What light companies spawned on the Fenix/Lumapower designs?

[GarageBoy]

How many of these Asian companies are out there? I lost track after Fenix and Lumapower..
I mean, Olight, DeereLight, Rexlight?? Huh?

 

[StarHalo]

Good luck compiling an index, or even a number... Most Chinese manufacturing facilities for smaller items such as radios and flashlights require only a few thousand square feet for the entire operation, and labor is perhaps a couple dollars an hour for each of only a handful of workers. With numbers that small, even with modest output a company can make quite a profit.

That of course doesn't mean they're all the same - quality control runs the gamut from remarkable to dismal. Fenix is reknown for fantastic, durable flashlights that even see serious tactical and professional use. Then there's the barrage of no-name bargain lights, most notable for their multi-LED models in which *most* of the LEDs function at full brightness/at all.

There's definitely a new wave of Asian light manufacturers these days, but you'd be doing yourself a disservice to lump them all into one category.

 

[paulr]

My impression is there are a few factories churning out massive numbers of those 1aa lights that are basically similar with slight variations, which then get various brand names painted onto them.

 

[Illumination]

There are many of them...I've been fascinated by the proliferation of the Chinese manufacturers. They tend to be very fast moving, releasing models with the newest emitters on a frequent basis. They started off pretty inexpensive, but have gotten quite expensive. (Some more so than others.) I suspect many don't actually manufacture their own lights, but farm out to other manufacturers, which is why some different brands may actually be made in the same factory.

Here are some of the better brands:

• Dereelight
• Edge Tac / NiteCore
• Fenix
• Huntlight (seems to have disappeared)
• JetBeam (now reborn as a new company using the same name)
• LightFlux (I think it may be Malaysian)
• Lumapower
• Olight
• Pila
• Regalight
• Tiablo
• Wolf Eyes
• Zebralight

Rexlight is a private label model for KaiDomain
Dexlight is a private label model for Deal Extreme

There are also plenty of cheaper brands, but all of the above are considered to be pretty high quality.

 

[jk904jk]

did you alphabetize that in your head?

 

[Gunner12]

Well, if you mean the tube shape + Highpower LED, then I think Fenix Started it with their L1P.

If you just mean Asian flashlight companies then Illumination's post above has most of the higher quality ones. I would add Amilite.

 

[L.E.D.]

Some Nuwai lights are quite decent as well (heck, they even manufacture some lights for STREAMLIGHT. I was surprised to find a "made in China" sign on the back of my Task Light 2AA, and then read somewhere on here that those are done by Nuwai).

I have had both a Nuwai X1 (1AA 1w) and X3 (2AA, 1W, ROV reflectored) have over 8 foot drops onto rock / concrete and both are still perfectly fine with slight gouging / denting. Of course there's the stories of Fenix L1P's falling from insane heights and still functioning fine though of course with major physical damage. I'm also sure everyone remembers the QIII.

 

[Lobo]

Good luck compiling an index, or even a number... Most Chinese manufacturing facilities for smaller items such as radios and flashlights require only a few thousand square feet for the entire operation, and labor is perhaps a couple dollars an hour for each of only a handful of workers. With numbers that small, even with modest output a company can make quite a profit.

That of course doesn't mean they're all the same - quality control runs the gamut from remarkable to dismal. Fenix is reknown for fantastic, durable flashlights that even see serious tactical and professional use. Then there's the barrage of no-name bargain lights, most notable for their multi-LED models in which *most* of the LEDs function at full brightness/at all.

There's definitely a new wave of Asian light manufacturers these days, but you'd be doing yourself a disservice to lump them all into one category.

+1
There are many, and they differ quite a lot, functionwise and qualitywise. It would make as much sense as putting all the american manufacturers in one category.

You could say that the Fenix L1P(or arguably the Nuwai QIII) started it all by introducing a light that performed exceptionally and of such high quality even the CPF-crowd could accept, altering the previous view as chinese light as low quality. Allthough there still are for some reason CPFrs who refuses to believe that Asian lights are dependable.

 

[Illumination]

did you alphabetize that in your head?

Not quite. I have a folder of bookmarks on my computer (my computer alphabetized them for me). These are all of the bookmarks in my "Chinese Manufacturer" folder...it is in my general Manufacturer folder with a couple of other dozen companies.

Yes, somewhat pathetic...but I am sure I am not alone.

If you just mean Asian flashlight companies then Illumination's post above has most of the higher quality ones. I would add Amilite.

I have heard Amilite makes great lights, but even more expensive. I almost bought a T5, but with shipping it was almost the price of the L1, which I bought instead.

As for Nuwai, they are supposed to be good, I don't think they manufacture under their name anymore...at least I haven't seen one.

 

[GarageBoy]

HuntLight and Luma are related?

 

[Illumination]

I remember reading a thread a while back about how many of the companies were related - or more accurately how people left one to start another.

I can't remember all of the relationships and can't find the old post.

More recently, Edgetac was started by former employees of JetBeam.

 

[steve_vance]

Well, if you mean the tube shape, then I think Fenix Started it all with their L1P.

If you just mean Asian flashlight companies then Illumination's post above has most of the higher quality ones. I would add Amilite.

Come on. Another Fenix-cult statement :huh: (no offense)
(I like Fenix lights for what they are- hight-tech, mid-price lights)

When I started consulting for led-flashlight manufacturers in 1998, the first shapes were ALL tube-shapes- it's simply the easiest to machine. Unless you were already an established incandescent-flashlight manufacturer with all the machinery necessary to produce complex curves in aluminum, like those required for a flared reflector housing. This is why when the American manufacturers (like Streamlight) started making LED lights, they introduced the flared-head designs able to accomodate larger reflectors, but they, too used some tube shapes, again because it was easiest to machine.
Streamlight and Inova introduced tube-shaped LED lights long before Fenix was ever incorporated.

If you'd like a listt of Chinese LED flashlight manufacturers, here's one from a site I use:
http://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?Type=SALE%2CAGENT%2CMISC&year=&month=&location=&keyword=&SearchText=led+flashlight&Country=CN&srchYearMonth=&IndexArea=offer_en&CatId=0

 

[Gunner12]

Good point,

I think I've seen a few before Fenix came out, but that was way before I found this site.

The funny thing is, the first and only Fenix I owned(L1T) malfunctioned(no more low) and I sent it back.

Now my parents dislike this hobby(I only have 5 working light, and one is a stock minimag) and I haven't really started yet!

Many of the companies split off and created new companies. I think Wolfeye and Pila were once one company.