Got my Elite from Kaidomain today.

[mhubble]

3 watt Cree for 10.99. Not really that impressed. Not near as bright as the IVAN. Its not even as bright as the VIPPA. Doing a runtime test now. Will post results later.

Edit - Ran it for 30 min on, 30 min off, 30 min on, 30 min off and then it wouldnt come back on. Used a new Duracell Ultra. I checked the voltage and it was 1.3 volts. Looks like this light is made for Rechargables. So its off to the Sell forum.

 

[ace0001a]

Yeah, got mine yesterday. I wasn't all that impressed with it either and they did a poor job soldering the negative so it flickered until I redid it.

 

[HarveyRich]

I'm looking forward to the arrival of mine. The Elly's, which were the original non-creed version, always had some QC issues. Have you thought of modding it with a wire to put it in direct drive? The output, and throw, on a 14500 is really great. I get about 4,400 lux at 1 meter on my lux meter. I did this with a Cree modded Elly and am going to try it with one of my Elite's. BTW, why would you sell a $10 flashlight? Are there buyers for that outside of the Kaidomain and DX sites?

 

[rcnuk]

Mine came today. Looks the same as the outside as the DX version. The LED tint is yellower than the DX which is pretty white to eye. It's much brighter than my DX version, may the smooth reflector(?). My DX version may just be a dud but I'm more happy with Kai's light.

 

[loving light]

I also recieved mine today, it also needed soldering of the neg. this is my first cree light.I am impresed,can not wait to buy and use a "real" cree'ed flashlight, but for now I am happy

 

[senecaripple]

my glass came broken, wrote to kai today, let's see if I get any response! my 2 DX lights also came about the same time. cut one of the lanyards as I was opening the package. I also wrote to DX, maybe i'll get a response from them. get what you pay for. get a better deal from the dollar store sometimes.

 

[TOOCOOL]

cut one of the lanyards as I was opening the package.

I did the same thing with the DX light :laughing: But i just shortened the lanyard by triming it and re-welding it with a lighter it was to small for my wrist anyway so it made no differance.

 

[HarveyRich]

Originally Posted by senecaripple: get a better deal from the dollar store sometimes.

Hardly. I've had some problems, but most of their stuff is very good and they're responsive even with the volume they do. The major problem is the distance to Hong Kong and the expense of returning something. Even so, I'm a fan.

 

[abvidledUK]

I did the same thing with the DX light :laughing: But i just shortened the lanyard by triming it and re-welding it with a lighter it was to small for my wrist anyway so it made no differance.

Me too, I've e-mailed DX about this and suggested they insert torch lanyard end first, to negate this.

 

[mhubble]

I think what disappointed me the most was that the light wasnt bright at all. Maybe with rechargebles it would be. Ididnt expect much for 10.99 shipped but considering its a Cree I thought it would be brighter.

BTW, why would you sell a $10 flashlight? Are there buyers for that outside of the Kaidomain and DX sites?

Its not about the money, I would rather pass it on to somebody who will get some use out of it.( it sold in about an hour in the sell forum.) I hate seeing a flashlight go to waste.

The best cheap light Ive got lately is this one from DX.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1370

Really amazing little light. Extremely bright. Amazing run times.Theres a post in here somewhere I did with a Long runtime test. Im hopeing they get some more in soon.

Heres the original thread on the 1.25 watt from DX.
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/158581

 

[Lobo]

I think what disappointed me the most was that the light wasnt bright at all. Maybe with rechargebles it would be. Ididnt expect much for 10.99 shipped but considering its a Cree I thought it would be brighter.



Its not about the money, I would rather pass it on to somebody who will get some use out of it.( it sold in about an hour in the sell forum.) I hate seeing a flashlight go to waste.

Seriously, somebody bougth it? Curious what you sold it for when anyone can get it shipped for 10USD?
But I recognize the feeling, having a bunch of cheaper flashlight that get's no use. I usually donate them to friends who use something worse or nothing at all.

 

[mhubble]

Seriously, somebody bougth it? Curious what you sold it for when anyone can get it shipped for 10USD?

But I recognize the feeling, having a bunch of cheaper flashlight that get's no use. I usually donate them to friends who use something worse or nothing at all.

I sold it for 10.00 shipped with a new Energizer Lithium Battery. I think alot of people wait for things like this to show up in the sell forum so they dont have to wait a long time to get one. I Ordered mine on the 10th of March. Got it today the 7th of APR.

 

[Lobo]

I sold it for 10.00 shipped with a new Energizer Lithium Battery. I think alot of people wait for things like this to show up in the sell forum so they dont have to wait a long time to get one. I Ordered mine on the 10th of March. Got it today the 7th of APR.

Nice, you got some money back and did a good deed at the same time. Yes, the shipping delay can be a pain from KD and DX.

 

[Al_Havemann]

Received mine Friday, like some others, it flickered a lot and I had to re-soldered the negative wire. I had trouble soldering to the chrome edge so I roughed up the edge of the hold down screw and soldered a wire bridge to the negative terminal. Big difference!, no more flicker and the previously unimpressive beam became crisp and very bright.

With one fresh Lithium installed, brightness and throw are nearly identical to my L1D CE on max. Runtime on Lithium was good at 75 minutes.

The hotspot was too tight for me so I inserted an o-ring into the head to space the led a bit further back. This doubled the width of the hotspot and side spill without losing brightness, a worthwhile addition that's easily removed, the beam quality suffers some but I'm not sensitive to that, so it's not a problem for me.

The light's a bit big and clunky and the build quality is pretty terrible, but it's cheap, very bright and so long as you don't want it for a pocket light, very useful. The tail switch feels crude and I think it's likely to be the first thing to go.

Overall, I'm quite pleased, well worth the $11.00 despite having to fiddle with it. I could lose it tomorrow at that price without a worry.

Al

 

[Pellidon]

Mine broke. The tail cap end that holds the rubber switch boot sheared off. The little groove in the cap end is too deep and there was not enough metal to handle the strain of the rubber pressing against it and it just cracked and came off. It still works and I will probably make a new button to cover the switch stub.

Or make a spacer and insert a Kroll switch. It screws down but goes in too deep and loses contact. Or maybe a ram switch. I will post pics when I finish the setup.