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Infinity LED Task Light from Gerber - A Review
by Keith A. Williams
Over the centuries, mankind has evolved into a sophisticated group of creatures. We walk erect, dress nicely, and generally go through or relatively safe lives without much thought to the little things, which tend to make huge impacts when something goes wrong. Most of the population will probably pass happily through life without ever having to survive a terrorist attack, sinking ship, plane crash, or even the need to kill their own food.
Often overlooked though, is that whether you are into serious outdoor activities or just as content to surround yourself with concrete, steel, and neon lights, sooner or later you'll find yourself wishing that you had a flashlight handy. Many times in everyday life, we find ourselves hearing that bump in the night, needing to make a quick trip to a storage room in the dark, finding that a roadside bathroom's lights don't work, having a roadside emergency, being in a public place in a power outage, or other inconvenient or possibly unsafe situation. You soon notice that nothing causes mass confusion quite like groups of people being in total darkness.
Now there are more types of flashlights on the market today than ever before, and deciding which one to cull from the herd for personal use can be downright frustrating. It is a good idea to first figure out you own needs before running out and dropping large sums of your hard earned paycheck on the latest and greatest thing to come down the pike. Like many, I was initially attracted by the various models of "superlights" which seem to be all the rage, but after trial and error, I decided that although their overpriced, specialty batteries enabled them to saturate the area with enough power to mimic a small nuclear blast, this resulted in a short battery life and the effect was overkill for doing most close up work.
For me, this is where the Infinity comes into its own. The Infinity first hit the market a few years ago from a company called CMG. Although I’d never heard of it, I had had some bad experiences with flashlights and I was in the market for a sturdy little light that was small enough that I’d actually carry it with me when I needed it. Upon taking it from the package, I marveled at the design. This thing had a body made of solid aluminum with an integral lanyard hole, was watertight, only used one common AA battery, and offered 40 hrs. of usable light from an LED bulb, which was recessed for greater protection. Power to the bulb is accomplished by turning the cap end of the sealed compartment. All circuitry is enclosed at the rear of the bulb with the cap end being the only moving part. I have always taken the extra measure of moving the included pocket clip over the junction of the two parts to prevent any accidental turning of the ring.
The only problem that I have ever encountered with any of these was a possible poor connection at the battery terminal point with an early model and was shortly rectified with a design change in the connection.
The current model is marketed by Gerber and sports a few modifications. The on/off ring has been moved to the rear and the battery life has been increased substantially, without compromising the quality of the product. I own several of each and can attest to the durability of these products.
While I still have other lights that see frequent use in my life, I have yet to find one that can replace my confidence in the Infinity. I currently keep one on a split-ring in my wife's purse, my kids each have one, I have one in the truck, and I keep one attached by a small carabineer on the shoulder strap of each backpack that I use. Keeping one there ensures that I will always have it handy, and gives me the added benefit of being able to use it hands-free. With it, I can easily navigate down a trail, build a fire, read my maps, and do just about anything else without ever having to move it.
Another little tip that works for me is to have a neck lanyard daisy-chained onto it, and bucked between it and the strap. This way if you want to dump the pack, the light is instantly ready to travel along with you, where it belongs. If you have need of such an item in your kits, then I highly recommend this piece of gear.
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219 Holmes Street
Durand MI 48429
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