Slughaus BULL3T

This post should come as no big surprise as I have featured numerous Slughaus products on this blog so far. I started with backing the Bullet 02 on Indiegogo and really liked their minimalist approach to design and functionality. I went on to back their NanoPen and Micro key organizer, which was also featured in a similar announcement. Overall I have been very satisfied with their products. I had the ring come loose on my original Bullet 02 and after contacting Jose over at Slughaus a new one was sent out. The customer service and communication has been very positive in my experience, which is what makes me supportive of their new campaigns. At this point, I have a few Bullet 02s several packs of the NanoPens and a set of the Micros. If you have kept up with my last couple pocket dumps you will notice that I have actually been using a Micro as my standard key organizer for a while now, and have been very pleased with its performance. When the BULL3T launched Monday (4/8) I was pretty excited about the timing. First, Slughaus had been teasing it in the weeks leading up to the launch. Second, if you are following along with me, you will notice that I launched a new running list of key-chain flashlights that will be awaiting the addition of the BULL3T in due time. Let's get onto the actual Kickstarter now that you are probably tired of hearing me.

Slughaus is a San Francisco based company that focuses on a minimal approach to everyday items, they recently consolidated their products but still offer a range of items from those listed above to a bag and other key related items. At this point, Slughaus is pretty comfortable with the whole idea of crowdfunding. Over the past few years, they have successfully launched and managed 6 Kickstarters which translates to over a million dollars in funding. They have also successfully delivered over 100,000 flashlights across the two previous models. As I said, they are pretty comfortable with this sort of thing. With the BULL3T Slughaus decide to do things a little bit different, while it is still a pretty minimal design and definitely a key-chain light, they saw some ways to improve upon their design but this would require a bit of sacrifice on the size. From the looks of things, this seems to be a pretty well-balanced trade off and I am excited to get into what makes this light different.

The most noticeable difference between the Bullet 02 and the new BULL3T besides the size is the quality of materials. While the previous light did not cut corners, Slughaus really wanted to step up their game at this point. Starting with the inside, the BULL3T will come with 3 LR44H cell batteries which should give it enough boost to provide you with long-lasting light. They provided a nice upgrade with the back spring that holds the batteries against the LED contacts in the addition of a heavier duty gold plated spring. This should increase tension while also increasing conductivity. Speaking of LEDs rather than using a traditional LED like previous designs the new BULL3T features an SMD LED, which is a LED mounted to its circuit board. These tend to be more robust while also giving a light an increased output without increasing battery consumption. For this light, it means a 100 Lumen output. Working our way outside we are reaching the body of the light. This is another big upgrade. In addition to the aerospace aluminum, there is now a titanium version that is even more resistant to the elements. Slughaus recognized the potential of titanium as a small flashlight material. Many other companies have started using this material due to its incredible strength, durability, weight, and resistance to corrosion. The body comes in two pieces connected using fine threading that extends the length of the casing in order to provide for a more secure connection. This point of contact is also reinforced using a seal that helps keep the insides dry. This small upgrade should help keep the BULL3T in one piece as there were some people who found there other models coming apart easily. Lastly, moving to the back of the light, Slughaus ditched the V-ring in favor of a standard 12mm split ring. That means hopefully no more losing a flashlight to a disengaged attachment point.

While Slughaus kept to their minimal design, the BULL3T is definitely proving to be a major upgrade, almost a redesign. I am incredibly excited to see how the campaign comes out.

Within an hour of launching on April 8th the BULL3T reached its $10,000 funding goal and now sits at nearly $75,000 raised by over twelve hundred people. This is still the early stages, the Kickstarter will end on June 7th at 8:59 pm. There are currently a total of seven pledge levels, but two of them are closing soon. You can buy a single aluminum or titanium light starting at $20 and $40 respectively. After that you have different multi packs to choose from. The highest level is five titanium lights for $160. This is a great addition to the collection and I encourage anyone that has been looking for a new flashlight to check it out. Unfortunately, the BULL3T is not expected to ship until November of 2019 but it looks to be worth the wait.

Check out the Kickstarter.

Read previous Slughaus posts at the following.

Bullet 02

NanoPen

Micro