Deal Extreme Lights any good? Durable?

[jbosman1013]

I guess i got lucky with my MTE 1xAA seoul I just put a battery in and have been using it ever sence with no flickering, shorting, or any other problems. I think as long as you don't use these lights as a hamer or some other unintended use you should be fine.

 

[flashy bazook]

I would add one thing, which is that a very excellent poster here (x2x3x2) maintains a website with flashlight reviews which is very objective. (link:

http://www.lightreviews.info/news.html )

I mention him and the website because he likes a good deal and reviews several models from the Deal Extreme website.

Some rate very highly - and he has a "value" rating which explicitly factors in the price.

So you can check out to see if a light that interests you from the Deal Extreme website is reviewed, and also how it compares with lights from different sources.

 

[Bror Jace]

Lots of good points (on both sides) in this thread.

xiaowenzu "Oh and get the SF U2, it's GOBSMACKINGLY AWESOME!"

I'd like to buy one ... but wasn't the U2 the Surefuire that had the defective tail clickies? See what I mean? If I buy a $15 light and am disappointed that's one thing. I won't buy another from that vendor or brand. But if I buy a $125 light and am disappointed, that'll haunt me for some time ... and may even turn me off to flashlights as a hobby.

C_C, your point (and example) hits pretty close to home. My dad has a case full of collectible Winchester lever-action rifles. They are never fired. They look pretty all shined up but what's the point? After a while, they and the case they are in are just a big, heavy decoration. Really, how are our lives truly enhanced by such things? So much stuff I own ... but when I look at it now (years ... even decades after I bought it) I'd rather have the money I originally paid for it. With this feeling preserved in my head, I am very careful before I shell out big bucks for anything.

datiLED: "Buying cheap lights is part of the flashaholic transformation process. Go ahead and buy a few so that you will know real quality when you experience it."

That's pretty good advice for lots of things, not just flashlights.

About a year and a half ago I bought about 20 various lights from DAE ... most were inexpensive 5mm Nichia lights. While only modest performers, they had decent-to-good build quality (which appeared to be excellent build quality when compared to plastic Rayovac and Energizer lights most people are familiar with). These made terrific gifts for friends and family in the past year and a half.

I didn't have a lot of money invested in them so they were easy to give away. As a matter of fact, I'm still giving them away and they're still a hit with non-flashaholics. :naughty:

And, when new emitters become available ... the P4s ... and now the Rebels, I can buy a brand new $20-$25 light with them all mounted and ready to go. Maybe a year or so from now I'll be giving away the lights I have on order right now and ordering Q5s?

I come to CPF fairly often and it's currently my favorite on-line community. There's plenty of room for everyone ... people who buy only titanium Alephs ... as well as people who refuse to spend over $15 on a light.

The on-line community I have been a part of most for the past several years is BITOG - bobistheoilguy.com - and we have one guy there who drives a Ferrari Enzo ... as well as plenty of others that drive rusty old pick-up trucks.

For people who understand the spirit of what it is to be an enthusiast (regardless of the hobby/specialty in question) it's all good.

 

[bimemrboy318]

For people who understand the spirit of what it is to be an enthusiast (regardless of the hobby/specialty in question) it's all good. [/quote]

Well said! (I'm the guy with the Ferrari on the other site! --> I only wish!)

 

[Monocrom]

Are the lights found on DX worth looking at? Are they cheaply made that a few times out camping and something will break or go wrong?

Looking at the 1xCR123 lights.

You're gonna have to be a bit more specific as to what you mean by "durable."

Surefires and Inovas are extremely durable.... to a degree that DX lights are not. But there shouldn't be a problem if you mean like you drop your light on a rare occassion.

 

[waynejitsu]

You definately get what you pay for.

Getting a cheapie foreign copy light is a gamble.
Many have had success, many others have not, lost money making a purchase, lost money returning it, lost money as the warranty is either not there or cost more than the light is worth, etc, etc.

I would NEVER count on a cheap light for an emergency or otherwise situation where you really count on it working.

Another example is battery drain. I have one light that was "talked up" here, but it drains the battery just sitting there in the off position.

