I bought one of those little Main Beam flashlights a few monthes ago and it blew me away. Wens showed it to me. He was so impressed that they sell them on their site. Open the website and watch the short You-Tube demo clip there. It fits in your shirt pocket, has great battery life and a lifetime guarantee. I see ads for other hunters flashlights with a whopping 80 lumens. This one throws 215 lumens at half the cost. I got tired of the rechargable fading out on me at the worst times. This little job you can carry anextra battery and stay out for hours Watch the demo clip. Seeing is believing.
web page (http://www.brothersofthebow.com/)
WOW that looks great!!!! i like my scorpion but that thing looks nice, i like the different power settings for just walking around.
one question. is there an option to just turn the thing off without cycling threw all of the different power settings to turn it off ?
Thanks Biggie. I use (d) a mini Mag lite for years but have been wondering if there was something better. Do you have enough experience with this to tell me how this compares.
a)regarding weight / size
b)regarding the cost / size etc, availability
of batteries used (does this take a special
weird size or type?)
c) amount of actual light it puts out
Thanks
ChuckC
Guess I shoud have visited the site first. It describes all the above on the site. Might need to look into this one.
ChuckC
I've got one question: where is the on/off button located? If it's in the rear like a Streamlight, I don't want it. Since when did folks start walking around holding their little pen-lights like a Georgia Highway Patrolman on Saturday night with a 4-D cell MagLite? A button in the rear just irks me for some reason...and just isn't ergonomic for one-handed operation with a pen-light. Big MagLite, yes...pen-light, no.
I saw these at the PBS banquet this year and they were great! I've got one on order.
Goose
i got mine a couple of weeks ago...it compares very favorably (to me) with the Surefire line of lights...it is more compact & packs a powerful beam....i wish they came in bright colors though cause i have a tendency to lay mine down...
Looks interesting, but no mention of battery life at upper two settings. I would like to know those......plenty of long lasting lights at low lumen settings.
Tom: Please quit using those big words like "ergonomic". I had to go look it up. The off/on switch is recessed at the back so you can sit the unit upright like a candle if desired. I own two Surefires and one Streamlight that I don't even use since I found the Main Beam. Frankly, no comparison. In all honesty the off/on switch on the shaft of my Streamlight was one of the things I didn't like. I was constantly rotating the shaft in the dark trying to find the button. The rear switch is always in the same place. And I can turn it on/off with one hand, eyes closed, in about one second flat. Also, PM22.. no, you don't have to cycle through different settings to turn it off. If you turn it onto the lower setting then soft-touch the button to increase the lumens, when you turn it off it automatically goes back to the original lower, energy saving setting. The high technology and functions of this little light blow me away. Thanks for your interest. BW
I thought he told the hours per lumens on that clip....guess I'll watch it again.
Also, you can get you some bright tape to wrap it in if you want to be able to find it easier.
Yes...the button is in the back, but recessed so it wont get turned on by touching something else in your pack.
I bought one of the SPOT at PBS, and this light kicks BOOTY!!!!!
Looks like I was posing the same time Barry was....and yes, the hours per lumens IS on that clip.
Wow, that light is impressive! Looks like it was made with military and law enforcement in mind. I've owned quite a few flashlights from respectable brands when I was in the military. I thought my 160 lumen Insight technology was as bright they come, other than some Surefire specialty stuff. Being as bright as it is with almost the same features offered by the Blackhawk Gladius, this light beats them hands down. Well at least from what I've read and seen in the demo. Not sure about durability, but I intend to find out. And at a fraction of the cost! Can't beat it. I'll pass the word along to my Marine and Army buddies. BTW, here is a warning to anybody that attempts to look at one of these straight on to "check out how bright it is". You will literally be blind for about 10-15 seconds and it will be worse at night. Add the strobe effect and you will get dizzy.
