Last Man Survival Gear’s LED “Opti-Flood” Flashlight Set

So, It’s been a while since I last reviewed a LED flashlight, mostly because after the OxyLED MD50 I reviewed here set the bar pretty high for overall quality and value, I was pretty well set. But the offer from Last Man Survival Gear was one I couldn’t refuse, and seemed tailor-made for mine and Hubby’s needs. And while there are some shortcomings, I can say with confidence that this set seems to be a decent value for the money!

Let’s just get this out of the way right here, though: Last Man brazenly claims their Opti-Flood lamp puts out 1200 lumens. Unless they somehow hooked it up to a car battery, I don’t see how it’s possible, because the included 18650 lithium ion cell ran the lamp  just a shade brighter than the OxyLED M50 that claimed 500 lumens, and just slightly dimmer than Hubby’s Coast HP7 rated for 360 lumens. So, as long as you understand and accept that this Opti-Flood lamp will run at just under 360 lumens, you’ll be okay. The run time on a single charge is decent, and takes some time to notice any real dimming of the output. The color of the light is not the harsh, blue/purple color of the cheaper CREE knockoff LED’s, and is almost going into the “soft white” color range, even more so than the MD50. The focus is smooth and quick, but still goes into the square shape of the diode like so many of the budget lamps out there. Not a dealbreaker by any means. The throw is pretty good, with very minimal haloing or spill from the reflector. The Last Man Opti-Flood does tend to get a little warm fairly quickly, so I wouldn’t run it for very long periods of time. It will tail-stand easily, but lacks any deep knurling that would make the surface super grippy, and I would have liked something to keep the lamp from rolling when placed on it’s side, because it rolls quickly and easily. Lastly, there’s just off and on with the tail cap clicker, and while some might see that as a negative, I prefer it to the 3, 4, or 5 function lamps that require you to cycle through each setting every time.

As for the value, Last Man Survival Gear included a bonus lamp, the LT30, which is small and light, suitable for a purse, pocket, or key ring, and has a similar output to a single AA flashlight, only in a much larger, heavier package. It’s a nice addition, but I feel the 3.7v 18650 lithium ion battery is wasted here, not allowing either piece to shine (no pun intended) to it’s full potential. The included charger is also a nice bonus, but if you’re going to start investing in quality lithium ion rechargeable cells, you might want to consider a more, shall we say, robust, charger. This one is fine to get you started, and the LED indicator light on it changes from red, to yellow to green to let you know a charge cycle is complete. Last Man Survival Gear includes two of the aforementioned 3.7V 1800 mAh protected circuit batteries, as well as a AAA battery adapter, and a pretty decent hard plastic carry/storage case. Both lamps have water-resistant O-rings, which should provide some measure of light water resistance, as well as carry lanyards (but I’d expect to replace those shortly). All in all you get a fair amount of value for around the $35 they were charging when I ordered my set, although at the current $45.99, I’d say it’s a bit overpriced. It’s not quite the value of the venerable OxyLED MD50, but uses the same emitter setup, reflector and LED. So it’s up to you if this Last Man Survival Gear’s value added set is truly the LED flashlight for you.

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I received the above product(s) free of charge from Last Man Survival Gear.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

 

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OxyLED T-02s Rechargeable Motion Sensing LED Light Stick

On the surface, this seemed like one of those products that has so many applications, you weren’t even sure where to start trying it. And then, slowly but surely, you found that each and every place you thought about presented problems that made using in that location no longer feasible. So while I think the product is made fairly well and gives off a bunch of light, for me at least, this OxyLED T-02S Motion Sensing Light missed the mark.

I first thought it would make a wonderful under-cabinet light. Except that when the lights are even slightly on (we have them on dimmers), the LED Stick won’t come on. The proximity sensor seems a little wonky, too, because while 95% of the time it senses when there’s motion within about 5 feet, the other times we have to “tap-tap” the sensor for the light to come on. Then we tried it in a closet. Again, the ambient light in the room made whether the OxyLEd T02S came on a 50-50 proposition. Okay, so we then tired it in the pantry. Again, our old friend ambient light rained on my parade. But, the odds of the OxyLED t-02S lighting went to about 80-20. In the end we put it on the linen cabinet counter in the hall, and instead of turning on the lights to walk down it, the OxyLED Motion Sensing Light usually switches on and gives plenty of light. It has a solidly built brushed aluminum body that feels sleek but is also surprisingly light. It has 20 bright white LED’s and an On/Off toggle switch on the side.

This seems like a product that, while well built and very bright, is not quite ready for prime time. There also seems to be some real quality control issues, but I can’t say I experienced any of them, as the T-02S I received functioned fairly well, except for a moody motion sensor. It’s rechargeable, needs no batteries, and the charge lasts a loooong time. It would be nice for a traditional plug instead of a microUSB one to charge it, but I don’t feel that’s a deal breaker. I would recommend that instead of peeling off the backing and using the included adhesive strip right from jump street, do what we did and tape it up with blue or green masking tape first and insure that it works to your liking in your chosen space. At $22.99, it feels pricey, and I would like to see it come in at under $20 to be a real value. From OxyLED’s Amazon page, “Reliable and friendly customer service: ready to respond within 24 hours, 30-day money back guarantee, 12 month replacement warranty and lifetime support guarantee”. So there’s that to fall back on should the light falter. I liked the OxyLED T-02S Motion Sensing Light, not loved it, and feel there’s room to improve, but could be incredibly useful once they iron out the kinks.

