July 15th, 2018

Click here to edThe Olight M20SX Javelot Hunting Light Setit.

Here at The Countryman’s Diary magazine we are always being sent all sorts of products to test and review, some good and well some are a could do better, many not even making it to being worthy of my time to put pen to paper, for The Ole Hedge Creeper is known for a Gentleman's hand shake for my word is my bond as binding as any contract, I don’t mince my words either for what's the point saying something works when it does not, like I say it has to do what it says on the tin for me, its no good saying an air rifle shoots fifty yards and kills with a 5p grouping when all its capable of is half of that, also I don’t care how much people offer me to say what they want me to say, keep your coin I say, for my words cannot be purchased for untruthful means like I have seen over the years in others articles that have been smoke screened, so I will tell you this if I say it or write I mean it.

Recently I and Greg the other half of The Countryman’s Diary were asked to put this lamp from Olight through its paces, Greg testing out down in Cornishshire, myself testing it in Gods Country the County of Somersetshire, where the apples are as sweet as our fine maids and the cider makes you smile, oh and were the best at making cider and cheese too we even have a place called Cheddar to prove it.​

Greg’s article can be found over on The Countryman’s Diary Magazine attached to this one www.countrymans-diary.co.uk there is also a link of where you can buy this light with a special code for a great deal they tell me to all my fans and dairy readers, the light in question is the Olight Javelot M20SX Hunting Set so go over to the magazine read Greg’s article and make your own mind up.

THE BORING BIT.​

I don't write technical articles its not because I cant it’s just they bore the living daylights out of me, this weights this that does that its made of this, ahhhhhh does it work does it do the job in hand is all I care about and is it worth my hard earned coin, so Greg may get more technical I wont, so here is a basic run down of the kit in the box.

Lamp with belt clip for if you want to use it has a hand held torch, the torch itself is a white light, with 3 filters Red/Green and Blue, a thumb pressure on and off switch that mounts to the stock etc using Velcro sticky patches supplied and some O rings for when the others wear out or needs replacing, and heavy magnet mount for attaching the lamp to the gun barrel etc, oh and a rechargeable battery 3.7v battery NO CHARGER.

FIELD TESTING​

As many know I run a Professional Pest Control Company specialising in Agricultural pest control, the first job I took this light on was a rat clearance job in a grain barn and put it on my Air Arms S410 air rifle, the magnet clipped very well onto the air chamber and was quite sturdy, the pics did not come out very good as the dust particles kept clouding the lens of the camera etc, I found the red filter for the light to be the best for this job as the light reduction was quite noticeable through the light and the others being a touch too bright even when adjusting the power, its very easy to hit what I have come to call the disco function on this light and the rats become disco rats as the strobe light kicks in, none the less after a bit of getting used to the light performed quite well even though I found it a little fiddly.

The next job I was called in on was a fox hanging around a lambing shed, I found the shot gun to be the best for close quarter work like this, I mounted the magnet onto the barrel and it held very strongly indeed, Ole Charlie fox did not turn up whilst I was there, for this job I used the blue filter as the red was too dark and not enough light and the white too bright, the green I was saving for the 223 on a job I had coming up, the blue filter worked very well for shot gun killing range, farmer said does it hold when you shoot the gun so we tried a couple of shots and the lamp never moved, I found that you have to set the power of the lamp before you head off hunting, for changing between the powers or indeed the strobe a little tricky and indeed blinding.​

I got called out to a job where the foxes were killing lambs in the lambing fields, I thought this was a good test for this lamp, one because the use of night vision here is always tricky with the ambient light around and it mists out etc a lot, so I opted for the green filter this time, green is and has been my favorite color filter for a lamp no for two decades, And one reason now why my Night Master Venom green pill lamp goes everywhere with me as back up.

I tried the white light and could just about make out eye shine of the sheep around the 200 yards mark, experience told me they were sheep a novice would not be able to tell, nor would I take a shot at that range or any other unless I was a 101% sure of my target let alone back stop especially with this torch, I put the green filter on and looked through the scope, this told a whole new story I could clearly identify my quarry at 200 yards and see all back stops etc, the white light came over as a bit misty so I stayed with the green filter, oh before I forget the filters don’t stay on so well so carry some tape to stick them on or you will be back tracking looking through the grass Iike I did a couple of times, I saw Tom Foster the Olight man in Ireland whilst I was at The Great Game Fairs Of Ireland recently and told him my findings too.

Back to the hunt, I caught site of a fox coming from the North end of the lambing paddock so I headed her off, she came round on the wind just where I had tracked her the day before, I dropped my trigger sticks mounted the 243 and put the lamp on with green filter on full blast, the vixen took no notice of the green filter what so ever, she singled out a lamb all on its own right in the middle of the flock, I whistled loudly and shouted to try and stop her running in she took no notice of me at all, she stopped 20 yards from the lamb almost on point ready to make her last charge from the edge of the bottom of the big bank, but too late The Ole Hedge Creeper had already got her in my sights as I administered a lead aspirin to the engine room that dull sweet thumb echoed across the valley as she dropped stone dead

I breathed easy for a moment knowing that big dog fox was not too far away, I was right a little while later he came over the top of the big bank right where I had seen him sunning himself a couple of days before, I stalked round on the wind climbing up the hill side of the lambing paddock just a little to the wind was coming right at me away from him, he circled around the far end of this big paddock trying to come round on the flock of ewes and lambs looking for a weak lamb all out on his own.

He stopped for a pee at around a 160 side on to me, again he took no notice what so ever of the green filter, I have seen this many times especially when they are not lamp shy from the light Sabre brigade, too late my ole cocker for I administered a lead aspirin to him before he could finish his last pee, the sound of that sweet distinct thump of an engine room shot floated back to me on the wind as the big dog fox fell tight on the spot, the farmer who had heard the shots came along to see how I was getting on, to say he was smiling like a Cheshire cat was an understatement as he shook his fist at the two dead foxes, he obliged me by taking these pics here in this article.

MY ROUND UP

This lamp from Olight is a little fiddly it does take some getting used too and in places I would say its on the could do better list, but in many ways its not bad, I think its a poor show not putting the battery charger in with the kit something I have advised them to add, the price £125.99 hmmmm I would say was a little steep for this kit, although it does what it says on the tin in a fiddly way, I don't think the quality is there for the price considering something like a Night Master Venom does all this is a top quality product and is at least £20 cheaper, for me I would price this kit at no more than £85 as a good all round starter kit, but read Greg’s article take a look at the product and try one for yourself over at www.countrymans-diary.co.uk .

If you would like to send us your products for a field test then please get in touch, but remember its got to do what it says on the tin.​

Reviews.
By The Ole Hedge Creeper