FOG HORN Gear Reviews
Energizer’s Hard Case 2AA
Tactical Light
By: Sal Palma
Energizer is a company
that requires no
introduction; we have
only to think about the
Energizer Bunny to
know that, so you can
only imagine how
surprised I was to
discover that the
company has been
producing military grade products for quite
some time. However, over the years,
technology moves forward; new competitors
emerge and new products are fielded.
This was the case with Energizer. The company
simply did not bubble to the surface when
tactical and military lighting was the subject of
discussion. That has changed with the, 2009,
introduction of the Hard Case Tactical Light, and
say that “The Bunny” did his homework is an
understatement.
The Hard Case Tactical Light offers the user a
fully articulating head that provides 125: of
swivel. There are no detents to deal with so
adjusting the head is extremely flexible and
precise. However, it does lock out at 90: and
180:, which is released by depressing the
button on the axis point.
The head assembly, houses a total of five LEDs
used to provide white, red, green, blue and IR
illumination. Primary illumination is handled by
the largest LED, which is located at the center of
the head assembly and acts as the source for
white light. This LED provides a maximum
Copyright, Sal Palma dba Twobirds-Flying Publication, 2010. All rights reserved.
February 2010
output of 70 lumens and is fully adjustable in
three steps – maximum, medium and low.
Looking at the head assembly straight on, we
can mentally superimpose a Cartesian
coordinate grid such that quadrant 1 is
occupied by the red LED, quadrant 2 is occupied
by the IR LED1, quadrant 3 is occupied by the
green LED and quadrant 4 by the red LED. With
the exception of the IR LED, all the secondary
illumination LEDs are step adjustable for output
intensity. This is absolutely a great feature to
have because it allows you to put just the right
amount of light on the desired object.
Energizer designed a lockout switch that sits on
the light’s housing and directly beneath the
head assembly. It was extremely well thought
out; readily accessible even with tactical gloves
or cold weather gear on – nice job! In the
center position, all on/off switches are disabled
so that accidental activations, which could
compromise your position, are avoided. In the
IR position, it enables the IR illumination and
strobe using the white light switch at the base
of the lamp housing. In the unlocked position,
all normal switch functions are enabled giving
1
The IR LED operates in the 880 nanometer
wavelength.
 FOG HORN
the operator full control over white, red, blue
and green light sources. You can also
instantaneously shutdown the light by sliding
the lockout switch to the center position.
The Hard Case tactical light runs on 2AA
batteries; however, Energizer’s designers took a
rather novel approach. Normal operation, that
being with the use of 2AA batteries, requires
that you install the batteries such that the
anodes face the head assembly. In this
position, the operator has the maximum
illumination and maximum runtime. However,
by simply changing the outboard battery so that
the anode is oriented in the opposite direction,
the light will run on one battery with the other
battery in reserve. In this position runtime and
Copyright, Sal Palma dba Twobirds-Flying Publication, 2010. All rights reserved.
Gear Reviews February 2010
illumination intensity is reduced.
The Bunny also did a great job with the lamp
housing. It is made of a high impact polymer
with a rubber coating in olive drab and desert
tan, which works extremely well with the
current issue ACU pattern as well as the older
but venerable Woodland camouflage. The back
of the housing features a hefty clip that can be
used to attach the light to your vest or belt
using any available MOLLE loops.
Conclusion
As a team, we all loved this light. We feel that it
represents a great value.
The design was well thought out with
exceptional attention to detail. That was
evident throughout all aspects.
Ease of use and ergonomics are excellent. All
controls worked flawlessly and were easy to use
even when tactical gloves were worn. Full
immersion in water had no adverse impact on
its operation.
Functionality left nothing to be desired. White,
red, blue, green and IR illumination addresses
any field condition imaginable.
Finally, battery life, even in the blistering cold
that we’ve been having is outstanding.
However, we all felt that an “official” lanyard
attachment point would have put The Hard
Case over the top. No worries, we simply used
the heavy duty clip.
Hats off to Energizer for a job well done and an
outstanding tactical light.
-SP