Barbolight is a lesser known, albeit specialized Spanish flashlight manufacturer. Their flashlight are made to be extremely tough while maintaining a simple user interface. Barbolight currently has three product lines which cater to tactical, diving and rescue applications. The T-04 reviewed here is part of their tactical line. Up the front, the T-04 has a heft bezel with groves on either side of its edge, these are used to secure the bezel on the head and also allows light to shine through when the light is left switched on placed head-down. Protecting the optics is a 5mm thick scratch-proof, UV-resistant Makrolon polycarbonate by Bayer. This may seem overkill at first, but Barbolights are rated to be waterproof down to 200m and withstand operation in saltwater makes practical sense. The reflector is advertised as an exclusive Ergo-Vision vacuum vaporized high performance reflector. It has a fine shallow texture with a flawless surface finish. The LED sits well-aligned at the bottom of the reflector cup. The main head is actually machined from the same piece of aluminum as the battery tube, thus reducing the number of points requiring moisture seals. The exterior of the head has a series of cooling fins running along its length. The fins and gaps between them are rather wide and makes them easy to clean in case dirt or mud get stuck between them.

As mentioned earlier, the head and battery tube are machined out of a single piece of aluminum. Barbolight advertises the T-04 as being made of Al-Si-Mg alloy. The middle area of the battery tube has a wide band of knurling which has a fine texture, yet still feels quite aggressive providing good grip. The entire exterior surface of the light is coated in Type 3 anodizing which is a very dark shade of gray, almost black. There are two thick rubber o-rings fitted towards the rear end of the battery tube provide moisture seals and is also ATEX certified which qualifies the T-04 to be used in potentially explosive atmospheres. Operating temperature is between -40°C (for HALO jumps), up to 70°C. O-rings and rear threads of the came well-lubricated. Both unprotected and protected 18650 cells have no trouble fitting into the battery tube. Flat-topped cells can also be used since both the "+" and "-" contact points have spring coils which contribute to its military standard 810-F impact resistance while also keeping the light silent. All electrical contacts in the T-04 are chrome treated. The tail cap is hefty and machined thicker than most other lights'. The tail cap's exterior has a plain smooth design with no knurling. Luckily, there's a clip made of 6Al-4V titanium alloy which provides some grip when unscrewing the tail cap for battery changes. The clip is well designed and allows the T-04 to be easily attached to pockets or harnesses single-handedly. Housed inside the tail cap is a momentary forward push button switch which has stiff resistance. It's advertised as a Delrin mechanized, calibrated button with stainless steel contacts and adjustable pressure. This adjustable pressure simply depends on how far down the tail cap is screwed on which in turn affects the amount of travel required to activate the light. To continuously activate the light, simply screw the tail cap all the way down. The switch can also be locked out by unscrewing the tail cap far enough until momentary activation is disabled. Either way it's activated, the switch remains completely silent. The rear end of the tail cap has scallops cut along either side which makes the switch easier to activate while still allowing the T-04 to securely tail stand on flat surfaces. There is also a small hole for lanyard attachments.

There are many lights which have been labeled as being "built like a tank" or "bomb proof". In my personal opinion, Barbolights have come the closest.

If you're unfamiliar with any of the terms used in this review, click here for explanations on common flashlight related vocabulary.

The Barbolight T-04 is a straight forward single mode light, advertised to output at least 230 lumens. Tests showed a peak output of 258 lumens. The Cree XR-E LED used have been specifically selected with color temperature between 6000°K to 7000°K. When compared to sunlight white, the output tint seems to be slightly cooler. The reflector focuses a beam with a dispersion of 3.5° spot and 55° spill. This equates to a relatively narrow hot spot and a medium sized spill beam. The hotspot is very intense considering it's focused by a textured reflector. While the beam profile is smooth for the most part, there is a dark ring-shaped area just outside the hotspot as with most XR-E based lights

The T-04 is primarily designed to run on a single 3.7V 18650 cell, but can also use 1x CR123 cells if needed. Output intensity remains the same with either power configuration. Regulation is slightly more constant with 2x CR123's, while total runtime is longer with 1x 18650. Relative to the amount of light output, runtime is above average.

The Good - Extremely tough and well-built to withstand atmospheric and physical abuse. Very bright output for a pocket-sized light. Good balance of runtime and regulation.

The Bad - Only one output mode which sacrifices versatility for durability and simplicity. Slightly bulky with sharp angled edges. High cost.

The Relative - Beam has a slightly cool color temperature. Momentary forward push button switch, twist for constant activation. Is able to tail stand.

Head (top view).

Body (side view).

Body (rear view).

Tail cap (front view).

Tail cap (side view).

Tail cap (rear view).