Specs:
- LED: COB LED (5000k???) Unknown model
- Battery: 2x 26650 (Interal non-removeable)
- Driver: Unknown Driver no visible PWM
- UI: 3 modes with Turbo (4 total)
- Reflector Type: Aspherical Lens
- Thermal Regulation: No, most definitely a timed stepdown
First impressions:
A pretty big, hefty light, not as big as the SwissTech, but similar form factor. Has a more normal looking design, looks like a scaled up zoomie. The button is a very audible "clicky" button, not annoying per say, but audible. This light zooms more than the SwissTech but I see why the SwissTech limited the zoom, as the Kodiak zooms all the way to see the LED die which makes a discusting massive spot, still not much of a zoom function at all, and the very off putting "spot" will make sure I will never use it again in "Zoomed mode".
Usage notes:
Similar to the SwissTech, this has a timed stepdown, although this Kodiak light has a "Turbo" rated for "10,000" Lumens, all you have to do is hold the button down for 3 seconds, and it will hold Turbo for several seconds. The box says it will hold it for 30 seconds, but its more like 20-25 secs not 30. The head gets pretty hot considering its a "twisty", so it has good thermal conductivity through the threads of the zoom function. Output also drops as battery voltage lowers but not as much as the SwissTech which leads me to believe that there is some kind of regulation going on instead of pure PWM. No visible PWM in all modes which is very good. This light can only sustain 849 lumens which is really bad for this size of light, good for battery life, but my single cell Nightwatch NS73V2 can sustain over 900 lumens and can fit in my pocket, it certainly has the thermal mass to be able to sustain more but the lack of real thermal regulation shows here. I was able to hit the advertised "10,000" Lumen rating on turbo, but only at initial turn on while fully charged, ANSI lumen rating is well below 10k lumens. Also note that cycling through modes, it smoothly, gradually changes brightness, which is interesting and gives a "quality" impression, although you still have to cycle through the modes to turn it off.
Battery:
Battery is non-removable and the flashlight tailcap is glued so the whole light is trash once the battery or electronics fail.
Brightness Perf:
- Low: 300 Lumens (Low is rated at 300 Lumens)
- Med: 3100 Lumens
- High: 5607 Lumens (High is rated at 6000 Lumens )
- Turbo: 10,676 Lumens @ turn on
- Max Lumens @30s: 9,401 Lumens
- Max Sustained Lumens: 849 Lumens
Verdict:
Overall not a bad flashlight for $69 if you are limited to Walmart. But there are so many other cheaper, options that are better once you consider Amazon and Aliexpress. I would only buy this if I had no flashlights and I needed a bright flashlight while heading out camping as a last minute purchase. Very few Pros with lots of Cons. I would probably take this light over the SwissTech though since it can get brighter, is smaller, and no visible PWM.
Pros:
-Quick and easy to aquire (no waiting for shipping)
-Bright flood (initially)
-Long battery life
Cons:
-Expensive
-Obviously low CRI COB LED
-Useless and discusting zoom function lol
-Sustained lumens is really low considering the size of the light
-Have to cycle modes to turn off
-Heavy
-Non-removable battery
-No regulation (lumen output drops with battery voltage)
This item was purchased by myself
