opinions on 65, 75, & 85w ebay lights?

jmpaul320

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just wondering what the deal is with these cheap hids on ebay. i might end up getting one at some point but wanted to see what people opinions on them were first...

there are 85w xenon flashlights on ebay for ~160-175 shipped from china that claim 8000+ lumens... while the photos look great and im sure the output is way higher than you can get with a led with similar power... how accurate are the claims of 6000-8000 lumens from 65-85w? must be peak lumens not OTF right?

also, what can be said about the included batteries... i wouldnt expect top notch quality at this price, but i wouldnt be happy if i bought one and the battery was useless after a year or 6 months (although for $60 you can just get another one)

i will continue to research these - but if any of you guys have them - what do you think? I am really just looking for a budget hid to add to my collection next month that will be fun to use... not really interested in spending more than $200 or so if possible

thanks in advance for any info :)
 

KuanR

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I bought a 85w HID off ebay and I guess it's a "ok" light....but all the claims are definitely grossly overrated. I haven't ran it too much, but battery life is pretty good. The over heating protection kicks in pretty early on 85w mode.

Buy it for a useful "flood" type light, but don't expect it to be a monster thrower or living up to the claimed numbers.

I might even put mine up for sale later for cheap because I don't really use this light + plus I'm having something far better being built (but much larger :))
 

subwoofer

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I've got a 65w ebay HID, quoted at 6500lm. Having just built and calibrated an integrating sphere, I've now measured the output as 3560lm, though it took about 6 minutes to build up to this level.

It is impressively bright and the cheapest way to get this level of output, but certainly not up to specification.

I would guess that based on this result, the 8000lm one it probably giving just over 4000lm.


NOTE: My measurements are for visible light only and do not include any IR or UV output.
 
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subiya

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I've had one now for a few months and have to say I love it. Primary use is that of a semi flood/throw hand held torch and for the money they are well built, reliable and practical. just make sure you carry a smaller less powerfull torch as well. start walking around a camp site or moorings and others will soon curse you if they fall in your beam. :) I have the 65 watt version, went for better battery life.
Cheers
PS definitely not the worlds best thrower but look at the tiny conveniant size. I bought a 45W spot light after 'cause the 65 was too bright for my application but the larger reflector 45W spotlight is worse! It out throws the 65! It's not a torch though. Horses for courses.
 

richardcpf

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One thing I will never trust from 90% of the manufacturers is the battery. I've got many cheap hid from ebay and runtime is very short, half of what they state. In the other hand, the 85w light seems like a pretty good deal. I've read good opinions on this one.
 

sorka

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I just got this one on ebay for $140 shipped from Hong Kong. It arrived in 3 days.

Definitely not up to the claimed lumens. The 45w (red) setting is dimmer than either my 24 w Bright HID or Wolf Eyes Boxer 24w. The 65w level is about equal. The 85w is probably equivalent to a 35 watt HID. Now the beam is pretty wide. The other two lights I have have much tighter throw, so the power may actually be more but just not appear that way because the light is spread out more.

As a home security flood light, this is pretty impressive given the price.
 

Fusion_m8

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Buyers of ebay's HID light should understand that its a budget piece of equipment, built down to a price rather than up to a standard. When I purchased my 75w HID light, it was only meant to be used as a disposable light, if I got 10 uses out of it before it broke, thats fine, at least I satisfied my curiosity.

The stock 6000K 75w ballast and bulb, could not compete with my Titanium Innovations L35 for lumen output or beam throw. At least not until I swapped it for a 4300K 75w ballast I purchased on ebay, now the output swamps the L35 and *almost* but not quite equal for throw due to the much smaller reflector. Those of you using this ebay HID outdoors, I strongly recommend changing the stock 6000K bulb and ballast to a 4300K one. Only then does the light really come alive.
 

big4x4

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I have to say, they are great for what they are- cheap, fun lumens! I have done controlled tests (ceiling bounce) using the exact same angle, height, position, etc. and elimintated every variable that could possibly skew results in any way... My 65W HIDs I have tested (both of them) were 365 Lux on the ceiling bounce test. My 75W hids were 540 and 535 Lux, and were MUCH brighter. Definitely throwing out more lumens than my XE Ray 50W with D2S 4300K bulb. The ebay HID's are definitely not throwers (but still do pretty well) but shine as a useful tool when outdoors- hiking, exploring, etc. The flood is astounding and more light than you will ever need. I have also noticed the bulb is much wider and larger on the 75W version and 85W version compared to the 65W. The 75W version I would say is easily more than 5000 Lumens. The beam patterns are not the prettiest, but in terms of sheer output, they are hard to beat. Also, once you purchase, be sure to break in the bulbs. I have had a few high watters that started life for the first few days dimmer than a 35W version, but as it opened up it became MUCH brighter. Now if someone on here could come up with a revised reflector, or CNC'd head that allowed a larger reflector, we would be in business...
 

