DX simple cree

[f22shift]

the simple cree is simply crap. took the risk

body. looks like the powerlite single aa. in fact the lens is drilled out poorly to fit the cree in what looks like the powerlite body.

ordered 3. 1 is significantly brighter than the others, 1 in real dim, dimmer than the $5 powerlite, and 1 doesnt work initially, working now.
i'm going to see if i can clean the connections. it might be the connections.


threads are fulls of metal bits. needs to be cleaned and lubed.

pill is loose, needs to be tightened down with needlenose plyers.

alignment. poor. 2 have black hole centers. 1 doesnt, the dim one. 1 has the cree part in the reflector, part out of the reflector.

output looks like 10 lumens

definitely not worth $9. the $5 powerlite seemed better built.


EDIT: 2 of 3 is going to have to be replaced or refund(i hope). 1 doesnt work, 1 flickers. hope i can get a refund though instead of sending them back and waiting another 2.5 weeks for another possible defective product

 

[selfbuilt]

This is going to sound like a strange question, but here goes: do they all have Cree emitters? :duh2:

Received my "Simply Cree" yesterday from DX, and it came instead with the generic LED clone that you see on their $3.95 1AA light:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.3760

My "Simply Cree" has exactly the same the body, only in black, as the sku 3760 light (as I expected). Contacted DX customer support, and they asked me to send them a photo of the emitter and box packaging. Packaging clearly shows the right sku number for the Simply Cree, 4949. I'm waiting on a response as to next steps ...

Given the the body is the same between these lights, and the box is correctly labelled, I'm a little concerned a lot of other people are going to be getting the wrong light as well ...

 

[f22shift]

they are cree, unless there are fake ones that look like cree's :naughty:. obviously not the star mounted cree but a round one.

says 'H1P116I- 1.0'

on the side next too it. don't know what it means

wanted to update. the 3rd flickers too. 0 for 3.


it's weird, this order took longer than an order that i placed later. i can only hypothesize that there was a high demand or possibly the pessimistic side in me thinks they want to ship them all in a batch so it wouldn't get reviewed. i can't imagine it selling well now for people in the know...

 

[nanotech17]

This is going to sound like a strange question, but here goes: do they all have Cree emitters? :duh2:

Received my "Simply Cree" yesterday from DX, and it came instead with the generic LED clone that you see on their $3.95 1AA light:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.3760

My "Simply Cree" has exactly the same the body, only in black, as the sku 3760 light (as I expected). Contacted DX customer support, and they asked me to send them a photo of the emitter and box packaging. Packaging clearly shows the right sku number for the Simply Cree, 4949. I'm waiting on a response as to next steps ...

Given the the body is the same between these lights, and the box is correctly labelled, I'm a little concerned a lot of other people are going to be getting the wrong light as well ...

I suggest you return it eventhough it takes forever to receive the return product.Please ensure you put a small note with the return product.
I have experienced this though.

 

[f22shift]

is that the 1watt generic led?
i think that is better than this cree one. basically they drilled out the reflector to fit the cree. extremely poor drill out with pieces of the reflector on the inside of the lens. and then the reflector back is not flat making the reflector crooked on the backside where it meets the cree. another problem is it sits to deep in the reflector making a black hole in the output very similar to a mag light focused to wide. if it could sit back a little it would be better.

with the original generic led it is in the proper position for a smooth clean output although not that bright. but at half the price it's a better deal. at $9 for the simple cree it's not so much of a deal, maybe if it was $4.

 

[f22shift]

i was thinking how to fix the focus issue. if someone must keep this, i would recommend the next step.

basically the plastic lens is held in place by the reflector with the reflector being comnpressed with the screw in pill.

so i would say that you can somehow glue the lens and reflector to the front of the flashlight to hold that way.
now, reverse screw the pill so that the led backs away from the reflector which will stay put with the lens becaue of the glue.
that way you can "tune" the beam to what you want.

still a pos for the price :thumbsdow

EDIT: okay with the focus the output is more like med on the l0dce which is about 16 lumens

 

[mattchase]

That's not what I wanted to hear! I have one of these on it's way, was hoping it would be a nice light. Then again for the price I'm really not expecting too much from it, just hope it works.

 

[f22shift]

well at least if yours have a problem you wont have any trouble with dx. they have good cs and are working with me now. they are very responsive and courteous

 

[ltiu]

Hey guys, does it really take 10 to 14 days for the lights from DX to come in?

My FENIX from the FENIX-Store took only 3 biz days to get in.

Just wondering what your turn around experiences were from DX? How many biz days from when you ordered to when you got your lights?

 

[f22shift]

Hey guys, does it really take 10 to 14 days for the lights from DX to come in?

My FENIX from the FENIX-Store took only 3 biz days to get in.

Just wondering what your turn around experiences were from DX? How many biz days from when you ordered to when you got your lights?

took 2.5 weeks in total but only a week from when it shipped.
yup, fenix store is excellent in shipping time.

 

[selfbuilt]

Agreed on all the above.

Shipping time to Canada is usually 2.5-3 weeks from DX/Kai if they have the item readily available (i.e. a couple of days to prepare order, about 2 weeks to get here once shipping notice sent).

David at Fenix-store.com is great, but ground shipments to Canada from Atlanta actually take a full 2 weeks as well from the time he sends it. So, I'm used to waiting on all my lights ...

Also agree on customer service front - DX is sending me a replacement Simply Cree. All is not lost, however ... the clicky switch on my Ultrafire C3 is malfunctioning (won't turn on most of the time, confirmed problem is within the actual switch mechanism). It turns out the clicky switch from the $3.95 ultrafire clone they sent me by mistake is fully compatible (in fact, even the tail cap threads match on the two lights, but I prefer to keep the original tailcap of the C3). So just solved that problem without a warranty request ...

 

[ltiu]

OK, shipping to Canada takes that long, but I'm in Tx, so shouldn't take that long. Hopefully my lights will arrive soon. Can't wait.

 

[mattchase]

I'm also in Texas, and it took about 2 weeks for my first item to arrive (a caliper). I'm still waiting for the Simply Cree as it was out of stock when I ordered, though I recieved a shipment notice for it yesterday. You have to remember they are shipping from Hong Kong so not only is the distance much more, it has to change hands a few times along the way. And who knows how long Customs agents like to play with the lights...

Assuming they ship it a day or two after you order, items from a domestic shop I would expect to arrive within a week for normal shipping methods (maybe not with ground shipping).

 

[ltiu]

I'm also in Texas, and it took about 2 weeks for my first item to arrive (a caliper). I'm still waiting for the Simply Cree as it was out of stock when I ordered, though I recieved a shipment notice for it yesterday. You have to remember they are shipping from Hong Kong so not only is the distance much more,

I was not aware they are in HK. Do I get charged customs/taxes for my imported orders?

 

[selfbuilt]

I was not aware they are in HK. Do I get charged customs/taxes for my imported orders?

I was going to say, I didn't think Texas was that much closer to HK

But in answer to your question, no, they mark the custom tag as "gift". Even if they didn't, you probably wouldn't get nailed due to low value on most items (for ex., Canada customs doesn't start charging on merchandise until > ~$25).

 

[ltiu]

I was going to say, I didn't think Texas was that much closer to HK

But in answer to your question, no, they mark the custom tag as "gift". Even if they didn't, you probably wouldn't get nailed due to low value on most items (for ex., Canada customs doesn't start charging on merchandise until > ~$25).

Once upon a time I lived in Canada, bought some stuff through eBay and got nailed by Canada Customs, not because of the taxes and duties, but because customs appointed a 3rd party broker to handle my merchandise on my behalf as it crossed the border. The taxes and duties was something like $18 for a $130 item, about 14%, fair enough. BUT, the broker charged me $55 in fees for the job!@#$%

 

[selfbuilt]

Once upon a time I lived in Canada, bought some stuff through eBay and got nailed by Canada Customs, not because of the taxes and duties, but because customs appointed a 3rd party broker to handle my merchandise on my behalf as it crossed the border. The taxes and duties was something like $18 for a $130 item, about 14%, fair enough. BUT, the broker charged me $55 in fees for the job!@#$%

Yeah, been there myself (once hit with $45 in brokerage fees/tax for a $70 item with UPS back in mid 1990s!). That why I get everything shipped by USPS from the US - Canada customs charges flat $5 plus GST only. FedEx and UPS better than they used to be, but brokerage fee still in $15-20 range for typical items. Really annoys me when a US vendor insists on UPS/FedEx shipping to Canada (typically >$20 shipping fees to start with, before brokerage and taxes!).

Sorry for the off-topic rant.

 

[enLIGHTenment]

BUT, the broker charged me $55 in fees for the job!@#$%

Let me guess, UPS shipping?

Insist on postal mail and you won't get ripped off for brokerage fees.

 

[ltiu]

Yes, UPS shipping, exactly. Let's just say after that incident I learned to buy local Canadian when possible. But in Texas now so I try to buy local US.

 

[dw51]

Like many I was disappointed when I recieved my Simply Cree light. I have found that the beam issues all stem from crappy reflector focus. I fashioned a thin plastic spacer between the emmitter and the reflector and it tightened up the focus tremendously. No more black hole. Now at least I don't feel quite like I got ripped off of $9.