Laser Archives

Intro

Flashlight technology continues to improve, LED technology and batteries made from lithium and various electrode types have greatly improved many product lines. The days of oversized lights running on alkaline cells are long gone, replaced by ever smaller and brighter options. Today we are looking at one of those products, the Olight Ark Pro Lite flashlight. The Ark pro is a very compact multi-purpose light with various features making it very handy for a daily use tool. With rechargeable battery that comes with multiple charging options, and shift-on-the-fly controls giving the user a focused beam, a flooding beam, and even a UV option. Additionally there is a green laser pointer built into the unit. All his in a handsome little light you can have delivered on your Amazon Prime account for $100.

olight, ark pro, flashlight, laser, ultra violet, uv, charging port — here you can see the USB-C charging port open, as well as the coltrol panel

Unboxing the Ark Pro Flashlight

As I opened the Olight Ark Pro, it was a little reminiscent of Apple products. Nice packaging with intuitive directions built-in as the packaging opened further. As is typical with Lithium powered products, there are various warning stickers on the product. As well as others that indicate operational features. A charging cable is also included that uses the typical Olight magnet affixed charging port. As well as a card listing the various models of Ark Pro and the functions of the controls and how you can customize them.

olight, ark pro, flashlight, laser, ultra violet, uv, — the laser pointer located centrally

The light itself feels very robust, its heavier than I anticipated which often gives the feeling of added value. The controls are very simple, and tactile with clicks and smooth movements. I hate to bring it back to Apple product’s but it almost feels similar to the older ipod’s before touch screens were incorporated.

olight, ark pro, flashlight, laser, ultra violet, uv, gun belt, safariland, holster, — the Olight Ark Pro fits nicely on a gun belt without cluttering things up too much between my **Safariland holster** and **CRKT Knife**

Olight Ark Pro Features

The solid construction of the Ark Pro gives a strong feeling of rugged quality. The construction also includes a strong dual belt-clip for carrying the light a variety of ways. And the compact slender size makes it easy to carry all the time, much like a pocket knife. And the dual-charging options give you a variety of choices to keep it powered up. And the magnet base that attaches one of the two charging methods also doubles as a hands-free mounting option.

Adjusting the brightness is done by holding down the power button. The Ark Pro cycles through different brightness levels until the button is released.

olight, ark pro, flashlight, laser, ultra violet, uv, mechanic, engine, — as one who frequents the underside of automotive hoods, I find the Ark Pro very handy for quick and easy lighting. Its magnetic base holds it tightly against the hood of vehicles

This light would be a great tool for maintenance and auto technicians, its quick operation and go-everywhere size is great for small places. The Ark Pro includes both a flood-style LED light, and a sharper spot-style LED light. And the UV light is great for identifying leaking systems like coolant or refrigerant dyes. And the laser pointer would also come in handy for pointing out locations to others without needing to get hands-on.

olight, ark pro, flashlight, laser, ultra violet, uv, flood, spot, — showing the two different LED’s emittance, above is the flood light, and below is the spot light. Both seen in pure darkness approximately 10 feet from wall

Real Use

This is not necessarily a light to take the place of a high lumen light you might need in a defensive situation. Though it is way better than no flashlight, it is more useful at distances inside 15-20 feet. On its highest setting it can be useful a bit further. Its comfortable to carry, making it easy to have with you anytime and anywhere.

It is fantastic during camping trips, easily keeping small areas lit. As well as intense light in small areas. It would be a great tool to keep on a tool or gun-belt, as a general all-purpose flashlight.

olight, ark pro, flashlight, laser, ultra violet, uv, EDC, EDC Dump, shadow systems, dr920, ruko, — the Ark Pro fits in perfectly with other EDC items like my **Shadow Systems DR920**

I’ve heard plenty of community lore about Olight products. Often what I hear is negative, but this is my first experience with any of their products. So I can only comment on what I have experience with. I have used other branded lights from popular manufacturers, and up to this point I’ve never had any issues with any of them. I look forward to keeping this Olight Ark Pro in my daily use to see how it stands up against its competition.

olight, ark pro, flashlight, laser, ultra violet, uv, belt, gun belt, — the Ark Pro Lite fits perfectly onto a gun-belt

Conclusion

I think the Olight Ark Pro will fill a great spot in my tool collection. Whether it be working on my car in the driveway, or searching for blood in the dark forest as the sun sets. It has a great set of features, and the simple operation make it a slam dunk for a general purpose flashlight. You can order yours direct through your Amazon account here.

