Pelican is a name that anyone will recognize due to the company’s rich history in developing protective cases. Pelican literally revolutionized the game when it came to making high performance protective cases that at one point had them cornering the entire market. The company began in 1976 with an innovative safety tool for divers that compromised of a hundred feet of twine around a hockey stick handle and a metal weight that was a mini anchor. The handle would bob on the water’s surface and mark the locations for divers. It became known as the “Pelican Float”, and it literally saved lives.
Eager to expand on his vision of safety products for divers, the company founder Dave Parker, shifted focus on creating a superior first-aid kit. The cases for the first-aid kits were rugged and durable, built to keep the contents stored inside safely protected from water and dust. The cases were such a hit that the buyers began throwing out the first-aid contents and using the cases to store other items. The rest is history.
So how does this bring us to flashlights and the Pelican 7600 Rechargeable Tactical Flashlight? Well, Pelican has rapidly expanded their product line since those early beginnings in 1976. They utilized the same technology for making tough cases into making tough flashlights. They combined much of this into the Pelican 7600 which makes it one of the best tactical flashlights on the market, tooted as the “best all round law enforcement flashlight available”.
The key specifications are as follows:
- Length: 6.19″ (15.7 cm)
- Weight With Batteries: 6.9 oz (196 gr)
- Weight Without Batteries: 5.4 oz (153 gr)
- Switch Type: Push Button
- Light Modes: High / Strobe / Medium / Low
- Battery Size: 18650
- Battery Type: Lithium-Ion
- Battery Quantity: 1
- Batteries Included: Yes
- Rechargeable: Yes
- Charge Time: 5 hrs
- Battery Level Indicator: RGB LED
- Volts: 3.7 v
- Lamp Type: LED
The Pelican 7600 includes a Tyle III hard anodized finish, that as soon as you hold it you feel just how durable it is. The surface is abrasion-resistant which also means it is difficult to scratch or mark up. It is also worth noting the 7600 is Ingress Protected IPX8 which means it is submersible and can withstand water damage as well. If that isn’t enough for you, Pelican also gives it an unconditional lifetime guarantee of excellence.
So how well does it work? It features 4 light modes which are Strobe, High, Medium, and Low. In the high mode, the 7600 will output 944 lumens with a beam distance of 738 feet. You can run it in high mode for 3 hours and 15 minutes. The medium mode gets you 479 lumens of light with a beam distance of 515 feet and you can run on that for 4 hours and 30 minutes. Finally, in the low mode you get 37 lumens and a beam distance of 144 feet which can run up to 29 hours. But there are also two additional color modes which give you a red or green light. To activate them, just turn the bezel on the top to the one you want. This could be handy for use by police, military, or professionals in the field.
Those are solid outputs and excellent battery life runtimes when compared to the competition. We found the light to be excellent in several different environments. It is also interesting to see Pelican offer a programming option for the 7600. While this can be a bit complicated, it is impressive that you can really setup the light as you wish. However, it is a bit steep at a cost of $129 when you compare the output levels to the competition in that price point.
In conclusion, the Pelican 7600 is a great flashlight that can be used in a professional setting but would also be excellent for an emergency kit due to its durability. You aren’t getting the crazy outputs that you might see on other flashlights in that price point but you also won’t find the same build quality you’ll get on the Pelican 7600. 8/10.
Ben