Hunting Field Test - SureFire L4 LumaMax LED Flashlight

Archieved Hunting Product Field Test
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SureFire's L4 LumaMax LED Flashlight - Bright enough to qualify for tactical use.

A quote from SureFire's® literature is a good place to start the report on this test. "Constructed of aerospace grade aluminum with a rugged military specification hard-anodized finish, and powered by two lithium batteries (10-year shelf life), the L4 LumaMax features a five-watt LED (Light Emitting Diode) and the extended runtime typical of LED flashlights. With a maximum light output of 65 lumens, the L4 is the first LED flashlight bright enough to qualify for tactical use."..."The L4 produces 65 lumens of light output for over an hour and useful light for over three hours."... and "can continue to produce negligible light output for over 100 hours".

But what does all this mean to you and me - hunters and fishermen. We all carry flashlights and rely heavily on them while we are in the outdoors. And probably like you, I was thrilled when the Maglite® flashlight hit the market. I finally had a quality, rugged, dependable, bright flashlight. I own two of them myself, a pocket version, the AA Mini Maglite and its big brother a 4 D-Cell Maglite. And they sure are brighter and more dependable then the old flashlights we used for years.

So when I first saw SureFire's ad I passed it off with a yawn. Certainly the world didn't need another aluminum cased flashlight.

Was I ever wrong!

Naturally the first thing I did when the L4 LumaMax arrived from SureFire was to take out my time tested Mini Maglite for comparison. Now this isn't fair to either light or company due to their price points. The Mini Maglite sells for about $10 while the SureFire L4 sells for about $160. Even so I think it is a comparison that like me, you will probably make.

The first thing I noticed was the heft - the weight. Both are two cell flashlights but the SureFire is a just bit lighter and shorter, even with its belt clip, and easier to grip. Then I turned them both on. That ended the comparison.

The brightness and purity of light with the SureFire L4 LumaMax is extraordinary. What the halogen bulb did to flashlights years ago - SureFire does again with their digitally controlled LED lights. They have moved the light bar up and out of reach for now.

The L4 LumaMax doesn't have a variable width beam - but it doesn't need one. The SureFire L4 shows me that the purpose of a variable width beam on other flashlights is to make up for a lack of brightness by focusing all available light in a confined beam. The L4 LumaMax is so bright that it has no need for this "feature". And there are no dark spots or rings in the SureFire's beam - just an evenly lit, very bright wash of light.

There is also a full line of accessories available for the SureFire L4 LumaMax including holsters, filters and of course spare lithium batteries - an absolute must to take along with the flashlight. There are a load of other features not reviewed here, I encourage you to visit their web site to learn more.

So, much to my surprise and pleasure, the world did need another aluminum cased pocket flashlight, one built to a very high level of skill and expertise, setting a new standard of excellence in flashlight design. We got one in the SureFire L4 LumaMax - which will now take over the hallowed place of riding in the center console of my pickup truck, ready to provide illumination for all my driving and outdoor needs.

Phil Whittemore - International Hunter & Angler
President, BlueWaterBigGame.com, LLC

Visit their Web Site for more information.

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