Peli VersaBrite 3 LED - Black

For:

* Lightweight
* Strong
* Small
* Versatile
* Good battery life

Against:

* Non Standard Batteries
* On the Expensive side
* Adapter needed for KickFast

The Peli Versabrite 3 is great little torch so you can see when writing in your PBN at night. Its plenty bright enough for note taking but not a lot else. It’s so lightweight that you don’t even notice your wearing it. To turn it on you just pop the head open and point the light where you want it. It really could not get much easier!

However if your vest has KlickFast docks, you are going to have to spend a bit more to buy an adapter which turns an already pricey torch into an expensive one.

It suggests you get 34 hours from the batteries, which to be fair is a lot of writing in your note book, but when they do run out you can’t just get some from the stationary cupboard as you will need special button cells for it. However I’m ok with this as they enable you to have a lightweight and compact torch.

I have the black one to match my vest, but they also come in Yellow to match the Hi-Vis vests, so something for everybody!

Pros:
•,Small & lightweight
•,Simple one-handed operation
•,Long battery life
•,No quibble replacement guarantee

Cons:
•,Can switch on when unwanted
•,Needs a separate KlickFast adaptor to dock securely
•,Fiddly battery replacement
•,High price per lumen

The Peli Versabrite3 has become the defacto standard hands-free light for uniformed officers for some years now and for many good reasons. When mounted on your upper chest (preferably in a KlickFast dock) it is ideal for hands-free operations, such as:
-,Ticket writing
-,Immediate area illumination
-,Writing PNB in the dark
-,Discrete backup light
-,Officer safety presence indicator (traffic control)

The initial layout is quite a bit, especially if you get the KlickFast dock adapter which is an optional extra, but the use you get from it makes it worthwhile.

I’ve now owner two for over 5 years (one black and one yellow) and am really pleased with them. They are invaluable when I want some light to see to write with, or go somewhere where I want a soft light in an area immediately around me. They supplement, not replace, a full size power torch.

With a simple flick of the hand, the LED head of the unit is lifted to turn it on, and the light can be angled up or down as desired, and then left in position until pushed down to turn off.

The black and yellow colours blend in very well with black and yellow duty uniform respectively, made of light-weight plastic and low profile, so they give little for an assailant to grab onto in a struggle and are very unlikely to be damaged in a bundle.
In the unlikely event that it does get damaged, the no-quibble replacement guarantee can be used to get a replacement from the manufacturer (which I have yet to have cause to use, but know of colleagues who have).

Battery life is definitely good, and use 2 readily available 2032 coin cells. Replacement of the batteries is a bit fiddly, having to remove three small Phillips screws, but not prone to fall out. They may need to be replaced more frequently if you are unfortunate to knock the light as you put your kit away, but generally last me quite a few months of duties before needed to be replaced.

All in all, they really are one of the few indispensable items that every uniformed officer should purchase as their first kit addition.

Pros:
Handy
Useful when you need both hands
Rain / weatherproof
Great warranty
Excellent battery life
Light
Cons:
Could do with being just a little bit brighter
Build quality suspect
Should be cheaper than it is

My Peli has become part of the furniture on my vest over the last couple of years. After a damp and frustrating evening of juggling paperwork, torch and pens at the roadside I went shopping for a Peli.

Functionally it’s really handy, mounted on a klikfast, it’s always easy to use and accessible. The LED light gives just enough illumination to write a ticket without the glare of a more powerful torch. I occasionally use mine to light up where I’m about to walk, it’s only just about bright enough to do this though and the throw of the beam isn’t very wide.

Another thing that appealed to me about the Peli was the returns policy, which was just as well as within the first fortnight the clip at the rear of my new toy had sheared off. The whole unit was, just as other reviewers have said, replaced painlessly and quickly by Peli, which was great.

However, I do believe that it shouldn’t have failed in the first place. It’s pretty robust otherwise and takes all the abuse you’d expect. There are a couple of design
flaws though, at the top of the clip is a rubber cap that covers the metal that acts a spring for the clip. That cap has long since disappeared, no doubt detached by the rapid removal of a seatbelt.

The metal is now exposed with two sharp corners which isn’t ideal. You turn the unit on by opening the hinged lens unit. It’s very easy to think you’ve turned it off by
closing it shut, but the action isn’t that positive and there have been a few occasions where I’ve been illuminating the inside of my vest until someone pointed out to me that I was wandering around looking like an illumination at Blackpool.

I could never really give it more than a 3 out of 5, it works, it appears robust and then you find something just a little bit suspect about the build quality that dents your confidence. Would I buy another one? Err not sure, it does the job, but if it did fail I would probably just look to mount my main torch on my vest via a Klikfast mount.

I wear mine on my vest and use it for hands free writing in my PNB at work. The batteries last for ages in normal use.

I've found that the clip on the back can break when connected with a dock, but they'll replace it for that and sometimes you have to be careful in case you inadvertantly flip it open.

It's a great piece of gear when you are working nights and can even illuminate the ground ahead when you're searching.

Great little torches, clips on nicely to my MET vest and makes it very easy when writing details down in the dark; and means you do not have to hold a torch in your mouth!

Mine did stop working for no apparent reason after about six months but sent it back to Patrol Store and it was replaced within about 5 days, no questions asked.

I even received a cheque in the post a few days later for about £2.50 to cover the cost of me sending it back!!!

Great customer service Patrol Store.