35W HIDflashlight..too cheap?

[Synergic]

Hi!
I have found this: http://www.hids-direct.co.uk/flashlight.html

Is it too cheap? Bad quality?Has anyone tried it?

Thanks.

 

[DocD]

these are mass made and as such " there is no quality in the word cheap" most hid flashlights are twice the price, just a thought cheers DocD

 

[petersmith6]

havent tried this light ,but i did gey my brightstar Dipper 11 from them, fast service and not far from manchester.oh they also can be delt with by phone or pop in wich is handy.

 

[clifton4th]

Especially now, that the GBP is so weak, this seems to be a good deal!

 

[windstrings]

Trying to find the dimensions... but the 35W version is about 196.00 us dollars before shipping.... and about 160.00 for the 24 watt version.....considering thier claims, runtimes, how its made etc... seems like a good deal.

Only negative I see is dealing across the world for support.

For me here is the states.... I see there is 44.00 for shipping and another 30.00 dollars for tax......now its not so cheap!

I could be a nice light... but I hate those chinese lights that "look" bullet proof and then when you get them all the mechanisms are very cheap and flimsy like it was purchased from a quarter machine.

I would sure want to see some reviews before I ordered from the UK and had to eat the shipping cost and hassle if I didn't like it or had troubles.

Looks like the 35W is pretty big! If you scroll down on that page, you can see someone holding it.
Scroll down some more and there is a UTube video

Here is a pic of the 24W version... they look pretty robust!

Not sure.. but it appears this seller may send to the states for Free... you don't see that notice till right before you commit to buy.

I did notice the "item location" was in Hong Kong...... I really don't like that!!!

Here is yet another vendor.... I can't tell if these are all the same or if one is a knock off of the other. There do seem to be more options here.. for more money......but they offer a one year warranty...
but when you click on the "more info" button.. it goes to the original website where its cheaper.

I found a 35 Watt that is shorter "called the scorpion" from Australia.... I bet its brighter too with the lens they have.
The battery is 2300mah... "same as the above 24W version" so the extra brightness you will pay with shorter runtime.....
I think this light is a better bet for me.....
they show the lengh as 225mm... or 8.8 inches with a 3.35 inch lens

I found a disturbing link about the scorpion...may not be as good as it looks

 

[bigdaddy]

It sure sounds cheap. Got one similar looking one from ebay at US$300 (inclusive of international shipping). But the runtime is kind of exaggerated, the runtime is only around 30 mins. Oh well, maybe I got a 'used' item, who knows. Buy at your own risk. :D

The 35 Watts flashlight is really huge, and really bright but maybe not as bright as the 3500 lumens as they stated. Unless I got a Polarion PH40 to compare. :D

 

[windstrings]

I'm spoiled with my Barnburner... so I need to have allot of confidence in a 300.00 purchase.

Those Hong Kong lights look fabulous on the outside, but I have yet to see one thats built solid on the inside.... but I've never bought anything expensive either.

 

[XeRay]

Hi!
I have found this: http://www.hids-direct.co.uk/flashlight.html

Is it too cheap? Bad quality?Has anyone tried it?

Thanks.

The output using a 6000K bulb is only ~80% of that using a 4200K bulb. 3500 lumens @ 35 watt input is also hyped some. The best it would be is 3200 lumens @ 35 watts with 4200K subtract 20% for the 6000K bulb and you have more like 2600 lumens output and 2400 lumens after 100 hours use. These numbers are based on using a Philips 6000K bulb, Asian made bulbs will perform worse.

 

[AlexLED]

I tend to agree with XeRay and bigDaddy.

A 52,8 Wh Battery (at it's best) will certainly NOT drive a 35W HID for 1,5 hrs...

 

[IMSabbel]

But neither should it by anywhere near empty after 30 minutes.

But seeing how much the pound sucks vs the euro at the moment, i decided to take my chances with that one. Lets see in a week or so how it is (maybe i will make a comparison review with my 4*p7 thrower :D)

 

[bigdaddy]

But neither should it by anywhere near empty after 30 minutes.

But seeing how much the pound sucks vs the euro at the moment, i decided to take my chances with that one. Lets see in a week or so how it is (maybe i will make a comparison review with my 4*p7 thrower :D)

Wish u all the best. Hope u got a better quality one. Sometimes I guess it's luck on which light they randomly picked for you. :laughing:

Anyway the design looks better than the older version one I got. The price alone justify a 'test-fire' buy if u want to try out the power of a HID flashlight. :laughing:

The BIG size flashlight will 'shock' you for it's size. LOL :D

 

[IMSabbel]

Yeah, that was my point, too.

