The Bottom Line
I think what I like most about this light is the UV (black light). It will definitely reveal just how bright your arrows, clothing, and other gear might appear to wild animals that are said to see UV light.
It's a tough, bright light, but it's not my favorite by any means.
Pros
- Rugged. Energizer says it survives a ten-foot drop.
- Swivel head can be pointed straight, 90 degrees one way, or about 30 degrees the other way.
- Has a wire belt clip.
- Has a limited lifetime guarantee.
- Waterproof.
Cons
- Made in China.
- Switches are arranged illogically; almost randomly placed on the light.
- Switches may be accidentally turned on in your pack, despite the lock.
- Swivel lock doesn't lock in place very well.
- High price.
Description
- Waterprooof plastic (polymer) body flashlight with non-slip finish. Red, white, blue, green, and UV (black light) LEDs.
- Red, white, blue, and green LEDs each have high, medium, and low brightness. UV black light has just one brightness.
- Switches are scattered all over this thing. Four are black pushbuttons; one is an orange lever.
- The lever switch turns the UV light on or off, and when placed in the center position it turns off and disables all lights.
- Push the buttons quickly to change modes or turn off. After 3 seconds, push to turn off (or place lever in center position).
- Red, white, blue, and green LEDs (or any combination thereof) may all be turned on at the same time, whatever that's worth.
- Black wire belt clip (located on the back side of the case when head is swivelled 90 degrees).
- Energizer says to use: Red to preserve night vision; Blue for blood trailing; Green to read maps; UV for night fishing.
- Rated at 100 lumens. Weighs about five ounces with batteries, and is about 5 3/4 inches long.
- Uses one or two AA batteries. Claims 5 hour run time with two included Energizer Lithium batteries.
Guide Review - Review of Energizer Night Strike Swivel LED Flashlight
The Energizer Night Strike Swivel LED flashlight really took me by surprise. It appears as if a design team conjured up a light and did a large part of the R&D, but quit the development process before they had a practical product. I hate to say it, but this looks like a light that really shouldn't have hit the market just yet.
This light offers many lighting modes, with the main white light and three colored LEDs each having high, low, and medium brightness settings - and it even features an ultraviolet (UV) "black light" which has one brightness. It also has a lever switch that acts as a lock and/or a master off switch - put it in the lock position, and it turns off and disables all the lights.
The UV light can reveal whether your gear "glows" to wild game. The lever switch activates it.
The locking feature is welcome to those of us that carry lights in our packs when we head to the woods, but it's not 100% dependable; this light has been turned on inside my pack after being placed inside with the lever in the lock position. The jostling gear unlocked the light and turned it on.
The switches are randomly placed, with the worst being the switch for the main white light, which is the one most of us will probably use most often. While the three unlabeled buttons for the red, blue, and green LEDs fall close to your thumb when you pick up the light, the switch for the bright white LED is located on the rear end of the light body, which I find awkward and aggravating.
As I mentioned, the buttons for the colored LEDs are not marked, so you have to guess at which one turns on which color, unless you memorize them by frequent use. Three dabs of color in the recessed tops of the buttons would make sense - but they're not there.
The head of this light swivels. It locks in place pointing straight out (like a standard flashlight) or turned 90 degrees. When it's turned 90, it's looking you in the eye if you're looking at most of the switches, which isn't logical in the least. Even the colored LEDs are bright enough to hurt when they shine in your eyes.
You're supposed to have to push a button to unlock the swivel head, but on the loaner light I tested, the lock didn't work well. It acted more as a detent than as a lock.
One nice feature is that you can install one of the two AA batteries backwards if you like, which will reserve it as a spare. Naturally, using one battery results in reduced brightness, but at least you won't be left without a light when the batteries die.
The light will also stand on end, and that combined with the swivel head means that it can be used hands-free.
The Energizer Night Strike Swivel is not a bad light, but it feels incomplete. I'd love to see what a talented R&D team could do with it. In its current form, and at the present price point, I can't recommend this one.
- Russ Chastain
