Pros: (1) It’s 1000 lumens (not 500 as stated in the ad) which is very bright. I personally cannot conceive of a situation where you’d need more lumens, but professionals or SAR volunteers may have different needs from me. You could pretty much cook a chicken at 50 yards just by looking at it with this torch on full. (2) It’s simple. You don’t have lots of modes and buttons; you have adjustable tilt and a knob for brightness, and if you’re in deep trouble, you can make it flash SOS so people can find you and get temporarily blinded. (3) It’s metal. I like that. (4) It’s not made in china. I know some chinese stuff is more cost effective, but I have ethical objections to buying chinese stuff and ... well, they just talk crap and exaggerate everything. I can’t avoid buying chinese entirely (I’m typing this on an ipad), but I try to minimise. Cons: (1) lt’s freakin’ expensive. Stupid money. For this money it should be waterproof. However ... (2) The rubber flap on the device will never stay shut, so it’ll let water in, it will corrode and the whole device will stop working. Have these people not heard of QA or even User Acceptance Testing? I have older SF devices which are absolutely bulletproof. This is a very poor design, and I can’t see a workaround. You have to charge it, so you can’t keep sealing it with silicon or similar. Red card #1. (3) As others have pointed out, for nearly £300 you’d expect a top strap on this. (4) It’s rechargeable ONLY. If it runs out, you have to plug it in to the mains, or carry your charger and find an inverter/generator. It’ll still last a long time, but if you’re away from civilisation for a few nights, you may well be absolutely stuffed. If there are a few of you, you can’t provide basic logistic support like one person having a backup battery/set that could power other colleagues’ torches. No, you have to carry another expensive torch, or just go home early. SF didn’t think this one through. Users may not be out over just the weekend. This means it cannot be considered a professional tool. Red card #2. (5) It’s rechargeable (yes, again), so after a number of cycles, it will have to go back to SF for a new battery. Really? Ok for our cousins, but from the UK it’s nearly 2 weeks there and 2 weeks back, plus comms and repair time. I expect the battery would last a couple of years, but it should be in operable condition indefinitely. Whisky Tango Foxtrot?! Someone should look at the idea of using screw threads and O rings to access the battery, like on pretty much all the other SF torches (as an aside, I tested an old SF torch by leaving it under 1m water for 6 months. Worked perfectly afterwards. Yet this has a single sealed battery and a charging port that cannot keep light rain out). Not up to standard, guys. I bought a second hand Minimus ‘Saint’ for £50 and sent it off to be refurbished at a cost of about $30. It may not cook chickens, but it takes the CR123A batteries I have in my pocket, so I can be away for as long as I want. No charger, no mains power required. And I’ve saved £200.
