I am not a flashlight collector, but when asked to review this OxyLED® 500 Lumen LED Flashlight I did realise that I do have a reasonable collection of flashlights across a range of styles and prices, so that makes me kind of an expert. Just like pocket knives, a guy can never have too many flashlights.
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| OxyLED® MD50 LED Flashlight |
LED technology has made dramatic improvements over the last few years. They are getting brighter, and more efficient meaning that you can pack a lot more light into a reasonably small space and have a lot more battery life. This flashlight has two power options, you can use an 18650 rechargeable Li-ion battery, which is included in the package, with a charger, or if that runs out and you are miles from a plug-in, you can simply drop 3 AAA batteries into the magazine and power it that way.
The flashlight body is made from aircraft grade aluminum alloy, which makes it strong and light. The manufacturer claims it is water resistant up to IPX-6 and will work in heavy rain (but do not immerse in water). The LED is rated at an output of 500 Lumens which is at the brighter end of everyday flashlights, though the brightness does depend on how the beam is focused since this flashlight is adjustable.
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| Focus extremes of the MD50 from 6 feet. |
By sliding the lens away from the LED, you can focus the light more sharply making a narrower, brighter beam, or you can slide it in to make a less bright, broader beam which covers a greater area. The image above shows the difference in beam size from 6 feet. It's not easy to tell how much brighter the left image is since the camera I used automatically adjusts for brightness.
The flashlight is controlled by a single green button at the base of the unit. A solid press switches between on and off, while a half press while the flashlight is on will cycle through the 5 modes in the order High/Medium/Low/Strobe/SOS. Even on low, there is enough output to find your way around in blackout conditions. The high is blindingly bright and could be used as a 'tactical' beam, and the strobe also offers 'tactical' options. The SOS mode repeatedly flashes S.O.S. in morse code to alert anyone in range, of an emergency.
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| Flashlight and power button, rechargeable battery, charger and AAA magazine |
The equipment comes in a functional hinged plastic box, with foam inserts, to protect the contents, which I wasn't expecting but is a nice touch, especially if you are gifting this item. Also in the box is the warranty information and the user manual.
Overall, I like this flashlight; it feels solid and has a very bright output. I haven't used the adjustable beam option much, I just leave it on flood/wide beam which works well for my needs. This is my #2 flashlight behind my Fenix PD35 but way ahead of my old school 2 Cell krypton bulb maglite.
Disclosure: I received this item for free in exchange for the honest and unbiased review above.
OxyLED® 500 Lumen LED Flashlight
Penguin Rating
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