Others do not have good regulation and burn through batteries faster than one that does have good regulation.


Sure, I have several cheapie HK and chineese lights, but have learned, they are more of a novelty than a real tool.

Another example would be knives.
You can get a good knife or a cheap knife.
Looking at them they "look" the same, however, the performance comes from what is not seen, like a flashlight and multitudes of products.

To get one to play with is one thing, to get one to rely on is another..., especially in an emergency situation, you want reliability at that time and cost is no longer an issue.

 

[TMorita]

Are the lights found on DX worth looking at? Are they cheaply made that a few times out camping and something will break or go wrong?

Looking at the 1xCR123 lights.

I have a bunch of them, and the quality varies. Some have good threads, reasonably good metal, and good quality anodizing and some are kinda crappy - bad quality threads, softer metal, and cheap anodizing.

The Ultrafires IMHO are the most consistent. They obviously aren't Surefires, but they're good for the price, and will hold up well as long as you don't abuse them. The ones I would recommend are:

WF-801: very similar to a Huntlight FT-01 but cheaper:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.3379

WF-606B: These are nice. 2AA or CR2.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4128

WF-602D (Cree w/textured reflector). I don't recommend the Lux 602D, because the reflector is pretty bad, but the textured one is pretty good.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.3379
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.3351

I don't recommend these:

Dexlight X.V: very bad threads http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2944

DX Cree: low quality
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1892

The Ultrafires are very easy to mod, because they don't use threadlock to assemble the body, and the light pill unscrews easily. On the downside, they don't use thermal paste either.

Toshi

 

[BSCOTT1504]

The best place to purchase Chinese lights is the Fenix-Store!!

 

[bimemrboy318]

Well, I wanted the HA-III 602D but they were back ordered. Instead, I went with the Ultrafire C2 in HA-III. If this light goes well, I'll likely be back for more. As far as durable... I ment dropped on a rare occasion and tolerate being left in a glove compartment with lithiums until needed.

 

[wakibaki]

'Quantity has a quality all it's own'' - JS

w

 

[sysadmn]

I'd second TMorita's thoughts. For what they cost, they can be good values. I'm not sure what he means by abuse them, but I buy cheap lights so I can abuse them . I have one of the 602's (I think it's the A, with a luxeon or low end cree); I take it apart constantly to poke at it, try new batteries, etc, but I'm always aware I could wear out threads, put the tube out of round, etc. I don't have those concerns with my Fenix - it just seems more solid. Same with fit - the Ultrafires can be tight or sloppy; the Fenixes don't seem to be.

I'd add an additional caveat - some finishes aren't as durable as you might expect. I EDC the Ultrafire WF-502B, a black 2XCR123a clone that runs P60-type lamp assemblies. It's heavy with a thick bezel and tube walls, transfers heat well, has a glass lens, and the switch has held up well for me. But it's already showing wear (bright metal) on the edges of the crenelated bezel. It's aluminum, so it's not like the metal will rust, but it's definitely not anodized. I'm still happy because I bought it as a tool to use, not a toy to display and because I got it for $12 delivered. I cringe at every time I drop my E1E - I put the 502 in a pocket of change or toss it in the junk drawer without a second thought.

 

[fixitman]

From DealExtreme, I have the MTE 5 mode 1AA (actually have 3) and they are very good for the money. They all survived my drop test (8' drop onto hard surface, 3 times) with no issues. Runtimes were ok. Max brightness was slightly lower than my Fenix L2Dce on high.

For CR123 power, I have the UltraFire C2, and its a great light. Costs about $22 and is very reliable and very bright. Slightly brighter and with better throw than my Fenix L2Dce. My C2 does have a small dark ring in the beam between the spot and the spill, but it does not bother me. Its a little big for every day carry, but its just the right size for grabbing to check out bumps in the night.


Stay away from the DX simply cree, unless you want to spend time working on it. Out of the 3 I ordered, one did not work at all, and I could not get it running. One flickered alot, but I managed to fix it. The 3rd worked ok. None made it through the first drop on the drop test. Managed to fix the 2 that had worked originally, but it was alot of work. They are not very bright, but have great runtimes (over 4 hours).

