L-5 Imaging Product Reviews and SAR Ops
L-5 Imaging Product Reviews and SAR Ops
Jim Armstrong and channel background: The majority of videos in this channel involve detailed evaluations of outdoor products such as flashlights and headlamps. I perform Search and Rescue as a private contractor and my focus is wilderness night operations. Reviews focus on actual field use of each product from a Search and Rescue perspective. Many reviews are performed over the course of several months and more than one video; they feature extensive use of products in realistic settings.
I an ex-bodyguard and volunteered for the Carrollton, TX PD from 2014 to 2023. I also volunteer for the Denton Police Academy and the US Forest Service, specializing in the LBJ Grasslands in Alvord, TX. Much of my personal views on gear are from a LE and private Security perspective. I have trained with a Force Recon Marine in both executive protection and SAR Ops since 2014.
I am also a drone pilot and action videographer.
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Gotta say thank you. I've watched quite a few videos about this light. I watched it ALL. I will say this: "If you don't have the mental aptitude to understand the features/functions/features just buy a $30 light". This thing is amazing. They thought of everything!
Glad you found the field test helpful. Good luck to you.
Tiny but mighty! Bought me one today. I absolutely love it
Enjoy. I'm still using mine :)
What's that floodlight your using man?
Glad you caught the guy
Very interesting and useful test. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks. Glad you found the field test helpful.
Can we access the red directly?
No.
Did you do side by side comparison with nitecore MH25Pro? If not, can you do...?
I don't have the bandwidth for such a test at this time unless it is of interest to SAR Team members. I am only creating content for the private community due to some life issues that have created a substantial demand on my time. Thank you.
Best review test! 👍From BR.
Thank you. I'm glad you found the field test helpful.
I love this light. It’s my primary EDC light, more than enough for EDC usage. I always keep my PD36R pro in my pack though for situations where I know I’ll need longer run times.
I'm stuck between buying this light or the nitecore tiny monster 28
Hmmm ... any way you can afford both? The TM series (if I recall correctly) tends to be more floody, so is that what you're looking for?
Great test! Thank you.
Thanks. Glad you found it helpful.
If you may do the wurkkos ts23 and the edc 35 please and thank you,
Thank you, but I am not doing any new public reviews at this time. Any new videos will be strictly for the private community. That's all I have time to keep up with due to family issues and training activities. The EDC 35 field test is already on the channel. There is a video for the private community where you can see the stress test that killed it :)
It's the hands down best throwing medium size flashlight for $100. This is an OUTSTANDING creation by mankind.
duel tail switches and a side switch make NO sense!! This model should have the rear switches only! The charging port cover is terrtible and they should have addressed this issue before they released these torches!! This company has potential but needs better designs IMO...
Also the medium at 130 to high at 820 is way to big of a gap! There should be a 350-400 mode in between which would give this torch much better runtime...
Thanks for everything you do in Search and Rescue
Great review sir, I’m going to take this this light on a sólo camping Mission in Big Sur California back Country. My lights on on its way after watching your video. I know it’s more than enough.
Hope it works out well for you. Please share your actual experiences as it may help others with similar use cases. Thank you.
Wow, impresionante vídeo, sin duda el mejor que he visto, saludos desde Argentina
Thank you.
Sad to hear what happened ,very best wishes from Hungary and I think from every person who watched your tests, very good , worthy works. All the best and waiting for the time when you come back again!
Thank you!!! You can always join the SAR Team and stay current :)
Had this light for a few weeks now and really like it so far. Solid construction, nice slim form factor and good output spacing but the real selling point for me was the throw from this thing with a small diameter head. The only thing I don't like is the user interface. Would like to be able to activate the light from the side switch, but the main issue for me is not having a shortcut to turbo from a lower mode. I think this is an important feature for a tactical style light. Acebeam had a much better UI on some of their previous lights with the tail switch being single mode turbo from off or on and other modes accessed via the side switch with mode memory. In this setup I also like having a press and hold shortcut to ultra low from the side switch. For me this is the best UI for this style of light making it much more versatile. Alternatively they could have included a selectable "tactical mode" to remove mode memory and always default to turbo from off. This way you always know what mode the light will come on in and a shortcut to turbo from lower modes (click off, turbo). Just my preference but I always like to be able to get to the highest output of a light quickly at any time.
A good practical test.
Thanks. This one was fun :)
Very good
Thank you. This was my favorite of the three exercises.
Nice!
Thank you. Glad you liked it.
@@L5-SAR I Will buy one because your Review!
I'm always glad to help people decide on the best gear for them. Good luck to you!
Hahah your comedic input is well executed 😂 you are one of the best field testers on KZread keep them coming!
Thank you. Unfortunately, I must take care of some serious family issues in the short term so public reviews are on hold. I only have bandwidth to produce content for the SAR Team (private community) at present.
Good test. How it performed on an actual hike.
Thanks. There are two more field tests of this pack on the channel including a six-hour test.
Thanks for the review, does the battery percentage display turn off after a while? Would be annoying to have it on all night while charging my phone.
If memory serves, yes it does. Thank you.
@@L5-SAR I see, I notice you have the newer version where the power button is touch rather than a physical button. Any issues with getting it to register with wet/greasy fingers? And does long pressing to activate low current mode still work?
