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

[bessiebenny]

UPDATED NOVEMBER 25th 2009
- Updated review links that are posted by other members. (Special thanks to Don!)
- For those that are new to my thread, definitely check out my site jayki.com also. =)

UPDATED NOVEMBER 8th 2009
- Updated review links that are posted by other members. Hope I'm keeping up!
- I've also updated the review for Ultrafire XP-E F23 and gave it a score + new runtime chart.

UPDATED OCTOBER 29th 2009
- I've started using a new method to measure my lightbox readings. (again.. doh..)
- It's called New Lightbox2 and more info about it is here - http://www.jayki.com/5754

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


[Budget LED DX/KD Flashlights Review Roundup]


Continued from Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 4 , Part 5 , Part 6 , Part 7 , Part 8 , Part 9 , Part 10 and Part 11.
FYI - This main initial post carries over. (Except Part 4 that includes many of my older reviews)

[BESSIEBENNY (aka JAYKI) REVIEWS]

I will try to keep this list as much as in sync with my website. But may not be all the time.
So I do recommend you to visit my new site www.jayki.com for latest reviews / updates.

Older Reviews - Check here and here for now. All of them will be transferred to my new site www.jayki.com over time.

[10 24 2009] ★★★★★★ - Trustfire XP-E F23 Stainless Steel
[10 24 2009] ★★★★★★ - Romisen RC-29 Q5 Zoom (preview)
[10 18 2009] ★★★★★★ - Aurora SH0030 XP-E Q5 AA/14500
[10 10 2009] ★★★★★★ - TANK007 E07 OSRAM AA
[09 20 2009] ★★★★★★ - Small Sun ZY-C60 RCR
[07 01 2009] ★★★★★★ - EastwardYJ YJ-18WA Q5 2-mode 18650
[05 15 2009] ★★★★★★ - AKOray K-103 AAA CREE Q5 1-Mode
[04 25 2009] ★★★★★★ - MTE SF-22 SSC P7-D-SXO 5-Mode
[03 28 2009] ★★★★★★ - Akoray K-106 3-mode Q5 AA/14500
[03 15 2009] ★★★★★★ - Kaidomain 2-Mode HAIII Long Throw Q5
[02 22 2009] ★★★★★★ - planet bike blaze 1W w\ superflash
[02 18 2009] ★★★★★★ - TANK007 TK-702 P4
[12 17 2008] ★★★★★★ - KD Buckle V5 HAIII XRT
[12 10 2008] ★★★★★★ - MTE C2-1 Q5 AA
[11 16 2008] ★★★★★★ - Romisen RC-T6
[08 24 2008] ★★★★★★ - Quick 6 flashlights Impressions
[08 10 2008] ★★★★★★ - Romisen RC-A8
[06 21 2008] ★★★★★★ - Romisen RC-A3
[06 06 2008] ★★★★★★ - Romisen RC-F4 Q5 Shiningbeam
[05 01 2008] ★★★★★★ - Romisen RC-I3
[04 16 2008] ★★★★★★ - Romisen RC-G2 Q5 Shiningbeam
[04 11 2008] ★★★★★★ - Ultrafire C3 Stainless Steel P4
[04 09 2008] ★★★★★★ - Eastward YJ-XAQ5 18650
[03 27 2008] ★★★★★★ - Romisen RC-N3
[01 05 2008] ★★★★★★ - Romisen RC-G2 P2
[?? ?? 2007] ★★★★★★ - Romisen RC-F4 P4
[09 ?? 2007] ★★★★★★ - Gree Cree P4

fyi - If it doesn't say "New Lightbox", it is the OLD lightbox which is very different.

