Bushnell 400L

I want to take a look at what has become my go to flashlight over the past month and a half. Also, this is my last flashlight review scheduled for a Friday for a while so yea, there's that.

Product Description:

Brand: Bushnell

Length: 146mm

Head Diameter: 30mm

Body Diameter: 22mm

Weight: 142g

Material: Aluminum

Waterproof: Unknown

Modes: 3 (Lumens/ Runtime/ Beam Distance) High (400Lm/ 3hr/ 150m) Low (51Lm/ 21hr/ 47m) Strobe (400Lm/ 4hr/ 150m)

Control: Tail Switch with momentary or constant settings

Light Source: Cree LED (Unknown Model)

Power Source: 2x CR123A

Pocket Clip: Yes, Face Down

Additional Features: Lockout Switch

Price: ~$30

http://bit.ly/2VbCaSV

Opinion:

Pros:

Many of the advantages I will be covering also have some flaws or problems that I want to look at in the next section but I definitely feel like it needs coverage in both. First lets look at the size. This flashlight is the largest I have been carrying, and is frankly the largest light I am willing to EDC. Because of this size I am able to get a much better grip than most other EDC friendly lights. I prefer to hold flashlights overhanded and with this 400L I can wrap my whole hand around the body and still have room to spare. The texturing also gives me a solid grip as it gives my hand plenty of area to seize. Another function that I like is the lockout switch. I like having that as an extra layer of protection and if you wanted to you could actually use that as your main on/off switch, however it does have a flaw that I will discuss further in the next section. On the topic of switches, it took me a bit to get used to the beveling around the tail switch but once I did, I have really enjoyed the switch itself as it feels very solid and has a good click. At a max of 400 lumens this light is definitely out performed by some competitors, but those 400 lumens are impressive. The light is wide enough to light up a decent sized are but at the same time does not wash out to much and loose its intensity. The last are to cover is the overall build quality. While I obviously try not to drop my tools frequently it does happen occasionally. There was one day where I dropped the 400L two or three times and it barely even acknowledged it aside from the louder thump. There are a few marks on the bezel but overall, the body has not show significant wear and the little bit it does shows through well.

Cons:

While I like this light there are definitely a few things I wish were different and some features that are double edged swords. First, we have a very large body when compared to most EDC flashlights. While I like the grip that this enables me to have, it also means it has a very large footprint in my pocket. On a similar note, it does take a little bit for your hand to get used to the texture of the body, but the bigger problem is the rubbing it can do in your pocket. I have not noticed any major issues, but one of my pants pockets has started to show some wear. The next are is the lockout switch. I really like the idea of this feature, I just think it was not properly implemented. Most of the time when I pull out this light I find the lockout switch at least halfway disengaged. This could have been mitigated by adding just a little bit of friction. The only other thing I want to point out is that this light uses two CR123A batteries, which you should know is less than desirable for me.

Conclusion:

Overall, this has become one of my most frequently used lights. I keep it in my nightstand and constantly find myself grabbing it before work everyday. I like the features and overall design and can look past the flaws because they also offer me some advantages at the same time. One thing you may notice is that I did not criticize the lack of a reversible or dual pocket clip. With a light this large I do not want it on a hat brim and I carry my lights lens down by default so the standard pocket clip is perfect for me in this case. I am very pleased with this purchase as I kept seeing it and wanted to try it but never brought myself to buy it until my wife talked me into it.