Customer Reviews

5.11 Light for Life P1 UC3.400 Flashlight, Full Size, Black

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Got mine for Christmas along with the AC charging adapter (the AC unit is highly recommended, cranks out lots of amps and is well made).

The UC3.400 uses the new C4 LED's which have amazing white light output.

I used it for professional applications. The charge times reported are accurate, the light on high is so bright you really can't look into the beam up close- and the strobe actually scared off some aggressive dogs one night!

The normal beam is very useful and I found the bright spot and side spill were well balanced. Also the switch is positioned pretty much at the natural center of gravity so it's easy to use using an overhand "spear throwing" grip, for lack of a better way to describe an overhand grasp. A high-beam constant-on switch position should be available, if I had my druthers.

It is large, but that can be a plus for a service-duty patrol light which may serve in other capacities than providing illumination. The useful life between charges easliy covered 8-hour night shifts.

So, are you waiting for the other shoe to fall? Yes, I am writing about the 5.11 in past tense because my copy is B/O (bad order) now; Here's how that came to be: it fell out from the belt loop when I was sitting in a concrete-floored office from chair-height. Still worked, as expected, it's a professional piece of equipment which should withstand use in the field. I thought we were in good shape.

I charged it on my way home after my shift, and two days later turned it on, and- nothing. Hmm, maybe we left it on accidentally or something. Recharged in the usual 90 seconds, good to go. The next day- dead. Ruh-roah, once is a fluke, twice is trouble. Charged and tested several hours later, and the 5.11 Light For Life is in emergency low-power mode.

So, "Life" in my case turned out to be about 10 weeks. 5.11 has a replacement warranty which is good so long as you buy from an authorized 5.11 dealer or directly from 5.11. ...and so long as the unit has not been abused, a determination to be made by the company. Back she goes, it was a nice couple of months we had together. Is dropping the light from chair-height abuse? We'll see.

I just ordered a Bayco NSR-9850 Night Stick from Amazon just in case the next 5.11 is as fragile as the first one.

My advice: be sure to buy your UC3.400 from an authorized 5.11 dealer -just in case. And: don't drop it too much.

The only quibble I have with this product is the possibility that, once charged, it might lose power over time...I have left it in my vehicle in below 30 degree weather and when I pulled it out a few weeks later it was in emergency power mode. I have not been able to replicate that effect since then.....I am not sure why it occurred. According to the manufacturer....it should maintain the charge indefinitely.....Otherwise everything is beyond expectations...truly a flashlight for professional use. Solid, quick charge, bright as hell...wow....wish they made a back up light for a duty belt/firearm mounted application.

I have two very good rechargeable lights that I have been using for a couple of years...one is a Stinger and the other is an Ultra-Stinger. They both work every time and work well. The 5.11 Tactical light matches up with them very well..In fact, I really like the whiter color, focus and brightness of the 5.11 light better than the two Stingers. This 5.11 light puts out more useful light than my Ultra-Stinger - which is saying a lot. The "no-battery" feature is terrific and the 90 sec. recharge is a great feature...but I have two issues with this light. (1) The light is big. The 1-3/4 inch diameter barrel is a hand full. It is light in weight but still takes up a lot of space. (2) The recharge point is in the end cap. If you find a photo of the end cap (on 5.11 website) you will see concentric circles of black rings and white rings. This is raised plastic spacers (black) and brass contacts (white) that are critical to recharging the light. The instructions say to keep these contacts clean. These contacts are exposed during use. 5.11 does not provide a protective cap. With most battery operated devices you can clean contacts with a pencil eraser, but a pencil eraser will not work in the narrow slot of the 5.11. I hope I never drop this light into the mud or that oxidation makes cleaning necessary. This light is moisture resistant, but not water proof.

I am looking forward to the release in April of the the 5.11 Tactical's smaller brother to this light. The smaller light has a button operating switch on the end cap...which means the recharge contacts will have to be located somewhere else and hopefully better protected. I will have to try that one also.

