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Product Review: Pelican 8060 LED

Police Products with Lindsey J. Bertomen

I recently tested the Pelican 8060 LED, a 190 lumen rechargeable torch that is almost 13 inches long and weighs 23.2 ounces, which is much larger and heavier than the 7060 LED. It is shaped like a traditional flashlight with aggressive trapezoidal bumps which Pelican calls its “grenade grip” because of the obvious similarities. It is water resistant, not waterproof.

This torch is ideal as a hand searchlight but be cautious to not reflect the beam back at yourself in a building search and don't direct it towards someone's face at point-blank range, lest they become vaporized into thin air. (Photo courtesy of Lindsey Bertomen)

The 8060 LED uses a hook charging system, which means it does not need to be disassembled in order for the battery to be placed on the charger. It boasts 6 hours of runtime with approximately 4.5 hours of charging time. It has a unique feature: the NiMH rechargeable stick can be removed and standard “C” cells can fuel it, giving approximately 11 more hours of service. If this product did not turn out to be superior in our testing, the replaceable cell feature alone could sell it.

The 8060 LED is made of Pelican's nearly indestructible, non sparking resin with a metal heat sink area in the head. It has a deep polished reflector that throws a concentrated center shaft and a very usable concentric spill beam. The light rendered true colors and delivered a wide field of view down a hallway or alley. The test model did not have any dark spots, nor did it deliver the "donut of darkness" of lesser tactical lights. I quickly discovered that this light provided reliable facial recognition from goalpost to goalpost on a standard football field. I was fortunate to have some natural fog in which to test it for backscatter. The beam penetrated and could be considered well engineered for smoky or foggy environments.

The 8060 LED balanced near the midpoint, which kept it swinging easily in a standard baton ring without banging against the leg. The recessed switch prevented accidental firing yet was easily indexed for finger up or thumb down switching. I experimented with tossing the light (while lit) from four feet onto carpeted concrete to see if it would flicker and found it had superior shock resistance. I took it to the range and fired nearly 100 rounds of Winchester RA9BA +P ammunition through a FNP-9, using the 8060 LED and USMC tactical light grip. It never faltered.

Pelican states in the torch’s specifications that the 8060 LED will deliver six hours of usable light. After cycling it a couple of times, I left it on for six straight hours. For some products, this is the torture test because as a rechargeable battery discharges, its internal resistance changes. If the circuitry of the light is not correct, it can "run free" in an LED light. This can cause all kinds of problems, including extreme temperatures and cooking the LED. When I left the 8060 LED on for six straight hours, it got warm, but not hot. Although the light dimmed a little towards the last hour of the cycle, it was definitely capable of a building or vehicle search throughout its life. The usable light lasted within a few seconds of six hours the first time and a few minutes longer the second time I tested it.

This torch is ideal as a hand searchlight. It gives the officer an abrupt advantage on a traffic stop but officers must be cautious not to reflect the beam back at themselves in a building search. It should not be directed towards someone's face at point-blank ranges, lest they vaporize into thin air.

I didn't think that Pelican would come up with something so soon that could usurp the Pelican 7060 LED, but they turned up the power in the 8060 LED, which comes highly recommended.