Hitthespot
Flashlight Enthusiast
Well now that it's dark I got a chance to really take a good look at the three pieces I received yesterday. This has been edited from the post in the Thread Titled "Anyone have the Tiablo A1 yet." Since I started this thread and I now own three of these lights, I thought I would do a Mini review for everyone.
Many pictures have been done in other reviews so I'm skippin this since its 5:00 in the morning.
1) The fit and finish are top notch. I love the way the light feels. Much better looking in person than in the pictures.
2) Didn't need the pocket Clip and it was easily removable. I like that.
3) The Glow in the dark ring on the inside of the glass is a nice touch.
4) Very small and easily fits into a pocket comfortably. Even if you have to wear a suit this light would be small enough to be un-noticeble.
5) Takes one AAA size battery not supplied.
6) Included two extra O-Rings
7) The threads on all three lights were very gritty. A quick clean and some Superlube they were perfect.
8) Orange Peel Reflector. Clean and looked perfect.
9) Listed at 100 Lumens ( See comments below )
10) Twist on switch that worked flawlessly.
11) Rated water resistant to 5M ( approx 15 ft ). Dropped mine in a glass of water ( on ) for 3 minutes. No problems should be fine for wet conditions.
12) Two of the units I received had a much warmer tint than the Cree flashlights I own. They actually were very warm like a bulb. One of the samples was very cool and more blue like the Cree's. My wife liked this one the best so she received that one. Her job sometimes takes her door to door at night and she said this light is all she needs and was excited to receive it.
13) My feelings are still they are bright for an AAA flashlight but Tiablo is grossly over stating the Lumens. I compared them to a Pelican 3C I have rated at 31 Lumens and these A1's are maybe 30 percent brighter. I also compared it closely to the Fenix P2D-Q5 I have with the Fenix on Medium ( rated 55 Lumens ) the Tiablo A1's are a little dimmer. I place them somewhere between 40 and 50 Lumens. Wish I would of had the LOD special edition ( listed at 75 lumens ) to compare them to but I didn't.
IMHO Conclusion: If your looking for a quality, small, fairly bright pocket light, which should last, I would recommend this light. If you are looking for around 100 lumens move on. This light is no where near 100 Lumens, as least as rated by other flashlight companies. I was considering the Tiablo A9 as a purchase next year. It is listed at 256 Lumens. I will be very careful about their rated lumens after the A1 purchase until I'm proven otherwise.
UPDATE: 01/01/08----I thought it only fair to update this review after owning the light for two weeks and since some of it had a negative overtone. The light still looks as good as it did when I bought it and it has been in my pocket or on my keyring since then. The finish is tough! Even though I was originally disapointed in the ACTUAL lumens and over rating this little light has grown on me and is one of my favorite lights now. It wouldn't be my only light in a cave, but it is more than bright enough for most tasks you would ask for in a very small pocket light. The quality of the spot is as good as it is on any of the LED lights I've bought. On a Energizer lithium the battery time is good in my opinion. With present market offerings I would buy this light again if something happed to it........and that says it all. Based on other comments from other users I suspect many feel the same as I and this light has grown on them.
Happy New Year
Bill
Many pictures have been done in other reviews so I'm skippin this since its 5:00 in the morning.
1) The fit and finish are top notch. I love the way the light feels. Much better looking in person than in the pictures.
2) Didn't need the pocket Clip and it was easily removable. I like that.
3) The Glow in the dark ring on the inside of the glass is a nice touch.
4) Very small and easily fits into a pocket comfortably. Even if you have to wear a suit this light would be small enough to be un-noticeble.
5) Takes one AAA size battery not supplied.
6) Included two extra O-Rings
7) The threads on all three lights were very gritty. A quick clean and some Superlube they were perfect.
8) Orange Peel Reflector. Clean and looked perfect.
9) Listed at 100 Lumens ( See comments below )
10) Twist on switch that worked flawlessly.
11) Rated water resistant to 5M ( approx 15 ft ). Dropped mine in a glass of water ( on ) for 3 minutes. No problems should be fine for wet conditions.
12) Two of the units I received had a much warmer tint than the Cree flashlights I own. They actually were very warm like a bulb. One of the samples was very cool and more blue like the Cree's. My wife liked this one the best so she received that one. Her job sometimes takes her door to door at night and she said this light is all she needs and was excited to receive it.
13) My feelings are still they are bright for an AAA flashlight but Tiablo is grossly over stating the Lumens. I compared them to a Pelican 3C I have rated at 31 Lumens and these A1's are maybe 30 percent brighter. I also compared it closely to the Fenix P2D-Q5 I have with the Fenix on Medium ( rated 55 Lumens ) the Tiablo A1's are a little dimmer. I place them somewhere between 40 and 50 Lumens. Wish I would of had the LOD special edition ( listed at 75 lumens ) to compare them to but I didn't.
IMHO Conclusion: If your looking for a quality, small, fairly bright pocket light, which should last, I would recommend this light. If you are looking for around 100 lumens move on. This light is no where near 100 Lumens, as least as rated by other flashlight companies. I was considering the Tiablo A9 as a purchase next year. It is listed at 256 Lumens. I will be very careful about their rated lumens after the A1 purchase until I'm proven otherwise.
UPDATE: 01/01/08----I thought it only fair to update this review after owning the light for two weeks and since some of it had a negative overtone. The light still looks as good as it did when I bought it and it has been in my pocket or on my keyring since then. The finish is tough! Even though I was originally disapointed in the ACTUAL lumens and over rating this little light has grown on me and is one of my favorite lights now. It wouldn't be my only light in a cave, but it is more than bright enough for most tasks you would ask for in a very small pocket light. The quality of the spot is as good as it is on any of the LED lights I've bought. On a Energizer lithium the battery time is good in my opinion. With present market offerings I would buy this light again if something happed to it........and that says it all. Based on other comments from other users I suspect many feel the same as I and this light has grown on them.
Happy New Year
Bill
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