HD Torch

In the world of video “High Definition” has been the major buzz-word in recent years. But when I heard that Bushnell have launched a “High Definition” torch. I was intrigued – not to say sceptical -  so I contacted Bushnell’s UK distributors, JJ Vickers, who kindly sent me an example to try one out for myself.

The torch comes in a plastic pack complete with instructions, two-year guarantee, and two CR123 batteries. Bushnell’s US website says there should be a lanyard too, but this doesn’t appear to be included here.

I liked the feel of the torch at once. It has a sturdy, aircraft-grade, aluminium housing; weighs just 278g; and is a compact 234 mm long and 33mm in diameter, with precise knurling around the grip area.

There’s also a swivelling lanyard ring built into the end cap, and anti-roll grooves milled into the head - although these are too narrow to resist more than a 6-degree slope, plus a crenellated front edge that allows you to stand the torch upright without scratching the objective lens. The whole thing has a smart and durable hard-anodised finish, and is available in either silver or the “anthracite” colour shown here.

Controls and Indicators

The design features two switches: a primary switch in the end cap, and a rubberised mode button at the front of the knurled grip. The former switches the torch off and on, and in the latter condition shows an illuminated green letter B, which serves both as a battery indicator –since it turns red when the batteries need replacing - and also as an aid to finding the torch in the dark. Meanwhile the mode button, which sits conveniently under your thumb, lets you switch easily from full beam to standby, via a strobe function.

When lit, the Bushnell HD torch is very bright, delivering 165 lumens from a single LED. This is situated at the base of a unique oblong reflector that creates the HD torch’s unique signature: a square beam. And it really is square: looking at it you half expect a movie or a slide show to start! This square beam is an aid to consistency when it comes to systematically scanning/searching an area, but its most valuable aspect is its extraordinary evenness: there are no dark patches or rings whatsoever, with the result that every detail of the object is equally visible - almost as if you were looking at it in daylight.

This makes the HD torch really useful when searching for things: whether you’re locating dropped kit, or cartridge cases, or following up a blood trail – as I found out recently when I muffed a too-hurried 150-yard shot at a fox, unexpectedly spotted with the torch while testing its range. 

Without a good torch it would have been an impossible task, but scouring the place it had been standing with the Bushnell’s High Definition beam the whole thing became very CSI, as we picked up ever-more-numerous traces of blood, hair, flesh and bone that ultimately led us to the animal itself, stone dead, just a dozen yards away in the nettles… but otherwise totally invisible.

Indoors Too

The HD torch is also very good in enclosed environments (buildings/woodland) where the effect of the concentric light and dark bands of a conventional torch can prove disorientating. By contrast, the HD beam gives you a much clearer sense of where you are, as well as what you’re looking at.

In short, Bushnell’s HD torch is no mere gimmick, but a well-made and very effective tool, whatever you’re looking for in the darkness. The recommended price is £89.95