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• Buy yours right here!

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Hisgadget and OxyLED.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

OxyLED 12 LED Pet “Stain” UV BlackLight

We recently had a minor issue with our little dog of 13 years, and she had to have surgery. Pets being the way pets are, we also kept her indoors and under constant supervision, because she refuse to wear the “cone of shame”. Which meant we had to make sure she didn’t lick and infect her incision. Which also mean it was of paramount importance that her bedding was clean. And as luck would have it, that’s exactly when OxyLED offered us their 12 LED pet stain “detector” light. I was thrilled and was eager to try it, with my past experience OxyLED’s stellar product line.

And while this was a solid product was like every other one I’ve tried from them, it was a little lacking. It worked well on non-porous surfaces like the toilet bowl, or walls that were sink-adjacent. Water (and other) stains showed up perfectly. But, on fabric, we didn’t have as much luck. In fact, even when we saw a little yellow stain on her bed pillow, the OxyLED handheld lamp didn’t show it any differently that the surrounding fabric. Powered by 3 AAA batteries (Thankfully, included. I love that, I really do!), the light up to about 3-4 feet away is perfectly adequate, ambient lighting conditions being optimal. That’s one of the limitations of a multiple LED emitter, is that the light throw is usually very short. But, the aircraft-grade aluminum body is engineered well, with a deep enough knurl around the body to insure a no-slip grip, along with the body mounted on/off switch, as opposed to the now pretty standard tailcap clicker. And with a 50,000 hour lifetime rating, this OxyLED Lamp should last a very, very long time.

In the end, this is a solid product with some limitations but should do everything you need it to do, and for just $8.99 you could do much, much worse. And OxyLED offers a 30-day money back guarantee, a one year replacement warranty, and pretty decent customer service, to boot. What have you got to lose?

Connect with OxyLED/Hisgadget:

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• Buy yours right here!

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Hisgadget and OxyLED.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

OxyLED MD50 500 Lumen 5-Mode Flashlight Kit (battery & charger included)

Hubby is a flashlight junkie. Has been for years. We’ve bought and tossed more cheap little flashlights than I’d care to mention. I even once broke down and bought him a nice SureFire LED flashlight. We’ve had MagLite, Ultrafire, Steamlight and Coast come through here. But still he collects all manner of flashlights from a variety of makers. So when Hisgadget offered us their OxyLED branded MD50, boasting 500 lumens, I knew I had to say yes.

I’m very glad I did. Amazon and eBay are chock-full of LED flashlights, and while some are quality, a lot are just junk. And it’s very hard to tell the wheat from the chaff because they all boast similar construction and specs. When it comes down to the nuts and bolts, someone has to be the canary in the mineshaft and see if these torches are the goods. And I’m please to say the this OxyLED lamp is, in fact, the goods. By far, it is the brightest flashlight Hubby owns. It eclipses his SureFire LED that cost him 3 times as much! It is easily adjustable by sliding the reflector housing forward or back. Even at it’s widest setting, the light is still ridiculously bright, with no dead spots I could see. There’s some slight haloing around the outside edge of the beam, but it’s hardly worth mentioning. It fits comfortably in the hand, be it mine or Hubby’s girthier paw. It has a lanyard at the tailcap, and a bright green clicker there to cycle through the modes. You have high, medium and low, plus strobe and SOS for (heaven forbid) any emergency situations. The tailcap clicker is crisp, and to switch modes on the fly one only needs to lightly press on the tailcap. A full press will turn the unit off or on. The only thing I feel it’s lacking are a rubber ring near the base for easier one handed operation, or a pocket clip for easier carrying. Neither are major issues and I wouldn’t take off points for either, they’re just personal preference. OxyLED even includes a sturdy foam padded carry case, and as a bonus includes the one 18650 rechargeable Li-ion battery and charger, as well as the AAA battery holder if you choose to use those types of batteries. But the included Li-ion cell has held a charge well, and seems to show no sign of slowing down at all. For $19.99, you’re getting a lot of quality for very little money.

There’s water resistant o-rings used in the assembly of this unit making it good for heavy rains, and the batteries reportedly have overcharge and over-discharge protection circuitry. It also boast a Cree XM-L2 diode, which is why it’s so bright and powerful. One complaint I did have is the flashlight gets quite warm in the hand after running it at full power for any significant time. I understand it’s putting out a lot of juice, so I’m willing to give it a pass, because it’s just been “warm” not uncomfortably so or even “hot”.

 

Overall, this is a real winner and like I mentioned, you get a lot of quality for very little money. I recommend it highly!

Connect with OxyLED/Hisgadget:

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• Buy yours right here!

 

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Hisgadget.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.