Nuwai Lights ?

Trashman

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Mar 15, 2005
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Covina, California
My first flashlight purchase was the 3-cell 5w Nuwai light. It looks just like the one link to in the first post, only it's one cell longer and it's a single level light. It has now been 2 years (hmmm...almost seems like 3, though....could it be?) since I first bought it, and it still works perfectly. It's been dropped more times onto concrete and asphault than I can remember. I just recently switched to running it on two protected 17500 li-ion batteries. I don't know if I'm just imagining it, or if I just haven't run it long enough on the rechargeables to notice, but it is appearing to run longer at full brightness with this setup! The lens is not removeable. My lens was actually becoming slightly opaque, but just recently I saw Displex as a suggestion for polishing the lens (on a CPF thread), so I bought it, and my lens is now clear again. The Nuwai 5w lights are very bright, but the beam does have some artifacts in it. I never really noticed them before I got my L4, but now I see that they are there, but in real world usage, they are not a problem. I've definitely seen much worse when it comes to artifacts in a 5w light.

I think they're great lights, overall. I do admit, however, I might be biased, since the 5w Nuwai was my first flashlight purchase, and it is so well worn that I can use it in any situation comfortably, without fear or hesitation that it might get beat up.
 

rfwjr

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Jan 10, 2006
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Texas
I recently purchased from Lighthound and it went very smooth. John is a very nice guy to deal with and must be sitting at his computer most of the time because everytime I e-mailed him he responded in less than 20 minutes. I will be buying from him again.


Russell

On rereading your post I think maybe you were asking a Nuwai as a company and not Lighthound, but just in case I will leave it there after all its my first post.
 
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jsr

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Dec 22, 2005
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1,901
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socal
I don't think anyone knows who the manufacturer of those lights actually is (since other companies such as Shyquang and another I forgot the name of, and probably numerous more offer the exact same lights), but Nuwai is at the least a supplier/re-brander.
My only experience w/ Nuwai products is w/ their Q3 and 2611X. For the price, I didn't expect perfect quality and there are some machining marks and variances between pieces. Tail switches feel different and one of my Q3's tail switch sticks out a bit further than the others, so there's assembly variances also. LED tint bins aren't as controlled (of the (4) Q3s I've purchased, 2 for me and 2 for a friend, we've gotten white, blue/purple, and 2 green tints). But for the price, all these very minor items are easily overlooked and they perform as well as many higher priced lights.
I was very pleasantly surprised by the overall quality and performance for the price and use my Q3 every day.
 

markbUK

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Jan 14, 2005
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Southwest UK
I've used Lighthound on a number of occasions first class service, in fact Ive got an order in for a kl4 head, delivery hopefully by the end of the week. ... Mark
 

bayoucity1

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Jan 10, 2006
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Think carefully before buying a Nuwai, since they have no manufacturer warranty. I bought two TM-301X-5's from Amondotech and gave them away as Christmas presents. One of them ceased functioning exactly one day after the 30 day vendor warranty expired. Something's rattling around inside the head.

From now on, I'm not dropping $60 bucks or more on any light that doesn't come with a limited lifetime warranty or better.

(Anyone have tips on getting the head off of a Nuwai [font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]TM-301X-5?)[/font]
 

jsr

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Dec 22, 2005
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socal
I've heard about the boiling method...don't know anything about it, just references to it in threads about other topics. I've also heard of putting the light in a zip-lock bag and submersing the head portion in boiling water...not sure if this is the same method as the boiling method.

Re: Nuwai, my Q3s cost just over $30 each...not too bad. I was hesitant at first also with the lack of a warranty, but for the price, it won't hurt too much. I'm looking to get some other no-name chinese-made lights that have no warranty, but for the price, I'm ok w/ no warranty. I definitely would think more about purchasing a costlier light w/o warranty.
 

bayoucity1

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Joined
Jan 10, 2006
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I was able to break it open by putting it in the freezer for a little while, mounting in a vice, and twisting with a pair of vice grips. Cyanoacrylates (Superglue) lose their bonding power when cold, and I'll assume I guessed correctly that they are sealed with such.

Breaking it down didn't help. I still can't get access to the loose part after completely separating all of the body parts. It's blocked by electronics that look like I'd have to destroy to remove. Further research on my part may provide a solution. If anyone's interested in photos of the guts, please advise.

Please keep in mind this wasn't a QIII. This is was the 5 watt 2-cell "Big QIII." I've been really happy with my QIII and will probably buy another one or two so I can replace this failed unit.

As a final note, I wish vendors would show a little leniency regarding warranties on purchases placed around the holiday season. Oftentimes, products won't actually be put to the test immediately upon arrival...

What I've learned: If you're set on buying a light without a manufacturer warranty, make sure to shop around for the best vendor warranty you can find.
 

fieldops

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Jan 29, 2005
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Cape Cod MA
I have several ALX-352s and they have been good performers. The thing is built like a tank. Output is good, with normal tint variations (lux lotto). The 3 power settings are nice as well as the holster.
 

meeshu

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Dec 31, 2004
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Top Secret! So secret even I don't know where I am
I've got two of these lights.

Well built; so they should take knocks/drops.

Light outputs are OK (three levels - high, mid, low). There is a faint small dark spot in the middle of the beam (on all settings), but this will probably have little impact for most light uses.
 
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