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Reviewer's
Impressions:
The Splash-Lite LS is a classic piece of gear, now
updated with modern technology. For years divers and
outdoorsmen have relied on this simple, reliable, durable
little light as a backup or emergency light. The lithium
battery is very resistant to cold and has a 10 year
shelf life. Add to this its very light weight and its
small size and you have an excellent survival kit companion.
The body is made from molded high impact black plastic.
It has ridges that run the length of the body to facilitate
grip. At the end is a tab with lanyard hole which can
be used as a bite tab for hands-free work. Inside is
a simple spring and flat contact strip that provides
the electrical connections. The body and bezel plastic
is molded very well with clean lines.
The bezel and lens is clear plastic. An
O-ring around the bezel provide as waterproof seal and
gives the light a dive rating of 100 feet. Inside the
bezel is a silvered plastic reflector with an elongated
tube in which the bulb fits. There is a metal contact
plate held onto the reflector by 3 plastic tabs. This
plate serves as the negative contact for the bulb. The
bulb itself is a tiny 10MM screw base side emitting
Luxeon I LED bulb rated at 250 mA current draw. The
reflector and finish is much improved over the original
Splash-Lite reviewed here at FlashlightReviews.com,
being very smooth, shiny, and free of blemishes.
To turn the unit on and off, simply twist the bezel.
Tighten for on, loosen for off. This can be accomplished
with one hand by holding the unit in the hand and twisting
the bezel with the thumb and forefinger. It would be
very difficult for this light to come on accidentally.
This little light is NOT a powerhouse. Output of the
Luxeon I bulb is about the same as a Krypton 222 bulb.
However, the Luxeon bulb gives the advantages of being,
for all intents and purposes, completely shockproof,
producing whiter light, and lasting thousands of hours
before needing replacement. Also, as the battery weakens,
the bulb will continue to produce light for a very long
period of time.
Beam output is in the form of a wide spot with a bright
hotspot with surround, followed by a dark ring, and
then a wide spillbeam. Good output for close up work,
navigating a trail in pitch darkness or working around
camp, general pocket light duty, etc.
A single 123A battery powers the unit. As mentioned,
these batteries work well in cold temperatures that
would cause alkaline batteries to fail and have a 10
year shelf life.
The original Splash-Lite was chosen by Doug Ritter
of Equipped.org
for attachment to the outside of his survival kit and
also placed inside his "comprehensive medical kit"
due to its features and properties. (Story here: http://www.equipped.org/devices27.htm).
Doug goes on to say that a white LED light may be a
better choice. Now with the advent of the Splash-Lite
LS you can have the best of both worlds - a Splash-Lite
and LED light wrapped into one.
What I Liked: Waterproof (Dive
Rated!), Impact resistant, Easy battery change, Lightweight,
Battery 10 year shelf life and resistant to cold, Bulb
should never need replacement.
What I Didn't Like: Very little
Other Things I Noticed: Beam hotspot
was slightly off center, but nothing to be concerned
with.
Conclusions: This is a GREAT little
light. It's simple. It's tough. It's cold resistant.
It's shockproof. It has good output. It's watertight
to 100 feet. It's extremely compact. It's lightweight.
I'm really trying to figure out why someone WOULDN'T
want to have this light in their emergency kit, in their
briefcase, in their backpack, or in their purse. Frankly,
I can't come up with any reasons except that some folks
used to $1 lights may balk at the price. Well, in my
opinion, it's worth it. If you need to have a light
that just plain "works" when you need it,
this is a good choice.
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