BobW: The You-Tube Demo on our website (listed above) does mention the battery life at the upper settings. From low to high: 12 Lumens lasts for 65 hours; 53 Lumens lasts for thirteen hours straight; 120 lumens lasts just under five hours; 215 lumens just under two hours. We don't recommend you keeping it on the 215 lumens for more than ten minutes straight in order for it not to heat up too much. The lower settings are usually all you need for 90% of it's work anyway. But the 215 lumens are there if needed. The complete demo is at: www.brothersofthebow.com. (http://www.brothersofthebow.com.) Thanks. bw
i think i will buy one.
i hate having the on/off on the shaft of a light for the exact reason Barry mentioned. and because i just toss my light in my ruck sack and i keep mashing them turning on the light with the shaft on/off.
i don't carry my like a highway patrolman just mash the back and carry it any way you want, easy as pie.
if you look around you can get the battery's for this light for $.79 a piece, they aren't quite as good as the duracell but they are are 5 dollars a piece and aren't 5 times as worse either
Thanks Barry, I couldn't watch the video from the computer I am on.... darn work restrictions.....
those numbers are impressive!
I got one a couple of weeks ago. I haven't really used it yet, except to try it out and compare it with my little mini-mag that has an led bulb. I found the little mini-mag with the led bulb last year to be better than my full sized 3 c-cell Maglight for blood trailing at night. This new light will beat them all hands down, from what I saw during my "test." And, it is sooo small and compact, it is unbelievable!
MIke
"ergonomics" That's the study of money....Barry, you so dumb sometimes
Sounds good.
In case anyone is interested, Lowes has a task force 3gig led for $30. It has a lifetime warranty and something like 150 lumens.
Thanks for the info & Terry i'm so dumb i amaze myself sometimes....i just happen to have some of the fluorescent white arrow wraps from one of our sponsors lying around...trimmed down to size...magic...... :)
What is the light source in the flashlight? I assume it is not an LED but rather an inert gas bulb, but I can hope I am wrong. I looked everywhere on the website to find the answer but couldn't see anything that gave the information.
Allan
It must be (inert gas bulb), LED won't generate that kind of heat they are cautioning about.
High powered LEDs will generate enough far past your comfort level. I received a couple of first degree burns testing some combat lights.
Edit: Did a search on those flashlights. They are LED.
Great to hear they are LED. Thanks for the information.
Allan
The light source on the Main Beam is the Cree 7090 XR-E LED with a life of 50,000 hours. Thanks. bw
I just had a Ben Franklin fly out of my pocket and bought the light,headband, 6 batteries, battery holder and something else. My wife is cutting the yard right now so she won't catch me buying "another" flashlight....can't wait to give it a whirl
How does the rechargeable Cr123a compare against the Titanium Batteryies?
Any available right now as we type in english?
Steve
Would be real nice, they looked great on the youtube vids btw, for my September moose hunt.
We are loosing alot of daylight here fast.
Steve
Am I doing something wrong on trying to access the video. I tried twice and it came back with the message that the video is no longer available?
go to youtube.com itself, somebody has it up.
Steve
QuoteOriginally posted by joebuck:
How does the rechargeable Cr123a compare against the Titanium Batteryies?
Gotta be careful with those rechargeable Li-ion batteries. The voltage after a charge is more than a regular lithium 123 battery. They may be too much for the electronics to handle. I can't comment about the titanium.
They have a good price on those batteries too. With the removable little red lens cover, this Main Beam has replaced my WeetLight for coon hunting. They also sell a head strap to mount the light for hands free walking. Mike
Barry demonstrated his to me on the QBII trip and unlike some other over-hyped products, these little lights are as great as they seem to be! They have a lifetime guarantee too I believe so they should be pretty durable. I had two Browning LED's that didn't last a year. Mine should arive any day now.
Joebuck, I really hope this light improves your turkey hunting. I saw you shoot last year and well...again, maybe the light will help.
There was a problem earlier at YouTube that caused demo viewing problems for some. I think I have worked around it though. Try the link on this page: http://www.brothersofthebow.com/html/mainbeam.html
Well I hunt with Marty a lot and so I have TWO of these lights cause when you hunt with the Big M, you're gonna do a lot of tracking..........
We'll see tomorrow nite who's trackin! I'm gonna get one of those headband light holders for when Barry comes down and put it on Peanut! She ran half the night lookin for one of his good hits!
Peanut with a headlight on!!@#$%^&........you think that dog can find a dead hog now?
Have heard of candlewatts, but what is "Lumens"?
Zbone: Lumen is basically a measurement of light/ brightness. Visible power or light energy per unit of time is measured in lumens. Since "light" is visible energy, the lumen refers only to visible light. Now, I bet you're sorry you asked, right? ha. Sorry for the above answer. You have to realize I'm one of those guys that goes by the saying, "if it feels good.. do it." BW
Thanx Barry
I've got one, and it's one heck of a bright light in a very small package. If there's a better flashlight out there, I'd be very surprised.
