Pelican 7060 LED Flashlight Review

Developed through a partnership between the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and Pelican Products, the Pelican 7060 LED is designed to be the primary flashlight for police officers. Police use is one of the most demanding environments for a flashlight, so the 7060 would also be a good choice for wherever a reliable flashlight is needed. The Pelican 7060 has been available since mid-2007, but by incorporating advanced technology for its time, is still quite competitive today.

Key Specifications

  • Output: 160 lumens
  • Intensity: 16,100 candela
  • Runtime: 2h
  • Battery: Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery Pack
  • Length: 8.65″
  • Diameter: 1.56″ bezel, 1.25″ body
  • Weight with Batteries: 10.4 oz.
  • Warranty: Limited Lifetime
  • MSRP: $209.95
  • Actual Pricing: ~$140

Pricing & Ordering

MSRP for the Pelican 7060 LED is $209.95, and the light is only available in black. Many retailers sell the 7060 for around $140, and the 7060 is also available in a less expensive package with just the light and battery.

In The Box

Included in the box are: Pelican 7060 LED, Li-Ion rechargeable battery, charging cradle, AC adapter, holster, Pelican catalog, information card, and user manual.

The charger can be mounted with 1.5” or longer #10 screws, which are not included.

Batteries

A proprietary rechargeable 2200mAh lithium-ion battery is used in the Pelican 7060. The battery has multiple contacts on the back and side, allowing independent activation of the light from either the head or tail switch.

Li-ion batteries have been used in consumer electronics such as mobile phones and laptops for many years, but the 7060 is one of the first applications of lithium-ion batteries in flashlight. Li-ion batteries have higher energy density and weigh less than nickel-based batteries, but are not as robust. The battery in the 7060 can be recharged approximately 500 times, which is still long lifecycle.

To charge the light, insert the light into the charger, and twist to ensure alignment of the grooves on the light and charger. A solid red LED indicates power is connected, blinking red indicates charging, and solid green indicates charge complete. A discharged battery can be recharged within 4-5 hours, and leaving the light in the charger won’t overcharge the battery.

The Light

“Objects in picture are larger than they appear” would be an accurate way to describe the 7060. Without looking at the specifications, we initially though that the 7060 would be quite a bit smaller than other rechargeable flashlights that we have reviewed, but the 7060 actually fits well in the mid-sized category.

Head
The head features a polycarbonate plastic window and a polished aluminum reflector, and has an octagonal shape that prevents the light from rolling away when placed on an incline. An aluminum heat sink houses, and dissipates heat from, the LED module.

The bezel has a serrated edge, letting light leak out the bottom when set on a table, thus reminding the user that the 7060 is still turned on.

Body
A “grenade grip pattern” is embedded onto the polymer body for a steady grip, even when wet. Charging contacts are on the back of the light opposite of the head switch.

The head mounted switch is a momentary-capable forward clicky switch. The head switch is a little more difficult to click, possibly to optimize this switch for momentary on by making it more difficult to accidentally activate constant on.

Tail Cap
On the tail cap is another forward clicky switch, covered with black rubber. The rubber protrudes, so the light cannot tail-stand.

If the light does not turn on after replacing the tail cap, the tail cap contacts are probably resting on the plastic divider on the battery pack. To fix this, tighten the tail cap one more notch.

Modes

Multi-mode operation didn’t become popular until recently, so the Pelican 7060 only has a single mode. Clicking either switch turns the light on, and either switch can turn the light off.

The dual-switch design of the 7060 is fairly clever, as neither switch is technically on or off. Rather, the switches alternate between two electrical paths, allowing independent activation. When the switches are on the same path, the light turns on, and when they aren’t, the light is off.

Performance

The Pelican 7060 LED is rated for 160 lumens with its Cree XR-E LED. As typical for this LED, a couple rings are visible around the hotspot, but overall the beam is smooth and clean. The beam is tightly focused, producing a hotspot of approximately 1 ft. from 10 ft. away.

Low battery warnings, which are a series of flashes every couple minutes, indicate that it’s time to recharge the 7060.

Runtime

If you haven’t read our article about runtime graphs and the ANSI FL1 Standard, please click here.

During our runtime test, the heat sink reached a peak temperature of 102°F, which may be uncomfortably warm to hold. Since lithium-ion battery capacity decreases with increasing age and charge cycles and our runtime test was conducted nearly a year after publishing this review, we expect that with a new battery, runtime will last longer than our test.

Accessories

The 7060 comes with a charging cradle and AC adapter, as well as a Cordura fabric holster. The charging cradle can be used with an optional 12V cigarette lighter adapter, or direct wiring rig, for vehicular installation.

Cordura is a very durable nylon fabric, which will hold up to frequent use. For even heavier duty, optional plain or basket-weave leather holsters are available.