-CBM

A good laser rangefinder is an essential tool for any marksman who regularly shoots any significant distance. Personally I learned the value of a good laser many years ago, and have carried one ever since. I’ve had a chance to use many of the most popular models, and today another one joins my collection.

Nikon Sport Optics has long provided quality optics to the hunting and shooting community, so I was happy to see one of their newest product show up at my door, the Black RangeX 4K rangefinder.

The RangeX features an OLED display, it has several brightness settings which include an auto adjust for surrounding light conditions. Simliar to many of its competitors, the RangeX also will give the user an angle compensated distance should it be selected. The RangeX has an available Arca Swiss compatible tripod mount, allowing the rangefinder to be quickly mounted and used from the sturdy perch of a tripod.
The response time of the display is very fast, not quite as fast as the laser itself, but .3 seconds is close enough for me. It uses a single CR2 lithium battery for approximately 9000 uses.

The display as seen through the RangeX, the X around the crosshair shows when the laser is activated.

Perhaps the most celebrated feature of the Nikon RangeX, is its distance capabilities. For some time, ranging beyond 1200 yards or so was relegated to higher priced LRF’s. But as the market has grown, there are more and more great options that will go well beyond what folks are used to. The RangeX is advertised as a 4000 yard maximum range, that is a very impressive statement, and one I planned on testing.

In my experience, the lower the price point on a rangefinder, the less likely it was to hit its maximum advertised distance. Unless you spent upwards of six or seven hundred dollars, you basically had a thousand yard rangefinder, and sometimes not even that. The best rangefinders are the ones that will range not only their advertised distance, but even beyond it sometimes.

To be completely fair though, once a rangefinder hits the two thousand yard mark reliably, I dont really care if it goes beyond. At least not for civilian use.
The vast majority of recreational shooting takes place inside two thousand yards, and those few that need more range know how and where to get it.

I started out the RangeX with basic simple ranging tasks, shooting down the road, across town etc. The simple stuff like inside a thousand yards was lightning fast, and targeting was easy. The narrow beam divergence of the RangeX (Vertical 1.8MRAD by .25MRAD horizontal) allows the user to shoot through gaps in trees, and between closer obstacles. This is a very handy feature for those like me who hunt in wooded forests and mountainous terrain.

The first time I took the RangeX into the mountains to shoot, I decided to stretch it out a little further. It was a cold February afternoon, heavy clouds hung tight against the Wasatch Mountains. Snow was falling at about 6500 ft, which wasn’t too far above my shooting spot that was tucked back into a deep and jagged canyon. Therein was plenty of real world ranging opportunities, rocks, trees, deer, etc. And all at whatever distance you wanted to try and hit them at.

I tried out the angle correcting feature of the RangeX, first measuring the distance to a target, then again with an angle corrected distance. Regardless of how far the target, the display popped up faster than I expected. The furthest I was able to range that day was 1978 yards, which was pretty impressive considering how much precipitation was in the air. Looking back down into town from my Rocky Mountain post, I ranged some buildings that were 2240 yards away.

Ive tried it several other times since, and have been able to reach out even further. The best I can do on rocks and trees is still about two thousand yards, but good reflective targets like cars, windows, and especially road signs, I have hit as far as three thousand eight hundred yards.

The tripod mount made the RangeX very stable, and easy to focus the reticle on targets. And with the various mounting solutions it could be configured however you want it.

The Nikon RangeX is a fantastic buy for the committed shooter, it gives outstanding performance at a very reasonable price. It is lightweight, waterproof, compact, and it gives accurate range readings very quickly. I haven’t hit the magic 4000 yards with it yet, but I’m at least several thousand yards from the park that Nikon knocked it out of.

-CBM