Flashlight technology has been improving drastically year over year since I was a kid. Thinking back, a flashlight must have been one of the most primitive mobile gadget we've all played with as kids (ie. camping, blackouts, sleepovers, etc...). I've always wanted to learn more about them and have been slowly collecting a small set of Maglites (2A, 2D LED, 3D) over time.LED flashlights are in demand because it tends to draw a more intense lighting and in most cases uses less energy than traditional bulbs. Top of the line LED modules combined with high capacity lithium batteries can produce some serious lighting that our law enforcement officers rely on.
When Pelican released their new 7060 LED flashlight, I thought I would get my hands on a unit and step up to the big league. My first impression with Pelican's 7060 is that it isn't as compact has I thought it would be. Standing next to my 2D Maglite shows that its about 1" shorter and obviously more skinny. Considered a tactical flashlight, it is composed of hard plastic with grenade grip. Pelican outfitted this flashlight was an astounding 130 Lumen of lighting power,
much higher than most of their competitors on the market (usually between 80 to 90 Lumen). The 7060 comes pre-charged right out of the box and first thing I did was to turn it on, and boy this flashlight means business. I was so impressed by its lighting, I ran into my daughter's room and turned off the lights (while my wife is changing her diaper), pointed my 7060 towards to ceiling which illuminated the entire room. This little flashlight lit up the entire room! Amazing!
I immediately pulled out the 2D LED Maglite and 3D Maglite for a comparison test; as you can see from the pictures below, the Pelican 7060 is the brightest hands down. I know I'm comparing Apples to Oranges seeing that I'm not using a Surefire or Fenix, but I will hopefully be able to arrange one soon. In the mean while, I've found some serious reviews from candlepowerforums.com for similar comparison.
Pelican 7060 makes it a good choice for those not wanting to deal with buying batteries as it comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and a docking station along with a belt holder. Basically, this model is ready for you right out of the box. The battery has a run time of about 1.5hr and takes about 4-5 hours to recharge. While Pelican offers a cool 2-way switch (one on the side and one towards the back), I would have liked to see a lower power output setting (ie. go down to 10-45-90 lumens and Strobe to allow the battery run time to go up to 5-10 hour range. Pelican recommends to replace the battery after 500 charge cycles and I believe the replacement battery costs about $40.
Overall, I am very impressed by Pelican 7060's lighting performance. It is a very solid flashlight and super bright. I can see why the LAPD would choose this flashlight for their officers to use. If anyone is in the market for a solid flashlight, I would highly recommend taking a closer look at this unit. BTW, at the time of writing, there are 26 reviews on Amazon.com ($101 Shipped) in total and all of them have 5-stars!Please find some photos of lighting comparison below (Left: 7060, Mid: 2D LED Mag, Right: 3D Maglite)
Beaming off the ceiling:
Beaming off the wall:
