Astro Engineering Nite Phaser LED Light

Astro Engineering Nite Phaser LED Light

The Astro Engineering Nite Phaser LED Light

LED Flashlights. They are all the rage now in the astronomical world. Everyone has one, it seems. There are the ones that strap to your head. There are the ones that replace the MiniMagLite bulbs. There are many types, but the Astro Engineering Nite Phaser is unlike any that I have ever seen before. It is about the size of a pack of cigarettes, maybe smaller. There is a white plastic dome that has 4 LED lites inset into the dome. There are 2 buttons on the face of the unit. That is all , except for the battery compartment with its cover on the back.

The Nite Phaser uses one 9-Volt Battery for power, and I would recommend an alkaline energy cell. To bring the Nite Phaser to life, all you need to do is press one of the Red or White labeled buttons on the face of the unit, for whatever color beam you wish to use. Each button turns on your color light in 9 steps to allow you to choose the brightness that you need. To reduce the light level of whatever color you are using, you simply press the opposing color button to turn the color you are using down to the level you want. This is a really nice touch. As you get more dark adapted, you can tone down the light levels to ease your night adaptation. This feature alone makes the Nite Phaser well worth a look. It is extremely handy to choose your preferred light levels.

I have been talking about solid light beams. The Nite Phaser has the ability to flash either the white or red LEDs for whatever use you may have for flashing lights. to turn this effect on, you simple press both buttons at the same time. It will then start flashing the LEDs at the light level you were using with the color you were using. To go back to a solid beam, simply press both buttons again. I have been setting up the red LEDs flashing on low power to help me find my eyepiece cases in the dark. It could also be used as a warning beacon for the location of you scope. I have even used it when I walk at night to warn cars of my presence on the roadside. The flashing LED circuit has the same 9 levels of brightness as the solid beams.

You may cycle the LEDs off by pressing the buttons down to off, but to turn the unit off to save battery power, you press both buttons to 2 seconds to turn the Nite Phaser off.

Although it is not an inexpensive unit, it is well made and works like a charm. It produces good light output, but not blindingly bright. If you need blinding bright flashlights, there are plenty out there for you to buy. If you want a well built, very useful astronomy LED light, the Nite Phaser fits the bill. It is not cheap, but then, the good stuff never is.

Mike Overacker

Product is available from Astro Engineering