[REVIEWS POSTED BY OTHER MEMBERS IN THIS THREAD & AT JAYKI.COM]

[Nov 29 2009] UniqueFire AA-S1 3W Osram by Don
[Nov 24 2009] Ten small lights beam shot comparison by Don
[Nov 23 2009] Aurora SH0030 XP-E Q5 Multimode by Don
[Nov 05 2009] Solarforce L2M from DX by old4570
[Nov 03 2009] Ultrafire A10B by Don
[Nov 02 2009] Romisen RC-C6 Focusable Asphericby Crenshaw
[Nov 01 2009] Ultrafire RL-118 Stainless Steel Osram by Don
[Oct 25 2009] Ultrafire WF-504B Multimode by Don
[Oct 01 2009] Romisen RC-A4 Q5 II First Impressions & Followup by hatman
[Sep 11 2009] AkoRay K-109 quick review by Superpila
[Aug 27 2009] AkoRay K-106 comparison review by CampingLED
[Aug 26 2009] Spiderfire P7 Review by randomlugia
[July 21 2009] Aurora SH0030 mini-review by Superpila
[May 31 2009] AKOray k109a Review by Wiggle
[May 20 2009] Ultrafire A20 Q5 Cree 5-mode RCR by old4570
[May 02 2009] Romisen RC-N3 v SmallSun ZY-C61 by Luau
[Apr 15 2009] RCR123A Battery Test Roundup by old4570
[Apr 04 2009] Ultrafire 503B & Trustfire TR-C2 Pics and 503B REVIEW by kramer5150
[Mar 29 2009] Ultrafire WF-502B / 501B by old4570
[Mar 28 2009] AKOray K-106 beam shot comparison by vali
[Mar 13 2009] Ultrafire 602C vs KD Cree Q3 by old4570
[Mar 09 2009] Akoray K-102 / Romisen RC-H3 / MTE C2-1 by copperfox
[Mar 04 2009] SacredFire NF-011 Cree P4-WC by Phill
[Feb 18 2009] Akoray K-102 by Hrvoje
[Feb 18 2009] Romisen RC-A3 by seaside
[Feb 18 2009] Kaidomain 2-Mode HAIII Long Throw R2 (sku:S004798) by skyva
[Feb 17 2009] Romisen RC-G2 (non-Q5) Review by rockz4532
[Feb 12 2009] Romisen RC-N3 & Akoray K-102 by vali

- PM me if I missed yours. Some I didn't include as I wasn't sure what light was reviewed or was just a bit too short etc.
- If your review is in the closed thread but you want to update/modify it, just copy your review into this new thread as a new post then PM me.


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[How to read my reviews / FAQ]

- You can see information on how I measure my outputs, take photos etc from this link > http://www.jayki.com/497


[RESULTS AT A GLANCE]

- From SEP 2009 onwards, the chart will be updated at my site here - http://www.jayki.com/1045
- I will be adding review links to each flashlight name over time for far easier navigation directly from the chart.
- 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 most to maintain peak output for very long.

[HIGH PERFORMANCE / HIGH RATED LIGHTS]

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


Submitted by MetalZone


[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 ~40 cents 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:
Paul.F < DEC '09 ChiKot DonM < NOV '09 sunnyrt < OCT '09 crescendopower < JULY '09 toby1275 crescendopower < JUNE '09 SleepEXE < MAY '09 bensonm < APRIL '09 tommy_tiger66, old4570 < MARCH '09 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 sincerly thank everyone who supported this thread and my reviews. (donation or not)
P.S. Every dollar is put forward to purchasing more lights/equipment for this thread and nothing else!

 

[daguy80]

Thinking about the Romisen Rc-t7 MCE

Does anyone have any info on this light?

 

[awid]

Re: Thinking about the Romisen Rc-t7 MCE

Does anyone have any info on this light?

I want to know as well, and how does it compare to the 6 x Q5 of the T6?

 

[richardcpf]

Re: Thinking about the Romisen Rc-t7 MCE

I want to know as well, and how does it compare to the 6 x Q5 of the T6?

The T6 is brighter, runs cooler, throws further and gets better runtime. Unless they drive the MCE really hard which i dont think will happen.

The T7 just seems to be like any other DX mce flashlight.

 

[sol-leks]

Re: Thinking about the Romisen Rc-t7 MCE

I wish it started off on mid or low. Starting off on high seems like a great way to blind people. Romisen is a pretty good brand though.

 

[giuseppevane]

reflector for dx mte sf-23

hi to all I want to know the best reflector for inclusion in this flashlight. the size of that in the package are only 36.5 x 25mm that I have made smooth and now I do not like. how can the LED p7d lose brightness with a smooth reflector? .. which reflectors can buy to replace it?.the dealextreme sku of my flashlight is 22569
thanks

(sorry for my bad english)

 

[Busha]

Is this flashlight powered by Cree Q5-WC ?

