Flashlight Review: G&P Scorpion Series R500

[clipse]

G&P Scorpion Series R500



I ordered this flashlight Tuesday and recieved it from www.lighthound.com on Thursday. When this light first came out I wasn't all that impressed because the claims seemed outragous. Five hundred lumens out of light no bigger than a 2C cell MagLite running on a rechargable 2200 mAH li-ion battery pack for 45-60minutes and under $100. I figured it was a cheap piece of junk. But the more I read about peoples reports of it and the more I looked at pictures I thought I may was well try it out. So, I ordered it. First think I thought as I pulled it out of the box was that it felt very substantial. Very solid and hefty but not too much.



I turned it on and it seemed quite bright. I was at work when I got it so I couldn't really play with it that much, and it was during the day so I couldn't really judge much because of the ambiant light and the lack of flashlights to compare it to. When I got I checked the charge on the battery pack. It was registering alittle over 7.5 volts. This battery pack is made up of two 18650 li-ion 2200 mAH rechargable batterys in series. After being on the charger they register 8.4 volts. So then I got to play with and compare it to other lights. I blew every other light I have away......except one. My Borealis. But its kinda unfair to compare it to that light. The Borealis is a different beast. More on the brightness in a minute.

One other thing I noticed when I first opened it up was its size. I was expecting something bigger. Here is a shot next to the Surefire G2 as a comparison.



As you can see it is not quite twice the length of the G2 and the battery tube is actually thinner. The head on the other hand is quite a bit bigger.



I like the way it charges also. The charging port is built into the battery pack and there is a hole in the battery tube(just below the head) that allows access to the charging port. The hole is covered up but a ring that you have to turn in order to access the hole for the charging port. (as seen in this pics)



After turning you can see the port.



Simple enough. The battery pack also has a protection circuit builtin to it to protect the cells from being over discharged and/or over charged. This is important because over discharging can kill a li-ion cell and over charging can cause it to vent violently and cause fire or worse.

There are two logos on the body of the flashlight. One for G&P and the other for the series of the flashlight.




The tailcap works the same as with the surefire G2. You press for momentary on and twist for constant on. I kinda like this set up because it is simple in design and less likely to break or malfunction. The tail cap is very large and grips easily. The ruber button on it seems quite nice and durable as far as rubber goes.



As for the brightness of the light......I let the pictures do the talking. The pics are quite represetative of reallife.

G2 with P61 (120 lumens)


R500 (500 lumens)


Borealis (1050 lumens)


Conclusion-While the R500 may not be quite 500 lumens, it comes close and in a nice package. Machining is very nice and anodizing seems quite well done as well. Quality is up there close to Surefire. I dropped the light a few times (not intirely on purpose) on hardwood floors from about 3-4 feet. No nicks or scraps on the light but my wife won't be happy when she sees the floors. :).

Overall this is a great light. Deffinately worth the price. Try and get similar products from Surefire and you'll have to shell out 2-3 times the price and it won't be rechargable.

One slight thing I might mention, yesterday when i got up to workout (still dark outside) I shined this light from our bedroom door down a hallway to the other side of the living room (about 30-35 feet) and it was too much for my night adapted eyes. It does light up the back yard really nicely though, and at quite a distance.

clipse

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[P95Carry]

Thx once more for a great review.

I dread to think how many flashlights you must have now

[clipse]

I have alittle more than three dozen flashlights floating around in the house, cars, and my office at work. :)

clipse

[XD in SC]

Clipse, where can I buy a Borealis. I found some posts, but NO website. Does Blackbear84 have a way of selling these?

[black bear 84]

Clipse, where can I buy a Borealis. I found some posts, but NO website. Does Blackbear84 have a way of selling these?

Sean,
I will get out of the woods and into the 21 century and will get me a web-site, soon!

Meanwhile contact me at:

jcharles11784(at)yahoo(dot)com

And I will send you information on the BOREALIS and how to purchase one.
I have them ready to ship and in Black, silver, red and royal blue.

Best regards
Juan C.
(black bear 84)

[XD in SC]

Already had sent an email earlier. You probably have responded already.

EDIT--- yep got it. OK I'll probably convince myself this week.

BTW, sorry for the hijack Clipse.

[clipse]

XD in SC,

You won't be dissappointed with the Borealis. It is one kick ***** light. :)

I just thought I would add. I added a Section8tactical CCS to the R500. The Section8tactical CCS is really hand for useing the Rogers Technique for holding a light and a gun. You have to be careful with this light though. It works well with my 1911 but with the Ruger SP101, you are liable to shoot the bezel if you not careful. I have a Section8tactical CCS on the G2 in the above pictures. I will try and get pics of the Section8tactical CCS on the R500 sometime. I really wanted to add that so I can use a lanyard with the light.

[clipse]

This may not be the best pic (I did the best I could with what I had) but you get an idea of how big the R500 is in relation to the 1911 and how it is held. :)

[Ti Carry]

The Rogers Technique is good for small lights such as a size of a G2 possibly and bit larger but not much IMO and in the way the technique is taught. In fact, that is one of the negatives of the Rogers Technique, it is only meant for smaller flashlights with end-mounted momentary switches.

The Harries Technique is the one I'd use with that size of light. Much more stable holding it in the ice-pick grip, it's very stable and supports your strong hand and better mimics the stability of what a two hand grip will give you and is better controlled.


Ti.

[retsupt99]

presentation...thanks!
I do like my Surefire E2e for right now...and it can easily blind one when it is unexpected on a dark night. I'll only need a couple of seconds...
Nice pics, too!

ret

[clipse]

The Rogers Technique is good for small lights such as a size of a G2 possibly and bit larger but not much IMO and in the way the technique is taught. In fact, that is one of the negatives of the Rogers Technique, it is only meant for smaller flashlights with end-mounted momentary switches.

The Harries Technique is the one I'd use with that size of light. Much more stable holding it in the ice-pick grip, it's very stable and supports your strong hand and better mimics the stability of what a two hand grip will give you and is better controlled.


Ti.

I agree. If there is a bump in the night I'll actually grab my Borealis before I grab the R500. And while you can use a modified Rogers Technique with the Borealis, it is much easier and more controllable to use the Harries Technique. I added the ring mainly for lanyard use. Still it will work very well with both technique's.

clipse