BessieBenny's Budget LED (DX/KD etc) Flashlights Review Roundup (Part VII)

[bessiebenny]

UPDATED FEBRUARY 9th 2009
- I have updated the Runtime graph of RC-T6 and added the 2x18650 runtime for Medium output. (4xLED)
- Ordered a new light today - TANK007 TK-702 P4 HAIII (Cheap, HAIII, Rare AAA Clicky)

UPDATED FEBRUARY 7th 2009
- I have updated the Results at a glace charts with the recently reviewed lights.
- I apologise that many portions of recent reviews are not finished. It'll get done if I can. =(

UPDATED JANUARY 17th 2009
- CPF member Kenzo has found that RC-G2's tailcap works perfectly with MTE C2-1.
- It makes it shorter and gives you the benefit of the forward clicky. Brilliant find. =)

----------------------------

[COMING SOON]

# Lights that are ordered and expected to arrive within the next 1-6 weeks:
- TANK007 TK-702 P4 HAIII

# Lights that I'm currently interested in and possibly get if I have enough funds:
- UltraFire WF-606A Q5 (Brighter Q5-bin version of highly regarded WF-606A)

----------------------------

[REVIEWS LIST]

- DEC 17th 2008 - ★★★★★1/2 - KD Buckle V5 HAIII XRT - (Measurements/Photos TBA)
- DEC 10th 2008 - ★★★★★ - MTE C2-1 Q5 AA Review (Runtime graph added on Dec 10th)
- NOV 16th 2008 - ★★★★★ - Romisen RC-T6 Review (Super bright 6 LED 2x18650 Flashlight)
- AUG 24th 2008 - No Rating - Quick 6 flashlight Roundup (Very short impressions of 6 flashlights)
- AUG 10th 2008 - ★★ - Romisen RC-A8 Review (Not very useful imo and doesn't use 3.6v RCR)


----------------------------

PLEASE SEE PART 4 FOR ALL THE REVIEWS THAT HAS BEEN DONE PREVIOUSLY.

[Budget LED DX/KD Flashlights Review Roundup]

Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 4 , Part 5 , Part 6 and now Part 7! (WOW)

[FLASHLIGHTS] - Not all flashlights reviewed may yet be shown below. (bit outdated now)


Submitted by MetalZone

[RESULTS AT A GLANCE]

Star Rating
★★★★★★ - Buy it now! Amazing bang for the buck!
★★★★★ - It is excellent. A great buy! Recommended.
★★★★ - Pretty darn good. It's not the best but is not bad.
★★★ - It's okay but there's nothing that great about it imo.
★★ - Not good. Avoid if if you can coz it's not worth it.
★ - Why am I even reviewing this?! Total waste of $$$.

[HIGH PERFORMANCE / HIGH RATED LIGHTS] - - Link to reviews prior to Romisen RC-T6 are HERE

[LOW RATED, LOW PERFORMANCE or DISCONTINUED] - Link to reviews for below lights HERE

NOTE: Output values are for the near absolute peak while batteries are fully charged at its highest voltage.
Always check the runtime graph if available as you cannot expect all light to maintain such values for very long.

[help~!] [help~!] [help~!]
I am constantly running short on funds to buy and review more recent lights. :mecry:
Feel free to send me $2 or $4 or $8 donations so that I can keep adding new lights. :devil:
(fyi - Paypal takes away a 37/44 cents respectively per donation which sorta sux.)

All new lights from FEB 2008 will be bought with the addition of your donations. (if any )
I thank you for all for the amazing support so far. It helps greatly to keep this thread alive!

