Yep, I’m a sucker for flashlights. Even when they’re not strictly a flashlight. The Braun Pocket Floodlight is something I picked up on my last visit to the land of all things Chinesium, Harbor Freight. It cost $29.95 + tax.
Claims: 750 lumen light output, 4.5 hour recharge time, 360o rotatable head.
Likes: It uses an 18650 rechargeable battery that could be replaced when necessary if you’re a handy sort.
Magnetic base is quite strong, and holds the light in any orientation without slipping.
Three brightness levels.
Dislikes: None.
My impressions: The light seems to be solidly constructed. It doesn’t appear to have a lot of water resistance and they don’t claim it does. It recharges via USB. The USB connector is on the back, hidden by a dust cover. The head only rotates in one direction.
The power switch cycles off-low-medium-high. Nice. There is a 3 LED array on the back that gives you an idea of how much power you have to work with.
I ran a test using the same methodology and tools outlined in the Anker flashlight post. On the high setting, I measured 376 lumens, medium was 137 lumens and low was 26 lumens.
I charged up the light to full, ran a battery life test using the medium setting and charted the results.
There’s a pretty nasty drop in brightness by the end of the first hour, but the light is remarkably stable during hours 2-4. At some point in hour 5 the light failed.
As far as the pattern of light, it’s a typical flood pattern, brightest in the middle and trailing off toward the edges. There are no obvious hot spots. I tried it over a workbench and on high, there’s plenty of light to work with.
Overall, I don’t feel like the light is a bad light, but I think at the price it’s not a great buy. I can see it used for working on a vehicle on the side of the road or for camping. On the lower settings it would be great for lighting a room during a power failure. On high, it’s bright enough that your group medic could stitch someone up in a real crisis situation. Catch it on sale or use one of HF’s famous coupons, and it may be worth picking up a couple.
