Deal Extreme Lights any good? Durable?

Are the lights found on DX worth looking at? Are they cheaply made that a few times out camping and something will break or go wrong?

Looking at the 1xCR123 lights.

Most of them should be durable enough for everyday use(though some of their multi mode lights have been iffy). Just don't expect them to take any serious abuse.

Most of their CR123 lights are much brighter with rechargeable batteries, and their runtimes might be a bit short.

1 CR123 twisties:

Ultrafire C1, might be a bit slippery
Ultrafire WF-602D(HA III)
3W Cree P4


1 CR123 Clickies:

Gree
MX Power 3W
MTE 5 mode Cree(Rebel 100 version)

I've dropped my 602D several times but it still works fine. It's a really bright light - seems brighter than my 2x123 cree drop-in module (pure white vs warm white). It won't throw as far as the center spot is larger than the module's spot. I use (play with) my lights every day

bimemrboy318 said:

Are the lights found on DX worth looking at? Are they cheaply made that a few times out camping and something will break or go wrong?

Looking at the 1xCR123 lights.

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The old saying, you get what you pay for is true. Just don't expect American quality when buying Chinese made lights.

xiaowenzu said:

The old saying, you get what you pay for is true. Just don't expect American quality when buying Chinese made lights.

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Yeah but expect you can get 5+ for the price of one SF using the same LED. How much can go wrong with a direct drive twisty? (KISS) There are plenty of SF and Novatac problem threads


Sometimes, increasingly more often, you pay more than you get. Dereelight seems to be one of the few that are properly priced.

knot said:

Yeah but expect you can get 5+ for the price of one SF using the same LED.

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I tend to skip regular hamburger meals (cheapo lights), so I save up for the big fat juicy steaks (state of the art lights). :twothumbs

xiaowenzu said:

I tend to skip regular hamburger meals (cheapo lights), so I save up to eat big fat juicy steaks (state of the art lights). :twothumbs

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Yeah, but a hungry person on a budget will get much more nutrition out of five hamburgers than they will one big steak.

Seriously, the price difference is way different than the quality difference. I wish I could justify the price of Sure Fire lights, but I can't. Buying an Ultra Fire or Super Fire is like eating a $10 steak instead of a $15 steak, but you only paid $2 for that $10 steak.

xiaowenzu said:

I tend to skip regular hamburger meals (cheapo lights), so I save up to eat big fat juicy steaks (state of the art lights). :twothumbs

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So I can have 5 meals while you go hungry with your one steak :twothumbs

Seriously, check out Dereelight. I believe is better than the rest, including SF, at a reasonable price.

KingGlamis said:

Buying an Ultra Fire or Super Fire is like eating a $10 steak instead of a $15 steak, but you only paid $2 for that $10 steak.

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I guess not all cheap lights are bad, but for me personally I find good quality can't be measured by money, because it's subjective. The most important thing is being satisfied. It's like a jewelry collector who collects only top quality products... or an audiophile who only buys great sound systems - it's a very satisfying feeling, IMO.

In some ways, that's how I'd define a flashoholic... a person who's very selective in the product he buys and don't go out to blindly buy cheap lights just because they're cheap. :twothumbs

Oh geeze, would you happen to have any Grey Poupon? There can be a lot of satisfaction in buying a cheap or reasonably priced item that performs exceptionally well. You ought to try it sometime. It's called: finding a bargain.

Rich man buys once, poor man buys twice, frugal man buys the best performance for the price.

knot said:

So I can have 5 meals while you go hungry with your one steak :twothumbs

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WEll thank goodness flashlights aren't like food! We don't have to buy them everyday.. personally, I don't buy lights often (probably only 2 or 3 per year) but everytime I do, I've already saved up a lot of cash to get the best. My Novatac 120T is on the way!

Dereelight looks interesting, I'm sure it's okay for the price, but I've got a SF U2 already :nana:

Honestly, I think we flasholics are a very discerning and meticulous bunch, so therefore we're able to pick up 'flaws' on even the most expensive and well made lights. For instance a Surefire L4 to a normal user would seem perfect and it is, but to us flasholics we'd probably complain something like, "Oh no, the O-rings aren't completely lubricated - it's only 355 degrees lubricated instead of 360!!

knot said:

You ought to try it sometime. It's called: finding a bargain.

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I've personally been scammed many times in my life by so called bargains and lower priced products, so I tend to be more skeptical. Now my motto when it comes to purchasing is:

"Skip the bargains, to save up for REAL bargains", if that makes any sense.

Please try some steaks sometime...they're exquisitely nice, and you only live once.

