Deal Extreme MTE Rebel Review

[ltiu]

The MTE 5-Mode 100 Lumens Rebel Flashlight (AA / 0100 BIN):

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

Bright sxn of a bxtch.

From a ceiling bounce test, it seems brighter than the:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1995

And as bright as or slightly brighter than the Rayovac 3watt 2AA:

http://www.rayovac.com/flashlight/selux2aa3w-b.shtml

The 5 modes work well, similar user interface as Fenix lights minus the twisty head, half press changes modes. Remembers the last mode before being switched off.

Light is small and feather light. Perfect in the pocket EDC.

Cons:

1) Light is not smooth, plenty of artifacts.
2) HOT! Run on high for even a few seconds (30 seconds), you can feel the metal heat up in your hands. Not too hot to be unbearable though.
3) Strap is useless. (as with all MTE lights).
4) Light is yellowish. May be a pro for some who prefer yellow light.

Overall, not bad for a less than $18 light.

 

[TooManyGizmos]

, thanks ...... that report convinced me NOT to buy one .

L.E.D.'s are not supposed to be yellow .

AND too many other problems with this one.

:thumbsdow
.

 

[fishx65]

I wonder if the artifacts are from the Rebel led. I just got the MTE Seoul 5 mode and the beam is very smooth and artifact free.

 

[nanotech17]

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=172631

 

[cranphin]

I just ordered it
I like bright, and for the price..
Impressed it beats the SSC by so much

I was already assuming it would run hot, it's smaller rebel brother, and even the MTE 5 mode SSC run quite hot. That's ok, low mode for normal use, high if I want to highlight something or impress someone

How far can it be disassembled ? Think some heat paste can be applied so at least the led doesn't burn out easily ?

 

[jirik_cz]

today I just recieved 3 pieces.

hotspot has some artifacts, not so smooth as my MTE SSC (I think that they used same plastic reflector). But it is much brighter. I like the tint, all pieces have warmer tint then SSC. Tailcap is better too, not so stiff to press but can't tailstand. Head is glued to body. I tried to unscrew it with force, but wasn't successful. Maybe I will try harder

Overall it is very good light for the money. Only drawback is reflector which is IMHO designed for SSC and not for REBEL.

 

[cranphin]

Head is glued to body. I tried to unscrew it with force, but wasn't successful. Maybe I will try harder

I managed to do that with the 5 mode SSC, by accident at first It moved a little when I tried to unscrew the head instead of tail by accident, then I unscrewed it entirely since I felt more confident about it Now it's got a nice lubed non glued head Only the light assembly I still can't remove from the head (need some super thin pincer or so, and then not sure if the head or the pincer will give in).

They might have used a stronger glue on the rebel model though, since it's a new body and all.
It's not -that- important, but I like to be able to clean and fix things

 

[jirik_cz]

I managed to do that with the 5 mode SSC, by accident at first It moved a little when I tried to unscrew the head instead of tail by accident, then I unscrewed it entirely since I felt more confident about it Now it's got a nice lubed non glued head Only the light assembly I still can't remove from the head (need some super thin pincer or so, and then not sure if the head or the pincer will give in).

They might have used a stronger glue on the rebel model though, since it's a new body and all.
It's not -that- important, but I like to be able to clean and fix things

Yes, I unscrewed head on 5 mode SSC too :thumbsup: But the rebel version is glued much better :sigh:

 

[nanotech17]

welcome to the REBEL group boyzzzzzzz

 

[ltiu]

I wonder if the artifacts are from the Rebel led. I just got the MTE Seoul 5 mode and the beam is very smooth and artifact free.

I got the single mode MTE Seoul SSC P4 and that one has a flawless beam, no artifacts. But the Rebel MTE is noticeably brighter. If you need raw throw, the MTE Rebel wins out by quite a bit.

 

[ltiu]

Tailcap is better too, not so stiff to press but can't tailstand.

I found out I can interchange the tail cap of the MTE single mode SSC P4 and the MTE 5 mode Rebel. The 5 mode works regardless of which tail cap I use. The controller circuit must be in the head.

 

[coldlocus]

@Ltiu
Thanks for the review. I saw that you also have the Fenix L2D. How would you compare that against the MTE Rebel when it comes to brightness?

