Customer Reviews

The AMAZING 95 LED Aluminum Flashlight

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I do a lot of hiking at night. I like the white light the AMAZING 95 LED Aluminum Flashlight (previously marketed as the Big Kahuna) gives off, as opposed to the yellowish light of most other bulbs. I still use the Rayovac 4D cell lantern flashlight with krypton bulb, which has a bright spot, but is yellowish. The Kahuna casts a wider, whiter, more uniform light that is much easier on the eyes, and doesn't wash out your viewing field with too bright a light, or with a light that is very bright in one area and very dim in another. Also, the Kahuna's uniform whiteness allows outdoors people to see animals' eyes reflected back at you, even from 100+ meters. The krypton bulb doesn't show up animals' eyes nearly as well as the LED, which is important in mountain lion and bear country. Many hours of use with rechargeable D cells (I use Powerizer brand, about 5x the amperage of Energizer rechargeable D's).

Complaints: batteries rattling inside cause flickering of light; tempered glass or a stronger polycarbonate plastic lens would be better; made in China; no customer service contact for parts or repairs; would like a lantern style rather than long maglite type shape; poorly made on/off switch that falls off (I used painter's tape to keep it on); obviously not waterproof or even water resistant; would like a plastic casing option rather than aluminum;

I am in the market for a second powerful LED flashlight, but have decided to wait a bit, rather than buy another Kahuna. I use the Kahuna daily and it blows away my LED headlamp lights (such as the powerful Petzl MYO XP) I bought through REI.

Update August 3, 2010: I bought a second AMAZING LED and I couldn't be happier. The on/off switch has not been a problem. I've researched high-end LED flashlights made by Fenix and Pelican in the $100-$200 range, and bought one. Sure, they are well-made. What do you expect for a $125 flashlight? But they are much heavier than the AMAZING 95 LED flashlight, and some require special (expensive) batteries. I don't think you can beat this AMAZING LED flashlight for its price. Though you might get more lumens (brightness) and throw from a $200 flashlight, the AMAZING LED is more than bright enough for hiking, looking for intruders on your property at night, or working on a car.

If you are really interested in this subject, I suggest checking out the reviews by law enforcement officers for some of the tactical lights made by Fenix and Pelican. These guys are really into their lights and provide some good technical info.

Wow, this thing is phenomenal. Seems to be a pretty solid piece, built like a Mag-Lite, but despite O-rings at the tail cap and for the head piece itself, the switch and bezel are NOT sealed so don't think you can let it get more than a splash.
As for performance, egads! Astoundingly bright for its size, you don't want to get hit in the face with the beam lest it seem like you're staring through a shower drain grate wherever you go for a couple of minutes afterward. No problem illuminating street signs and license plates several doors down the street, and the beam has a pretty useful spread for your typical flashlight duties. It's both a spot and a flood at the same time, not adjustable like a Mag, but no need.
Yeah, it's a bit on the pricey side, but it's worth every penny both for the novelty (it's quite a conversation piece) and utility. Best gift I got for the holidays, hands down.

The Kahuna gives a powerful white beam that really brings up details from a dark scene. It's not a flood light though, so don't expect it to reach out in the distance like these big flood lights but it still reaches fine up to 100 meters.
The construction is solid and the weight gives me an impression of quality although the front glass is plexiglass instead of mineral glass. I just wish the on/off button was better sealed against water.

I've bough four of these lights (2 as gifts), and when I bought them I was wow'd. Most light I've ever seen from a flashlight up until that point. Big flood, lights up a room almost as if the lights were on. I'd guess hovering around 80 lumens.

The run time is also very good. I've had them for years now using maybe a minute or less a day and have never changed the batteries.

HOWEVER...the time of these 5mm multi-lights has came and passed. Light technology has jumped in leaps and bounds. I recently bought a ITP A3 EOS for $20 as a keychain light. It wieghts far less than a ounce and absolutely blows the 95 LED light out of the water in terms of output. Its comical! A flashlight the size of your finger putting out more light than this huge monstrosity.

So before you pull the chain on this light do some research. Check out iTP, fenix, and 4sevens lights for starters. You can find lights at a fraction of the size, 4X the output, and in the $20-50 range.

I do alot of camping and have alot of lights, lanterns, LED flashlights etc. But this 95 LED flashlight is the brightest one I have, and have seen so far. Definitely lights up the area pretty well. Some reviews mention batteries rattling around and the light flickering. It's true they DO rattle in the sleeve but I haven't had a problem with the light flickering. You can always fix that by sliding a thin piece of cardboard between the sleeve and batteries to firm them up. Doesn't really bother me though. The switch isn't waterproof but seems to work well so far. (Then again it hasen't gotten wet yet. We'll see.) And the protective lens is kind of thin. But it should be ok as long as you don't drop it face down on a pointy rock or something. All in all I like it. Great flashlight.