Do you homework so you won't be scammed. Dereelight and SSC Coast Lenser are very high performance lights at bargain prices, in comparison.

SF U2? I'd feel like a fool for spending that much money. I have a cheap Sam's HID if I want a lot of light.

Novatec 120? Apparently, you haven't seen the issues thread about them.

I read somewhere it is better to spend what you can in the best home you can afford, rather than toys.

xiaowenzu said:

I've personally been scammed many times in my life by so called bargains and lower priced products, so I tend to be more skeptical. Now my motto when it comes to purchasing is:

"Skip the bargains, to save up for REAL bargains", if that makes any sense.

Please try some steaks sometime...they're exquisitely nice, and you only live once.

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I've bought "junk" lights too that were not worth anything. But my experience with the knock-offs like Ultra Fire and Super Fire say they are not junk. In fact, they seem to be great lights, with similar or the same output as the high-dollar lights, just slightly less in the quality of the machining. Personally I could care less about machining quality as long as the threads work as they are supposed to. My main concern is how much light does a light put out.

If you go for the $5-10 lights, don't expect much. Sometimes you even get the wrong LED, bad threads, intermittent light etc...

Mid-range Chinese lights ($20-$60) under proper 'brands' like Fenix, Jetbeam, Hyperion, Lumapower, Dereelight, Liteflux are all very high quality in terms of machining, finish, circuitry and output. 3-4 times cheaper than a Surefire but 80% as good or even just as good or better to some people. They are indeed kinda like apples and oranges, but to a general flashlight user, all you need is something reliable that puts out light.

If so, then these mid-range chinese lights are the best choice. SFs and american-made flashlights do come with quality issues too. Don't forget the price difference is not purely indicative of quality difference; material/labour/branding etc.. are all higher in the States. So you are also paying for all that.

That being said, you need to own some SFs later if you want to become a flashaholic, then later move on to 'connoiseur' level with the McGizmos, KIs and all that custom stuff

That being said, you need to own some SFs later if you want to become a flashaholic, then later move on to 'connoiseur' level with the McGizmos, KIs and all that custom stuff

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If I won the lottery, I believe I still would be a frugal buyer. I want the best I can get for the money. If something is 9/10 the product for 6/10 the price, I'm going for the better deal.

As enlightment says: "Mounting a switch, reflector/optic, and light engine in a tube is not rocket science"

There is no price of admission, only the desire to improve. How many non-flashaholics would discover and do this? Some flashaholics would rather customize or improve on their own rather than pay for "admission". In the motorcycle community that's called being a poser or weekend warrior.

The output here is probably ten times what it was. An alcoholic seeks the most kick for the buck.

Here's my rough use "junk" light. I bought it for $3.00 at a gas station and replaced the LED with a cree drop-in module and removed the resistor in the tailcap. The funny thing is, i've must of clicked this light well over a hundred times but it still keeps on working without a single intermittent light or poor output (due to bad connection) There is a spring on both ends.

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IMO, the ultra smooth U.I of the SF U2 can't be beaten... it really is a wall of light... it has served me well for many years. It's the light I love the most!

knot said:

Novatec 120? Apparently, you haven't seen the issues thread about them.

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Well I did read about a guy who tried to polish the 120P reflector with a paper towel and now it's all scratched up. Lol, I must keep that in mind not to make end user modds when I get mine. Seriously what was he thinking!

LEDcandle said:

That being said, you need to own some SFs later if you want to become a flashaholic, then later move on to 'connoiseur' level with the McGizmos, KIs and all that custom stuff

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haha, that's so true! *hi fives* It's like an audiophile who claims he is, but has never owned Onkyo, Marantz, Jamo, Yamah or Wilson sound equipments.:devil:

I might pay $100 for a U2 with a Cree but any more, forget it. On second thought I wouldn't even pay that much.

haha, that's so true! *hi fives* It's like an audiophile who claims he is, but has never owned Onkyo, Marantz, Jamo, Yamah or Wilson sound equipments.:devil:

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An audiophile is a person having an ardent interest in stereo or high-fidelity sound reproduction. There is nothing stating he has to own certain brands. You have some sort of personality issue going on or are very immature.

knot said:

I might pay $100 for a U2 with a Cree but any more, forget it. On second thought I wouldn't even pay that much.

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I guess it's different strokes for different folks. :wave:I'm the kind of person who'd purchase only a few quality products every year, and don't risk buying cheaper/less well known brands - it has given me tremendous headaches over the years when I do, and I've learnt my lesson. I tend to have a lot of money saved this way too, because I'm not spending it only quantity, only quality. I'm a RICH MAN!