Horizonseeker (David) has these lights for sale in the Marketplace. I snagged up four of them, and a in a few words, I'm impressed for the $25 price. Two of them run on a single AA, and the other two run on one 18650. The AAs are the same model and the 18650s are the same model; the only differences are in color. The AA versions come with one Energizer AA lithium battery.
For photo reviews, there are two great ones by UnknownVT and cssih:
UnknownVT: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?269358-CityCat-AA-amp-18650-Comparison-Review
cssih: http://www.lumensreview.com/reviews/1-led-flashlights/114-citycat-yee-lic-review.html
Similarities Between the Lights:
All lights come with a lanyard, two spare O-rings, a spare switch, and three spare switch covers (one orange, one glow-in-the-dark, and one white). All of the lights are Type II anodized, with the body color contrasting with the trim color. All of the models use a reverse clicky with three modes. All use a Q5 LED and orange peel reflector. They come in a nice cardboard gift box. The anodizing is really nice, but it's slippery as well. Not "I'm going to drop the light" slippery, but I think I'll add some traction tape to mine. It's supposed to be a sleek, smooth light, and it is.
Both models unscrew mid-way down the body, so there's little chance of getting a battery stuck. The 18650's middle (the trim) also unscrews from the head; I couldn't get the AAs to do this, and there's no reason to force it. Down to details...
The CityCat AA:
The AA is great for everyday carry. It will work on any AA; alkaline, NiMH, or lithium. It's not for 14500 use. Output on high is 110 ANSI lumens (see bottom for how I got this number). The light comes on in high, then medium, then low. If left on for more than two seconds, it memorizes the last mode you were in and comes on in that mode. There is a hole drilled in the tailcap portion for a lanyard. You can swap the switch covers by using a circlip plier and unscrews the retaining ring, located on the outside of the tailcap. The AA also has a glow-in-the-dark O-ring at the head, and simply having the light on for a few seconds is enough to get it glowing. My wife immediately swapped one of mine and it rides in her purse now. It puts out a pretty clean beam; I saw a few artifacts, but only on a white wall. Overall, very nice.
The CityCat 18650:
I prefer this one. I tested mine on a Solarforce 2200mAh (button top) and a Sony 2200mAh (flat top) and it performs the same on both. Two CR123s will not work; they'll fry the LED. You can use one RCR123 with a dummy cell, but do this at your own risk. Output after three minutes on high is 168 lumens (again, see below for this). The 18650 comes on in low, then medium, then high. It memorizes the last mode used. You can attach a lanyard with one of two ovals in the tailcap. You can swap the switch cover by untwisting the contrasting trim from the rest of the tailcap, but I've found that this will chip the anodizing if you're not careful. There's no glow-in-the-dark O-ring on the 18650, but that's not a big deal for me. The beam is great; no artifacts, nice and smooth.
A Word On the Anodizing and Switch Covers:
The CityCats are all Type II anodized, and while it looks great, it's not very durable. Attaching a split ring for lanyard use, I chipped off quite a bit of anodizing. I'm going to either use mine until they're well-worn, or maybe sand blast them, then fill in the missing anodizing with porcelain paint and then seal it for a neat speckled look.
If you plan on changing the switch covers, be aware that the stock black switch cover is black. It also has no "nub" on the inside. So if you want to use any of the other switch covers, you'll have to flip them inside out and remove this num. Not a big deal as it only requires a pair of scissors and five seconds, but it's something to know.
*About Jefferson:
Jefferson (first name or last name?) works in a lab. He wears a lab coat most days and certifies things. He is directly involved with the ANSI FL ratings. When I want true lumen count, I take the light to Jefferson so he can test it in his several-thousand-dollar measuring device (I want to say it's a light integrating sphere, but that's not what he calls it). The device is accurate to within +-0.02 lumen. I drop the light off, and if he has time that day, he measures it between work orders. Then I pick the light up, get his opinion, and read a nice little print-out with the results. I only ask him to test the light on high; this isn't a piece of personal equipment - it's company property - and he doesn't have a lot of time. Lumens are measured at three minutes after being turned on.
