A RECENT REVIEW OF THIS MEGA LIGHT WAS DONE BY CONES, OF CONES-STUFF AND BRITISH BLADES

http://www.cones-stuff.co.uk/MAG%20951%20II.htm

REGARDS
black bear

This light is getting interesting, now is a new model of the MAG 951 II coming out, it is called MAG 951 II CBQDS (it stand for Crenalleted bezel Quick Detach Swivel) and it still is 951 lumens for 40 to 45 minutes and rechargeable.

The bezels are made out of stainless steel and really look good in the silver torches.

They also have glow powder to make it easier to locate the torch in the dark.

This is the Quick Detach Swivel

Great to hang from the saddle horn.

More information about the new lights can be had here:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthre...480#post2163480

Best regads
black bear 84

I recently did a piece that meshed quite well with the shoot-out of the Surefire M-6 and the MAG 951.
So here it is:

FLASHLIGHTS FOR SELF DEFENSE

As strange as it sounds, some flashlights are used for self defense quite often in daily life.
Sometimes by professionals Police Officers in a way to avoid using deadly force in confrontations with suspects, and other times by civilians that are not permitted to carry lethal weapons.

In the US we have it quite good in that we are allowed to carry short knives and some others implements but in the majority of Europe such activities are illegal or highly frowned upon by the authorities.

If you defend yourself with a baseball bat even in your own home in certain countries you have to give reason for why you have such an implement with you.

One of my flashlights that I promote in the States as the Search and Rescue 852 lumens to use in emergency vehicles such as ambulances, fire trucks, helicopters etc. because is too heavy and too long to be easily portable (it is based on the Maglite 4 D). I have found appreciative customers in the European market to be used as self defense tool by civilians that go out for a stroll or to walk the dog situations.

Other lights use others means of incorporating defense mechanisms in their construction. I am thinking now about the ARES Defense Companion, a Maglite with 3 cells that incorporates a shotgun of 410 gauge (only one picture is circulating in the Internet and I think is not in production) or the Tiger Light that incorporates a pepper spray canister, or the several models of Surefire that come with crenellated bezels (one example is the popular E2D executive Defender).

Surefire was the first (to my knowledge) at popularizing the crenellated bezel and the SureFire Institute offers a class in basic defensive tactics called “The power of Light” which is open to all qualified civilians as well as law enforcement professionals .
The course is taught by certified instructor Steve Tarani (shown below delivering a carotid strike).

My own MAG 951 II or the EXP 852 can be had with the optional heavy stainless steel crenellated bezel that I offer in a limited production run.
Such bezels add 3 ounces to the weight of the head and the bezel even that is not actually sharp will be a good imitation of the broken beer bottle.
I don’t think that an aggressor, if he is in his right mind, will confront such a weapon that first will blind him with 951 lumens and then is ready to rearrange his facial features.

Some handy accessories have been produced to increase the defensive use of the Maglite. I am thinking of a quality item made with great care and good materials called the Piggy Back; it will keep a container of Pepper spray quite handy by screwing the accessory to the end of the MAG tail-cap.

Or from the same company the accessory tail-cap with carbide insert capable of breaking automotive glass.

My own Quick Detach Swivel, when used only with the nub for the lanyard, can be very hard on skulls and noses.

This MAG 951 sports the heavy 3 inch head (the head is now out of production), more resembling a medieval mace. This is also a fantastic throw monster reaching over several hundred yards.

I have in my long association with the flashlight Industry seen a few models which spray OC from the front of the lens, flashlight that also incorporate a screaming siren, flashlights that incorporate a stun gun and others weird contraptions all of them gone from the market now.

What seems to prevail is just a good weight reliable flashlight that can be used as a baton or with the new crenellated bezels and the introduction of really powerful MEGA lights capable of blinding an assailant.

Best regards,
Black bear

The inquiry I get most often about my MEGA lights, such as the MAG 951, is how much more powerful they are compared to the regular police or military flashlight.

The Magcharger and the Stinger have been for many years the standard from which all the others lights are judged.
The Magcharger has been upgraded in the last few years from 30,000 candlepower to 40,000, and the Stinger has come out with the Ultra Stinger, that has upgraded the candlepower of the Stinger from 40,000 to 75,000.

Last year I bought one of the Magchargers, and just now I bought one of the Ultra Stingers of 75,000 candlepower, to test them again my rechargeable MAG 951 II.

And to represent the military high end flashlight, I included the Surefire M-6 with the 500 lumens lamp. Of course, this light is the darling of Special Forces and many SWAT teams; it uses six 123’s batteries for a 20 minutes run time.

The target is the tool shed with the beam shots coming from 43 yards away, while my camera is placed at 15 yards from the target.

Here are the lights, from left to right: Surefire M-6, Ultra Stinger, Magcharger and my red MAG 951 II, (this time with the three plastic battery carriers for the 951 lumens)

Magcharger, 40,000 candlepowers, 200 lumens

Ultra Stinger, 75,000 candlepowers, 290 lumens

Surefire M-6 (500 lumens) this light uses six 123's batteries for a 20 minutes run time.

MAG 951 II, 951 lumens, 45 minutes run time, rechargeable.

Regards
black bear

HI GUYS,

YES, it have been a name change, my light is called now the BOREALIS.

MAG Instruments (the owners of Maglite) has asked me to remove the name MAG from my torch postings
It seems that it is a registered trademark.

I am compliying with their request and calling my light BOREALIS.

