HybridLight TrueTimber Pro Kit Solar/USB Lights Review

HEX Bluetooth Speaker/Light/Charger

I used the HybridLight HEX Bluetooth Speaker more than any other item in the kit. It provides great sound for its size, and I fired it up every time I headed for the shower at camp. Like the PUC, I never plugged it in to charge, but I’d flip it over on the table whenever I thought about it, so it could gather juice via the solar panel. I was never disappointed by finding it dead.

Although I used it while showering, the HEX is NOT waterproof nor even water-resistant. There are multiple control buttons as well as two wide-open ports that would allow water to easily intrude. I kept it well away from water and it did fine.

The HEX has two light modes… one is a kind of area light which lights up a clear lens around the top perimeter. There’s also a flashlight lens mounted in one of its six sides. The black rubber pushbutton switch cycles through “area light/flashlight/off” modes.

The area light defaults to low power when first switched on, but if you press and hold the switch while it’s on, it will grow brighter.

A black cover near the power switch can be lifted to expose the USB in/out ports.

The HEX has five control buttons for controlling the speaker function: skip back/volume down, play/pause, skip forward/volume up, mode, and power.

Pushing “Mode” cycles the HEX through three available modes: Bluetooth, FM, and auxiliary (a 1/8″ round input jack is provided for this mode). Just below the AUX jack is a slot for a Micro SD card, which apparently will provide you with a fourth playback mode if you insert a Micro SD card with music on it. I didn’t have one available, so I was unable to test Micro SD mode.

I was unable to receive much more than static when I tried the FM mode, though I did find a little music playing through the hiss at one point. I tested auxiliary mode and it worked fine, but I usually use Bluetooth.

They say the HEX’s 2200mAh lithium-ion battery will deliver 20 hours of speaker life on mid volume or 10 hours of flashlight use. The area light is rated at 60 hours on low or 8 hours on high.

The HEX is by far the most useful and flexible of all the HybridLight items I tested, and if I hadn’t been testing the entire set the HEX would’ve worked perfectly as a bedside light as well. On the solar end, the HEX has a sturdy steel fold-out hook which can double as a stand to prop it at an angle.

The HybridLight HEX Bluetooth Speaker/Light/Charger is 2 inches tall and measures 3-1/4″ from flat-to-flat across its hexagonal body (3-5/8″ from point to point). It weighs 7.35 ounces and has an MSRP of $59.95.

Headlamp

The HybridLight Headlamp is by far the most compact item in this kit… so compact that it doesn’t have room for a built-in solar panel, so a separate one is provided. The light and its band (without the solar panel) weigh only two ounces, which means it won’t be sagging from its strap.

It’s a simple light… a rubber-covered pushbutton switch on top cycles it through low/high/off modes, and a magnifying lens distributes the light fairly evenly. On the left side is a semi-transparent cover, under which is the MicroUSB port for charging the Headlamp.

When charged via USB, the HybridLight Headlamp does pretty well for what it is… a short-range light that can help you do up-close work in the dark. If you want a bright headlight or one that projects light well, you do not want this light. This is more of a light to use around a small campsite, inside your tent, or in a dark deer stand or duck blind to get yourself situated before daylight.

And now the bad stuff: The included solar panel doesn’t charge this light with a hoot. This may be a symptom of a loose USB port, because when I plug it in to charge, the charge status lights flicker with the lightest touch of the USB cord. But too many other reviewers also reported that their solar panels didn’t work, so I can’t call this a fluke.

I carefully connected the roughly 1.5″ x 2.5″ solar panel to this light and made sure it was illuminating the red light, allegedly indicating that it’s being charged… but the light had no juice afterward.

The water-resistant light body rotates to aim up or down, and of course the elastic head strap is adjustable for length.

HybridLight says the Headlamp’s lithium-ion battery is rated at 720 mAh and should provide 30 hours of light at 75 lumens, though they don’t say whether this is high or low mode.

The HybridLight Headlamp’s body is about 2-1/2″ long and 1-1/2″ deep, with a one-inch-wide elastic strap. It weighs 2 ounces and has an MSRP of $24.95.

Conclusion

While I can’t recommend the TrueTimber Pro Kit as a whole, some of the items work quite well indeed, and most will do a pretty good job. But if you want them in TrueTimber, you’ll need to pony up $289.95 for the kit.

The true standout for me is the HEX speaker/light/charger, although the PUC makes a nice compact light that will fit easily in a pack for tent camping… and the Mammoth makes for a heck of a bright area light.

The Atlas Lantern isn’t earthshattering, but should do the job.

As for the Journey 160 & 250… I’d say don’t bother. They’re just not bright enough for the money, especially not in the great outdoors.

The headlamp is handy and lightweight, and works fine for close-range work. I love its light weight and easy USB charging.

Overall, the TrueTimber camouflage finish was well-applied to each of these items, making them attractive to outdoorsmen while keeping them less noticeable by game should you take them hunting.

All of these items are available for individual purchase, albeit in other colors:

• Mammoth 400 lumen multi-light/charger
• Journey 250 flashlight/charger
• Journey 160 flashlight/charger
• Atlas lantern/charger
• PUC expandable lantern/charger
• HEX bluetooth speaker/light/charger
• Headlamp

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.