Read the product description and reviews, and decided this might be the searchlight I was looking for. I already have a couple of high power hand spotlights which put out a narrow high intensity beam to several hundred feet, but I wanted a wide angle searchlight to illuminate a wide area in front of me out to about 20 feet. This product delivered.

My primary use was for when I walk our dog on a portion of our 10 acres for her to "do her business." The flashlight is to make sure I do not step in some "previous business" as I walk her, and also to clearly see the small bumps and depressions in the ground. My high powered spotlights were useless, brightly illuminating only a very narrow path in front of me. I would have to quickly sweep the light back & forth to have a clear view in front of me. This got old very fast.
With this 95 LED Flashlight I now get a very bright flood in front of me that clearly shows my path. If I raise the light I can even get a flood that will illuminate objects up to 50 feet away. Perfect for my use. and a good choice for people just walking in the dark and wanting to see the ground in front of them.

Quality also appears to be good. Have had it for months now, and have taken it out in the rain a number of times with no problems. All LED appear to be OK, and the switch has functioned flawlessly.

A good buy, and I recommend it to others that want a bright floodlight for the immediate area, instead of a bright narrow beam spotlight to see objects hundreds of feet away.

Overall this is a good product although mine failed. Within 75 days of placing new name brand batteries in it all of the batteries leaked/exploded! The flashlight was ruined. I can only speculate if some flaw in the design or the particular flashlight I received contributed to the failure. I would blame the batteries if only one failed and/or the leak happened to old batteries, but they all leaked! When the flashlight was new it worked well. One reviewer commented on the lack of focusing capability but I never found that a problem. Even though mine failed I am going to order another...I just won't keep the batteries in it all the time.

EDITED ON FEB 4 2010: I bought another one of these and so far it has not experienced the same flaw as the first (reviewed above). Also, this one does not have the "battery rattle" that the first did. Another reviewer mentioned the rattle so I wonder if some of these flashlight left China with a defect that led to the rattle and the battery leak/load problem I had with my first one. Note, I also bought A "guide Gear 200 - LED Flashlight" and it is not as good in my view as this "amazing 95 LED" flashlight. I'll write a review of the "guide gear" soon.

Originally I gave the amazing 95 led flashlight 2 stars but I have revised my rating owing to the success I've had with the second unit. Lastly, I am not sure why my review has been rated unhelpful since amzn reviews should reflect the positive AND negative experiences of products. Not every product is 5 star.

I was not sure which LED flashlight to buy. I know I wanted one for the house in case the lights go out. I have two 9 LED flashlights but they were small, cheap plastic things powered by 3 C batteries. The 'Big Kahuna' is a 95 LED light that just blows the socks off everything else I have seen thus far. I put some weak batteries in The 'Big Kahuna' and it shown light a super nova. Yes it is a large light, heavy, metal and well constructued compared to all the lame plastic LED lights I saw. The switch is not water proof and yes that would have been a nice touch but, I don't need a water proof switch. The cheap plastic lens does take away from an otherwise really awesome'Big Kahuna' flashlight but few of these other plastic flashlights are half as durable as The 'Big Kahuna'.

Yes The 'Big Kahuna' could stand a bit of refining to make it the perfect utility flashlight for home and car. I bet The 'Big Kahuna' would likely be bright when smaller weaker lamer flashlights will have given up the ghost. It is not just about brightness even if the The 'Big Kahuna' is SUPER BRIGHT. The 'Big Kahuna' also has endurance. I bet these LED's will stay bright longer than most small LED lights using its awesome three quality D size batteries.

Compared to the other lame weak LED offerings currently available, The 'Big Kahuna' is the best and the biggest. This flashlight is called The 'Big Kahuna' and for my money its name and the five stars I give it are BOTH WELL EARNED!

This light lives up to its name for me....95 LED's wow. The only thing is it experiences the same flicker at times that the flashlights with 21 or 35 LED's do....it has to do with the batteries moving around. If you pull the spring out some in the back of the flahslight it puts more pressure on the batteries thus holding them better in place stopping the flickering. I think....this is only me thinking it has to do when the batteries move it must somehow change the current going to the led's and makes it flicker or blink in some cases.....this is just my thought. Putting more pressure on the batteries stops them from moving and the blinking or flickering goes completely away. I love it....more LED's please.

This is a good flashlight. I have several small LED flashlights, and, while they serve their purposes, I had no real "workhorse". Like most do-it-yourself homeowners, most of the repairs I make are done upside-down and in the dark -- under the house or under the sink or under the car. That's where having enough light really matters, and that's where a bright LED flashlight really shines.

The form-factor of this particular flashlight is not ideal for my purposes -- I'd like something that I could set somewhere and aim -- but other than that, I'm completely satisfied with it.