Pictures.

©2006 Imago Media LLC.

Description.

The NitePalm - Palm 4 is a direct offspring from two 'parent' lights. The Pal-E-Lite to which it bears a striking resemblance and the Safelight from the same company that produces the Palm 4 . All had the common feature of being powered by a single snap on 9V Battery. The Palm 4 draws design and aesthetic influence from it's parents, then tops this convergence off by presenting the user with the most excellent mode functionality and usability - features lacking in its parents.
This is a handy pocket light that not only has great usefulness and utility to practitioners in all domains, it's the ideal pocket friendly emergency light for home, workplace or outdoors.
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Evaluation Results & Conclusions...

Ease of Use

Excellent . Requires very little learning if any. Highly intuitive functional model. press the highly tactile round button once for Low, a second time for High, a third time for SOS Morse Code. A long press from Off, activates a very low level 'Find Me' setting- useful for locating the light without wasting too much energy and an ideal level for covert operations.This mode delivers a small but perceptible amount of light. enough in fact to make the Palm 4 noticeable and findable in the dark- especially if a white cone diffuser is attached to it. This stand bye or 'find me' mode continues for 2 years if the light is not otherwise used. Tactile feedback gives the user a sense of control over the light when turning it On & Off. A handy 180º rotating belt clip is detachable and magnetic- allowing for lanyard attachment, belt clip or attachment to any ferrous metal surface. One of our biggest complaints against it's predecessors was the annoyance of changing batteries. The Palm 4 requires only a small coin or other similar object in order to open the battery hatch.
5 points
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Task performance optimization

Superlative . The Palm 4 successfully accomplishes the task of making a findable and versatile pocket light available to its owner. We liked it best for it's overall design and performance. At tasks such as pocking around inside tool boxes, purses or for locating keyholes or searching for objects or tracing pathways at close to medium distances, the Palm 4 shines admirably. The Palm 4 is so effective and versatile, one is tempted to abandon the typical flashlight as being arcane. In this respect, it's truly a pocket light for the demands of a precarious 21st Century. Naturally it's not designed to perform tasks required of much more powerful lights and yet it provides enough illumination to change a car tire. With a cone attached, it can be seen for well over a mile and a half. Viewed directly, the SOS signal was viewable from over 3 miles in clear weather. We tested it at the bottom of a swimming pool. It's waterproof to at least a depth of 6 feet.
5 points
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Durability

Comprehensive torture tests have not been done, but the build quality is excellent for its price-point and intended purpose- general pocketable illumination. The fit and finish are outstanding. Replacement frequency will depend on variables such as frequency of dismantling / re-assembly, roughness of use, exposure to physical abuse as well as other unpredictable factors.We wouldn't venture to predict how well the Palm 4 would survive a very deep dunking in water, but it would survive general splashing or a downpour very nicely and we've proven it to a depth of 6'. A feature often overlooked in such products is their conformance to HAZMAT standards. Because the Palm 4 is entirely covered in rubber, it's likely not to be electrically conductive, making it much safer around flammables than metal based flashlights. Based on trial use for two months we have provisionally given this product a durability rating of:
5 points
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Adaptability

Within the constraints of a general purpose flashlight, the Palm 4 is a suitable problem solver for a numerous end-uses. We especially appreciated the detailed attention that the manufacturer has given to addressing the shortcomings of the earlier models and then finally understanding the importance of a semi-intuitive functional Mode model. Wrapping it all up into a perfect overall feature set that makes usability transparent to the customer, the Palm 4 is the best flashlight that current technological constrains can make possible at its price and physical mass.
5 points
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Pros > 1)Highly context flexible 2) Excellent ergonomics and usability 3) Uses common 9V batteries 4)Minimalist styling/aesthetics 5)Intuitive to use and easy to learn 6)Long run times per set of batteries 7) Long life LEDs never need replacement 8)Limited lifetime warranty
Improvements > Deserves to be offered Yellow or Amber/Yellow LED options

5 Stars - Highly Recommended - Best In Class

Footnotes:
All Photographs © 2006 - Imago Media