You may instead opt to use my referral id at DX. It doesn't cost you anything which is the best part. =)
To use my id, just add ~r.29749062 directly to the end of any product url address. (without "" of course)
Every ~$1300 spent using my referral id, I get $10. Not a lot but better than nothing I guess. =P

Donations received in 2008 (most recent first):
dp62 < FEBRUARY '09 AndreD, lenny, waddup < NOVEMBER '08 JEFFSR < OCTOBER holeymoley < SEPTEMBER FlemingWak < AUGUST gunnut, PhantomLights, tmlwyb, Dandan, Crescendopower < JULY RafS, ScottM, SteveZ, Rizky ,WarriorZ, kostas, yekimak, JoeBob, smootik, RepoUK < JUNE stinky, Wolf359, alohaluau, johnnyngo, OCDGearhead, Wagen < MAY Wolf359, Centropolis, amdaxiom, t3h, Deks, SPRocketman, Flash25296, Fabio, tip61 < APRIL Wolf359, dudu84, marcus, Pokerstud, wmissen, RecycledElectron, qtaco, fizzy, briiansd, meuge, SportyBen, Raymond < MARCH Schierle, HenryL, Andres(ocau), baconheist, Dougmeister, linterno, anarchocap, saedwards, docian37, violatorjf, MikeSalt, Debbie, Luke, dulridge, martinSE, mmbeller191, ReGet, Mascione, Probedude < FEBRUARY '08

I would like to thank everyone who supported this thread and my reviews so far!!
Every dollar is put forward to purchasing more lights/equipment for this thread.

 

[phantom23]

Re: BessieBenny's Budget LED (DX/KD etc) Flashlights Review Roundup (Part 7)

So get it while it's good. Other than some rare exceptions (MTE SSCP4 AA), it usually doesn't get better after every batch. =P

MTE SSC 1AA is not an exception. I bought one from one of the latest batch and it wasn't good...

 

[bessiebenny]

Re: BessieBenny's Budget LED (DX/KD etc) Flashlights Review Roundup (Part 7)

Reposting here as the other thread is now closed and modifying is not possible.
My star score is based upon what it is supposed to be and how much it costs.

[MTE C2-1 Review by BB]

- Cree Q5 emitter. AA battery. (not 14500) 1-mode flashlight.
- Plastic Collimator lense. Reverse Clicky. O-rings all around.
- Costs ~$20 at DX etc.

First Impressions: ★★★★1/2
- Whoa. It might be the first MTE light that I really like. (nice start)
- It's slightly longer/bigger than a usual AA light of this class.

Build Quality: ★★★★ (Some cheap components but that's expected)
- Solid rattle free platic collimator lense. Very clear. Looks great.
- Collimator lense is surrounded by an aluminium pill which also acts as a semi-smooth reflector.
- That reflector-pill also holds the collimator lense in place.
- Double O-rings on both head and switch threads. Nice touch.
- There is an O-ring infront of the collimator lense. So it's well sealed all around.
- Threads are well lubed, smooth and good. Very similar to Romisen threads.
- Smooth yet grippy knurlings on both ends of the flashlight.
- Cheap looking rubber clicky. Easy to replace wih common replacement ones.
- Reverse clicky switch. Gold spring. Switch feels big when pressed = good. (I'll add more on this later)
- PCB Board for the driver says NANJG ROHS-103 on the positive end. (Seen through the tube)
- Silver backed cree. On a round 14mm base. No if it's glued to the pill yet.
- Overall, it's better built and feels more solid than Ultrafire C3 or the RC-A3 imo.
- Bundled lanyard is just a standard cheapo. It's okay but doubt it's reliable.

Light Output: ★★★★★ (You won't find much brighter for sub-$30 flashlight with only 1AA)
- Bright. It's brighter than Nitecore D10 Q5 on High.
- Very smoothly blended from hotspot to spill.
- Nice clean beam. No significant rings or black spots.
- White beam. No bluish tint. Just white.
- Still has a very bright hotspot. Not very tight or small but still good due to its bright overall output.
- Has a bright hotspot center, then a second tier of slightly less bright area around the hotspot.
- Then there's the third tier which is pretty much the spill. Spill is quite bright/wide and floody also.
- It's more smoother and floodier in the spill than most AA lights of this size.

