Another SK68 Clone, Huwai Fengxing

[Booga]

Apologies in advance for the newbie questions.
I received an SK68 clone from a relative as a Christmas gift, this one is marked "Huwai Fengxing SK68" and CREE Q5 although I'm a newbie to torches so not sure if it's a genuine Q5. I can't find much info on these online. Does anyone have experience with these?

I tried it with an AA battery as I don't have 14500s and the performance isn't very impressive. I've read online that in similar torches a 14500 battery will give better performance. Is it worth me investing in a 14500 for this little torch? Any other suggestions for improving it?

Thanks

 

[J_C]

I wouldn't invest in 14500 for those, too bulky for a pocket carry light and if not pocket carry then I'd go with a light using a larger Li-Ion battery than 14500.

IMO their beauty is in how versatile they are for so cheap, and cheaper still if it can take a spare Eneloop NiMH that I already have for other purposes.

 

[Booga]

Thanks for the input. It makes an OK torch for inspecting things at work so I think I'm going to keep it there as a handy workshop torch, I can also get AA batteries through work too.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

I bought two 14500 cells and a charger for a little over $2 at Banggood. Yeah, I knew they'd be crap, and they are, but they do actually work. They were listed as 1200mAh (yeah right!), but I measure them closer to 300mAh. I just wanted to see what they'd be like, for so cheap.

They are good enough to fully power 14500 lights, for at least a little while. They don't have a lot of juice in them, so you'll only get about 15 minutes run-time on high. If you just want to try out a 14500 cell to see what difference it makes, it can be worth the $2.

If you like it, get some decent 14500 cells (I use Keeppower), and a basic $5 USB charger. Is that worth it for a SK68? You'll only know if you try it out.

 

[iamlucky13]

Q5 sounds like an output bin, not a model of LED. These days, I believe it is actually a pretty low output bin. If it is a Cree, most likely the series of the LED would be an XP-G/XP-G2 or XP-E/XP-E2. There are guides you can find online to better helping identify emitters.

Who cares though. It's a light, it was free, and it works.

Very likely it will have higher output on a 14500, but I wouldn't personally bother with a 14500 battery for that kind of light. Your call whether you want to.