I bought the AC recharge unit too. I did not want to put the factory recommended four hour initial charge on my car battery. The AC charger is over priced, but what can you do.

Am I pleased with this light?...Yes. Would I buy it again?...I'll tell you after I have tried the smaller 5.11 light.

This is a great flashlight that I received for Christmas. While I was skeptical of the recharge time, it really does recharge in 90 secs. It also stays powered for over an hour.

Believe it or not, but this flashlight does not require batteries! 5.11 needs to make a portable drill with the same technology so I can finish putting together my sons treehouse :)

I bought this product with pretty high expectations, but the 5.11 light has far exceeded them!!!

The LED is one of the brightest on the market when you push the button down for max power. My one concern was how do I focus the light, but the overall brightness literally lights up the room...haha.

The hex-shaped head keeps the flashlight from rolling around on the ground, which is good because I bought this light to use when I work on my car in the garage.

The one negative is the flashlight doesn't come with an AC adaptor, so I had to buy that separately.

Get this light. I have shown it to law enforcement folks who had their trusty Magl-light weighing them down. They were amazed at how light the the flashlight is...Then I throw it as hard as I can on the pavement and they are astounded to see it still works. As far as its "beat down" ability. I would suggest the hexagon head would do some major damage. The lightness is actually and advantage here as it can be swung faster and for a longer duration than a heavier light.

The problems with it not keeping its charge mentioned in one of the reviews is only because it was not kept in its charging station when not in use. Do that and there will be no loss of charge. You can screw the charging station into your rig. Also, if you notice even though this gentleman had unusual problems 5.11 has provided excellent product support and is replacing or fixing his lights.

I've been a cop for over 28 years and I am a gadget nut. A year ago I had to leave night shift due to a Supervisor vacancy and sold my Streamlight Stinger DS LED to one of my officers. (big mistake) When 2012 shift change came around I had a chance to go back to nights. This time I bought the 5.11 light for life based on the "rave reviews"....SAVE YOUR MONEY FOLKS. I had it on my duty belt for one week. I had to charge it everyday before the shift. The final draw was when I used in on one accident scene for 30 mins (yes, I charged it at the beginning of shift and I had used it maybe 10 minutes before responding to this wreck)...I left that scene to immediately respond to another major accident. It died within 3 minutes of being on the second accident and left me lightless, standing in the middle if Interstate 20 while setting a flare line.... My Streamlight lasted a lot longer than that. I also noticed an extreme wash out of the beam and when I had it on my belt the last 2 weeks of dayshift it lost 50% of the charge. I assumed that it would be like the Streamlight and maintain a charge....I had to go back and do the 90 second re-charge to even get the high out put lumens to work. If you have the luxury of leaving it in the charger and putting it directly back in the charger after you use it then go for it. My Streamlight always lasted through the regular shift. This one hasn't. It is an extreme disappointment for the price. Now it sits in the charger by my bed at home. I just ordered another Streamlight Stinger LED for duty use. I would NOT give this light to any Cop I like. It is not a good duty light.

The only thing I do not like is the weight. It is very light and I feel like I'm going to break it. Having said that, it is an exceptional product. I love how bright it is and the two stage button for normal lift and bright is very handy. I also love how fast it charges. I often forget to charge it when I get home from work and the 90 second charge is useful for when I need to work in 5 minutes.

This flashlight is extremely bright and durable. The best thing about it is that it fully charges in about 10-30 seconds. You will not be disappointed. The only negative is you have to buy an AC charger separately. It only come with a dc car charger.

We bought 2 of these lights for airport operations. Both had to be sent back for problems. The first one wouldn't hold a charge and therefore wouldn't light. That was replaced without a problem. The second one had to go back because it wouldn't shut off. Its been back at the manufacture now for the last 2 months! I've had other personal lights, Surefire, Streamlight and they are much, much better. The only thing that was good about this light was its fast recharge ability. 1/25/11....light still hasn't been returned from 5.11.