bessiebenny
Enlightened
[UPDATE] Please refer to this thread for beam shots etc later on.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=176577
------------
I just got three cheap AA ECC's from DX and wanted to write up a quick comparision.
The three flashlights I'll be reviewing are the following:
- UltraFire Cree C3 AA/14500 Flashlight (XR-E P4)
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1993
- MTE 1xAA SSC-P4 42180-U Flashlight
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1995
- MTE 5-Mode 100 Lumens Rebel (AA / 0100 BIN)
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.6162
Now. Here are my thoughts on them for each category.
[Brightness]
I don't have a light meter. So I'll go by my people's eyes including mine.
Accoring to all my collegue's and to me also, MTE Rebel is the brightest by a noticeable amount. It has a much brighter and bigger hotspot than the other two and has a brighter spill also. The spill seems to be totally separated from the hotspot and has a single brightness level for the entire spill area. Overall brightness of the spill is higher than the other 2 also. At the medium and low modes, it had a very faint purple tint to the light but that was only visible on the white wall. In real life usage, it was not visible whatsoever.
MTE SSC 42180-U has a very soft looking hotspot and has a very smooth gradient. It is perfect for short disktance due to the overall softness of the hotspot and a wide smooth spill. It's not a great thrower that's for sure. See the Extras section below as there is a hidden turbo mode which can be accessed by modding the switch. (Switch module has too much resistence)
Ultrafire C3 has a very similar look to the MTE Rebel's except it isn't as bright. C3 has a slightly brighter hotspot than the MTE SSC but overall, it seems as though it isn't as bright due to a darker spill. Not much in it though. I have not tried the 14500 that it also supports but I've read that it doesn't make it any brighter. Oh well.
MTE SSC has a very slight bluish tint to the light. Not really noticeable unless you convince yourself and others. The other two has a very neutral light. No yellowish/purplish tint whatsoever. I was expecting the Rebel to be a bit yellow due to other photos I've seen here but the one I have definitely isn't.
1st - MTE 5-mode Rebel 0100 BIN (Clear winner)
2nd - MTE SSC-P4 42180-U
3rd - Ultrafire C3 Cree P4
[Build Quality]
This is an easy one. Ultrafire C3 is the clear winner. It has a higher quality look and feel to the body, it is smaller (shorter) than the other two and was the only one with visible lubing at the threads. It has a better looking switch mechanism and the tail clickie was easier to press from the get go. Rubber quality was higher than the other two also. But I replaced this with a GITD clickie and this improved it even more. It was very easy to replace as nothing was glued at the threads. So the tail switch module could easily be unscrewed from within. The other two cannot do this.
MTE 5 mode Rebel had the worst tail clickie ever. It was soooo hard to depress and was impossible to operate with a single hand in a tactical grip. Good thing is that, you can use the tail as a twisty quite easily. Ripping off the rubber clickie and replacing it with the GITD rubber clickie is HIGHLY recommended. It made the light feel $10 more expensive and made it 100% perfectly useable under all conditions with a single hand. (You may need to super glue the clickie on top but this is easily done) It had a tiny bit of lubing at the threads which was nice.
MTE SSC is the biggest of them all visually as it wasn't as slim in the barrel and it is also the longest by about 1/4 inch over the other two. Tail clickie was just as bad as the Rebel one. So I replaced it with GITD clickie also. No need to glue this time around. It just slots in from the top quite easily. No lubing for this one. But the threads were good enough that it was still smooth.
They do have O-rings in the threads but I wouldn't trust the clickie section and the front lense area to hold the water out in anything but splash / light rain situations. Both MTE's had front portion glued at the threads. So it was impossible to open it with bare hands.
