RECON


Gerber Recon, retail $25.95 (www.gerbertools.com...)
Manufactured by Gerber (http://www.GerberBlades.Com)
Last updated 02-19-08




The Gerber Recon is a single-AA, single-LED flashlight which has a trick up its sleeve. It can change to any of four colors: white, red, green, and blue.

It comes in a mainly aluminum body, with the only exterior component that I can see not made of metal being that rotating bezel - you rotate it to select the color you want. This flashlight is specifically intended for those who require lights of differing colors for specialty purposes. Red for night vision preservation, green for night vision equipment compatability, blue for tracking blood from animals you may have shot, and white for all-around color rendition.

It operates from a single AA cell, and has a relatively low current consumption, so it should have decent battery life. Unfortunately, it isn't very bright, so there's a bit of a tradeoff here.


SIZE



To use the Recon, feed it an AA cell first (see directly below). Turn the tailcap clockwise (as if tightening it) to turn it on, and turn the tailcap counterclockwise (as if loosening it) to turn it off.

To change the color of the Recon, turn the end of the bezel (head) clockwise or counterclockwise until the desired color (white, red, green, or blue) is reached. This rotating piece has significant detents (a clicking sensation you can feel) in it, so you can know by feel alone when the colored window is in front of the LED.

A flat spot on the barrel lines up with a flat spot on the rotating bezel when the red lens is in front of the LED. You can use this as a sort of "index" to judge which lens is in front of the LED without looking at the front of or turning on the Recon.

A flat black, spring steel pocket clip is included with the Recon, already attached to it. You can use this clip to carry the Recon in a pocket, bezel (head)-up if you wish, or you can take it off by unscrewing and removing the tailcap, and sliding the clip off the barrel of the flashlight.



To change the AA cell in the Recon, unscrew and remove the tailcap, throw it to the ground, look at it all wierd, and stomp on it with old or used golf shoes...O WAIT!!! YOU'LL NEED THAT!!! So just set it aside instead.

Tip the used AA cell out of the barrel and into your hand, and dispose of or recycle it as you see fit.

Insert a new AA cell in the barrel, button-end (+) positive first, and screw the tailcap back on. Unscrew the tailcap slightly when your Recon springs to life; you don't want to waste that brand spanken new battery ya know.
Aren't you glad you didn't stomp on that tailcap now?

The packaging claims a battery life of 100 hours.
The website indicates that the battery is included, but there was no battery with my Recon.

Current usage measures 83.3mA on my DMM's 400mA scale.




Photograph of the Recon's "business-end", showing the colored windows in the bezel you rotate to change the white LED color with.

The Recon appears to be at least reasonably sturdy. Ordinary flashlight accidents should not be enough to do it in. I administered that terrible smack test on it (ten whacks against the corner of a concrete stair; five whacks against the side of the tailcap and five whacks against the side of the bezel), and found the expected damage. There is some very, very, VERY minor gouging on the sides of the tailcap and bezel where it was struck. No optical or electrical malfunctions were detected.

The Recon is splash- and weather-resistant at maximum, but it is not submersible. So please try not to drop it in creeks, rivers, ponds, lakes, oceansides, docksides, puddles of grey mouse pee, slush piles, mud puddles, tubs, toilet bowls, cisterns, sinks, fishtanks, dog water dishes, cat water dishes, potbellied pig water dishes, or other places where water or water-like liquids might be found. A little rain or snow probably wouldn't hurt it though, so you need not be too concerned about using it in lightly bad weather.

There is an O-ring between the tailcap and barrel, but it will leak through and/or around the bezel (head).

If it fell in water and you suspect it got flooded, unscrew and remove the tailcap as you would for a battery change, remove the battery, dump the water out of the barrel if necessary, and set the parts in a warm dry place for a day or so just to be sure it's completely dry inside before you reassemble and use it again.

If it fell into seawater or if somebody or something peed on it, douche all the parts out with fresh water before setting them out to dry. You don't want your Recon to smell like seashells or urine when you go to use it next. Besides, salt (from seawater or pee) can't be very good for the insides.

Light output is significantly lower than I would have expected to see out of a modern flashlight, but if you require dimmer light, you may actually find this beneficial.

The body of the Recon is anodized with a Type II anodizing, and is a flat (not shiny) black - this finish is intentional so that no reflections will come from the Recon itself.



Beam photo (white) at ~12".
Measures 9,600mcd.



Beam photo (red) at ~12".
Measures 700mcd.



Beam photo (green) at ~12".
Measures 1,620mcd.



Beam photo (blue) at ~12".
Measures 1,360mcd.

All measurements were taken on a Meterman LM631 light meter.
These are unually low values considering this is a modern flashlight.
Photographs show the light spots substantially brighter than they really are.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrometer plot of the LED (unfiltered) in this flashlight.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrometer plot of the LED (red filtered) in this flashlight.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrometer plot of the LED (green filtered) in this flashlight.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrometer plot of the LED (blue filtered) in this flashlight.


ProMetric analysis
Beam cross-sectional analysis.
Image made using the ProMetric System by Radiant Imaging.



TEST NOTES:
Test unit was purchased on Ebay on 06-22-05, and was received on the afternoon of 07-15-05.


UPDATE: 00-00-00



PROS:



CONS:



    MANUFACTURER: Gerber
    PRODUCT TYPE: Small multicolor LED flashlight
    LAMP TYPE: 5mm white LED (colors are provided by rotating filters)
    No. OF LAMPS: 1
    BEAM TYPE: Medium spot with dim corona
    SWITCH TYPE: Twist tailcap on/off
    BEZEL: Plastic, LED protected by thin plastic window
    BATTERY: 1xAA cell
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: 83.3mA
    WATER RESISTANT: Splash-resistant at maximum
    SUBMERSIBLE: No
    ACCESSORIES: Metal pocket clip, possibly an AA cell
    WARRANTY: Limited lifetime

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star Rating





Gerber Recon Flashlight * http://www.gerbertools.com...






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