 

[mattblick]

I am new to CPF but have thoughts concerning the enjoyable banter going on in this thread.

In any enthusiast hobby there will be expensive products that are considered "the best". I feel you can be part of and can enjoy the hobby without the best. I have too many pricey hobbies, and just added flashlights to the long list. In my experience you can get enthusiast level performance without buying "the best" and the LAW OF DIMINISHING RETURNS always comes into play.

An Audiophile can hear exquisite audio reproduction without Krell Amplifiers and Wilson Audio X1 Grand Slam loudspeakers. There is a very high end audio store called Progressive Audio on High Street across from The Ohio State University. While attending college there I would regularly go in and listen to my CDs on speakers that cost $120,000 a pair. My $800 Vandersteen 1C speakers powered by a $600 NAD amplifier give me at least 90% of the performance of the $250K+ setup. People are always floored when they listen to the accurate reproduction and superb imaging of my stereo. How many people have Adcom Amplifiers and KEF Q10s as their PC speakers? The audiophile bug left me unhappy with computer speakers, but I don't need an Air Forsell and Totem setup on the PC. I can't watch TV with the inferior distorted garbled sound the TV speakers produce. I don't need $15K M&K speakers powered by a 10K Sunfire amp to enjoy better than the theater sound in my living room though. I have Axiom speakers powered by an Onkyo receiver for under a grand investment. I am an audiophile, people laugh at the money I "waste" on audio reproduction, yet there are other audiophiles that pay more for a single length of speaker wire than I have invested in all of my equipment combined. To them that wire is worth the extra tiny bit of performance they can squeeze out of their system.

A cigar connoisseur can enjoy the finest tobacoo without smoking $150 1980s Dunhill Cabinettas. I thoroughly enjoyed the Cabinetta that was gifted to me but wouldn't ever consider buying one myself... EVER. I have been smoking $2 Tabacalera Tropical Condegas and $8 Pete Johnson Cabaiguans and get 98% as much enjoyment out of these cigars as I did the rare 20 year old Cuban cigar. I can afford to smoke as many cigars a week as I can sneak by my wife.. If I required aged Cubans to enjoy cigars I could smoke very few each year..

I also enjoy the worlds of high end coffee, tea, photography, fly fishing, backpacking, computers, etc. and each of these enthusiast hobbies have their own respective "best". In each case you don't have to purchase the best to enjoy enthusiast level performace.

Many of the $15 DX light are going to be enthusiast level performing flashlights. You can bet your butt that drastically diminishing returns will come into play versus a $300 light. If you can afford to spend the extra $285 for an extra 10% in performance or reliability than the best may be for you. Of course for LEOs and the Military there is no question they require the extra. I don't.

If I ascribed to the "buy the best" philosophy however there is no way I could enjoy enthusiast level performance in so many hobbies. There are those that can afford the best in all of their hobbies; I am not one of them. I try to find the sweet spot of price/performance in all of my pursuits.

I have 3 DX lights on the way: A Dexlight Sapphire Crystal CREE, Ultrafire 602C SSC, and MTE 5-Mode CR123A Rebel 0100. Browsing the comments on that site and reviews here I am pretty certain I won't regret the purchase of any of them. I also bought a LiteFlux LF3 on the CPF Marketplace. It will be interesting to see how the $18 lights perform versus the $45 and $52 lights. I am not tempted to buy a $150 or $300 flashlight. I still believe however I am a budding flashaholic..

-Matt-

 

[Elliot]

I've had the HA-III 602D for over a month and use it every day. It's been dropped, banged about and "lost" in my pants pocket. I could not be happier with it. I just ordered one of the multi-mode Rebel 100s. And of course, who could complain about the DX $0.46 keychain lights.

Elliot

 

[Bror Jace]

"I just ordered one of the multi-mode Rebel 100s."

Is there anyone here who has not ordered one of these lights? No wonder mine have been back ordered!

 

[gromit]

I am new to CPF but have thoughts concerning the enjoyable banter going on in this thread.