In Use: ★★★1/2 (It doesn't tail stand, clicky is reverse and rolls off table)
- Simple 1 mode light with a reverse clicky. Turns off if half depressed while on.
- During the run time test, it got very hot after about 20 minutes. But not burning hot.
- But if you use it in real life, it won't get as hot due to heatsinking of your hand.
- Rolls off tables if pushed or if table is slanted.
- It tail stands but the clicky sticks out enough to be not 100% stable. (leans to one side)

Conclusion: ★★★★★ (For what it costs and what it is, it's great and I recommend it)
- MTE really stepped up and made a good quality light while still being not so expensive.
- It feels expensive in hand. Definitely not the usual MTE quality I'm used to. It's solid.
- Overall, it's an excellent 1AA 1-mode light. Above average brightness and great beam!

*BONUS*
- CPF member Kenzo has found that RC-G2's tailcap works perfectly with MTE C2-1.
- I can also confirm this. 2 Benefits are forward clicky and makes it more compact!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Beam Shots]
- New kitchen! Photos are taken with identical exposure settings as previous kitchen ones.
- To compare with something similar, here's a 1AA Nitecore D10 Q5's high output kitchen and KD Buckle V4 Q5 photos.



---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Output / Measurements]

Throw: 1750 lux @ 1m (Using 1 x 1.2v AA NiMh @ 1.4v) (fyi - Nitecore D10 is 1150 lux @ 1m)
Current: 1.75 Amps (At the battery)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Runtime Tests]

- Runtime using 1AA NiMh. Vertical axis is output. Horizontal Axis is in minutes.
- Output is a multimeter reading of the light sensor's output in micro amps. (uA)

 

[VegasF6]

Re: BessieBenny's Budget LED (DX/KD etc) Flashlights Review Roundup (Part 7)

RE: DX sku.16607 now Akoray Q5 200 lumen

I've also received mine 2 days ago, which is the 3-mode "Akoray" brand. Modes are High/Low/Strobe. As suggested by others, fit and finish is excellent. Beam looks good. Seems to be medium spot with a very slight dark ring. Spill is bright, but narrower due to deeper reflector.

IMO, the memory function is implemented correctly in this model. The mode is memorized as soon as you switched mode. You don't have to leave it on for a few seconds like some other lights that I have. One complaint that I have is that it will turn on in the next mode if you do so within 4 seconds after you turn it off. I think they should lower this "wait time" to 1 second instead of 4 seconds. This will not happen in most use cases, but could be annoying when it does, especially if it turns on in the strobe mode.

Based on eye-balling, output with NIMH is slightly less than the RC-P3 in ceiling bounce, but noticeably less in throw due to wider beam. With 14500 throw is a little better than RC-P3. The low mode seems to be the same for both battery types, which seems bright enough for general usage.

Runtime on high with 2000mh NIMH is about 50 minutes, with fairly good regulation. With blue protected Trustfire 14500, output seems to be constant until the battery protection cuts off power at 30 minutes. In low mode, I get about 3 hrs and 45 minutes with the 14500 battery.

Not bad. I like it.


I am VERY disapointed to hear this. I had been eyeballing this light for sometime, and a friend finally ordered it. I liked it so much I ordered 5. Well, they went on back order for about 3 weeks and are finally showing shipped. I wanted the 6 modes, but I REALLY wanted "un-branded." Sigh.

 

[bigballer1]

Re: DX sku.16607 now Akoray Q5 200 lumen

Blinky (from part6):
I agree with you about the memory "wait time", but I guess it is a minor inconvenience. Thanks for the runtimes, I was just going to do it and you beat me to the punch.

BessieBenny:
Glad you are back! Thanks for the new photos of the Nitecore D10 and the MTE C2-1. The new kitchen looks great.