 

[ltiu]

@Ltiu
Thanks for the review. I saw that you also have the Fenix L2D. How would you compare that against the MTE Rebel when it comes to brightness?

From a ceiling bounce test, the MTE Rebel is as bright as the L2D's High.

 

[jsr]

Hmm, sounds like a really bright 1AA light...might pick up one just to try. I got the SSC version for a friend and it's pretty bright already and the beam is really smooth. I'm not a stickler on artifacts. Rings bother me more than artifacts. Sounds like the driver's really sucking some major current from the battery. I like yellowish tints. I got the head off the SSC version, but there was a bunch of dried glue in the threads. I cleaned off as much as I could, but there was still some there. Didn't affect performance. It'd be nice if the head could be removed from the Rebel one...I just like to take things apart (tho, I usually end up breaking them then).

 

[jirik_cz]

Hello rebelholics I used a clamp and rubber glowes to get more grip and finally managed to unscrew mte rebel head:twothumbs



Threads were full of glue so I cleaned them with piece of cloth.





MTE Rebel head on the left and MTE SSC head on the right. Rebel head is approximately 2 mm shorter, difference is caused by lower base of rebel emitor (reflectors are same)



MTE SSC on the left, Rebel on the right







rebel detail



ssc detail



And here is little beam color comparison
from left: MTE SSC P4 5-mode, MTE Rebel 0100 5-mode, Ultrafire C3, Ultrafire WF-606A

 

[cranphin]

Woot!

Nice photo's, thanks!
Great beamshots too!

And now I know it can be taken apart >
Hope mine 'll arrive soon ^_^

Interesting to see the Ultrafire WF-606A seems to outshine the C3 a little, hmm.. Is that on 2xAA ? 1.2V rechargable or 1.5V ? OR CR123?

 

[jirik_cz]

Woot!

Nice photo's, thanks!
Great beamshots too!

And now I know it can be taken apart >
Hope mine 'll arrive soon ^_^

Interesting to see the Ultrafire WF-606A seems to outshine the C3 a little, hmm.. Is that on 2xAA ? 1.2V rechargable or 1.5V ? OR CR123?

All flashlights are running on 1.2V ni-mh rechargeables, but it wasn't meant as brightness comparison, they are overlapping too much. But yes, WF-606A is brighter than C3 and from all four flashlights it is the best thrower. And after modding with Q5 it will be even better Sorry for little offtopic

 

[Nake]

Mine came today, nice light, I like the annodizing on it. The beam pattern on a wall must be how all Rebels with a smooth refector will look. I have an Ultrafire WF-R1, same beam.

When I saw jirik_cz's pictures, I couldn't believe the glue on his light, wow! Mine just had a little dab, broke open easily in my hands.


edit; Something I noticed when I screwed the pill out, the little star with the emitter just floats not touching the heatsink, no thermal compound. I realize when it's screwed into the bezel the reflector against the lens will push it down, but I put some compound in there anyway. I used an injector blade from a razor to push some under the star.

 

[ltiu]

Hmm, sounds like a really bright 1AA light...might pick up one just to try. I got the SSC version for a friend and it's pretty bright already and the beam is really smooth. I'm not a stickler on artifacts. Rings bother me more than artifacts. Sounds like the driver's really sucking some major current from the battery. I like yellowish tints. I got the head off the SSC version, but there was a bunch of dried glue in the threads. I cleaned off as much as I could, but there was still some there. Didn't affect performance. It'd be nice if the head could be removed from the Rebel one...I just like to take things apart (tho, I usually end up breaking them then).

OK, when I said artifacts, I actually meant rings on the spot too. The spill however is pretty clean.

It is a thrower and when using on real objects, you will not notice the rings.

It is brighter than the MTE SSC P4. So imagine the bigger "WOW that's a bright light" you are going to get.

 

[meuge]

I just received this flashlight today. It's very very bright. Certainly the brightest 1xAA flashlight I know of - even brighter than my L1D-CE Fenix.

The hotspot artifacts seem to be related to the LED packaging, and I will assume that's the reason why the Rebel-series Fenix lights all use textured reflectors, rather than smooth reflectors.

I am testing the runtime of the light now... I don't have a lux meter, but I will record its brightness relative to the various modes on the L1D, every 30 minutes.