PELICAN M6 LED

Pelican 2330 M6 LED, retail $55 (www.batterystation.com...)
Manufactured by Pelican Products (www.pelican.com)
Last updated 04-16-04




The Pelican M6 LED is the next step up from the Pelican M6 Incandescent. Instead of an incandescent bulb, the M6 LED uses a 1.2 watt Luxeon LED in concert with its stippled (textured) reflector to produce its beam. The M6 LED feeds from two CR123A lithium cells (included), drawing 485mA from them.

The Luxeon LED appears to be a high-dome, or lambertian type emitter.

The M6 LED comes in a mostly aluminum body with knurling (texturising) on the barrel to help aid in grip, and has a red rubbery texturised button on the tailcap to operate it.


SIZE



To use your M6 LED, take it out of the package, load the included batteries into it (see below), and then you'll be ready to light up the night.

Press the red button on the tailcap partway in and hold it that way for momentary (signalling) mode; release pressure on the tailcap to turn your M6 LED back off.

Press the red button in more firmly and then release to get continuous operation; press it the same way again to turn it off. There is no "click" sound or sensation, so you simply press firmly and then release the button.

The M6 LED is equipped with a LOTC (Lock Out TailCap). To use it, turn the tailcap two full turns counterclockwise (as if loosening it). The M6 LED will now not come on at all, even if something presses against the switch in storage or transport. Turn the tailcap two full turns clockwise (as if tightening it) to disengage it and make your M6 LED ready to use normally again.



To change the batteries in your Pelican M6 LED, unscrew the tailcap, and set it aside. Tip the two used CR123A cells out of the barrel, and dispose of or recycle them as you see fit. Insert two new CR123A cells into the barrel, button-end (+) positive first, then screw the tailcap back on.

The M6 LED consumes 485mA from its lithium cells, as measured on the 2A scale of my DMM.

Here's the battery chart for it:



As you can see, it runs for about two hours to the half-intensity point, then starts to whirl down the commode. The box the flashlight comes in specifies a battery runtime of 40 hours, and the instructional material inside reads that the flashlight would become significantly dimmer after 4 hours. Looks like that happens at about 2 hours here. The test itself ran for just a hair under 6 hours.

Another user of this flashlight reports getting less than three hours of good brightness before it really starts dropping off.



The M6 LED appears to be quite durable, and should easily withstand drops, falls, bumps, bangs, and other flashlight accidents. After being whapped against a steel rod 10 times (5 on the barrel, and 5 on the head), there is no visible damage, and the flashlight continues to function properly. The flashlight can be dropped, stepped on, sat on, and probably even run over and it should not be damaged - at least not optically and electrically.

The M6 LED appears to be weather-resistant, and at very minumum, water-resistant too. I removed the tailcap, relieved the flashlight of its batteries, and suctioned the barrel. No air was admitted. I also suctioned the switch, and no air was admitted there either. So you should have no problems at all using the M6 LED in the rain or snow, and falls into shallow water should not do it in either. There are O-rings sealing the head and tailcap, and they appear to be doing their job in this flashlight.

The switch button on the tailcap is colored red, so you should be easily able to tell it apart from the Pelican M6 incandescent, if you have the two flashlights stored or sat on a shelf together. And if you receive a Pelican M6 LED with a black switch cap (as it might be in the future), it reads "PELICAN M6 LED" on the side of the barrel, so you can still tell them apart without looking at the business-end or turning them on.

The flashlight is available in a matte silver finish or a matte black finish. I believe this finish is a type II anodizing. The barrel of the flashlight is knurled (texturised), and the head and tailcap have an octoganal (8-sided) profile; both aiding in retention (the ability to hold the flashlight when your hands are cold, wet, or oily). There are two O-rings on the front of the barrel, just behind the head. These O-rings are there either to use as spares for the ones inside the head and tailcap, or to improve an already good grip on the flashlight itself.

The octagonal profile of the bezel and tailcap also function as an anti-roll device; so when you lay the flashlight on its side on a surface that isn't perfectly level, it won't just summarily roll away from you. An anti-roll device is handy to have on a flashlight like this.


Here's a picture of the LED in the flashlight's business end.
The M6 LED produces a white beam, with no yellow, blue, purple, or "rotten dog urine green" anywhere in it. The beam *does* have a slight yellowish-green tinge to it when compared with other Luxeon flashlights, but it still looks "white" when shone by itself. If you just grabbed the flashlight and started blasting it around, you would not even notice this slight color tint.

The M6 LED has a stippled (texturised) reflector. This produces a superb beam, with no dark spots, blotches, or other artifacts in it at all. The central hotspot transitions quickly but smoothly to the outer coronaa, and there are no beam defects in this transitional area or the corona itself either.

The M6 LED comes with a sturdy feeling Cordura nylon belt holster. The flashlight fits in the holster bezel up (tailfirst); an insert at the bottom of the holster prevents the switch on the flashlight from activating. The flashlight fits into the holster fairly tightly, and the snap closure at the top also has a tight fit. You have to make a concerted effort to pull the top down over the flashlight head to get it snapped in place. Although it's a bit on the difficult side (at least at first), it's not impossible to do by any means.
Since I do not own or use pants that require a belt, I cannot test this accessory in the manner in which it was intended to be used.



Beam photo at ~12".
Measures 640,000mcd with two disposable lithium cells.
Measures 210,000mcd with a Pila 168S rechargeable cell.
Both measurements were taken on a Meterman LM631 light meter.



TEST NOTES:
Sample was provided by Kevin at The Battery Station, and was received on 04-12-04.
Test unit came with two extra sets of batteries - thank you Kevin! Guess I know what I need to do here...fire up my computerised battery destroying satanic robot death machine (a charting DMM, a computer, some wires, a solar cell, and a couple of pieces of computer software) and do a battery discharge chart when I get a chance.


UPDATE: 00-00-00



PROS:
Really bright for a 1.2 watt Luxeon LED flashlight
Tough and durable construction
Feels good in the hand


CONS:
Battery life is misrepresented on the box and in the instructional material
Tailcap switch has no "click" sensation to it
Bright red button on the tailcap is a bit "too much", but Pelican is phasing it out and this will not figure into my rating at all.


    MANUFACTURER: Pelican Products
    PRODUCT TYPE: Small handheld flashlight
    LAMP TYPE: 1.2 watt Luxeon LED
    No. OF LAMPS: 1
    BEAM TYPE: Narrow spot with dimmer corona
    SWITCH TYPE: Pushbutton on/off/momentary on tailcap
    BEZEL: LED and reflector protected by plastic window
    BATTERY: 2x CR123A cells
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: 485mA
    WATER RESISTANT: Yes
    SUBMERSIBLE: Unknown
    ACCESSORIES: 2 batteries, Cordura nylon pouch
    WARRANTY: Lifetime

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star RatingStar Rating





Pelican 2330 M6 LED * www.pelican.com






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