The more I use this Akoray, the more I like it. I really like the finish on this light. Although I don't have the Nitecore, comparing the photos of the two lights, I think the Akoray beats it. It might even be brighter running on a 14500. Also notice it has two O-rings, so I wouldn't be surprised if you can take this underwater. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a cheap AA/14500 light! This guys takes both, which is another plus.

 

[bessiebenny]

Re: BessieBenny's Budget LED (DX/KD etc) Flashlights Review Roundup (Part 7)

Reposting here as the other thread is now closed and modifying is not possible. Added new kitchen photos!

[Romisen RC-T6 Review by Bessiebenny]

- Star ratings sorta stay the same. 5 is excellent. 6 means extra ordinary!



[REVIEW]

First Impression ★★★★★
- Nicest "big" 2 x 18650 torch I've felt so far.
- 6 Cree LEDs! Looks great! Monster!
- This torch feels really solid in hand.

Build Quality ★★★★★
- Doesn't feel as cheap as Aurora or Ultrafire.
- Nice matte anodizing. Pretty sure it's not HAIII though but no biggie.
- Reverse-type side clicky switch. Has nice and solid feel to it.
- Nice and deep textured aluminium reflector.
- Big O-ring used in front of glass lense.
- Shape of the reflector is like an orange. Nice and symmetrical.
- As it doesn't have a tail clicky, it tail stands perfectly.
- The very front front bezel is glued on mine at the threads.
- But pretty much every other part isn't glued.
- Double O-rings used on all the battery tube threads. Nice!
- Spring on both ends of the bettery tube. Two protected 18650 fits fine.
- Deep solid thread. Bit sharp but overall very nice. Lubed also.

In Use ★★★★
- The side clicky makes it very easy to operate while holding.
- The mode switches from 2 - 4 - 6 LED in sequence.
- This makes you click 3 times every time you want to turn to 6 LED!
- Also makes you cycle through everyone of them before it turns off.
- It's obviously not the best design. But you get used to it. =P
- Although it does work with 3 or 4 RCR123A batts, it's not worth it.
- It gets too hot too quickly then battery runs out not long after.
- So expect to just use it with 2 x 18650 all the time.

Brightness/Output ★★★★★★
- It's BRIGHT and has a very wide overall beam. BIG and very bright hotspot also.
- It still has decent throw due to being so bright. It's like a big spotlight.
- But still, it's floodier than single LED flood lights due to its sheer output.
- Has an overlapping pattern to its spill. In real life use, it's not an issue.
- Anyways, all I can say is that it's very bright and very useful.
- But at the same time, I feel it's not as bright as it looks like it should be.
- But maybe that's because I just want more out of such monster looking light. =P
- However, even in 2 LED mode, it's super bright overall and does not get hot at all. Very nice!

Conclusion ★★★★★
- Romisen has done it again by making such a special looking light.
- 6 efficient LED's being driven very efficiently for great output and runtime.
- It's not cheap but I think it's worth it for what you get that's for sure.
- At the end, it's a great flashlight overall. Big, solid, bright. Just a tad expensive though.

--------

[BEAM SHOTS]

- Using 2 x 18650 @ 4.1v each

-------- LOW ----------------- MED ----------------- HIGH

--------

[OUTPUT/MEASUREMENTS]
- These are "throw" values and the current that it pulls from the battery.
- Note that the lux value does not reflect the total lumens that it outpus.
- RC-T6 has 3 modes. Two / Four / Six LEDs are lit in each mode.
- Anyways, it has a very good throw capability considering it has a huge hotspot.

