By Dan Kidder
Managing Editor

The folks at 5.11 Tactical are always thinking about the best solutions for men and women in uniform and the new Light For Life PC3.300 is no exception.

The first innovation, unlike anything I have seen anywhere, is that the flashlight has no batteries to replace or recharge. Using the same technology developed for hybrid cars, the Light for Light uses proprietary circuitry to slowly drain capacitors that deliver hours of use on a single 90-second charge. Once the capacitor is drained, simply place the flashlight on the magnetic charging base for 90 seconds and it is back in the game for hours more of continuous use.

While larger than many of the tactical flashlights out there, the Light for Life PC3.300 weighs less than a standard 2-cell CR123 battery powered light. It delivers a standard 70 lumens of brightness and by holding down the button, you can ramp it up to 200 lumens. A double click of the switch turns on a glaring 170 lumen tactical strobe that will disorient the meanest of bad guys and send animals with attitude scurrying for the darkness.

Another great innovation is that the light is as close to indestructible as anything I have ever used. It is made of a lightweight polymer that will withstand drops of several feet, high impacts, like the kind you get when a perpetrator beats his head against your flashlight, and is even water resistant and it floats.

The larger UC3.400 offers all of the same features, but with a 90 lumen standard mode and a 270 lumen ramp mode.

The third innovation is the triad head of three super powerful low-drain LEDs. These bulbs won’t break, burnout or dim over time like many of the incandescent lights out there. And they are by far the smallest and brightest LEDs I have ever seen on the market. These little diodes are there for the long haul, offering thousands of hours of burn-time.

The flashlights come standard with a 12-volt recharger that holds the flashlight in the cradle by way of super magnets. I am not sure how they do it, but after months of use, I don’t have a speck of magnetic dust or residue on either the flashlight or the docking port, but they hold that flashlight tight in its cradle. A free 120-volt wall charger allows the light to stand ready in either your vehicle or at home base. Because it charges on a 12-volt cigarette plug, it works great in my survival gear off of my Brunton solar charger.

These flashlights aren’t cheap, but over time they will pay for themselves repeatedly in battery and bulb cost, replacement cost and efficiency. Not to mention their rugged performance in any kind of environment. All of these features make the 5.11 Light for Life PC3.300 and UC3.400 well worth every nickel.

For more information visit 5.11 Tactical’s website at www.511tactical.com