonal,
flattened body which is available in bright yellow or black.
The body is constructed of Lexan resin with a
polycarbonate shatterproof lens with an hard nylon shroud. All
very tough stuff. The light
operates on 4 AA batteries that are placed directly
into the light. Access to the
battery compartment is via the removable head. Operation
of the light is accomplished with a lever switch on the side of the
light below the head. Inside the light are catalyst pellets
to prevent the buildup of hydrogen gas which can result
from incorrect battery polarity insertion. This
light is dive rated to 500 feet and includes an umbrella
vent on the side opposite the switch to allow the venting
of pressure without allowing liquid inside. A lanyard comes attached to
the tail.
Bezel/Head: The bezel and reflector design is where
you find the majority of the innovation is on this light.
Basically it works on the same principal as a radar or
satellite dish. The Luxeon 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 past
the LED. All of the light is concentrated into a relatively
small area, making this design one of the few able to
illuminate targets at a rather long distance with an LED
light source.
Output description: The white light produced by the
LED is a high color temperature and produces good color
rendition weighted slightly toward the blue end of the
spectrum. A slight tint is detectable when compared
against a near sunlight-white source, but this tinting
is not noticeable during normal use. The beam is very
tight with little noticeable spillbeam. This makes it
excellent for penetrating fog, smoke, and other particulate
haze. It also helps greatly underwater, where much of
a light's output is lost to suspended solids.
Beam at one meter at target center
Runtime Plot: Pelican advertises their runtime for
this light at 32 hours. Sure it may still be "running"
(if you can call it that) in 32 hours, but it'll be
producing so little light relative to where it starts,
it's ridiculous. 3 hours 15 min to 50% and just over
6½ hours to 25% starting output.
Why are companies still trying to get away with this
kind of marketing hype? There must be a lot of people
who take advertising at face value and never actually
think about, question, or attempt to validate the claims.
Runtime
completed with Duracell brand batteries. More information
on runtime plots is available HERE.
Switch description: On the side of the light just below
the head is a hard plastic lever switch. Push to the side
to activate the light. Return to its original position to
turn the light off. There does not
appear to be a lock-out ability built into this light.
Seals / Water Resistance: O-ring seals and a special
umbrella vent protect the light from the entry of water. It
is dive rated by the manufacturer to 500 feet. Keep the main
o-ring lubricated any you should have no problems with water
entry.
If it gets wet inside, just disassemble as much a possible
without tools and let it dry before using again.
Ergonomics: The body has a flat profile which makes
it very "back pocket-able". In a pinch you
can hold it in your mouth to illuminate the area directly
in front of you thanks to its flat design and plastic
construction. The switch is oversized and very easy
to operate. The O-ring seal grips the head very well
and so it takes a bit of torque to remove the head for
a battery change. The body has minimal grip enhancing
surface texture, so use the attached wrist lanyard if
there is a risk of dropping and losing the light.
Size compared to a common 2AA aluminum light
Batteries: Four AA cells power the light. As with many other
Pelican lights, the designers seem to feel the need to add
additional parts to the battery compartment which could be
engineered out. This light is no exception. In addition to
the head and light module, there is a special contact plate
that drops out of the light and must be placed on top of the
inserted batteries for the light to work. This plate converts
the two contact areas of the side-by-side AA cells to a single
contact area that is compatible with their lamp module design.
To change out
the batteries: unscrew the head, remove the light module, remove
the contact plate, then drop
out the old cells. Place in new cells observing proper
polarity. Reinsert the contact plate (it only goes in
one way) and the light module. Then reattach
head and you're ready to go.
Accessories: Lanyard (attached); batteries are included.
Important things to note: This light is designed to
be clipped to helmet systems as well as being handheld.
What I Liked: Waterproof,
Tough/impact resistant, Long battery life,
Bright penetrating beam, Easy battery change, Easy to operate switch
What I Didn't Like: Additional contact plate
in the battery compartment - one more thing to lose.
Other Things I Noticed: Nothing
Conclusions: Pending Runtime Test
|