* Two x 18650 @ 4.10v each = 8.2V
-------------------------------
2 - 4200 lux @ 1m (0.66A = 5.4W)
4 - 7900 lux @ 1m (1.12A = 9.2W)
6 - 11200 lux @ 1m (1.52A = 12.5W)

* Three x 16340 @ 4.10v each = 12.3V
-------------------------------
2 - 1500 lux @ 1m (0.15A = 1.9W)
4 - 9200 lux @ 1m (1.01A = 12.4W)
6 - 14500 lux @ 1m (1.60A = 19.7W)

* Four x 16340 @ 4.10v each = 16.4V
-------------------------------
2 - 4500 lux @ 1m (0.35A = 5.7W)
4 - 9200 lux @ 1m (0.74A = 12.1W)
6 - 14300 lux @ 1m (1.15A = 18.9W)

---------

[RUNTIME]
- As you can see, 2x18650 is where it shines the most.
- I have not yet had time to run the test in Low mode. (2LED)

 

[waddup]

Re: BessieBenny's Budget LED (DX/KD etc) Flashlights Review Roundup (Part 7)

what stopped you giving it 6 stars?

^ might be the only thing thats saving my $$

all your 6 star lights i have purchased have been excellent, i got 2 of each and have given away 1 of each to very deserving people (who are blown away and love them)

so why only 5 stars for this one?




im guessing its because you couldnt find it anywhere for $12

 

[phantom23]

Re: BessieBenny's Budget LED (DX/KD etc) Flashlights Review Roundup (Part 7)

'bessiebenny', can you make some shots of MTE C2-1? Thanks:thumbsup:

EDIT: And if you can - D10 lux/1m number.

 

[mick53]

What is the diff. between these two cheapies?

Hi,

What is the difference between these two WF-600s? I mean, I think I know the differences but do these differences make one better than the other?

SKU#8537
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8537

SKU #8672
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8672

Both are Q5s.

Both are HA-III

They only difference I can see is SKU#8537 takes both 18650and CR123A and has a larger voltage range (3.6V~9V) than the other.

SKU#8672 takes only 18650s and has a smaller voltage range (3.6V ~ 4.2V).

Am I missing something? Is one significantly better than the other or are they pretty much the same?

I've been going around in circles for days trying to decide which light to buy.

I want a hefty thrower and have ruled out a bunch of lights for various reasons, price being the chief concern.

if I find I like and enjoy using a long thrower, I will then spend the larger dollars on one. And if I don't like the thrower, I only blew around $40 as opposed to over $100. Makes sense to me.

Anyway, I SWEAR I'm going to get one or the other of these two. Which do you recommend and why do you recommend it?

Please :help:

Thanks,

Mike

 

[richardcpf]

Re: What is the diff. between these two WF-600s?

The one that takes up to 9v has the common DX driver... ~450ma at 8.4v and ~800ma at 4.2. The other one might have the AMC7135 1050ma driver. This is just a thought, im not sure.

Anyways there are better throwers for the price range, imo Aurora is not a very reliable brand when it comes to quality.

The uniquefire 802 has excellent throw and great reviews.

For a little bit more you can get the T10C2 or the Tiablo matador BR200, both are semi-throwers.

 

[mick53]

Re: What is the diff. between these two WF-600s?

The one that takes up to 9v has the common DX driver... ~450ma at 8.4v and ~800ma at 4.2. The other one might have the AMC7135 1050ma driver.

How does this difference effect runtime and brightness?

 

[mick53]

Re: What is the diff. between these two cheapies?

No enLIGHTenment?

Damn!

Maybe I shyouldn't have called 'em "cheapies."

 

[jabe1]

Re: What is the diff. between these two cheapies?

There is alot of info about these lights. Try searching for wf-600.

 

[mick53]

Re: What is the diff. between these two cheapies?

There is alot of info about these lights. Try searching for wf-600.

jabe1,

What an excellent suggestion! Why didn't I think of doing a search?

Actually, I did a search, and a rather extensive one at that.

I even used the "google cpf" search last night and you know how that goes.

It came up with just under 200 mentions of "WF-600" and I glanced at every one of them and there was nothing specific to what I am asking here. It took me a couple of hours to weed through these search results.

That there are different variations of the WF-600 was made apparent by the search, but I already knew that. I simply didn't see these very specific questions asked or answered.