If its crap, i can always decide to gut it and put something decent in it. The body seems sturdy enough (and seeing the weight, it should have quite a heft, too).

In the very least there will be the battery (seems 4s2p 18650, with charger from 12V and 230V) to use elsewhere.

 

[windstrings]

I haven't tried to research this light much, but it sounds like we need "someone" to review it!... for anyone who dares, I'm sure everyone else will appreciate the feedback.

The L35 is promised to come out soon too.. which will have allot of nice features and I trust will be pretty bullet proof with good support and we won't have to deal half way around the world.

On the other hand, there is some virtue in having that much light in that small a package too if it works well!

 

[Synergic]

But neither should it by anywhere near empty after 30 minutes.

But seeing how much the pound sucks vs the euro at the moment, i decided to take my chances with that one. Lets see in a week or so how it is (maybe i will make a comparison review with my 4*p7 thrower :D)

Have you ordered it already?

:)

 

[IMSabbel]

Got it today.
Wont have time to make a real review till the end of the week, but already made some pictures and first impressions (pics later).

Some points:

- Case is cheap, but reasonable. Foam cutouts for every part, nothing to complain about
- The light is lighter than it looks like. Doesnt feel heavy at all, and you can still grip it ok (at least with my hands, my sister might have problems).
- There was NO DOCUMENTATION WHATSOEVER included. Or maybe i didnt find it, but i did look for 5 minutes. Makes me wonder in regards to replacement bulbs, etc.
- The yellow-filter is coated on both sides, and the yellow beam (at day) looks nearly as bright (60-70%) than the beam without the filter.
- I am not really impressed with the battery. It has 3 leds, and they are reasonably bright (about 15lumens is my guess, its more than a p0d-q4 on low), but internally it seems to be an unbalanced 3s2p configuration. I think i wont charge that light unattented. The on-off button is part of the battery. It is sealed by the end-cap and an o-ring around the button.
- The machining on the light looks good. There is nothing to complain around the exterior (no marks on the aluminium, etc), and all the threads are very clean and turn smoothly.
- There is a "fine-focus"ability present (you can move the bulb around 5mm inside the head up and down. This is a different rotation than unscrewing the head with stops on both ends (not the maglight type).
- There are lots of tiny screws to fix stuff, but nothing seems to be potted/glued into place.

- I could not test is out outside yet (sun is still shining), but did some indoor tests: 5s to full brightness they claim is a bit to short. Its more like 20s to full brightness, and 5s to 50% or so. (Only the first 0.5s or so are dim).
- Beampattern is a bit odd, but i still havent had time to tune the focus. The very outer part of the spill is cut of a bit by the crown prongs. And also, there are some artifacts at the very outer rim because of reflections on some of the orange peel on top of the reflector. Not noticeable when using, but on the white wall it is.
- Its bright, alright. in a direct test, it put out more light than my 4*P7 @2.8A homebuild. Its not really a super-thrower (OP reflectore that isnt that huge), but still beats that light by a factor of 2 at least (side by side against my wall). Otherwise, i dont have any light of the same class to compare against (I do not think that you would even notice a fenix in the same beamshot :)), but i might make a car-headlight comparison tonight or tomorrow.

 

[Synergic]

Cool! I want to see beamshots!
Hope you have purchased a good quality one!

:thumbsup:

 

[IMSabbel]

I just turned it on outside for the first time, and noticed something about these strange beam artefacts i was talking about.

Normally, you got spill light where you have direct line of sight to the hot part of the bulb, and spot where you also can see the bulb in the reflector.

But in this case, the outermost part of the reflector is at a very steep angle, widening the spill in comparison to a light of similar depth. I think they used that approach because of the length of the bulb... they couldnt make the reflector more shallow without hitting the glass, or making it bigger...

The end result is a nearly hemispherical spill. Actually quite nice if you can ignore the messyness of the outer region.

 

[Synergic]

Interesting.Would like to see it :candle:

 

[bigdaddy]

You can see the youtube clip on this similar torch here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rptuhlo-icY

:wave:

 

[IMSabbel]

I already made some pictures, but i can only post them at weekend.

But i am pissed now that i realized that its impossible to change the bulb: Its directly soldered to wires that disappear into the potted ballast.

I am not really feeling like using the lamp anymore, seeing that it will be waste when the bulb dies...