note: article first appeared in December of 2015

Yesterday I did a review on a tactical flashlight that I have been using for a number of years now. It is the LED Lenser V2. I absolutely love that flashlight! It has done everything I’ve ever asked of it and then some. It has never failed me, that is saying something.

The V2 was always plenty bright enough, tough as nails, fit my carbine’s vertical grip perfectly and was just an all-round perfect tactical flashlight. It was so good actually that I made it my family’s all-purpose flashlight. Yes, that means we standardized on it.

Then LED Lenser discontinued manufacturing it. But, they supposedly replaced it with a new and improved version. I am always leery of “replacements”, they never seem to be as good. This review is all about the “T Square” replacement version (model # 880229) of the LED Lenser.

The mission:

“A single flashlight that is capable of operating in the most demanding of tactical environments, bright enough to see a minimum of 100 yards, and battery efficient.”

Here were the flashlight restrictions and requirements:

• Metal & tough enough to handle any reasonable field or tactical handling for our family/group.
• Lightweight & compact enough for pocket use.
• AAA or AA batteries.
• Water resistant enough to handle any rain and momentary submersion.
• Bright enough for any tactical weapon usage. Minimum beam distance 100 yards.
• Narrow light beam.
• Fit any 1” light mount.

The flashlight specs:

FEATURE	V2 (original)	T-Square (new)
Lumens	104	240 high beam 25 low beam
Lighting Modes	1	(2) High & Low Beam
Beam Distance	180 yards	197 yards high beam 60 yards low beam
Length	4.5”	4.5”
Diameter	1”	1”
Weight	3.6oz	3.56oz
Batteries	3 x AAA	3 x AAA
Housing	Aluminum	Aluminum
Water Submersion Rating	IPX4	IPX4
Finish	Semi-Gloss Black	Matte Black
Burn Time	4 hrs	4 hrs high beam 25 hrs low beam
Switch	Momentary on Constant on	High beam – Momentary on High beam – Constant on Low beam – Momentary on Low beam – Constant on

I’ve owned this line of flashlights for a very long time. I think I had one of the first V2’s that hit the market. I really like the way they feel, and how sturdy and dependable they are. The first model had a slick/smooth switch cap in the end of the tube. I am not talking “slick” as in a good thing, I am saying there was no positive grip to it. Then they upgraded to a nice button with checker boarding in the rubber. That really made this flashlight a winner.

So, I open the box, excited as always anytime I get a new product to review, and what do I see? This stupid orange target on the switch button cap. I mean bright orange and it looks just like a clay pigeon. I hate that!

OK, that relieved a little stress. Can anyone in their right mind tell me why a company would go with a bright orange anything on a tactical flashlight? I mean seriously…do they think we can’t find the button without it being bright orange? And another bad thing is the button cap is now back to being “slick” as in slippery.

Well, that is the downside. Everything else about this flashlight rocks!

The finish on the flashlight is better than before, less reflective. I also found that the finish added to my ability to hold onto the tube. This is especially helpful when your hands are wet with body fluids or something similar.

One of the first things I noticed, after the bright orange crap, was a distinctive red band around the inside of then lens right below the flashlight’s lip. I liked the “look” of it but had no idea what the purpose or advantage would be. So I kept looking at it from different angles. Low and behold I figured it out. While it may be unintentional it is interesting. I held a V2 model up to the new model and saw that from the side view the red band inside the lens drastically reduced the amount of light seen from the sides.

Yeah, think that one through for a minute. If you are trying to reduce your night-time profile you want to use red light. But for most tactical purposes you want to keep your overall location pretty much to yourself, right? So there you are in a warehouse, the middle of the night, using your new 240T on low beam. The red reduces the amount of light seen from the side and reduces the other guy from being able to get a solid “fix” on you. Sure, they can see your beam out in front of you but it is hard to spot the origin of the beam. The red simply helps keep you more covert.

Well, while I was playing around with that idea I tried shining one light on the front of the other light’s front. The light without the red in the lens reflected back brightly. The red lens lights barely reflected at all. So another nice feature at covertness.

Here is the biggest change to the new 240T light…the button switch. There are multiple positions now for the switch. The V2 had a partial depress would give you the beam that would turn off as soon as you let up the pressure on the switch. Fully depress the switch and the beam would stay on until you fully depressed the switch again. The new 240T has a high beam and a low beam light.

You activate the light just as before, but this time when you partially depress it the first time you get the high beam. Next time you partially depress it you get the low beam. Same goes for full depression of the switch for constant on. You have to do the depressing quickly for the switch to go from high to low.

What I mean is it alternates between coming on with the high, then the low beam. But it “resets” after about 5 seconds to come back on with the high beam.

So I have mixed feelings and opinion about the whole high/low beam thing. The low beam keeps your projected light much closer in and significantly increases burn time. And that is a really nice thing. I think the vast majority of my flashlight time is more closely associated with low beam needs than high beam capability.

I wanted to verify that Amazon had them for sale. While I was looking at the product to validate it, I noticed that there was a review with a “one star” rating. So here is the 1-star review, “When i received I saw different than this in the picture, and when I was using did not work.”

Yeah, I don’t put any value to that review whatsoever. It reads like they are from Russia. I think it was a “plant” to run down the product vs. what someone who actually bought and used the flashlight. I have bought a bunch of these flashlights over the years; never, not once, did they arrive broken or misrepresented. Actually, I have yet to break one of these flashlights or even burnout a bulb.

Other than a couple of subtle differences, the newer version flashlight is as rock solid as the V2. And I love the V2!

Final note, the flashlight carries the name “Leatherman” and I believe this is a marketing thing only. I don’t think this is a true Leatherman designed, engineered, and manufactured product. But, that being said, it is still a quality piece of gear.

My recommendation…”BUY!”  I did…multiple times.

2019 NOTE: FYI…the price on Amazon has been reduced to $30…for how long I don’t know.

Tip: The LED Lenser tactical light fits perfectly in a pistol magazine pouch.

 

 

 

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