In any enthusiast hobby there will be expensive products that are considered "the best". I feel you can be part of and can enjoy the hobby without the best. I have too many pricey hobbies, and just added flashlights to the long list. In my experience you can get enthusiast level performance without buying "the best" and the LAW OF DIMINISHING RETURNS always comes into play.

An Audiophile can hear exquisite audio reproduction without Krell Amplifiers and Wilson Audio X1 Grand Slam loudspeakers. There is a very high end audio store called Progressive Audio on High Street across from The Ohio State University. While attending college there I would regularly go in and listen to my CDs on speakers that cost $120,000 a pair. My $800 Vandersteen 1C speakers powered by a $600 NAD amplifier give me at least 90% of the performance of the $250K+ setup. People are always floored when they listen to the accurate reproduction and superb imaging of my stereo. How many people have Adcom Amplifiers and KEF Q10s as their PC speakers? The audiophile bug left me unhappy with computer speakers, but I don't need an Air Forsell and Totem setup on the PC. I can't watch TV with the inferior distorted garbled sound the TV speakers produce. I don't need $15K M&K speakers powered by a 10K Sunfire amp to enjoy better than the theater sound in my living room though. I have Axiom speakers powered by an Onkyo receiver for under a grand investment. I am an audiophile, people laugh at the money I "waste" on audio reproduction, yet there are other audiophiles that pay more for a single length of speaker wire than I have invested in all of my equipment combined. To them that wire is worth the extra tiny bit of performance they can squeeze out of their system.
.............................
If I ascribed to the "buy the best" philosophy however there is no way I could enjoy enthusiast level performance in so many hobbies. There are those that can afford the best in all of their hobbies; I am not one of them. I try to find the sweet spot of price/performance in all of my pursuits.

.............................

-Matt-

I am one of those that have the wire costing more than your complete system, Kimber Select. I started my audio hobby, obsession, over 20 years ago and spent lots of time and money trying the killer cheap-o, product of the day, what ever it was from the armor-all your CD's to the cable lifters. Yes some made differences and others, I think people thought that they could tell a difference when there wasn't. I can tell that you enjoy your system and I'm glade that you do. I have worked hard and built my system beyond the point where you stopped. Nothing wrong with either way of doing it. I enjoy my Revel, Musical Fidelity, Kimber, and Sota system very much. It is a ego thing when my friends come over and I play a record for them, they never knew that a record could sound better than a CD. I just say on the right system. Enough about audio stuff, this is CPF.

There is a law of diminishing returns as well as a system or product is only as good as its weakest link.
There are products designed to hit a price point, and there are products designed for performance level.
I'll agree that a Fenix has 80% the quality of a McGizmo, but until you handle a McG, you won't understand.

 

[bimemrboy318]

Just got my C2-HAIII today! I'm going back for more! Can't see anything that wasn't worth the $23 I spent for this light!

Definitely like the brightness factor of this light. Any suggestions on other DX lights this bright but also have the same size factor?

 

[fishx65]

Been using the DX 5 mode MTE SSC P4 everynight since I got it about 3 weeks ago. Super smooth beam, very bright, switch and modes work fine and it seems very durable and well made on the outside. Don't really care what it looks like on the inside as long as it keeps functioning well. The one I have has a perfect white tint according to my eyes. This one seems to get pretty good reviews on here. Still waiting on the single mode MTE to show up in the mail. I would say that these are about three times brighter then my 1AA luxeons.

 

[bimemrboy318]

"I just ordered one of the multi-mode Rebel 100s."

Is there anyone here who has not ordered one of these lights? No wonder mine have been back ordered!

Which one are you referring to?

 

[bimemrboy318]

Been using the DX 5 mode MTE SSC P4 everynight since I got it about 3 weeks ago. Super smooth beam, very bright, switch and modes work fine and it seems very durable and well made on the outside. Don't really care what it looks like on the inside as long as it keeps functioning well. The one I have has a perfect white tint according to my eyes. This one seems to get pretty good reviews on here. Still waiting on the single mode MTE to show up in the mail. I would say that these are about three times brighter then my 1AA luxeons.

Which one are you referring to. I see 3 different 5-mode rebels on DX:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.6162
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.6104
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4862