First off this isn't a review thread, I might do one of those later once I have the unit mounted and fully operational.
Today the secretary at my favorite safety supplier and Whelen distributor emailed me today to say my new light was in. Oh boy! I went down as quick as I could to find out they'd already opened it and checked it out, LOL. They all wanted to see it bench tested as this is apparently one of the first Pan & Tilt spotlights in the country, so of course I had to oblige. I ordered the permanent mount with wireless control.
We promptly went to the install bay and fired up the power supply. Having read the install guide before it arrived I knew I had to crack it open and set a dip switch inside the unit and remote so they would communicate. A nice touch by Whelen - the remote control comes with batteries.
First impressions of the thing - it's HUGE. Not the largest light I've ever seen (sealed beam beacons are larger) but a lot taller than a GoLight for example, or any LED warning beacon. The thing has some weight to it too. What impressed me was the build quality of the internals as they're entirely metal. The whole rotating assembly from the base down to the surround that encases the LED panel are all metal, presumably sheet metal but possibly aluminum. Looks built for heavy duty use which is no surprise as this is a takeoff from the secret IR military model that's been around for a while. In fact the label even says "Commercial Pan And Tilt".
There's a FRONT label on the lamp which is significant. When you shut the light off the unit goes into a self-diagnostic test which runs it through its whole range of motion looking for problems, then it defaults back to the front position. Turning the light back on in the middle of the sequence interrupts it wherever the light is pointed.
As for brightness, WOW. No more need be said. Rated intensity is 1,475 lumens and the bench test showed great promise. I've been working more at night and have been using a FedSig Visibeam II that I borrowed from my supplier until my Pan & Tilt came in. We jury rigged it with a CAT5 patch cord, a simple power harness, and a mag mount, and it's been decent but I've had to leave the vehicle running and I can't control it unless I'm in the cab. The Whelen unit should be a significant improvement.
Most folks will probably balk at the price and initially I did too. This is setting me back over $800. A GoLight is MUCH cheaper indeed, however consider this - a GoLight's moving parts are completely external and open to the elements. I live in a country where it's -30C winters and 6 feet of snow in a season. I didn't want ice and snow building up in open cavities and stripping gears. That's not even considering GoLight has been very slow with adopting LED technology and only recently came out with a factory LED model.
Overall I'm happy with this purchase and can't wait to get it mounted. Does anyone else have one and would like to share their thoughts and opinions?
Today the secretary at my favorite safety supplier and Whelen distributor emailed me today to say my new light was in. Oh boy! I went down as quick as I could to find out they'd already opened it and checked it out, LOL. They all wanted to see it bench tested as this is apparently one of the first Pan & Tilt spotlights in the country, so of course I had to oblige. I ordered the permanent mount with wireless control.
We promptly went to the install bay and fired up the power supply. Having read the install guide before it arrived I knew I had to crack it open and set a dip switch inside the unit and remote so they would communicate. A nice touch by Whelen - the remote control comes with batteries.
First impressions of the thing - it's HUGE. Not the largest light I've ever seen (sealed beam beacons are larger) but a lot taller than a GoLight for example, or any LED warning beacon. The thing has some weight to it too. What impressed me was the build quality of the internals as they're entirely metal. The whole rotating assembly from the base down to the surround that encases the LED panel are all metal, presumably sheet metal but possibly aluminum. Looks built for heavy duty use which is no surprise as this is a takeoff from the secret IR military model that's been around for a while. In fact the label even says "Commercial Pan And Tilt".
There's a FRONT label on the lamp which is significant. When you shut the light off the unit goes into a self-diagnostic test which runs it through its whole range of motion looking for problems, then it defaults back to the front position. Turning the light back on in the middle of the sequence interrupts it wherever the light is pointed.
As for brightness, WOW. No more need be said. Rated intensity is 1,475 lumens and the bench test showed great promise. I've been working more at night and have been using a FedSig Visibeam II that I borrowed from my supplier until my Pan & Tilt came in. We jury rigged it with a CAT5 patch cord, a simple power harness, and a mag mount, and it's been decent but I've had to leave the vehicle running and I can't control it unless I'm in the cab. The Whelen unit should be a significant improvement.
Most folks will probably balk at the price and initially I did too. This is setting me back over $800. A GoLight is MUCH cheaper indeed, however consider this - a GoLight's moving parts are completely external and open to the elements. I live in a country where it's -30C winters and 6 feet of snow in a season. I didn't want ice and snow building up in open cavities and stripping gears. That's not even considering GoLight has been very slow with adopting LED technology and only recently came out with a factory LED model.
Overall I'm happy with this purchase and can't wait to get it mounted. Does anyone else have one and would like to share their thoughts and opinions?
