Ultra Bright CREE 1600 LM LED is a long size flashlight of 8.1 inches that has an original price of a normal high end flashlight but you can find it online for about $15 now at many online retaliers. The price drop of 85% is astounding considering what you can get from this flashlight. We rate it a 3.7 out of 5 because some allegedly received a fake product. It is better to be careful and make sure to order legit ones from legit sellers.

Overview

The CREE 1600 LM switch has five modes: High, Medium, Low, Strobe and Sos. It does not include an instruction manual so you will just have to play around with it to get an idea on how to use it. It needs two 18650 battery to operate. When you buy this flashlight on Amazon, it comes with two rechargeable high capacity 3000mAH 18650 batteries and dual channel Smart Charger.

This flashlight is super bright and has a blinding effect. With a max brightness of 1600 Lumens, the CREE 1600 LM is a perfect choice for camping, hunting, tactical situations and night patrols. Its design is compact, light and easy to handle making it an ideal emergency LED flashlight to help in targeted search, emergency assistance and other types of outdoor lighting demands. It’s also great for household use.

It has a soft touch on/off button with two modes; a firm press switches the light on and off and a slight press that changes through a sequential series of functions (High, Medium, Low, Strobe, and SOS). Adjustable focus flash lamps with zoom in or zoom out; slide the flashlight head back and forth to widen or spot beam.  Wide beam yields a round bright beam while the narrow beam yields a square (same shape as the LED) bright beam that will illuminate things at an unbelievable distance.

The CREE 1600 LM has a high quality construction with a sturdy feel that predicts a long useful life. Life span is up to 100,000 hours or more without the need of replacing the cap in its entire life. However at 8 inches in length, it may not be ideal for people looking for portable or pocket-size light.  It is waterproof, but never put it in the water for a long time. Its top grade aluminum casing resists rust and corrosion, the compact size and convenient strap is for added mobility.

The CREE brand is made in Hong Kong and China which tends to discourage users from the U.S. and other countries. It is comprehensible to be skeptical about products from these countries but CREE have established a pretty good reputation in terms of quality and performance. This flashlight can illuminate objects even across the street. It has a beam range of over 500 meters.

The use of 18650 rechargeable batteries is practical for the following reasons: lower cost over the lifespan of the batteries and the environment-friendly effect of using the same battery over and over again. Included in the package is not only one but three dual channel 3.7v Li-Ion smart charger (if you buy on Amazon) with a LED indication for Power On, Charging and Full Charge.

Summary

The determining factor for the CREE 1600 LM is the affordable price and super bright beam with five modes which can amazingly illuminate up to 500 meters in distance. It is indeed a powerful flashlight with a sturdy construction and compact design, all for a great price. The only drawback of this product is the charging time which can reach up to 6 hours due to the type of battery being used. On the other hand, long charging time means long running time for this flashlight. It would be difficult to find another of this kind of flashlight but except for another flashlight by CREE.

KEY FEATURES

• Five Modes: High, Medium, Low, Strobe and SOS.
• Compact, light and easy to handle
• Ultra bright at 1600 Lumens offers excellent light spread
• High quality CREE XML T6 LED chip
• Sturdy built Aluminum alloy; helps avoid nicks or damage when accidentally dropped
• Special reflector design;  improves light output intensity and distance
• Stable voltage circuit design; secures LED emitter from damage
• Low power consumption, long running time.

PHYSICAL FEATURES

• Size: 8.1 inches length x 4 inches width x 2.7 inches diameter
• Battery Type: Two 18650 battery (included in purchase)
• Power/Lumens: 1600 Max brightness
• Body Material: Aluminum Alloy
• Lens:  Coated Glass Lens
• Reflector: Aluminum Smooth/SMO Reflector
• Mount: None