Customer Reviews

Leatherman 831064 Serac S3 LED Flashlight

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

An excellent all-purpose flashlight. I got this light for camping and have been very happy with it.

Pros:

- Compact - just slightly larger than a roll of life savers

- Three different light intensity levels... too many high-end flashlights are always super bright.. eats through batteries quick and is blinding for something simple like reading a book in a dim room. The low intensity level on the S3 is perfect for most day-to-day purposes and lasts for 30+ hours (I've personally tested this). The mid range is more than enough for close work or signaling.. not sure what anyone would need the brightest setting for (blinding a charging moose??) but it's there if you need it and it certainly provides plenty of lumen bragging rights.

- Water resistant to 3 feet - no concerns about rain or shallow dunkings

- Shock resistant - can survive mild drops

- Excellent build quality. It's truly a pleasure to hold and use. I find myself carrying it even when it's not on.. it gives you that natural satisfaction of owning a very well made gadget. Anyone who's ever happily wasted time playing with the blades of their Leatherman Micra or Victornox Swiss Army knife knows what I'm talking about.

Cons:

- Expensive. Flashlights seem to come in 2 different price ranges.. the S3 is at the lower end of the high range.. but that still makes it 3 to 4 times more pricy than plenty of good lights on the market.

- Special battery. Not a big deal - if you spend this much on a flashlight you should expect to spend a bit more on batteries - but you can't get them at every corner store. Buy extras before heading out on a long trip.

- Heavy. Actually a pro in many ways - the weight feels great in your hand - but if you're planning to use the clip to attach it to the brim of your baseball hat (as pictured on Leatherman's website) you'd better have a mighty stiff hat brim. If you need a hands-free light get a headlamp instead.

- Twitchy light intensity control.. on vs. off is a robust "click" but changing intensity levels takes some practice and feels a bit tweaky. This is my main personal complaint and the only reason I haven't given the flashlight 5 stars.

Alright, I admit it, I'm a flashlight freak. My wife would tell you that I've spent a small fortune on them....not totally true.

Lately I've been busy switching over to LED flashlights (batteries are getting so expensive using the old school bulbs).

Being an owner of a Leatherman Monarch 500 flashlight, I already knew they were more than capable of producing a top drawer product. After reading the reviews there was no doubt that I just had to fill a "void" in my flashlight collection. Being a flashlight freak demands you have a light in every rig, in the garage, several in the house,in my hiking and hunting supplies and for every occasion. What I didn't have is a small, powerful light that I could comfortably carry in my pants pocket. The included pocket clip is rugged and works great. The end-cap switch is the only way to go in any "serious" flashlight need. The LED Mini Maglite is fine but the twist on/off switch is not nearly as quick and nifty as the end cap switch. The 3 light level positions are easy to master. The lowest level produces more than enough light for a midnight hike and the highest beam throws light nearly as far as my 3D LED Maglite.

My confidence is so high with this little giant that even with a big black bear sighted 2 days ago next to our house I walked a 1/4 mile down the driveway in pitch black to fetch the newspaper this morning.

I was excited when I first received my light. However, the accompanying booklet was less than helpful in instructing me in how it actually worked. After using it for a day I found that it was really simple but a little serendipity to find that out.

This is the most powerful energy efficient hand light I have ever owned. I don't have light measuring tools but, according to the literature, this light's max output is 100 lumens and my Surefire (with three CR123 batteries) puts out 105 lumens and only lasts 1/3 as long as the Leatherman's one hour does. I am completely satisfied with my Leatherman 3 Watt LED light. Mr Ed

There are many glowing reviews of this flashlight & it is good. However the end switch on 2 we have are unreliable & twitchy. You switch it on & NOTHING! squeeze the rubber switch on the side & it works. If it was just one of them & would suspect a rogue but we have 2 a neighbor has 1 & they are all the same.

In contacting Leatherman I discover they have withdrawn it & it is not on their website yet still available on the web elsewhere.

There is a big difference in price between Amazon who are much cheaper than all other vendors.

This flashlight is very impressive. Its tiny size is deceptive as it outputs just over 100 lumens in independent tests. It feels as if it's crafted from a single piece of material - very solid, no rattling, while light and tactile. You can wrap a fist perfectly around this flashlight and have the button ready for thumb activation.

EDIT: I'm at the 8 month mark of ownership with this product. It's remarkable that the output from the original Energizer Lithium battery is still as strong as the date of purchase. The Energizer Lithium batteries (only takes one) for this flashlight are not cheap, but considering one has last almost a year with almost daily sporadic use, they're well worth the cost.

Note that flashlights powered by lithium batteries are known to put out a consistent level of brightness and then dims to a quick death, compared to alkaline battery powered flashlights, which put out dimmer and dimmer light gradually until the batteries are dead. This flashlight consistently puts out the same amount of light on each of the three settings, since the day of purchase & battery installation. I mounted the clip upside down, so that it clips onto my pants pocket and faces down. I always take it with me. Next to it in my change pocket is my Leatherman Charge TTI, another great Leatherman product.

EDIT: I'm at the 1 year mark of ownership, and am still using the original battery that came with the flashlight! This is with intermittent daily use. It's sad to see that the Serac line of flashlights is being discontinued.

EDIT: I'm at the 2 year mark of ownership. I use this flashlight constantly. I've gone through only a handful of batteries at this point. The CR123 batteries have actually become cheaper over the years. I purchase them on Amazon as well and they have an excellent life span.

As amazing as the flashlight is, I still look at the Streamlight and Surefire websites to see if they can produce something just as small but with a higher output. Still, this has yet to happen - not even close. Leatherman gave it one shot with the Serac line and nailed it.

I have bought many streamlight flashlights and this new Leatherman is perfect. Very good light output and durable. Hope Leatherman comes out with a holster for it. Very competitive price to the many small size flashlights out there.

The barrel diameter is just under 7/8 of an inch. With clip attached it is 1 and 1/8 inches at the widest. I carry this attached to my keys, so it is always with me. With a career in law enforcement I have used many different lights over the years and it comes down to this: You often need it when you least expect it, and it's useless if it's not on YOU. While many would make do with a small LED key chain light, this light is a powerful (cannot be understated), durable and practical device unaffected by weather conditions. The clip is versatile, reversible, and can be attached to other items in many ways. All these factors considered, for its size and cost, I've seen no better light. "A car headlight in the palm of your hand"

this small Led Light is Perfect

Why ?

1 - High Quality Material

2 - Small Size

3- Very Very Brightness

Take this light and you will know why !

i am using different kinds of hand lights but this one is The Best !

Great quality light. Much brighter than my 3AA 3Watt LED maglite and much much more compact.Higher price though. Excellent Leatherman quality just like my Surge multi-tool. It fits perfectly in the Leatherman Juice pouch, another quality leatherman item from the MEC. It also fits nicely in the Nite-Ize headband for handless operation while walking at night. Looks like it also fits in some of the Nite-Ize POCK-ITS but the Juice holder looks nicer plus it has the leatherman logo on it.

On stage, it's three light-level options allow for all the needs of three

different flashlights in one.

Definitely an asset. Leatherman comes through again.