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Reviewer's
Impressions:
Pelican has thrown their hat into the ring when it comes
to the quickly expanding field of high intensity lithium powered
lights. Their initial offering has very good potential and
features that rival those found in some other, very high priced,
competitors. Intended as a duty light, it lacks the premium
features that would put it over the top, but as-is it makes
for a very serviceable light that should withstand a lot of
abuse and won't send you packing to the poor house if you
lose it and have to buy another. Add on their lifetime "you
break it we fix it" guarantee and it's hard not to buy
one.
The body, made of machined aircraft grade aluminum alloy
almost appears to be "powder coated" in either a
matte black or matte sliver finish. The finish does not appear
to be anodize, although I could be wrong. The composition
of the finish is not stated in the packaging.
Starting at the head of the light, you'll find the following
parts: Lens cap, O-ring, plastic lens, reflector, spring,
nylon washer, screw-in lamp assembly with O-ring, O-ring seal
between head and body, two O-rings on the outside for grip,
checkered body tube, O-ring seal under the tailcap, tailcap,
switch, rubber watertight cover on switch end. The O-ring
should be maintained by occasional cleaning (wipe off only)
and re-coating with common silicone grease.
The checkering on the body is coarse but not rough, providing
a good gripping surface. The pair of O-ring above the checkering
seem to be there for cosmetic purposes only, but could help
slightly with the grip.
The checkering is good, and although no imperfections in
the machining could be found, it did have several dings on
the surface of the checkering. The threads are cut a bit rough
and a slight sandpaper-like rubbing could be heard and felt
when operating the twist tailcap or twisting the head for
focus. With use and cleaning/lubrication of the threads I
would expect the surfaces to smooth themselves out eventually.
The bulb assembly consists of a high pressure xenon bulb
embedded in an aluminum and possibly ceramic screw-in assembly.
There is a checkered area around the top of the assembly to
allow the user a better grip for removal. The assembly is
screwed into place so that, unlike a bi-pin bulb, dropping
the light on its head will not cause the bulb to pop out
of its socket. The bulb is reported by the manufacturer to
last 75 hours on average. This is much longer than most bulb
assemblies on the market used by other manufacturers. The
reflector is aluminum, polished and with a textured surface.
This allows the reflector to withstand the high temperatures
of the hot xenon bulb without bubbling and to project a smooth
beam without much of the "rings and holes" produced
by smooth reflectors. The bezel is adjustable for focus, but
I believe this would mostly be used when replacing a lamp
assembly to make sure the light projects a nice smooth spot.
The output of the light when focused it exactly that, a smooth
spot. The spot itself has a very bright center and an oblong
corona and wide aurora.
Runtime Plot:
Runtime
completed with "Titanium"
brand batteries. More information on runtime plots is available
HERE.
The switch at the end of the light has three different modes,
indicated by the text emblazoned on its upper surface. Twisting
it tightly will turn the light on. Loosen it 1/4 turn and
you can press the textured rubber tailcap for momentary operation.
Unscrew it about another full turn and it becomes "locked
out" so that pressing the tailcap does nothing. This
mode is for storing the light to prevent accidental activation.
Continue unscrewing the tail cap to access the battery compartment
and replace the spent batteries. The switch is very comfortable
to use, but upon releasing the rubber tailcap after momentary
use the rubber cover makes a very slight click - as though
the rubber was stuck down and popped free from the switch
underneath. This is noticeable, but just an annoyance.
Overall, the construction seems pretty good. A tap on the
body with a metal object will ding the surface, so it will
show wear and tear over time. The roughness of the threads
is a bit of a nuisance, preventing the unit from operating
smoothly, although not so much as to impact performance.
Included in the package are two 123a Energizer e2 Lithium
photo batteries. These will power the light for about 1.25
hours (advertised). Batteries of this type are expensive in
retail stores and should be bought from an online retailer
like BatteryStation.com.
Also included with the light is a very nice Cordura nylon
holster which has a plastic stiffener inside to make it keep
its rounded shape and a tailcap protector which the end of
the M6 fits into to prevent the tailcap from being activated
while in the sheath.
Overall, the M6 is a good, economical, medium to heavy duty
light that should serve well for anyone needing a good quality,
very bright, compact light.
UPDATE: A high quality replacement glass lens is available
for this light from FlashlightLens.com.
These replacement lenses are not subject to melting from high
intensity lights, are very scratch resistant, and allow more
light to pass through than plastic lenses. See our write-up
HERE.
A replacement clickie-type swich is also available for the
Pelican M6 from FlashlightLens.com.
Many people find this type of switch much more convenient
than the stock switch. See our write-up HERE.
+ + + Pluses: Water resistant, Tough,
Bright, Easy battery change, Lightweight, Very good quality
sheath, Very long lamp life, Lock out position on tail cap.
- - - Minuses: Threads a bit rough all
the way around, Body seems a bit susceptible to finish marring,
Spot oblong despite focusability.
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