Ok, I have no clue which Cree LED is the best but I have found infos on several pages that Q5 is better than P4 and I bought this flashlight on Ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/240Lum-CREE-Q5-...in_0?hash=item3a53158402&_trksid=p4999.c0.m14 I saw exact flashlight on DX and it has P4 LED and single mode for 9,90$ and I bought this one for 14,99$ because it has 3 modes and Q5 which should have more lumens. My question is, is this Q5 ? And how can I recognize is it P4 or Q5 when it arrives ? I dont want to take apart the flashlight when it arrives, so can I see that in some other way ? The seller has told me that it is Q5 but he can tell me anything because I dont know the difference. Tnx a lot !

 

[DM51]

Part 11 was >400 posts, so here is Part 12.

 

[Busha]

Great, just when I have asked something Can someone please take a look at the last post here and help me https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/235490 Tnx

 

[p moore]

WOW! It's the thread that never ends.................................

Paul

 

[DM51]

Great, just when I have asked something Can someone please take a look at the last post here and help me https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/235490 Tnx

My fault - I didn't notice your question there when I started the new thread. I've moved your post from the old thread to this new one, so it now appears above as post #2.

 

[kramer5150]

Re: Is this flashlight powered by Cree Q5-WC ?

Ok, I have no clue which Cree LED is the best but I have found infos on several pages that Q5 is better than P4 and I bought this flashlight on Ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/240Lum-CREE-Q5-...in_0?hash=item3a53158402&_trksid=p4999.c0.m14 I saw exact flashlight on DX and it has P4 LED and single mode for 9,90$ and I bought this one for 14,99$ because it has 3 modes and Q5 which should have more lumens. My question is, is this Q5 ? And how can I recognize is it P4 or Q5 when it arrives ? I dont want to take apart the flashlight when it arrives, so can I see that in some other way ? The seller has told me that it is Q5 but he can tell me anything because I dont know the difference. Tnx a lot !

XREs are tested for flux, and every one is tagged with a flux (brightness) BIN number. It is not a design-based feature built into the LED. So in other words, there is no way to tell a 4-wire XR-E-P4 from a 4-wire XR-E-Q5. Imagine 100 XR-E emitters off the assembly line. Cree powers each one up and measures lumen output. The brighter performers are labeld with Q4, Q5, and R BIN numbers. The dimmer units are P4, Q2, Q3.

As a consumer, the honesty and integrity of the flashlight builder comes into play. We are at their mercy to spec emitter FLUX BIN correctly and honestly. FWIW... I have never seen any concrete evidence or data that supports emitter BIN forgery from any manufacturer.... but then again thats because it would be nearly impossible to test for.

 

[jackthedog]

Romisen Lights - What do you think?

I just stumbled across the Romisen series of lights at shiningbeam. For the price they look like good lights, just curious what the consensus is here?

I'm particularly interested in the RC-A4 II.

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-166/**NEW**-Romisen-RC-dsh-A4-II/Detail

Does anyone have any experience with this light? Thanks.

 

[hatman]

This knockoff is a knockout!

I am trying the two-mode Romisen RC-A4II as we speak.

The build appears to be very high quality for a budget light. The body is a knockoff of the Nitecore Extreme. Compare photos of the two and you could wonder which is the $92 light and which is the $22.

Comparing the build with that of my Quark AA and 2-123 and the Romisen RC-A4II could pass for another Quark. At the very least, it looks like it came out of the same factory or production line. The finish is unspecified but I can't tell the difference by sight between the quality of the Quarks and the Romisen.

The Romisen is substantial and has a good feel in my hand. At just under 3.7 inches, it's a good size for pocket EDC.

We'll have it see how it holds up, but for now, I'd call it head and shoulders above the Akoray 106 that I tried and then gave to my GF.

