No longer under the Leatherman umbrella, Ledlenser — the award-winning portable flashlight and headlamp company — will now set up for greater distribution in North America.
German-based Ledlenser is now an independent company and poised for a resurgence in the marketplace with its line of lighting essentials made from high-quality materials.
Lightweight construction, ultra-bright output, and ergonomic design are hallmarks of the brand’s LED flashlights, headlamps, and area lights.
No newcomers to lighting technology, Ledlenser was one of the first companies to explore LED movement and solution lighting, as twin brothers Harald and Rainer Opolka began turning ideas into prototypes in a garage back in 1993. They had an old Atari computer, a drawing pad, basic tools, and roughly 1,000 Deutschmarks to work with.
The duo’s first Ledlenser product, the V8 keyring LED flashlight, is a concept the brand continues to improve on. Since then, the company has grown to roughly 1,000 employees between its headquarters in Solingen, Germany, and production facilities in Yangjiang, China.
Ledlenser Lights: Bright Ideas
At the brand’s Solingen headquarters, Ledlenser products have earned a reputation around reliability. Designers put prototypes through an intensive testing regimen: a series of 24 trials including drops, extreme temperatures, and long exposure to various elements.
But Lendlenser’s products don’t just target durability; they also aim to be smart. Designs consider both use and user to create fresh ideas. For example, the brand’s new area lights can be set up and controlled from a smartphone via Bluetooth. In a work area, this allows you to dial in the ideal lighting without making trips up and down a ladder.
And with more than 100 property rights and patents to its name, Ledlenser continues to capitalize on its brain trust of technologies. Those breakthroughs in the lighting sector have earned the brand plenty of industry awards. In 2017, its product line, including the MH10 rechargeable headlamp and M-Series flashlights, won multiple Red Dot Design Awards.
Over the years, Ledlenser developed solutions to improve the way users illuminate. Early on, the brand pioneered and patented Rapid Focus technology. This allowed users to adjust the lighting from a floodlight to a sharply focused beam at the swipe of a thumb.
Plus, Ledlenser’s Advanced Focus System smoothly transitions from a floodlight to a long-distance beam without losing intensity. And its headlamps emit wide beams to illuminate the peripheral field of vision, not just a tight sphere of light a few steps ahead.
Independent: Ledlenser in North America
In 2011, Leatherman Tool Group purchased the Ledlenser brand, wanting to build lighting into its “everyday carry” category of multipurpose tools. Under Leatherman Tool Group, Ledlenser began to establish a reputation in North America as a premium portable lighting brand and grow beyond its initial collection of flashlights and headlamps.
In November 2019, Ledlenser officially transitioned to Ledlenser USA and hit the American market as a standalone brand for the first time. This new independent brand took root in Portland, Oregon.
But Ledlenser still does all its research and development in Germany, and all its manufacturing in its fully owned and operated facility in China. This allows Ledlenser to control quality in the end product while keeping costs down.
This post is sponsored by Ledlenser. You can learn more about the brand’s portable lighting options here.