Additional charging cradles, AC or DC adapters, batteries, and traffic wands are also available for the 7060.

Customer Service

Typically, we don’t get to evaluate a company’s customer service in our product reviews, but several scratches were present inside the window of the flashlight that caused some artifacts in our review unit’s beam. We proceeded to call Pelican to see how this could be fixed (without disclosing the fact that we are calling about a review unit), and within 10 minutes, an order for a new bezel assembly has been placed free-of-charge.

Although it’s unfortunate to find manufacturing defects, Pelican stands behind their products as stated and makes things right for the customer, so no points off here!

Conclusion

The Pelican 7060 LED is one of the smaller mid-sized rechargeable flashlights, but the small size and low weight does not compromise performance. The single output is clean and bright with decent runtime, and for a simple no-frills flashlight, the Pelican 7060 is an excellent choice.


Pros Cons
  • Lightweight design
  • Energy-dense lithium-ion battery
  • Dual independent switches
  • Cordura holster included
  • Lifetime warranty
  • Mounting screws not included
  • Firm head switch

Related Links

Pelican 7060 LED Flashlight Product Page

Rechargeable Flashlight Comparison on LED-Resource

31 Responses

  1. Timothy J Sevey says:

    I Have 2 Ea. Pelican Rechargeable 7060 Led Flashlights And Believe I Need A New Led Module For The One Where Do I Purchase This? Thanks Tim Sevey

  2. Robin Wang says:

    Tim,

    Contact Pelican’s customer service at (310) 326-4700, and they’ll take care of it.

    Robin

  3. charly says:

    Hi Robin
    I need to know how disarm the led module from black aluminiun octogonal house.

    thanks in advance

  4. Robin Wang says:

    Charly,

    Just twist the edge, and the LED module will come out. Don’t use any tools, as you may damage or deform the reflector.

    Robin

  5. charly says:

    ROBIN
    sorry , perhaps my question do not was clear . I need know how to extract the assembly (led module + reflector) from house ?

    you in the photo had show these parts discoupler !!

    thanks

  6. charly says:

    wich is the twist correct ? must wil be left (counterclock) or another ?

    thanks

  7. Robin Wang says:

    Charly,

    Looking at it from the front, twist it counterclockwise and it should come out easily.

    Robin

  8. Eric says:

    So did you do a test to see if its really 160 Lumens? Thanks!

  9. Robin Wang says:

    Eric,

    Pelican uses the ANSI FL1 Standard, so their stated specifications are tested to the standard. Based on our estimates, the 7060 does have an output of 160 lumens.

    Just as a side note, Pelican has an updated model of the 7060, which is rated for 164 lumens and has two output levels.

    Robin

  10. Eric says:

    Wow! Thanks for the quick response…

  11. Al jennings says:

    Need a car charger complete for my 7060 , can you help

  12. Robin Wang says:

    Al,

    Check Amazon or eBay. Those should be easy to find.

    Robin

  13. Benjamaporn p. says:

    Hi,

    I had tried to turn on the flash light but had some problem.

    Defect:
    Head : Check with another body, light still can’t turn on.
    Body : Check between body of defect torch and another head , light’s turn on.

    So could you please help to advice this matter.

    Meanwhile, Could it has part number for head? if has please let me know.

  14. Robin Wang says:

    Benjamaporn,

    It sounds like the LED module is defective. Unfortunately, this is not a part you can replace, but it should be covered under warranty. Check with Pelican customer service to see if they can get it swapped.

    Robin

  15. Benjamaporn p. says:

    Robin,

    Thank you for your reply.

    June

  16. Bill says:

    My flashlight 7060 (pelican) flickers non stop. Can this be fixed?

  17. Robin Wang says:

    Bill,

    If the light is flickering, there is probably an issue with the electronics or battery. Try cleaning the battery contacts and making sure that the LED module is not loose, and if that still doesn’t help, you’ll need to send the light back to Pelican for warranty repair.

    Robin

  18. Bill says:

    Thank you Robin. I made sure all contacts are good. It’s almost 10 years old I imagine. Is it possible that the actual battery is going and I need to replace it? I don’t have any info from when I bought light. I hate to get rid of it as it is a great light for my jobs. Thanks. Hoping it’s just battery issue 🙂

  19. Robin Wang says:

    Do you have a multimeter to check the voltage of the battery? I would recommend calling Pelican to see if they have any suggestions. If you send it back to them, they can verify what the issue is, otherwise you will need to purchase a replacement battery and see if it fixes the issue.

    Robin

  20. Mike says:

    I have the Pelican 7060 LED that has the strobe, and 3 light dims, but it won’t strobe or go to the lesser lights, how can I fix that? It only goes on and off anymore.

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