Wow! Just tried this light out and compared it against my Mag. I put an LED bulb in my Mag last year and thought it was bright. This flashlight blows it away and it is extremely compact and light in comparasion. Great light and incredible customer service. Thanks for the heads up on this product Biggie.
Just wondering how does compare to the Rechargeable Mag lights??
Thats a helluva lot of money I just spent for a fancy candle Pop (oops I mean Uncle Barry).LOL.
I'm feelin safer already hiking in the dark to those Elk hidey-holes.
Mom says Hi!!
You know... I gotta stop reading this stuff. Gonna go broke quick.
ChuckC
well Barry. I just tried to order a set (light / batteries) but the site keeps getting locked in a loop telling me my city, state and zip code are absent or wrong.
Guess it knows where I live.
What's the next plan ?
ChuckC
Dry Creek, I don't know if you could even make a fair comparison. They're like two totally different lights.
Rechargeables were cool when they 1st came out cause they replace two d cells. These new lights last a longtime on the low setting and are still as bright as a maglite IMO. Plus, if you have to track something for Marty and the rechargeable goes out, you're screwed. The new light goes out, you can pop another nattery in and keep tracking. I put two batteries in my watch pocket.
Reminds me of the nite I shot a hog on the edge of the swamp. Biggie had just purchased a fancy new GPS unit of some kind. He had me ridin all the roads of the lease that day so he could mark them all on that machine. He said we were good, cause no matter where we were, he could get us to the closest road. Cool. So, like I said ,I shot this hog and picked up Biggie on the Buggy and came back with him to trail the hog.I usually leave the buggy running with the lights on, so that we can find our way out of the swamp back to the buggy. Well off we go and we find the hog and he says "I don't hear the buggy" I told him I shut it off cause if that new GPS Machine. He said "it's on the buggy". An hour and a half later we found the buggy. It was right where we left it. Anyway, we didn't have those new fancy lights then, but they woulda been nice.
I just got back in town tonight..package waiting on the counter for me......for the last hour we have had a big time in the Buchanan hosehold with this light on the Strobe setting with Globe on...my 3 and 6 year old boys have been grinding the "moves" to disco sounds with our lights off..........my wife said "i don't know what you paid for that light but it's already worth it!".....( I didn't tell her Marty bought it for me!)......thanks Marty and Gene and Barry........"Everybody was Kong Fu Fighting, Those Cats were fast as lighting.YA!!!!!!!!"
Ok....that last post was worth reading the previous 4 pages!
Kevin
HA! joebuck
Just ordered one myself from brothersofthebow.com. Any idea how fast they ship them?
Steve
Hope Berry is around, kinda stupid of me to order during hunting season :knothead:
I've been using the 2AA version of these for about a year and a half and it's my most used light. Almost free to run on rechargeble AA batteries and smaller than a mini-mag.
Gene and Barry got a good thing here for sure. :thumbsup:
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/maninbeamjpg1.jpg)
A great little flash light. It is replacing my Scorpion that was left at fishing camp and is now in my nephews hands. I ordered it on Thurs 8-7-08 and received it on Monday 8-11-08. At midnight I tried it out(in turbo mode)on the carport across the street from my house. I could see everything in the car port. We will see how it holds up during the next year.
AL :wavey:
I hope they shipped mine, did you get an email notice on you're order?
Steve
The Fenix Light is a dandy !! I obtained one from Barry W. in June on Bear Quest Bear Hunt in Quebec and it is very impressive to say the least.I have tried a number of the good ones from Mag-Lights to SUREFIRE over the years and the Fenix proved to be the best of them all !!
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!! I cant take it anymore!! I want one NOWWWWW!!! I just posted on another thread that i was always looking to be convinced to buy something new. This time it only took five minutes to be hornswagled! Haven't seen the video, but based solely on the feedback, I'll be getting one of these post-haste.
Thanks again,
Nathan
Any way to order by phone?? My "need it now" gene just hates to wait for the form to be mailed in, and then wait for the item to be shipped back.
I hold you all responsible, If you hadn't talked it up so much I could easily handle the wait.
Nathan
I try to ship orders the same day they come in but because of post office hours, they usually go out the day after we get the order. Phone orders are not much faster than email.
