Product Review: Bison Sportslight 2C
Author's note (June 25, 2002): Bison Sportslights, Inc.'s Web site has now disappeared from the Web, so I assume them to be extinct.
In getting prepared for deer season, I've been checking out some gear. One of the nicest items I've seen is called the Bison Sportslight 2C. This light is made in USA by Bison Sportslights, Inc., which is a company formed by a couple of hunters who wanted a better flashlight. What they created is a pretty darn good, compact flashlight.
I'll run through the company claims, and counter them with my own experience.
At six inches long, and seven ounces with batteries, the flashlight is indeed light, handy, and compact. In fact, my light came with a removable elastic wrist strap with a clip, and I clipped it to a belt loop and left it for a few hours while working around the house and walking the woods, just to see how easy it was to carry. I actually forgot it was there, and it's much easier to use than a nylon holster on the belt, like those included with smaller AA lights.
It's touted as "the brightest compact sports flashlight made", and I can't prove them wrong. My mini-Maglight, with 2 AA batteries, doesn't even compare to the Bison. I also put it up against a light that takes a 6-volt lantern battery, and Bison won. I matched it with a Maglight, using three C-cell batteries (compared to Bison's two C's), and the Bison was as bright or perhaps a tad brighter, at a fraction of the weight and size.
The company claims their "proprietary adjustable beam allows you to go from focused spot to broad flood without the annoying rings and dark spots found in other flashlights." I still found rings and dark spots when focusing the Bison, though much less so than with Maglights.
The plastic (polymer alloy...?) Bison seems to be a pretty tough, durable light. Bison makes a good point when they mention that their lights won't corrode; a friend of mine had a mini-Maglight corrode so badly from battery leakage that he had to pitch it.
The Bison is said to have "longer battery life than any other compact sports flashlight". I haven't used mine enough to say for myself, but I think we can trust them on this. I've been in contact with Steve Halasz, Bison's managing director, who says they get 5-1/2 to 6 hours of life out of a set of batteries, while the mini-Maglight gets about 4 hours.
The light comes with 2 energizer batteries, and a unique spare bulb. The bulb that's installed in the light when you recieve it is a Xenon bulb, but the spare is a Krypton bulb. You can use the Krypton for 50% longer battery life with reduced brightness. Basically, with the Krypton you get performance roughly equal to competitors' lights, with extended battery life. If you use it for stuff like reading in the tent, the Krypton may be just the ticket, as the Xenon is very bright.
The Bison is O-ring sealed for water resistance, like their competitors. Unlike the others, though, you don't have to twist the head forever to turn it on. One 30-degree twist, and it's on.
Personally, I'm convinced the Bison is a great light. It's made in the USA, and the suggested retail for the light, with batteries and lanyard, is $19.95. This seems a bit high for me, but I did find a site pricing it at $14.99. At 15 bucks, it's a deal. It's a much better light than the AA lights which sell for 10 bucks, and even at $20 it'll save you money later on; these lights are built to last and to save batteries.
-Russ Chastain
