Romisen Quality/Recommedations?

[B0wz3r]

Hi all,

The time change is coming up, and I'm working on revising and updating the emergency preparedness supplies and equipment for my family. I'm working on making BOBs for us for the first time and am going to be putting a flashlight in each.

I don't want to break the bank, but I'm not willing to use cheapo POS lights either. Right now I've got the new E21 at the top of my list, but I'd like to spend a little less if I can get away with it (primary to keep the wife happy). I've heard some good things about Romisens on here, but don't have any myself. I'd prefer a single 1xAA configuration; 14500 compatibilty is not a requirement, nor is focusability, but two modes and a strobe or SOS would be nice, but not absolutely necessary. They will be kept in the bags w/o batteries in them, but with a pack of L91s in each bag for the light.

Thanks in advance for any advice,

B.

 

[sol-leks]

I might be speaking out of place, but I am confident in saying that the three most respected budget brands are: Romisen, ITP and Solarforce.

Now Solarforce only makes p60 parts and lights. ITP's lights are mainly a bit more expensive, around the price of the fenix E21 however they have the ITP A2 which might interest you if you don't mind a twisty switch.

Romisen lights only really come in 1 mode although shiningbeam has 2 mode versions. The modes aren't very well distinguished though. They are still great lights though, I own 3 or 4 and like them all and have never had them fail on me.

It sounds like the rc-g2 would be good for you. I would still order it from shiningbeam though bc of their excellent customer service and quality control.

 

[recDNA]

I only have one romisen and I wont be buying any more. Pretty poor quality imo. I don't know the letters but mine is a single cr123 focusing aspheric. It has no strobe mode but if I leave it on for more than 2 minutes it blinks rapidly like strobe. High and low the output is about the same. Both modes blink.

 

[PerttiK]

For BOB i would suggest 2AA lights, so you can store the batteries already in the light.
Most lights can have the tailcaps locked out so there would be no point storing the batteries outside the light.
I've got a few 2 mode romisens from shiningbeam, and while the build is quite good, the levels are too close to each other.
I would go with E21, but if you need more runtime than 11 hours, then I would look for ITP A2 or ITP SA2.

 

[red02]

Never had a Romisen, more than likely never will. I do have a Maratac AA which according to some on this forum is the same as ITP.

The Maratac worked as advertised but I made a gift of it to a friend, so I can't speak for the reliability long term. If not for the shipping cost, I would probably order another one from countycomm.

If I was putting together a similar kit, I would go for the LD10/20 and save myself the trouble of worrying about using low cost lights. I'm too poor to buy cheap.

 

[jamie.91]

My first light was a romisen rc-n3 and it's still in the doorcard of my car after over a year of ownership, I thinks it's a 3 mode (high low stobe), I use a rcr123 so I just get two high modes and a strobe. Bottom line it's a great light and definatley gets a thumbs up from me, also quite bright and out throws most other lights it's size.

Jamie

 

[shipwreck]

Someone mentioned SolarForce. I have 5 of their lights with another on the way. You can get a very nice one shipped for $24.99.

 

[Rexlion]

Any brand can have an occasional bad apple, but for the most part I think Romisens are decent quality. I keep a RC-N3 II in the car for emergencies and have a RC-P3 by the bed (I really like the side switch lights). But I find that the Romisens are not used much. No soft low mode like my ITP A6 or Quark RGB, not as pocketable as my Maratac AAA, not super bright like the A6 or my other MC-E or P7 lights, and can't clip to my shirt pocket the way my UF-H2 (imitation Zebra) can. But for the money, if you just need a basic light the Romisen will do fine.

 

[B0wz3r]

Hi all,

Thanks for the info. My preference is still for the E21 but I know that getting the extra cost by my wife will be an issue.

If the difference in levels in the Romisen's is not that significant, I'm not going to worry about modes... I'm more interested in reliability and durability than anything else for these lights.

I will try storing them with batteries in, but am also going to put in a 2 pack of L91's in each bag as spares/backup. I want to make sure that each light will be able to go the three days (nights in this case I suppose) that you're supposed to be set up for before you expect to receive help.

 

[mcnair55]

I have only one Romisen light,the RC G2,bought from the market place.All I can say what a super little light,nice build and bright enough and will look to buying others.

 

[Black Rose]

I had an RC-C3 but burned out the driver using a 16340 cell in it.

I had an RC-N3 Q5 from Shiningbeam and that was a great light.
We gave that light to my mother-in-law for taking the dog out at night.

