There are certainly single-beam flashlights that can zoom between floodlight and spotlight outputs, but the L1 takes a different (and allegedly better) approach. It has two separate beams in one head that rotates 180 degrees.
The L1, which is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, is manufactured by Hong Kong company Luxbeak.
Two separate buttons on the back of the black anodized aircraft aluminum flashlight allow the user to activate either the slow (aka spot) or flood beam, or both at once. Each of these beams can be aimed straight ahead or at right angles to the rest of the flashlight.
According to the designers, using two beams optimized in this way results in less light loss than using a single zoomable beam.
Luxury
The L1’s slow beam features a Luminus SST-40 LED that emits up to 2,000 lumens and has a throw distance of 304 meters (997 feet). It can be set to Low, Medium, High, Turbo, Strobe, and SOS power modes, and has a battery life of 7 hours on Turbo and 60 hours on Low.
The 175 degree flood beam has an Osram P9 LED with up to 1,000 lumens and can be set to high, medium and low modes. Battery life ranges from 6.5 to 90 hours. A small indicator light will change from blue to red and then start blinking to indicate that the 4,800 mAh lithium battery is low. A full USB charge takes 2.5 hours.
In addition to simply holding the L1 in your hand, you can attach it to any ferromagnetic surface via the magnets in the base, or attach it to clothing, backpack straps, etc. via the integrated clip. . It can even be used as a power bank if charging devices such as phones is a priority.
Luxury
It reportedly weighs 170 grams (6 ounces) across the scales and is IP68 water resistant. That means it can withstand submersion up to 1.5 m (4.9 ft) deep for up to 30 minutes.
Assuming all goes according to plan, a $45 USD pledge will get you your very own L1 flashlight. Planned retail price is $58.
The video below shows it.
L1: Dual light source flashlight with 180° swivel head
Source: Kickstarter