The Romisen also has a substantial clip, similar to that on the Nitecore D10, one of my favorite clips. When I got the Romisen last week, the clip worked fine. After a few days, the screws came loose. When I tightened them all the way down, they stayed tight. But there wasn't enough space to use the clip on my pocket. This may require some experimentation or perhaps some Loctite.

Shiningbeam doesn't list much in the way of specs, so I wrote Bryan and here's what he replied:

"RC-A4 II with CR123A is about 150 lumens on high and 70 lumens on medium. Runtime is about 2 hour 15 minutes.
If you running it with RCR123A (Li-ion), the runtime on high is about 45 minutes, but it significantly brighter, 190 lumens."

I asked about rechargeables, and Bryan advised:

"RCR123A are not recommended by the manufacturer, but they run fine in the RC-A4 X Q5, so go ahead and try it."

With the first AW 123 I tried, the light flickered. Bryan suggested trying another:

"The RC-A4 II driver is actually a revised RC-N3 II driver, it should brighter than RC-N3 II I sold 2 month ago. Perhaps kicking up the current draw make the light less stable.
Try to change to a different rechargeable and see if the flicker still there."

That worked -- the second and third rechargeables were fine and both gave a bright beam.

My GF and I walked the dogs and we compared the Romisen and Quark AA side-by-side on a garage door across the street, using AW rechargeables in both.

I thought the Quark AA very slightly brighter; my GF thought both lights were equally bright.

My Romisen has medium and high modes. While high is brighter, the difference isn't all that great. (Sorry, I have no way to measure.)

I placed my order on Sunday and the light arrived in the mail on Thursday.

My light came without an O-ring. Bryan said the Romisen should come with one 18mm x 1mm O-ring pre-installed. He is shipping me one.

I haven't seen or tried the Extreme, so I can't compare the knockoff with the Nitecore original. I look forward to one of our more experienced posters doing that soon. I wouldn't presume to guess that the Romisen light might equal the Extreme.

But this much I am confident in saying: for $22 and change (about $25 shipped) this knockoff is a real knockout.

I just ordered another, this time the single mode.

 

[Jason_Tx]

Re: Romisen Lights - What do you think?

Recently bought a RC-N3 (neutral tint) and its a great little light.

Showed it to my wife --
She wanted it :touche:


and the result ..................

Its hers

So now I will order more :thumbsup:

 

[Dude Dudeson]

Re: Romisen Lights - What do you think?

I got an RC-N3 II a few months ago and love it - it's both my EDC and my most used light even when my others are around.

In terms of bang for the buck it's definitely the best light I own.

 

[jackthedog]

Re: Romisen Lights - What do you think?

hatman, thank you for the mini-review. That was much more than I was expecting. I think you're right about the closeness to the Extreme. I just don't want to spend $92, there's way too many other lights to buy.

Quick question for you, how do you switch between the two modes? Thanks.

 

[tnforever]

Re: Romisen Lights - What do you think?

There are reviews of it in BB's thread.

On the whole, I'm a budget user, and have a very limited collection of lights. For the price, they are unbeatable. Many brands on DX have prices slightly lower than they do, but those are all hit or miss (albeit more hits than misses), but with a Romisen name, QC is better. Plus, ordering from SB means very good customer service.

My RC-N3 Q5 have held up to light (whatever biking on pavement counts as) use. Otherwise, the only note I'll make on it is that it's anodizing is not as good as my Fenixes (I don't expect it to be) where my Fenix will nick (chip) under a pretty rough hit, the Romisen scratches, and does so with less apparent force applied to it.

 

[steve328]

Re: Romisen Lights - What do you think?

Romisens are great lights for the money. I have four - a RC-N3, a RC-N3 II, an RC-G2 and a RC-g2 II. I've had a couple way over a year and they're still going strong. The two newer ones ( RC-G2 II and RC-N3 II ) put out a lot of light and are close to my Fenix TK-10 and Surefire with a P60 dropin.
I've got to stay away from this forum - there's too much money being spent to light up the night.

 

[parnell]

Re: Romisen Lights - What do you think?

I have owned the RC-A4II for about two weeks now. For the brightness and size it is great. The ownly cons are that the threads are fine so it is not interchangable with E bodies and the high and medium are very close. But for approx $25 shipped there is nothing to complain about.