She loves it and her friend wants one as well.

 

[Dude Dudeson]

I bought a Romisen RC-N3 II over a year ago and it still works fine. It's even been dropped on the sidewalk a few times.

 

[choombak]

I might be speaking out of place, but I am confident in saying that the three most respected budget brands are: Romisen, ITP and Solarforce.

Now Solarforce only makes p60 parts and lights. ITP's lights are mainly a bit more expensive, around the price of the fenix E21 however they have the ITP A2 which might interest you if you don't mind a twisty switch.

Romisen lights only really come in 1 mode although shiningbeam has 2 mode versions. The modes aren't very well distinguished though. They are still great lights though, I own 3 or 4 and like them all and have never had them fail on me.
...

Romisen lights have very poor runtimes, which turns me off. Their build quality, finish, etc. is reasonable, but a good runtime is more important than the look and feel.

-Amarendra

 

[mcnair55]

Romisen lights have very poor runtimes, which turns me off. Their build quality, finish, etc. is reasonable, but a good runtime is more important than the look and feel.

-Amarendra

Not sure which Romisen you have but the build quality on mine is superb well above reasonable,the runtime is also good on my model using eneloops.At roughly a 1/4 cost of an equivalent branded make I got super value for money.

 

[B0wz3r]

Thanks again for the info folks... I haven't ruled out any Romisens yet, but I'm still not prepared to shell out for the E21. I'm going to look into what Energizer has and see how they stack up features and price wise.

 

[Sno4Life]

If you are looking at emergency preparedness, I think the Romisen flashlights wouldn't be a good fit because of the runtime issue. Single AA would be a good idea, because you would be able to use partially depleted cells without risking damage to the light, and AA cells have widespread availablity. I think the ITP A2 would be a really good compromise between light levels, quality, and runtime.

 

[B0wz3r]

Hi all, just for fun I ordered an RC-29 II from Shiningbeam a couple of days ago. Received notification of shipment last night. Hopefully it'll be here tomorrow or Sat.

Looking forward to checking it out/playing with it some... if I don't like it I can just give it to my son, but if I like it, I might just order another one for our BOB.

Thanks, everyone, for the input.

 

[choombak]

Not sure which Romisen you have but the build quality on mine is superb well above reasonable,the runtime is also good on my model using eneloops.At roughly a 1/4 cost of an equivalent branded make I got super value for money.

RC-A4, the manufacturer runtime rating on a CR123 is 35 minutes. Given the price of CR123, I think this is not a good deal in the long run, given that a CR123 costs me ~$4 US here. I'd rather go for a Quark Mini-CR123 which gives me ~190 OTF lumens for 1.2 hrs. (or ~40 OTF lumens for 8 hours), and is much more efficient.

-Amarendra

 

[goldenlight]

RC-A4, the manufacturer runtime rating on a CR123 is 35 minutes. Given the price of CR123, I think this is not a good deal in the long run, given that a CR123 costs me ~$4 US here. I'd rather go for a Quark Mini-CR123 which gives me ~190 OTF lumens for 1.2 hrs. (or ~40 OTF lumens for 8 hours), and is much more efficient.

-Amarendra

a PERFECT example of getting what you pay for.

Thirty-five minutes on a Cr123 cell. That's just insanely WORTHLESS, for emergency use.

I hate to have to say it, but the 2AA LED Maglite multi-mode (Rebel LED) might be a good compromise between cost and run time and features.

Build quality is good, they have 2 levels, and beacon and SOS. The reflector is smooth, so they have decent throw, with some artifacts.

You could probably buy a (very little) used on on the CPF Marketplace for a very reasonable price, by posting a WTB ad.

Last year, around Thanksgiving, they went on sale at a VERY good price. $12.50, I think(?)

Many people bought them out of curiosity, and probably used them very little.

If you go that route, be sure to specify the multi-mode 2AA Rebel LED model.

Stay away from the XL100: they aren't very sturdy, and use 3 AAA cells: a VERY poor power source for an emergency light.

 

[jacktheclipper]

+ 1 for the iTP A2

The low level is plenty bright for most uses if it's truly dark and the runtime is a big advantage in extended use situations .

EDIT: I own several Romisens and like them all ( RC-G2 II Q5 , RC-G2 II R5 , RC-29 II R4 , RC-N3 Q5 WW ) but for a B.O.B. the A2 would be my choice .