BriteStrike Lights – Review

These BriteStrike lights are an affordable solution for those needing a tactical style pocket light.

I was busy spending a nice afternoon watching some streaming videos on the Panteo Productions web site (shameless plug) and came across one of the instructors using a BriteStrike hand-held white light.  At first I thought, great, another $300 flashlight that does what every other one does.  However in this case I was pleasantly surprised.  As I was checking out the BriteStrike website, I found their Blue Dot line of Mil/LE lights and decided they looked good enough to try.  Two days later, I had both BD-198-MH and a BD-180-MH lights in hand and ready for me to abuse.

Momentary activation is achieved by pressing on the blue rubber cover for the activation switch. The light may also be fixed on by pressing directly in the middle of the switch.

The 198 is part of a 2, 123A Lithium cell series of lights that are available with basic on/off switching all the way up to those complicated strobe types that you need a degree from MIT in order to operate.  Seriously, they have other switching options based on the same platform. Being a bit simple, I opted to keep things easy for myself and went with the basic Momentary Activation (MH) light.  I like being able to control the light by simply pushing on the blue switch on the rear of the light.  I can maintain the light in the on position by pressing directly into the middle of the activation switch, but that requires some work, which is a feature I like.

The 2 cell Model 198 light is 5inches long while the single cell Model 180 is only 3.5 inches in overall length. Both use the 123A Lithium battery.  For those who prefer the syringe method, they  included two flat sides and kept the clip out of the way!

The 180 model is the little brother of the 198 and runs on a single cell.  Both are made of very nicely machined aluminum bodies with all the rubber grommets in the proper places to make them water resistant.  I did drop the 198 in a sink full of water and left it there for 10 minutes.  i saw no bubbles coming out while it was swimming and I didn’t have to dry the insides out afterwards.  Most importantly, it still worked which when it comes to a water test is good enough for me.  If you find yourself helo-casting into the surf on a regular basis, I would recommend more substantive testing.

The bodies of both lights have two flat sides for those of you partial to the syringe method, while the rest of the light is covered with all sorts of mildly aggressive serrations. Now this is not blood donor quality checkering, but it certainly makes it easy to hold onto the light with wet or otherwise soiled hands.  The quality carries through in both the finish and the fit of the parts and since both lights came with Cree bulbs I expect them to hold up very well over time.  So far they both have held up well being dropped from 6 feet on both concrete and wood floors.

The aluminum body of these lights is covered with grip enhancing machined surfaces while the bezel is shaped to be more persuasive in nature.

The rest of the light body is completed with crenel like cuts to provide persuasion surfaces for those up close and personal discussions.  The activation switch crown is such that is doesn’t interfere with operation or cause discomfort to the end user.  I even had a few soft-handed folks try this out ahead of time just to be sure it wouldn’t bother people with fewer calluses than the rest of us.

The lights stay tightly clipped to the pocket lip or on MOLLE straps via the spring steel pocket clip.  The clip itself is held in place using a couple of machine screws.  I opted to reinforce those with a few drops of good old-fashioned red Loc-Tite.  What I really like about these clips is that they are easily removed if you so desire, but appear to be much stronger and much simpler than quite a few others I have had to deal with.  My biggest problem is that over time the clips become weak and break leaving me with a sharp edge where the clip used to be, and no clip.  I am hoping that the people at BriteStrike have solved this problem for me.

Overall, these are some excellent lights.  The company itself offers a wide range of lights, including some high speed IR stuff so I would encourage you to check out their web site at http://www.brite-strike.com/

These lights are made by professionals, for professionals and the quality shows in each piece.  Most importantly of all, they are affordable.  I purchased both lights through Amazon and paid $89.49 for the single cell 180 model and $97.39 for the 2 cell 198 model.  There was no shipping cost, thanks to Amazon Prime. (shameless plug #2)  The other models and variations will range in pricing, but I think you would be hard pressed to find a high quality light such as either of these for under $100.

Specifications

I have numerous lights that use the Cree LED bulbs.  They are both tough and long lasting.  The manufacturer lists the bulb life at 100,000 hours.  As with all manufacturers’ claims, including those above, I take them with a grain of salt.  When set side by side with my Surefire E2 Aviator and E1E both of the BriteStrike lights out did the Surefire lights.

Accessories such as colored lens filters, remote switches, holsters and SWAG are also available through either their website or through the BriteStrike distributor network.  Take a look at what they have to offer, you may be surprised and you may even save some cash.