I was kinda hoping I might find an answer to some of this even if it came up in some other context. No luck.

So yes, there's a lot of info about these lights, but nothing I could find about what I would like to know.

But, uh, thanks just the same.

 

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

Re: What is the diff. between these two cheapies?

I was using dx 12325 an MTE SSC P7 2 mode outside a little while ago. It is more about a LOT of light than throw but does reach out there decently!

It runs direct drive from an 18650 so it's mighty dang bright on a fresh charge! I've got maybe 10-15 minutes total on the Ultrafire 2400 and don't see any dimming as of yet.

I must say that Qs and Rs are WAY more about throw but look puny next to this or an MC-E!!!!

 

[BMF]

Re: What is the diff. between these two cheapies?

There is alot of info about these lights. Try searching for wf-600.

jabe1,

What an excellent suggestion! Why didn't I think of doing a search?

Actually, I did a search, and a rather extensive one at that.

I even used the "google cpf" search last night and you know how that goes.

It came up with just under 200 mentions of "WF-600" and I glanced at every one of them and there was nothing specific to what I am asking here. It took me a couple of hours to weed through these search results.

That there are different variations of the WF-600 was made apparent by the search, but I already knew that. I simply didn't see these very specific questions asked or answered.

I was kinda hoping I might find an answer to some of this even if it came up in some other context. No luck.

So yes, there's a lot of info about these lights, but nothing I could find about what I would like to know.

But, uh, thanks just the same.

Read all the posts at DX for both of them and then you will make your decision. I've done that and did order the cheaper price: it's running fine with CR123s.

 

[selfbuilt]

Re: What is the diff. between these two WF-600s?

How does this difference effect runtime and brightness?

Depends on the driver. The multi-power circuit will have a classic "direct drive" pattern on 18650 - namely, slowly decreasing output. This is standard in all multi-power setups (i.e. you can't be fully regulated at all voltages, so the light defaults to direct drive on 1x3.7V Li-ion.

If the 18650-only uses a well-regulated driver, then you could have flat output (but for a shorter period of time). But be advised that the early WF-600 did not have a fully-regulated driver - it was still direct-drive, even in the 18650-only version (but seems to have been driven a bit harder than the multi-power circuit).

Someone with a recent version might be able to say more - but that's still no guarantee, since these DX lights frequently change in specs and components.

Basically, if you plan to use only 18650, you could take a chance and see on the 18650-only version. But if you plan to use primaries, stick with the multi-power. I probably would.

 

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

Re: What is the diff. between these two WF-600s?

Multi powers that can use either 1x18650 or 2xCR123 are often less bright on 1x18650.

My Dereelight 3SM Q2 5A is noticeably less on a Li-Ion but will run a long time on one.

I'd be inclined to go 18650 only... unless you don't have the batteries and charger already and know how to use them!

 

[bessiebenny]

Re: What is the diff. between these two WF-600s?

Most sub-$30 single 18650 lights are direct driven from my experience.
Two mode (high-low) is usually done at the switch level by a resistor also.

--

'bessiebenny', can you make some shots of MTE C2-1? Thanks:thumbsup:
EDIT: And if you can - D10 lux/1m number.

I'll try and update my C2-1 review with the photos when I can get around to it.
In the mean time, if you are not sure how it looks like, check out DX. hehe. =)

Nitecore D10 with my light meter: 1150 lux @ 1m

what stopped you giving it 6 stars?
im guessing its because you couldnt find it anywhere for $12

Yeah. My standards / expectations have gone up I guess. =P
If it was like $18 or less, it sure would have been 6 stars though.
Well, I'm going to revise it and give C2-1 5 stars as it deserves it.

 

[alfreddajero]

Re: What is the diff. between these two WF-600s?

Hey BB i just got the ITP C9 do you have any plans on getting one, its def a nice light, the AA tube and switch conversion should be here by the end of the week.