A torch that rolls off the bonnet into the dark is no use to anyone. The Gerber Bear Grylls Intense Torch is built around that problem: its ends are three-sided, so it stays where you put it, and the bright orange body is easy to find in a crowded drawer or a dark bag. I paid $79 for it.
What’s in the box
An orange anodised aluminium torch with a grey rubber grip around the middle, a power button in the tail and a black wrist strap. It runs on two AA batteries, and it weighed 144 g on our scale with the batteries in.
What we like
- Three-sided body doesn't roll
- Waterproof to IPX7
- Runs on common AA batteries
- Rubber grip, easy to hold
- Bright orange, easy to find
- Four modes, including SOS
What we don’t
- Only 140 lumens
- 90 minutes on High
- Pricey at $79
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Gerber |
| Material | Anodised aluminiumRubber grip |
| Weight | 144 gwith batteries |
| Brightness | 140 lumenshigh |
| Modes | HighMediumLow & SOS |
| Run time | 90 min on high |
| Battery | 2 × AA |
| Water rating | IPX7 |
A torch that stays put
The three-sided head and tail are the clever part. Lay the torch on its side and the flat faces stop it rolling, whether that’s on the bonnet, a camp table or a sloping rock, so you can put it down pointing at the job and get on with it. The orange anodised finish helps too: it stands out among the black and grey gear in the back of the car, and it’s easy to spot if you drop it in the grass.
Modes and the switch
Everything runs from the rubber button in the tail. A full click switches it on in High. From there, press the button only halfway, without letting it click, to step through Medium, Low and an SOS flash and back to High. A second full click switches it off from any mode, and if you switch it back on after a few seconds, it starts in High again.
Half-press to step through the modes
- High140 lm, 90 min
- MediumLonger run time
- LowSaves the batteries
- ··· ‒‒‒ ···SOSEmergency flash
↺ One more half-press and you’re back on High
- Full clickOn, always in High
- Full click againOff, from any mode
- Off for a few secondsStarts in High next time
High is 140 lumens for about 90 minutes. That lights up the camp kitchen or the path to the toilet block, but it’s modest next to modern rechargeable torches, and on a long night you’ll want Medium or Low to make the batteries last. The strap threads through a hole in the tail, so it hangs from your wrist or a hook.
AA batteries
The Intense Torch takes two AA batteries: unscrew the orange head and they slide into the handle. That’s its big advantage over a rechargeable torch in an emergency kit. AAs are sold at every servo and supermarket, rechargeable ones work too, and a spare pair weighs next to nothing. The catch is the cost of feeding it if you use it every night, and you can’t top it up from the car like a USB torch.
Build and weather
The body is anodised aluminium, and the grey rubber grip in the middle gives you something to hold when your hands are wet or cold. It’s rated IPX7, so it survives being dropped in a creek, not just a shower of rain. At 144 g with batteries it’s a solid, palm-sized torch rather than a pocket light.
Intense Torch or OZtrail F300?Torch or OZtrail F300?
The other battery torch we’ve reviewed is the OZtrail Lumos F300, which runs on three AAA batteries. The F300 is brighter, lasts longer on High and costs half as much, and its head focuses from flood to spot. The Gerber is the tougher of the two: it’s waterproof to IPX7 rather than splash-proof, it has an SOS mode, and it doesn’t roll.
This one Gerber Intense Torch | AAA OZtrail Lumos F300 | |
|---|---|---|
| Modes | High, medium, low & SOS | High & low |
| Water rating | IPX7 | IPX4 |
| Power | 2 × AA | 3 × AAA |
| Brightness | 140 lm | 300 lm |
| Run time on high | 1.5 h | 5 h |
| Weight | 144 g | 132 g |
| Price paid | $79 | $35 |
| Our score | 8.7 | 8.8 |
Conclusion: Gerber Bear Grylls Intense TorchConclusion
The Gerber Bear Grylls Intense Torch is a tough, simple torch: three-sided so it doesn’t roll, waterproof to IPX7, easy to find in bright orange, and powered by AA batteries you can buy anywhere. It weighed 144 g on our scale. At 140 lumens for 90 minutes on High it’s dim by modern standards, and $79 is a lot for that much light. As a torch for the emergency kit or the glovebox, where toughness and easy batteries matter more than brightness, it does the job well.
A tough, waterproof torch that won’t roll away and runs on batteries you can buy anywhere.
The three-sided aluminium body, rubber grip and IPX7 rating make it a torch to throw in the glovebox and forget about. At 140 lumens it isn’t bright by today’s standards, and $79 is a lot for that, so it suits an emergency kit better than spotting down a track.
- Emergency kits
- 4WD tourers
- Bushcrafters
For an emergency kit, yes: it’s tough, waterproof and runs on AA batteries you can buy anywhere. For brightness, no: $79 buys a lot more light in a rechargeable torch.