Marc85495

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I just made a few beam shots comparing my Mag3d LED, TK70 and my cheap 85W HID LIGHT. I was lighting a little island from the shore at 1056 feet according to my marine charts. The HID is impressive, more of a thrower compared to the TK70. It was a very humid night, but it helped to see the beams of light.

Test shot:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45252332@N04/8103053611/in/photostream/


Mag 3D:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45252332@N04/8103055347/in/photostream/

TK70:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45252332@N04/8103069578/in/photostream/

HID 85W:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45252332@N04/8103069382/in/photostream/

Cropped test shot:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45252332@N04/8103080924/in/photostream/

Cropped shot with Mag 3D:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45252332@N04/8103080870/in/photostream/

Cropped shot with TK70:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45252332@N04/8103081006/in/photostream/

Cropped shot with HID85W:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45252332@N04/8103066907/in/photostream/
 
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ridurall

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Two years ago I purchased a 50W/35W HID Xenon Torch on Ebay and I have to admit it I love it. I paid $243 for it and at the time I couldn't find anything else for a beter price and it's supposed to produce 4500 Lumins. It works for me and it came with 2 12 volts batteries that have a bit over 1 hour run time. It's been great for crawling under houses and blood tracking deer. Works much better than a special blood tracking flashlight.

Ron
 

NCF8710

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Last year I purchased a 75W HID on eBay. For the price, it's not bad. Produces a MSL of light, more than my AE Light 24. The beam pattern is not particularly good. In order to 'focus' the beam, you rotate the head. The head does not turn easily. I had to remove it and relube it with Super Lube. It still sticks, but I can turn it without using grip gloves. I replaced the bulb with an 85W 4300K replacement found on eBay. The lower color temperature and higher wattage make a considerable improvement in perceived brightness. The beam pattern on this bulb is more irregular than the original. There are color variations evident with yellowish areas and a bluish center spot. These variations lessened over time. The bulb itself is not tinted, meaning that the blend of metal salts defines the color temperature.
 

Fusion_m8

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Since this in not a FF3 thread, I'll give my opinion of it. I think its overrated and overhyped. After handling it several times at the last 2 CPF meets here in Melbourne, I just cannot get over its mediocre throw and overly floody beam. It gets uncomfortably hot to hold much quicker than either the L35, Microfire 40w and ebay HID. Its more ornamental than practical, FF3 owners will disagree with me just as much as I disagree with them.
 

langham

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Has anyone had any success in modding these lights? I would like to see if proper thermal conductivity and a better shape of reflector would help. I am also curious about the battery, like has anyone tried to replace the cells with some they have around the house, it seems to just be an array of different numbers of 18650 cells. I like the size and power and would like to see if I could replace the HID with a halogen and create a 100W fire starter.
 

jayrob

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Has anyone had any success in modding these lights? I would like to see if proper thermal conductivity and a better shape of reflector would help. I am also curious about the battery, like has anyone tried to replace the cells with some they have around the house, it seems to just be an array of different numbers of 18650 cells. I like the size and power and would like to see if I could replace the HID with a halogen and create a 100W fire starter.

I got a 4300K bulb/ballast replacement and it made a ton of difference. Twice the difference! :)

And as I installed it, I centered it better, etc...

This is the seller that has the 4300K:
http://myworld.ebay.com/lovepets88?_trksid=p2047675.l2559

I too would like to know about perhaps modifying the battery pack with some 3400mAh Panasonic cells if anybody has any input on this.

Here's the Ebay HID before and after side by side:


HID before after.jpg


It's easy to swap the bulb/ballast, and can be done in a matter of about 5 minutes or less...

They have a video:

 

langham

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You know strangely enough you can actually tell the difference in the illumination, the 85W clearly puts out slightly more light. I did not expect that, I was under the impression that the light would be almost in-perceptibly brighter with the 85W. This is the first time I have seen one taken apart and after seeing it I would think that if you made a solid copper slug and threaded it in to the body with thermal compound between the threaded surfaces that the light would dissipate heat very well. I would think that you would also want a DC/DC converter to ensure that the proper V was sent to the bulb though as the voltage would have a pretty wide swing. I don't like the size of that reflector, with a halogen bulb there wouldn't be any throw at all. Maybe in the future I will think about it, but I might just save up all the money I make for the rest of my life and buy a Nightsword.
 

R10500

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hi everyone, first post on CPF :D.
anyway,

say jayrob, have you tried installing the 85W 4300K replacement that lovepets88's got too? i just ordered my 85W HID through ebay days ago and only just came across all this stuff about getting better output with the replacement bulbs and ballast. Not too sure what to expect of my order now that it's got mixed reviews. Also, how many lumens do you wager your modded 85W HID in your post is putting out?
 
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