TacLight by Bell & Howell Reviews

I have purchased two (buy one, get one free). First light lense popped out. Didn’t need to do anything, but clearly shows it’s not held in right. Second light dimer, which was the same as the first. After about 5 uses, the clicker started to fail. Pieces would separate inside the clicker. Changed clicker between the two to fix the issue. Shortly later the lense pops out of the second flashlight. Garbage.

I purchased this light at a Showcase store which features TV products. I got it home, inserted the batteries, pressed the button...zilch, nothing. I tried other batteries, again...zilch. Showcase has a 30-day warranty, so I returned it. They thought it might be a faulty one, so they gave me another one. New batteries in, yeh, works great...very bright...for two days! The third evening, I switched it on and it won't stay on. I have to hold the button down continually for it to work, on only one setting. I replaced the batteries again, it worked OK inside. I took it outside, the same crap with the button all over again! It will not switch on and stay on! I only use it for about 20 minutes for a dog walk in the dark. When I got home, I dropped it 2 feet onto a tile floor and it stopped working altogether, pronto.

This is one piece of pure crap and an absolute consumer rip-off! I have a $2 similar light from the Dollar store that works better!

I bought a TacLight two days ago, got home, installed the batteries, and turn it on. THEN, as soon as I went to turn it off, the switch broke on the flashlight! So I feel like they are not telling the truth about how tough it is. I also have pics to prove it, but I can’t seem to figure out how to post them.

We bought the TacLighter, which was a buy one, get one free, along with the TacLight. It took over a month to receive our order as they were out of stock but didn't tell us that when they took our money. One of the lighters didn't work from the get-go, the other died within a week, and the TacLight turns on, but won't turn off. It just keeps cycling the different modes. We have to unscrew the head off the light to turn it off. Total garbage. If this stuff is military grade, I feel sorry for our military!

P.S. I haven't contacted the company for replacements as I read the other posters' reviews and won't bother wasting my time with it.

My three TacLights have all stopped working for me. It costs money to return them, and I have had two replaced. They all worked great on the first day. But after that, they stopped working. I would love to have one that actually works, but after three tries, I gave up. You have to spend at least $10.00 for the replacements. After $45.00, it's not worth it. I have had really bad luck with them, or they are bad flashlights. If they would give me one that finally works, I would change my review.

I bought the 2-in-1 package at BJ's near me. I hung them on the back deck about 3 weeks ago. I went to use them now that it gets dark so soon and neither worked. I checked the batteries but they are fine. A terrible product!

I ordered the TacLight flashlight on the beginning of the year but never received it. I contacted them and they said it was still in shipping. I got back to contact them again and they said they had no records of the order. It's a scam.

I was stupid enough to order these lights and paid for an additional bonus DLX Tac Light on 6/26/18. I have yet received the bonus light, and have called them four times and keep telling me that it will be here in ten days. It's been over two months now and still no light. What they are saying now is they are temporarily out of stock. For over two months? I think this is a big rip-off. I have talked to the same person three times and she sent me an email to confirm it is being sent, but still no light! Don't buy from this company, it's a big rip-off.

NOTE: I would NOT rate this with even ONE star if I had that option, Maybe a negative number of stars, then I'd give it a - 10-star rating.

Okay, I actually found these flashlights in a retail store, although they claim they are only available online, not entirely true! So I've seen these impressive ads about brightness, okay, it is was bright. Indestructible? Haha! Hardly! I dropped mine less than a week after I purchased it just walking along a sidewalk. The lens assembly got scratched all to pieces, the lens ring that unscrews got dented and the L.E.D. bulb also broke because it would no longer turn on.

I had bought two, one for my wife and one for me, so I tested her head in mine, it worked, but my head with the L.E.D. bulb wouldn't work at all in either of them. So the guy tossing it from an airplane, helicopter, or other high perch is fraudulent! It cannot take a small gentle fall on a sidewalk and survive. How is in the world is it going to survive that kind of fall they advertise. It WON'T, and that's the truth!

The rubber switch on my wives went defective and would not turn on her flashlight, and all she ever did was push it to turn it on, and it quit functioning all together! I gave her my switch and that worked for her flashlight, but that switch is sometimes finicky, and will or will not turn the flashlight on. Sometimes it takes hitting or banging it against a counter to make it turn on.

As for batteries, it eats batteries faster than I can eat a simple, plain chocolate bar (the small size). The batteries are used up way too fast in these flashlights, after about an hour or so of use, if you use them for walking, they are very dim and become practically dead. So if you're out somewhere with it and want to keep it bright, you better have a lot of pocket space to carry a hefty supply of AAA batteries, or you'll be holding a dead flashlight in your hand!

This flashlight is NOT worth the $19.99 and tax I paid for it, well $39.98 plus tax for two of them. This flashlight should be sold in most $1.00 stores because, in my opinion, even a dollar is too much for this metal piece of junk.

By the way, I did a run over the test with my dead flashlight, the vehicle crushed it, we used a Hummer for the test and, once again, it did NOT hold up to the claim it can be run over and still work. Maybe if on soft ground, because the flashlight would be pushed into the earth, but on a regular road, sidewalk or any hard surface, I doubt this flashlight will really survive that test! It didn't under our testing of it.

Do NOT but it, and I'd never recommend this flashlight to anyone!

I bought a TacLight Elite hoping to be able to use it on the job. Very poor construction. It barely pulls apart to reveal the lantern. There are two rubber friction rings in the sliding shaft. One ring broke, and the other popped out of its place. I tried putting the one intact ring back in its place, but after trying to reveal the lantern once it popped out again. So now the lantern is useless. It has to remain closed.

As for the light itself; it’s okay - when it works. It flickers and shuts off constantly. If I drove over it with a toy truck, it would probably shatter. Don’t waste your money. It’s not worth $20.00.

I bought one with one free, for as long as I pay for the cost of shipping of the second unit.

The free one that I received was defective. I wonder if it's possible to be replaced.

I would appreciate to hear from you.