Monday, January 30, 2012

A knife and a light

I have a love-hate relationship with Iain Sinclair and their wonderful things.

They have marvelous creations, but their distribution sucks on a level that boggles the imagination.

Some time back I had temporary amnesia and forgot how frustrated they made me with my efforts to get another Eon Extreme Floodlight. I saw they had a bundle deal for their upgraded knife and their Eon Classic flashlight.

I promptly gave in to my lack of any kind of self-control and submitted an order.

An eon or two (pun sort-of-intended) passed (see above re: complaint about their distribution process) and finally the snail on the slow boat from China (literally) made it through customs and deposited the order on my desk before vanishing in a puff of pixie dust.

I really like the Eon Classic flashlight. It's simple as simple can be. It's actually a bit more rugged-seeming than the Eon Extreme Floodlight, though it's really pretty much the same thing. The only differences between the "Classic" and the "Extreme" are the switch controls, the casing, and the ability to recharge.

The classic has a simple control. You push down on the activation button (ensconced beneath the aluminum shell) and the bright light comes on. Lift your thumb and the light goes off.

The classic doesn't have any kind of recharge plug and the battery (said to last for 10 years) isn't replaceable.

The "Extreme" has a more sophisticated control that offers variable beams and sustained light. Two clicks activates the low beam. Three clicks activates the blindingly-bright beam. One click deactivates. And this one is rechargeable with the mini-USB cable that's included. My main complaint about the "Extreme" (mentioned in a prior post sometime past) is that the frame isn't sealed very well. Mine came loose and I had to use super-glue and gaffer's tape to re-seal it. The loose frame may have been why the switch seemed wonky too. Thus my seemingly-vain efforts to get a new one. *sigh*

What really interested me was the upgraded knife. Sinclair upgraded the safety catch holding the knife in-place in its sheath-body. It's far superior to the first version of this little doodad. On top of it, they include a little booklet that's quite clear on how to open the sharp little bugger.

Sinclair's distribution may suck ass, but the production values for the knife continue to improve impressively and I must say I love the Eon Classic flashlight.

I just wish they'd get their production squared away for the Extreme and ship the damn things in my lifetime.

Would be nice to see their advertised camera actually go on sale as well. That looks fascinating.

Oh well.

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