MANTIS CLAMP LAMP

Gerber Mantis Clamp Lamp, retail $24.95 (Texas Tactical Supply)
Manufactured by Gerber Legendary Blades (www.gerberblades.com)
Last updated 09-02-11




The Mantis Clamp Lamp is a light made by Gerber Legendary Blades, who bought out CMG (Course Made Good) earlier in 2004. CMG made some great products, we'll just see if Gerber carries this tradition on.

The Mantis has two LEDs in it; a 5mm white and a 5mm lensless (wide-angle) red.

There are three modes plus off which you can select with a push of the elastomeric pushbutton switch. If you wait ten seconds or so after selecting a mode, the next action will be "off", so you don't have to scroll through the remaining modes to turn your Mantis off.


SIZE



The Mantis is almost ready to use as soon as you receive it. Install the included batteries first (see below), and then you'll be ready to rock.

To use the Mantis, press and release the pushbutton on the top of the unit once to turn the white LED on, press and release it again to turn the wide-angle red LED on, press and release it again to blink the red LED at approximately 2Hz (two flashes per second, with a 50% duty cycle), and finally, press and release it again to turn the Mantis off.

If you have the Mantis in a certain mode for more than about ten seconds, it will turn off with the next press of the button, regardless of what mode it was in beforehand. This allows you to turn the Mantis off without any additional fanfare.

One thing the Mantis has that other lights don't is the ability to not only clip it onto something using the built-in clip (the jaws open to approximately 0.75" wide), it has built-in "accordion" segments that can be used to position the Mantis wherever you feel the need to aim it. These segments have very definite and stiff detents, so the Mantis will stay put no matter how you manipulate the segments beforehand.


This photograph shows the Mantis's accordion segments partially extended; the business-end of the Mantis is on the left, the clamp is on the right.



To change the batteries in your Mantis, remove the battery door by sliding it off the light, and set it aside.

Tip the two used AAA cells out of the body and into your hand, and dispose of or recycle them as you see fit.

Insert two new AAA cells into the compartments in the body for them, following the polarity diagram shown inside the Mantis, on the flat portion you expose by removing the battery door.
If the sticker is gone, hold the Mantis so the battery compartments face up and is closer to you than the other side of the light. Insert one AAA cell in the left hand compartment flat-end (-) negative first, and insert the other cell button-end (+) positive first.

Slide the battery door back on, and there, you're done.

Current measures 110mA with the white LED, and 113mA with the red LED.
So there's no significant difference between the LED colors.

According to the Gerber website, "the Mantis will last for over 40 hours steady-on and over 200 hours as an emergency beacon".



The Gerber Mantis appears to be at very minimum reasonably sturdy. I smacked it against a steel rod ten times, and did not cause any breakage or malfunctions.

One of the claims made by the Mantis is that it's heat-resistant, so you can clamp it to pots and pans to monitor food cooking outdoors. It is not totally heatproof though, so please do not clamp it directly to grills or place it in the fire, or you'll almost certainly be sorry and your buy to let insurance most likely won't cover it.
I cannot start a fire here though, so I can't be absolutely, positively, 100% certain about this.

More later...let me just get this web page uploaded and call it a night...



Beam photograph at ~12", white LED.
Measures 10,480mcd.



Beam photograph at ~12", red LED.
Measures 1,870mcd.
Remember, wider viewing angles always equal lower mcd values.

Both measurements were taken on a Meterman LM631 light meter.


Spectrographic analysis
Spectrographic analysis of the white LED in the Mantis.


Spectrographic analysis
Spectrographic analysis of the red LED in the Mantis.
Ocean Optics USB2000 Spectrometer on loan from TWO-CUBED.



TEST NOTES:
Sample was sent by William Z. of Texas Tactical Supply, and was received on 09-06-04.

Unit's web page at the Gerber Legendary Blades store.



UPDATE: 07-17-06
The "kittenstruck portion of feces mom flarking" (substitute for toilet words - the correct acronym is PWPOSMF) thing failed to function a short time ago when I went to perform a spectrographic analysis of it; the switch seems to have gone bad. I tried to take spectra a moment ago, and *was* successful this time. The Mantis does work if the switch is pressed *VERY, VERY LIGHTLY*; it otherwise appears to become stuck in the "on" position.


UPDATE: 07-18-06
I woke up early this morning (sometime in the 4:00am PDT hour) to the white glow of the Mantis; I had to remove the batteries from it. I just now reinstalled the batteries and played with the switch rubber (4:49pm PDT), tested it for proper operation, and now I'll just sit here and wait...


UPDATE: 07-19-06
I've waited nearly 24 hours for a malfunction now, and no malfunction has occurred. The unit actuates in all three modes in the manner intended, and I have to make a concerted effort to activate it, change modes, and deactivate it; that is, it doesn't just "go off" by itself, and a noticeably high force has to be applied to the switch to actuate it. The switch isn't super duper sensitive like it was the day before yesterday.


PROS:
Has both red and wide-angle white LEDs
Can be clipped to surfaces and directed (aimed) pretty much anywhere


CONS:
Seems to become broken for no apparent reason (see 07-17-06 update)
Not submersible; splash-resistant at minimum


    MANUFACTURER: Gerber Legendary Blades
    PRODUCT TYPE: Clamp light
    LAMP TYPE: 5mm LED (white, wide-angle red)
    No. OF LAMPS: 2
    BEAM TYPE: Varies depending on Mantis's mode
    SWITCH TYPE: Pushbutton on/off/mode switch on flashlight body
    BEZEL: LEDs protected by plastic window
    BATTERY: 2xAAA cells
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: 110mA (white), 113mA (red)
    WATER- AND PEE-RESISTANT: Yes, splash-resistant at minimum
    SUBMERSIBLE: NO WAY HOZAY!!!
    ACCESSORIES: 2xAAA Duracells
    SIZE: 3.13" L, 2.92" W, 1.13" D
    WEIGHT: 5.0oz. with batteries
    WARRANTY: Lifetime

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star Rating





Gerber Inferno Flexi-Light * www.gerberblades.com






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