3_gun
Enlightened
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2021
- Messages
- 690
So here's another victim of my search for a unicorn. Not the winner but a solid light at a very very good price.
Saw a couple of positive reviews, as (spoiler alert) this one is going to be. Seemed like a solid light & then I saw it was available for $23 w/battery shipped. With the reviews in mind & that price I took a chance. Turns out it wasn't much risk at all.
It's a 18650 light, slim but a bit longer than expected. The single button side switch has a battery level included. Green for go & red for low. The UI has a couple nice features including 2 modes, stepped or ramping. I'm a stepped guy almost always. Simple to switch between them if you want, 3 sec hold & a couple of blinks to confirm. UI allows you to start from OFF directly into strobe (3clicks), turbo(2clicks) or memory(1click, bet you saw that coming) but not low. Low (5L) is part of the stepped mode, turbo(1300L) is not. Not ideal but better than the other way around. That gives you 4 steps, well spaced at 5 / 50 /160 / 500 lumens and any of those can be used for memory mode. Moving between them is just a quick click, OFF is a slightly longer press. Lockout if you need it and you might since the switch is slightly raised (& easy to find/use) can be done with 4 quick clicks or 1/4 turn of the tail cap.
Light levels look pretty close to the claimed numbers. Color is a cool white, OK CRI but not ideal. Beam has a clear hot spot with a gradual softening as you move from the center. A nice mix of throw & spill doesn't limit the usefulness in any way. Run time at 160L hit 5hrs before I got bored. I still had clear steps to high, turbo & strobe so you will get useful light level AND run times. Haven't run either high or turbo long enough to see a step down or have a heat issue in my normal use.
Fit & finish are good overall. It's not a show piece but it does come in colors other than black. Helpful if at this price you wanted to get one for everyone in the house. As lights go this wouldn't be a bad tween & older light. I got blue, ordered purple, the only complaint I have really other than the no starting in low unless it's your memory level. Rated IPx8 and it came with extra "o"rings to help you keep it that way. Kit does include a charger, so no ports (my preference) for charging.
Everything works, size is reasonable, UI flexible & easy the learn, light levels & run times are useful and the price including light, battery & charger w/shipping is under $25(or was). If you like to shop ahead for B'days, Xmas, etc buy a few. No one or almost no one (there's always an Uncle Bob in the family) would find a reason not to like this light.
Saw a couple of positive reviews, as (spoiler alert) this one is going to be. Seemed like a solid light & then I saw it was available for $23 w/battery shipped. With the reviews in mind & that price I took a chance. Turns out it wasn't much risk at all.
It's a 18650 light, slim but a bit longer than expected. The single button side switch has a battery level included. Green for go & red for low. The UI has a couple nice features including 2 modes, stepped or ramping. I'm a stepped guy almost always. Simple to switch between them if you want, 3 sec hold & a couple of blinks to confirm. UI allows you to start from OFF directly into strobe (3clicks), turbo(2clicks) or memory(1click, bet you saw that coming) but not low. Low (5L) is part of the stepped mode, turbo(1300L) is not. Not ideal but better than the other way around. That gives you 4 steps, well spaced at 5 / 50 /160 / 500 lumens and any of those can be used for memory mode. Moving between them is just a quick click, OFF is a slightly longer press. Lockout if you need it and you might since the switch is slightly raised (& easy to find/use) can be done with 4 quick clicks or 1/4 turn of the tail cap.
Light levels look pretty close to the claimed numbers. Color is a cool white, OK CRI but not ideal. Beam has a clear hot spot with a gradual softening as you move from the center. A nice mix of throw & spill doesn't limit the usefulness in any way. Run time at 160L hit 5hrs before I got bored. I still had clear steps to high, turbo & strobe so you will get useful light level AND run times. Haven't run either high or turbo long enough to see a step down or have a heat issue in my normal use.
Fit & finish are good overall. It's not a show piece but it does come in colors other than black. Helpful if at this price you wanted to get one for everyone in the house. As lights go this wouldn't be a bad tween & older light. I got blue, ordered purple, the only complaint I have really other than the no starting in low unless it's your memory level. Rated IPx8 and it came with extra "o"rings to help you keep it that way. Kit does include a charger, so no ports (my preference) for charging.
Everything works, size is reasonable, UI flexible & easy the learn, light levels & run times are useful and the price including light, battery & charger w/shipping is under $25(or was). If you like to shop ahead for B'days, Xmas, etc buy a few. No one or almost no one (there's always an Uncle Bob in the family) would find a reason not to like this light.