Well, it's kind of sort of a button, but it's very flush with the power bank. I have not had a problem with sweaty hands - it was raining and humid before and during the field test. I also have a habit of pressing with the side of my fingernail, which is a technique I use with small switches and light gloves. YMMV. Thank you.
@@L5-SAR So it's still a physically indentable button?
Yes, barely.
Hi, when working at night, I always brought 2 or 4 flashlight with me but I always edc the wurkkos wk03/sofirn sc18 with me. Pocket friendly, nice spill and throw. I also edc baton 4 on my sling bag.
I like the idea of carrying multiple lights. I generally have at least two on me at all times. Good luck to you!!
@@L5-SAR yes, me too. A thrower and flood. Good luck to you too. Keep safe
Like the way you think!
Excellent review
Thanks. Glad you found it helpful.
Kudos to Sofirn for adding Buck drivers to their flashlights, I refuse to buy another flashlight unless it has a Buck driver. Thanks for the review.
Thanks. Glad you found it helpful.
Another excellent review hope to see more of your Vids in the future you'd be sadly missed keep up the good work and thanks for all the awesome flashlight Vids over the yrs 💯☘️👍
Thanks. I'll probably produce a couple a month for the SAR Team (private community). Not sure about public reviews. I will likely, however, go back to the roots of the channel and only field test products that I might use in SAR or run-and-gun/action videography.
Confirmation of the Buck driver was provided by Barry @Sofirn, who provided a discount code (10BDIF24) for Amazon purchases: www.amazon.com/promocode/A76EKFDE6BO5R . Code will be valid until 6/5/2024. I could use the light while charging, but only on Low output. Hope you find this information helpful. And, once again, thanks for 3 1/2 years!
Love it. More!!
Had mine about week..its nice but gets very hot and dulls down after a half hour or so. Its a great lite though...
:)
To me this guy sounds a bit like Hank Hill. That’s really not a bad thing though.
Who do you think does those voiceovers :)
Thanks very much for this video. Very much convinced that this tiny repel will give me protection against the mosquitoes! Greetings from The Netherlands.
Glad you found the field test helpful. Thanks.
Thank you Jim for another thorough review! I was a bit disappointed that the Sofirn IF24 did not have a powerbank feature. I recall, and see a reference, that the IF23 did have that feature. That would have been another reason to carry this flashlight either as a main or supplemental light. Good luck with your mother. Dementia is a tough thing to handle. I've donated to that cause. My mom suffered from that, late in life, after having a practically eidetic memory for many details.
Thank you very much. My mom was a teacher and always sharp as the proverbial nail, so it's been difficult to deal with the downslide.
Great light and examples. I just ordered one because of your video. Thank you.
Hope you enjoy it!
Good thing I'm on the SAR TEAM :)
Indeed. Thanks for your support of the channel.
The SRT7 is an excellent light. It is the only Nite core flashlight that will operate normally while it is charging. Together with the Shargeek power pack, I've been able to keep it on the entire night at 1000+ lumens, to illuminate a night hike. All other flashlights were at 200 lumens max - in order to stretch battery life for the entirety of the night. Thank you for your great review. Greetings, Anthony
This is my favorite edc/ Tactical Light, About 2 minutes of strait Turbo from this light is Fantastic ✌️✌️
Anything else you like about it? Others might want to know. Thank you.
Quality is Top. Very bright for the size... Low mode is preety bright, more than enough for night walks and Great Runtime, the button is solid and not easy to accidental start, momentary on, instant turbo, the clip is very strong, Steel bezel is a plus... Sft-40 is one of my favorite led-s. I wish it could switch the modes from the tail-switch. Other than that is a beautiful Light. its a must have for everyone. My favorite edc/ Tactical Light.
Thanks for your feedback.
I got a small scratch on my bezel, i don't know how, i was careful with the watch, can't imagine how i got it. Do you have the same problem?
No, and I bump into a lot of stuff out in the field. Good luck getting it fixed or replaced.
This is how I want flashlight reviews to be! It really shows the useability of every mode. Those are some gold runtimes! Once again, thank you for another quality review ❤
Thanks. Glad you found it helpful.
That looks like I'm right there. I want more!!
I hear ... and obey :)
Another excellent honest in depth review a very useful flashlight from Sofirn well done 💯☘️👍
Thank you. Hopefully fitting for one of the final public field tests on the channel :)
Wow!
Thanks. I had to wait for over half an hour for the Sun to get in the right position and then had about a two-minute window for the best shot.
how long that last longer if you contine to use it?and do you sastisfied
I have not had a chance to run a battery endurance test on that specific model. Thank you.
Wow~~I like this model😍
Jim, i think i passed you with your red headlamp on at the bridge last night just below the playground at AHs. My wife and I are snowbirds from WI and we met you a year or so ago at AHs. Your channel reviews and occasional critter encounters got me going with the use of tactical lights for critter spotting. During search and rescue, are the chaps on the legs to protect you not only from thorns bushes but also snake bites? Keep up the helpful reviews my friend.
Great to hear from you again. Those are Snake Guardz Gaiters, so they are quite capable of bite protection from a variety of slithery critters :)