Thank you
black bear

HI GUYS,
CLIPSE HAS DONE A REVIEW OF THE BOREALIS FLASHLIGHT.
HERE IS THE LINK:

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=220352

HE EVEN TELL YOU HOW TO BUILD A FIRE WITH ONE.

BEST REGARDS
black bear

I finally have my own web site.

It is http://www.blackbearflashlights.com

All my lights are there, including the migthy BOREALIS 1050 lumens

Thanks to all for the support.

Best regards
black bear

Except for some HID’s barely portable lights like the “Beast” from Surefire (a $3,000 light working on 20 disposables batteries, outputting 2,000 lumens) and others HID’s that don’t qualify as flashlights as they are considered “searchlights” and take quite a few seconds to get them going, no other flashlight that you can get in the store can compete in lumens output with the BOREALIS 1050 lumens flashlight that is made in the 3 D format.

So the question arose as how the BOREALIS will compare with an incandescent two million candlepower spotlight.

I have a closet full of spotlights of 15 years ago, lights that plugged into the cigarette lighter of a car and at that time were state of the art at 250,000 and even 500,000 candlepower’s.

Later the portable, rechargeable 500,000 and one million spotlights come about and of late you can get a good spotlight by LSI or Q. Beam of 2 million candlepower.

How does the little 2” reflector and 35 watt bulb compare with the monstrous 5 ½ inches reflectors and 50 to 75 watts bulbs in those spotlights?

To find out, I did a round up of what I have in the house: a couple of 1 million Q Beam I had disposed off when the batteries ran out of life, but I have a brand new LSI Nite Tracker 2,000.000 million candlepower, a 1 million spotlight from Aid Auto Stores and a new PN 46224 5 million from Heartland America catalogue.
Actually this is the second one, because I returned the first as the light don’t seem to my eyes to output more than a million, the second is still delivering the same output, so maybe where they come from the candlepower’s have a different value than the American ones!

I gave all the spotlights and my light a good charge to run a fair test.
The shootout was made against a tool shed at 30 yards and my appreciation of what I saw is this: The Aid auto Store spotlight seems to be a thru and thru one million candlepower light as the output is well matched against what I have seen before from other one millions.
The BOREALIS will overpower this spotlight plenty, washing the beam of it when the BOREALIS beam is made to coincide.

The second spotlight I tried was the LSI Nite tracker, 2,000.000 million; this is a great light (but also great in size and weight) and is obviously what the BOREALIS has to compete for.
I have found that the BOREALIS beam is more useful than the LSI as the spread is wider (more floodlight), I can see much more landscape to the sides of the shed than with the beam of the LSI. As per the intensity at the shed door, here are the pictures so you can judge it yourself.

Of the Black and yellow 5 million light from Heartland, to my eyes it is barely 1 million, maybe 750,000 more likely.

Yes, the LSI two million can do almost the same as the BOREALIS, but that light is much more compact, lighter and of incomparable quality in its components, the modified switch, reflector and battery carrier are a work of art and the power source are the best high current high capacity Nimhs in existence.

The Contenders, from left to right; My red BOREALIS flashlight 1050 lumens,
the 5 million Heartland of America black and yellow spotlight, the LSI Nite Tracker 2 million, and the Aid auto stores 1 million spotlight.

And I am going to show the beamshots in the opposite sequence:

Aid auto stores 1 million candlepower

LSI Nite Tracker 2 million

Heartland of America 5 million (The text explain what I think of this light)

BOREALIS 1050 lumens rechargeable, 50 minutes run time.

Respectfully
black bear

I have received some P.M’s and E-mails asking about the performance of some of my others lights in comparison with what is already available in the street.

The POLAR BEAR, particularly figured in several of the inquires, and more than a couple of people wanted to know how it compares with the Ultra Stinger.
Also the newer BEAR CUB was mentioned several times.

So having decided to do a shoot out, I recharged my Ultra Stinger and set up to do the testing.

Here are the lights
Left to right, the Bear Cub the Polar Bear and the Ultra Stinger

It was drizzling at 6 p.m. when I went to the back yard, it causes the beam of the lights to reflect in the droplets of water and outline the beam in a way I have never taken pictures before.

The target was 30 yards away, and is a tool shed 12x8 feet.

I set the tripod and holding the lights alongside and at the height of my head initiated the shoot-out.
(The beams seem to come from much higher, that is why I mention the fact)

The Ultra Stinger, 75,000 candlepower, 295 lumens (claimed)

The Polar Bear, 426 lumens run time 75 minutes

The Bear Cub, 220 lumens for 90 minutes

Of course all my others lights, live on the shadow of the BOREALIS, at the last minute, I decided to bring it up into the shoot-out, so people can see what this light is all about.
Of course the lens of the camera don’t open as much as the human eye, and consequently it sees less. What I am seeing with my eyes is more illumination with any of the lights, than the camera capture, but it is good for comparison between the lights.

And yes here is the beamshot with the BOREALIS 1050 lumens light.

Kind regards and Happy Holidays to all members
Black bear

BOREALIS TORTURE TEST

People ask me all the time how tough the BOREALIS is, I just uploaded a new video in the web site.

Click here

http://www.blackbearflashlights.com/support.htm

and then click on the window that is marked BOREALIS TORTURE TEST

You will see how we broke branches, hit water jugs, throw the light use it as a hammer and finally shot it with a .22 rifle, and the light keep going.

Thanks
black bear