1st - Ultrafire C3 Cree P4 (Clear winner)
2nd - MTE 5-mode Rebel 0100 BIN (Beats SSC due to being smaller
3rd - MTE SSC-P4 42180-U
[Usage]
In use, the 5-mode Rebel was the worst for me and many others at my work. Pretty much everyone I know who aren't flashaholics prefer a single mode on/off flashlight. No need for Strobe/SOS etc. It does have a memory function but that still means you have to leave the light on for more than a few seconds. So you can't simply click-click-click away at the switch and hope for same brightness each time.
Ultrafire C3 has an extension tube option which I also have. It allows 2 AA batteries and although it doesn't get any brighter due to regulation, according to other reviews on this site, it lasts a whopping 4 hours at 100% brightness before falling off gradually. That's more than double the length of any other lights with single AA. Great option to have for those who may need it.
1st - Ultrafire C3 Cree (Due to single mode + extension tube option)
2nd - MTE SSC-P4 42180-U (single mode)
3rd - MTE 5-mode Rebel 0100 BIN (5 mode is really annoying)
[Conclusion]
As a present, Ultrafire C3 is the best. It feels expensive, has the extension tube option and is bright enough for everyday use. It is also the only one that comes with a lanyard that you can get your hand through. (The other two has a lanyard seemingly made for 5 year olds)
MTE SSC has the most useable light for everyday use imo. The whole light output isn't focused in a bright hotspot like the other two and so it offers a smooth and bright illumination over a wide area. If you somehow mode the tail switch, it becomes MUCH brighter. See the extras section below.
For brightness, MTE Rebel is the best here. I just wish it was a single mode light. I guess if you want 5 modes, it is the best here. But definitely do something about the tail clicke and replace it with a GITD one from DX. You'll thank me. :laughing:
[Extras]
Hidden "TURBO" mode in the Deal Extreme MTE 1xAA SSCP4 42180-U
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=164016
Apparently, it becomes MUCH brighter if used with 3.0v 14500 battery. (Not the 3.6v)
2 x AA 1.2v NIMH's in series makes it MUCH brighter but turned blue within 10 seconds.....
----------------
Here it is.. My supposedly "short" review which got a bit too long. Oops.
(I am planning to add extra comments / photos a bit later on. Too lazy.)
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=176577
------------
I just got three cheap AA ECC's from DX and wanted to write up a quick comparision.
The three flashlights I'll be reviewing are the following:
- UltraFire Cree C3 AA/14500 Flashlight (XR-E P4)
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1993
- MTE 1xAA SSC-P4 42180-U Flashlight
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1995
- MTE 5-Mode 100 Lumens Rebel (AA / 0100 BIN)
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.6162
Now. Here are my thoughts on them for each category.
[Brightness]
I don't have a light meter. So I'll go by my people's eyes including mine.
Accoring to all my collegue's and to me also, MTE Rebel is the brightest by a noticeable amount. It has a much brighter and bigger hotspot than the other two and has a brighter spill also. The spill seems to be totally separated from the hotspot and has a single brightness level for the entire spill area. Overall brightness of the spill is higher than the other 2 also. At the medium and low modes, it had a very faint purple tint to the light but that was only visible on the white wall. In real life usage, it was not visible whatsoever.
MTE SSC 42180-U has a very soft looking hotspot and has a very smooth gradient. It is perfect for short disktance due to the overall softness of the hotspot and a wide smooth spill. It's not a great thrower that's for sure. See the Extras section below as there is a hidden turbo mode which can be accessed by modding the switch. (Switch module has too much resistence)
Ultrafire C3 has a very similar look to the MTE Rebel's except it isn't as bright. C3 has a slightly brighter hotspot than the MTE SSC but overall, it seems as though it isn't as bright due to a darker spill. Not much in it though. I have not tried the 14500 that it also supports but I've read that it doesn't make it any brighter. Oh well.
MTE SSC has a very slight bluish tint to the light. Not really noticeable unless you convince yourself and others. The other two has a very neutral light. No yellowish/purplish tint whatsoever. I was expecting the Rebel to be a bit yellow due to other photos I've seen here but the one I have definitely isn't.