Final Thoughts:
The CityCat lights are great lights. You're getting a $50 light for $25. They look great and perform way better than you'd expect a $25 to. Remember, these are in the MiniMag LED / Romisen / Deal Extreme price range. For that, I really don't think you can do better.
For photo reviews, there are two great ones by UnknownVT and cssih:
UnknownVT: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?269358-CityCat-AA-amp-18650-Comparison-Review
cssih: http://www.lumensreview.com/reviews/1-led-flashlights/114-citycat-yee-lic-review.html
Similarities Between the Lights:
All lights come with a lanyard, two spare O-rings, a spare switch, and three spare switch covers (one orange, one glow-in-the-dark, and one white). All of the lights are Type II anodized, with the body color contrasting with the trim color. All of the models use a reverse clicky with three modes. All use a Q5 LED and orange peel reflector. They come in a nice cardboard gift box. The anodizing is really nice, but it's slippery as well. Not "I'm going to drop the light" slippery, but I think I'll add some traction tape to mine. It's supposed to be a sleek, smooth light, and it is.
Both models unscrew mid-way down the body, so there's little chance of getting a battery stuck. The 18650's middle (the trim) also unscrews from the head; I couldn't get the AAs to do this, and there's no reason to force it. Down to details...
The CityCat AA:
The AA is great for everyday carry. It will work on any AA; alkaline, NiMH, or lithium. It's not for 14500 use. Output on high is 110 ANSI lumens (see bottom for how I got this number). The light comes on in high, then medium, then low. If left on for more than two seconds, it memorizes the last mode you were in and comes on in that mode. There is a hole drilled in the tailcap portion for a lanyard. You can swap the switch covers by using a circlip plier and unscrews the retaining ring, located on the outside of the tailcap. The AA also has a glow-in-the-dark O-ring at the head, and simply having the light on for a few seconds is enough to get it glowing. My wife immediately swapped one of mine and it rides in her purse now. It puts out a pretty clean beam; I saw a few artifacts, but only on a white wall. Overall, very nice.
The CityCat 18650:
I prefer this one. I tested mine on a Solarforce 2200mAh (button top) and a Sony 2200mAh (flat top) and it performs the same on both. Two CR123s will not work; they'll fry the LED. You can use one RCR123 with a dummy cell, but do this at your own risk. Output after three minutes on high is 168 lumens (again, see below for this). The 18650 comes on in low, then medium, then high. It memorizes the last mode used. You can attach a lanyard with one of two ovals in the tailcap. You can swap the switch cover by untwisting the contrasting trim from the rest of the tailcap, but I've found that this will chip the anodizing if you're not careful. There's no glow-in-the-dark O-ring on the 18650, but that's not a big deal for me. The beam is great; no artifacts, nice and smooth.
A Word On the Anodizing and Switch Covers:
The CityCats are all Type II anodized, and while it looks great, it's not very durable. Attaching a split ring for lanyard use, I chipped off quite a bit of anodizing. I'm going to either use mine until they're well-worn, or maybe sand blast them, then fill in the missing anodizing with porcelain paint and then seal it for a neat speckled look.
If you plan on changing the switch covers, be aware that the stock black switch cover is black. It also has no "nub" on the inside. So if you want to use any of the other switch covers, you'll have to flip them inside out and remove this num. Not a big deal as it only requires a pair of scissors and five seconds, but it's something to know.
*About Jefferson:
Jefferson (first name or last name?) works in a lab. He wears a lab coat most days and certifies things. He is directly involved with the ANSI FL ratings. When I want true lumen count, I take the light to Jefferson so he can test it in his several-thousand-dollar measuring device (I want to say it's a light integrating sphere, but that's not what he calls it). The device is accurate to within +-0.02 lumen. I drop the light off, and if he has time that day, he measures it between work orders. Then I pick the light up, get his opinion, and read a nice little print-out with the results. I only ask him to test the light on high; this isn't a piece of personal equipment - it's company property - and he doesn't have a lot of time. Lumens are measured at three minutes after being turned on.
Final Thoughts:
The CityCat lights are great lights. You're getting a $50 light for $25. They look great and perform way better than you'd expect a $25 to. Remember, these are in the MiniMag LED / Romisen / Deal Extreme price range. For that, I really don't think you can do better.
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