Those of you who had batteries back ordered, note we got hundreds in yesterday. They were all mailed out this kmorning. Thanks for being patient. All Alaskan orders have already been shipped.
I got mine in 2 days from regular mail..Brothers of the Bow is as fast as 3Rivers:)....I strongly advise the headband...great light
Woot, thanks Gene :thumbsup: I can't wait to get mine in.
Thanks for offering a great product at a great price :archer:
Steve
Just ordered mine! Looking forward to a great new tracking light.
Clay
I have read LOTS of GREAT reviews about the Fenix brand of lights. It seems they have caught and passed the BIG names of the Flashlight world like Surefire and Streamlight if for no other reason than PRICE! NO WAY you would get that kind of performance out of one of the BIG NAMES for the price this thing is being sold for.
I have a few different lights and one LED, the 3 AA cell Mini Mag. It is a surprising light that works very well for the money. I like it. I know it's no where near this one though.
One thing I would like to know is how far will it throw a beam? With my 60 Lumen XENON lights I can easily illuminate an object at 100 yards or so. With my 3 AA cell Mini Mag that distance probably comes down to maybe 30 yards. The LED lights have caught XENON in terms of brightness up close, but the LED's I have checked out can't throw a beam nearly as long as a comparable XENON bulb.
Can anyone attest how far this great little light will project a beam? On it's HIGHEST setting, how far could you shine it on something where you could recognize what it was?
Thanks for the info.
Nala
Looks pretty slick. Wonder how they take heat, looks like it'd make a good work light for me to.
Just an FYI for everyone... I looked around, and this is as good a price as you'll find for this light.
Nala asked how far it can project a beam to identify something. How far is the moon? :>)
If I get time, I'll go out in the yard tonight after dark and see how far I can read a newspaper with the light coming in over my shoulder. It lights up a sign WAY up the road from my house but that sign is reflective. Let me put it this way, its all the light I'll ever need for hunting and its not much bigger than my finger.
I can't wait to get mine in.
thanks again :notworthy:
Steve
Well I went outside just now (11:10PM). The moon was behind heavy cloud cover so it was very dark out. I had my wife shine the flashlight at me from behind. I could read a newspaper (standard print, not headlines) quite easily from what I paced off as 67 long paces. I'm sure I could have gone further but I ran out of lawn and didn't want to get wet.
WOW!
67 LONG paces? who did that for you?
I tried to do it alone. When I held the light and put the newspaper out there I couldn't read it much past about six feet away because the print got too small. bw
Couldn't stand not trying one out for myself! Purchased mine this morning. I have been a big streamlight scorpion fan for many years. Until now, it is the only fashlight I use. So, we'll see how the fenix light compares. Looks like it offers everything we hunters could ask for in a light.
Quiver,
Let us know how they compare, we have used a Streamlight Scorpion for the past two years too. Love the 80 lumens, but hate the 1.5 hr battery life. We use it on momentary when we can to conserve. Walk in with a LED headlamp and use the Scorpion to sort things out if ya get a little turned around or lost for a moment. Scorpion will light up your stand hanging on a tree when you are 50 yds away and cannot see it with the LED headlamp and save you from, "searching ", for your stand those last 50yds or so.
nocams
For all you guys who use regular headlamps, because the Main Beam is only a couple oz. it'll ride perfectly in the optional headband. Watch the demo tape. Also note the longevity of the different lumens/brightness options. I've had guys tell me they wear two units with headbands, one on each side of their foreheads, for an incredible amount of light for hours. And when it gets daylight you can actually carry both lights AND both headbands in one shirt pocket. Very impressive. bw
Barry- What's all this lumen talk? Every one knows the lumen is the large intestine and can be used for sausage casings. :>) Mike
Can anyone tell me if this light is available with a pocket clip option? Internet connection is too slow to view the YouTube video. I find this feature quite handy on flashlights. Thanks.
Barry, i really like that 2 headlight on one headband idea. That way you could mount one facing forward and the other facing backwards. This way you can turn around real Quick and see where you have been. :rolleyes: also people following you will not know if your walking right at them or backwards real fast.
Just got mine in today, first impression is that it is the best dang flashlight I ever owned.
One question though, how do you attach the lanyard?
I can't wait to test it out in the dark.
thanks Gene :notworthy:
Steve
Good question Steve. Any help on this one?
