Utilizing a wide beam of illumination for area searches, the SeaLife Sea Dragon Mini throws 600 lumens of light from a small, but very rugged, package. At the 2014 SHOT Show, SeaLife of Moorestown, NJ announced their new Sea Dragon Mini 600 tactical flashlight. Known for their underwater photographic equipment, SeaLife aims to bring the same high-quality engineering standards for flashlights to the tactical environment.
The Sea Dragon Mini 600 was originally designed to be a dive light capable of operation down to 330 feet below the water’s surface. One of the key features of the Mini 600 is a specially-designed smooth reflector that creates a 75-degree circular flood of light. This beam of light is powered by a newly developed CREE XM-L2 LED light that produces an impressive 600 lumens.
Some tactical lights focus the beam to a very narrow cone, which is very beneficial for illuminating specific targets and blinding a potential opponent. However, SeaLife claims that the larger cone of light provides the shooter a greater view of the surrounding area that allows the shooter to see and identify more about their environment. Whether identifying trip hazards, additional targets, or no-shoot subjects, the wider beam of light can be very beneficial to a shooter in a tactical environment.
The Sea Dragon is built upon a 5-inch long polycarbonate body with an anodized aluminum bezel that weighs only 3.5 ounces without the (2) CR123 lithium ion batteries. The head diameter is 1.3 inches. Typical run-time at full power is about 60 minutes on fresh batteries. An optional single, rechargeable Tenergy 18650 li-on battery will illuminate the Sea Dragon at full power for 100 minutes. In addition to the extra run-time, the Tenergy battery is inexpensive – especially when you consider the number of CR123 batteries you can go through.
Perhaps the only drawback to the Sea Dragon light is the lack of a push button on/off switch. Instead, the Sea Dragon operates with a 3-degree twist of the bezel turns the light on or off. Precise threading and (3) O-rings between the bezel and body are designed to make activation smooth, silent and reliable. In addition, the Sea Dragon comes with shockproof internal electronics that provide a second light setting of 40% with an on-off-on cycling.
Though SeaLife claims this power on method is superior to button switches that “can fail when operating in harsh environments,” the twisting requirement limits the shooter’s support hand placement and requires greater fine motor skills to operate. In the “tactical” environment this light is aimed at, shooter’s are in high stress situations with subjects who are likely shooting back at them.
In the tactical or self-defense arena, having a simple push button on/off provides a greater mechanism for light control rather than a twist action. This is particularly true in situations where the shooter only wants to illuminate an area for brief moments to seek out targets without providing a clear identification of their own location. This process is much more easily accomplished with a push button on/off activation rather than a twist.
Each light comes with a Y-S monopod adaptor, a cold-shoe adaptor for standard camera, and a GoPro adaptor. In addition, each light comes with a safety lanyard for hand use, O-ring lubricant, and (2) batteries.
The SeaLife Sea Dragon Mini 600 has an MSRP of $129.95, with an offset Picatinny rail adaptor available separately for $19.95.