Navin_R_Johnson
Newly Enlightened
Brinyte PD08 compact 1 X 18650 5-mode budget flashlight.
I recently purchased the Brinyte PD08 and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of construction. I was looking for a compact 1 X 18650 host to use as a helmet light. This thing will be perfect.
PRO's
Compact
Good Finish Quality
Price
Tailstand
Easily Modded
Seems at least splash proof
Good heat transfer from LED to housing
CON's
Probably not IPX8
Might have issues with some flat top 18650's in it's stock form
Snug 18650 fit
Driver may not fully support all 2 X 123 configurations
As I unpacked the flashlight, I was excited to see an instruction manual. At least until I looked more closely. Packing material was on par with most budget lights. A bag in a box, but it did include a lanyard.
Size comparison to other common flashlights. As you can see it is nice and compact.
I took the cover off to put in a battery. I noticed how the driver has no spring or nub for the positive terminal. This concerned me as I have flat-top 18650's. I put one in anyway and to my surprise it fired right up. I may still play with this in the future. I'd feel much better if there was a little nub or spring on the positive part of the driver. My unprotected Sanyo 18650's are a snug fit. I'm not sure how much thicker a protected 18650 would be, but there is a potential issue there.
The operation takes a bit to get used to. Default it is a 5 mode with memory operated by a reverse clicky. You have to cycle the power within 3 seconds to advace the mode otherwise it memorized that mode. It also means if you want to just quick light something up, you need to leave it on for more than 3 seconds or when you shut it off it will advance to the next mode. It's a lot easier to just play with it and figure it out than to describe how it works.
After convincing myself that the light works fine, I did what most any CPFer would do and completely disassembled it. Everything came apart very easily and it really didn't need much cleaning. The construction quality is very good. All the parts fit perfect. The finish is smooth and seems durable. The bezel appears to be aluminum. It feels too light to be stainless steel and a magnet won't stick. But, it does give it a nice look. The pill appears to be solid brass or copper and transfers heat to the outside body very well. The driver has stars on the bottom. In the future I will be playing with those to see if there are other mode groups. I think I know which driver this is, and I should be able to get it into a L/H or a L/H/S configuration. I believe it to be a 3XAMC7135 driver, so I'm not sure how well it would work with 2 X 123. One disappointment here for me is the O-Rings. They seem too thin for a good water tight seal. I may try putting some thicker ones on it. I did take it for a bike ride in the pouring rain and there was no water intrusion. I haven't dunked it yet, and probably won't.
I know everyone likes beamshots. I'm not very good with cameras nor do I understand exactly what every wants to see in them. Here is my attempt at comparing them to an LD20 XR-E Q5 and a Solar Force L2P with an XPG / 3XAMC7135 drop in. I set the lights 3 ft. from the garage wall and left the manual comera settings the same for all shots.
L2P - PD08 on High
LD20 Q5 on Turbo - PD08 on High
LD20 Q5 High - PD08 Medium
LD20 Q5 Medium - PD08 Medium
LD20 Q5 Low - PD08 Low
To me, it looks like the beam is not quite as smooth as the LD20. I also prefer the tint in my LD20. I do prefer the smoother XP-G beam to either of them though. I've already ordered an XP-G to try in the PD08.
I recently purchased the Brinyte PD08 and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of construction. I was looking for a compact 1 X 18650 host to use as a helmet light. This thing will be perfect.
PRO's
Compact
Good Finish Quality
Price
Tailstand
Easily Modded
Seems at least splash proof
Good heat transfer from LED to housing
CON's
Probably not IPX8
Might have issues with some flat top 18650's in it's stock form
Snug 18650 fit
Driver may not fully support all 2 X 123 configurations
As I unpacked the flashlight, I was excited to see an instruction manual. At least until I looked more closely. Packing material was on par with most budget lights. A bag in a box, but it did include a lanyard.
Size comparison to other common flashlights. As you can see it is nice and compact.
I took the cover off to put in a battery. I noticed how the driver has no spring or nub for the positive terminal. This concerned me as I have flat-top 18650's. I put one in anyway and to my surprise it fired right up. I may still play with this in the future. I'd feel much better if there was a little nub or spring on the positive part of the driver. My unprotected Sanyo 18650's are a snug fit. I'm not sure how much thicker a protected 18650 would be, but there is a potential issue there.
The operation takes a bit to get used to. Default it is a 5 mode with memory operated by a reverse clicky. You have to cycle the power within 3 seconds to advace the mode otherwise it memorized that mode. It also means if you want to just quick light something up, you need to leave it on for more than 3 seconds or when you shut it off it will advance to the next mode. It's a lot easier to just play with it and figure it out than to describe how it works.
After convincing myself that the light works fine, I did what most any CPFer would do and completely disassembled it. Everything came apart very easily and it really didn't need much cleaning. The construction quality is very good. All the parts fit perfect. The finish is smooth and seems durable. The bezel appears to be aluminum. It feels too light to be stainless steel and a magnet won't stick. But, it does give it a nice look. The pill appears to be solid brass or copper and transfers heat to the outside body very well. The driver has stars on the bottom. In the future I will be playing with those to see if there are other mode groups. I think I know which driver this is, and I should be able to get it into a L/H or a L/H/S configuration. I believe it to be a 3XAMC7135 driver, so I'm not sure how well it would work with 2 X 123. One disappointment here for me is the O-Rings. They seem too thin for a good water tight seal. I may try putting some thicker ones on it. I did take it for a bike ride in the pouring rain and there was no water intrusion. I haven't dunked it yet, and probably won't.
I know everyone likes beamshots. I'm not very good with cameras nor do I understand exactly what every wants to see in them. Here is my attempt at comparing them to an LD20 XR-E Q5 and a Solar Force L2P with an XPG / 3XAMC7135 drop in. I set the lights 3 ft. from the garage wall and left the manual comera settings the same for all shots.
L2P - PD08 on High
LD20 Q5 on Turbo - PD08 on High
LD20 Q5 High - PD08 Medium
LD20 Q5 Medium - PD08 Medium
LD20 Q5 Low - PD08 Low
To me, it looks like the beam is not quite as smooth as the LD20. I also prefer the tint in my LD20. I do prefer the smoother XP-G beam to either of them though. I've already ordered an XP-G to try in the PD08.