Yeah, I took a "twisty tie", made it into a "U", put the string hole on it, then pushed both ends of the twisty "U" through the hole in the flashlight handle then pulled the tie/string through. OR you can catch the point of a pin on the thread then push it through. I hope that helps.
Thanks Curveman/Steve. Great idea. I always knew you were a lot smarter than you look! BW
Great flashlight Barry, I can't say enough about it. I'll give a full report on how it preforms in real hunting conditions when I get back from my "vacation" hunting trip.
Shipping out on the 31st, I can't wait.
Steve
Thanks Steve. We appreciate the feedback. It's nice to be able to recommend something when it's a good value and a great product for our brother bowhunters. Have a good hunt. BW
at just under two hours @ the 215 lumens its still beating almost every other light. My surefire 9P puts out 120 with 3 of those batteries and only gets an hour which is the standard for most powerful lights. I wish I could get one in time for my hog hunt this weekend.
Just put in order for the whole thing! headband,red lens, extra batterys.
I'm always getting lost in those WV mountains :scared:
Dan
Well, GREAT customer service. Ordered two lights late last week and they arrived Monday afternoon. First impression is the Fenix is light weight, fits well in the hand, and unbelivably powerful. I like having the option of low light versus "intense" Turbo Mode. This light appears to have a college degree and is likely smarter than most of its users. :) Head band works well too. I'll keep the Streamlight as my backup and the Fenix is now my GO TO light!
I have given mine a whirl for 4 nights now and I just ordered another one. I don't need it but I'm scared of losing the first one...CYA..
I just got mine and this puppy ROCKS!!
WOW!!! Ordered mine on the 19th and received it today!!
Ive got to say that it lives up to the hype then some :thumbsup:
Dan
I just got mine and it looks like it will be a big help bloodtrailing hogs this winter in Florida. I go with a group of friends and there is always a couple of marginal hits that we need to bloodtrail through the thick brush at night. The only hope you have is a good flashlight and I've had my stinger go out after following up for an hour and had to go to another flashlight. This flashlight will let me carry one bloodtriling instead of the three I've been carrying since they wouldn't last more than an hour.
The more I pay for a flashlight the faster it disappears, I buy a cheap one and I have it until I decide its time to throw it away. I don't know where all my flashlights have gone, but I hope if I ever find them, they are with all my right hand gloves and elk calls!
Just a heads up on traveling with lithium batteries. you are limited to two nonrechargeable lithium batteries and you must have them in the flashlight in your carryon only.
I have been meaning to order one of these...thanks for the reminder. I just placed the order!
i ordered 3 today can`t wait!
Man - this really pumps me up - sounds and looks like a REAL flashlight - finally. On top of that, a lot of folks whose opinions I have come to respect on here and other forums (not just the "in-famous" folks either - LOL) are saying great things about it. I can see I gotta start looking for pennies and aluminum cans, or something and order me one. (I have a Mini-Mag headband - always used one going in and out - will that hold it or is it a tad smaller?)
I got sucked into one of those curssed Carnivore lights false video about three years back, put out by a fine knife co, who should have stuck with knives. Some of you may recall how I blasted them (Gerber) for that fiasco on here and other forums - and some folks joined me. That venerable knife company could not have cared less, and as far as I know never offered any redress or (real) apologies to anyone. I still have and do not use the worthless thing. Last year a (active Duty Marine friend - Semper Fi) got me a Shure Fire light and while it is a pretty good light (and I appreciated it), it does have it's (time) drawbacks, and I wasn't quite as impressed with it as I recall being when they first came out (and I couldn't afford them). It could be a "lesser" model, or it could be these ol' eyes are getting worse - LOL - BUT THIS video is impressive and obviously not rigged, that I can discerne. I'm impressed.
Gotta have one!
Course so far this year I haven't even seen a Deer yet during shooting hours (just coming and going from/to hunting - LOL)and not getting out as much anymore, let alone needed to track one - But gotta have one anyway - just because it has gotta be the best REAL hunter's light yet - I'm convinced, and haven't even seen it (face to face) yet - (like the Deer - LOL).
Good job Wensels and Brothers of the Bow (you too Biggie, for starting the thread).
Expect one more order as soon as my ship comes in - LOL. BTW, Thank you to everyone else also for all the good comments, observations, and questions.