1st - MTE 5-mode Rebel 0100 BIN (Clear winner)
2nd - MTE SSC-P4 42180-U
3rd - Ultrafire C3 Cree P4
[Build Quality]
This is an easy one. Ultrafire C3 is the clear winner. It has a higher quality look and feel to the body, it is smaller (shorter) than the other two and was the only one with visible lubing at the threads. It has a better looking switch mechanism and the tail clickie was easier to press from the get go. Rubber quality was higher than the other two also. But I replaced this with a GITD clickie and this improved it even more. It was very easy to replace as nothing was glued at the threads. So the tail switch module could easily be unscrewed from within. The other two cannot do this.
MTE 5 mode Rebel had the worst tail clickie ever. It was soooo hard to depress and was impossible to operate with a single hand in a tactical grip. Good thing is that, you can use the tail as a twisty quite easily. Ripping off the rubber clickie and replacing it with the GITD rubber clickie is HIGHLY recommended. It made the light feel $10 more expensive and made it 100% perfectly useable under all conditions with a single hand. (You may need to super glue the clickie on top but this is easily done) It had a tiny bit of lubing at the threads which was nice.
MTE SSC is the biggest of them all visually as it wasn't as slim in the barrel and it is also the longest by about 1/4 inch over the other two. Tail clickie was just as bad as the Rebel one. So I replaced it with GITD clickie also. No need to glue this time around. It just slots in from the top quite easily. No lubing for this one. But the threads were good enough that it was still smooth.
They do have O-rings in the threads but I wouldn't trust the clickie section and the front lense area to hold the water out in anything but splash / light rain situations. Both MTE's had front portion glued at the threads. So it was impossible to open it with bare hands.
1st - Ultrafire C3 Cree P4 (Clear winner)
2nd - MTE 5-mode Rebel 0100 BIN (Beats SSC due to being smaller
3rd - MTE SSC-P4 42180-U
[Usage]
In use, the 5-mode Rebel was the worst for me and many others at my work. Pretty much everyone I know who aren't flashaholics prefer a single mode on/off flashlight. No need for Strobe/SOS etc. It does have a memory function but that still means you have to leave the light on for more than a few seconds. So you can't simply click-click-click away at the switch and hope for same brightness each time.
Ultrafire C3 has an extension tube option which I also have. It allows 2 AA batteries and although it doesn't get any brighter due to regulation, according to other reviews on this site, it lasts a whopping 4 hours at 100% brightness before falling off gradually. That's more than double the length of any other lights with single AA. Great option to have for those who may need it.
1st - Ultrafire C3 Cree (Due to single mode + extension tube option)
2nd - MTE SSC-P4 42180-U (single mode)
3rd - MTE 5-mode Rebel 0100 BIN (5 mode is really annoying)
[Conclusion]
As a present, Ultrafire C3 is the best. It feels expensive, has the extension tube option and is bright enough for everyday use. It is also the only one that comes with a lanyard that you can get your hand through. (The other two has a lanyard seemingly made for 5 year olds)
MTE SSC has the most useable light for everyday use imo. The whole light output isn't focused in a bright hotspot like the other two and so it offers a smooth and bright illumination over a wide area. If you somehow mode the tail switch, it becomes MUCH brighter. See the extras section below.
For brightness, MTE Rebel is the best here. I just wish it was a single mode light. I guess if you want 5 modes, it is the best here. But definitely do something about the tail clicke and replace it with a GITD one from DX. You'll thank me. :laughing:
[Extras]
Hidden "TURBO" mode in the Deal Extreme MTE 1xAA SSCP4 42180-U
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=164016
Apparently, it becomes MUCH brighter if used with 3.0v 14500 battery. (Not the 3.6v)
2 x AA 1.2v NIMH's in series makes it MUCH brighter but turned blue within 10 seconds.....
----------------
Here it is.. My supposedly "short" review which got a bit too long. Oops.
(I am planning to add extra comments / photos a bit later on. Too lazy.)
Last edited:
