Hong Kong eBay NDI - the real deal

Thanks to CPF member gilly I was pointed in the direction of eBay in order to get around the seemingly endless delays of Tadgear getting NDI's in. $71 + $1 post seemed too good to pass on, so I got one from HK seller scopeandlaser. 8 days from hitting the "buy now" to the package hitting my doorstep - wow!

If this is an NDI knockoff then it's a pretty good one (looks and quacks like a duck etc). Comes in the nice box, with all the trappings including the GIDT lanyard and spare tactical button, and as for the torch itself...

Good:
- Astonishingly bright. Easily as bright as my 120P. It's just mindboggling how much light can come out of a 1xAA torch. On an NiMH it easily outshines my L1D-Q5 with an E2 lithium.
- Perfect neutral tint
- Nice UI. Essentially a 2 stage torch with one programmable level.
- Decent tactical clickie.
- Decent low. I estimate it to be the same as the low primary on an HDS B42, about 2-3 lm.
- No PWM observable
- Beautiful fit and finish, and a very attractive little torch.
- Antiroll
- Perfectly centered LED in a blemish free OP reflector

Bad:
- Very ringy beam, far worse than my smooth reflectored L1D-Q5. I figure the light has been optimised for throw, so c'est la vie..
- Very gritty feeling threads. Mine came completely lube free to the point where it actually squeaked as I disassembled it. Even after careful cleaning and lubing with silicone it's not at all smooth,. Strangely enough the threads actually looked beautifully smooth and shiny though.
- Slight UI bug. If the torch has been used in low mode, then switched off, then the head tightened to high mode, it won't actually come on in high mode using tactical momentary. The buttun needs to be held for >0.5sec for the electronics to actually register and switch modes.

Neutral:
- Very slight inductor whine
- Agressive looking scalloped head is actually fine for pocket use. I was a bit worried but needn't have been.
- Has no "strong light" printing. I didn't care either way.
- Doesn't tail stand
- No SOS.


All in all the NDI is a shining example (pun intended) of what can be done to innovate with a 1xAA LED torch. I'm very pleased I took a chance on the HK version, as I now have a torch which is competing with my Proton Pro for EDC duties.

you should have Jet-1 Pro R2 as well to add to your arsenal.

nanotech17 said:

you should have Jet-1 Pro R2 as well to add to your arsenal.

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Don't tempt me. Off to search CPF now....

I had the gritty thread problem on mine also - more of a grinding problem really.

Cleaned the threads multiple times to no avail.

What worked was to sharpen a bit of stiff wire to a very fine point then to bend it near 90 deg near the point. A bit like a dentists pick.

I than used this to gently 'scour' the bottom of the threads in the head. Then cleaned the threads again and lubed them. The result was a nice smooth thread action.

What I think happens is that there might be some manufacturing stage that involves sand blasting and the parts are not thoroughly cleaned enough - or there is just too much grit around the place in general - afterwards. When the heads are first assembled, tiny bits of hard grit get pushed into the aluminium so they are partially embedded in it. Simple cleaning does not provide enough force to dislodge them - the hard sharp pick does.

Some stuff that might help you..

- Slight UI bug. If the torch has been used in low mode, then switched off, then the head tightened to high mode, it won't actually come on in high mode using tactical momentary. The buttun needs to be held for >0.5sec for the electronics to actually register and switch modes.

WadeF found that if you only keep the low on for less then a second, when you turn it back to turbo, it will not have the lag effect.



- Doesn't tail stand

This_is_Nascar wanted tailstand, someone, i cant remember who, sugested disassembling the tail cap, and putting a smal o-ring just behind the switch.

- No SOS.

i wish it did though, considering that adding it would probably not have gotten in the way of anything.



Crenshaw

Cheapskate said:

I had the gritty thread problem on mine also - more of a grinding problem really.

Cleaned the threads multiple times to no avail.

What worked was to sharpen a bit of stiff wire to a very fine point then to bend it near 90 deg near the point. A bit like a dentists pick.

I than used this to gently 'scour' the bottom of the threads in the head. Then cleaned the threads again and lubed them. The result was a nice smooth thread action.

What I think happens is that there might be some manufacturing stage that involves sand blasting and the parts are not thoroughly cleaned enough - or there is just too much grit around the place in general - afterwards. When the heads are first assembled, tiny bits of hard grit get pushed into the aluminium so they are partially embedded in it. Simple cleaning does not provide enough force to dislodge them - the hard sharp pick does.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip, I'm gonna give it a go for sure.

Crenshaw said:

Some stuff that might help you..

- Slight UI bug. If the torch has been used in low mode, then switched off, then the head tightened to high mode, it won't actually come on in high mode using tactical momentary. The buttun needs to be held for >0.5sec for the electronics to actually register and switch modes.

WadeF found that if you only keep the low on for less then a second, when you turn it back to turbo, it will not have the lag effect.



- Doesn't tail stand

This_is_Nascar wanted tailstand, someone, i cant remember who, sugested disassembling the tail cap, and putting a smal o-ring just behind the switch.

- No SOS.

i wish it did though, considering that adding it would probably not have gotten in the way of anything.



Crenshaw

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Thanks for the pointers crenshaw. As the resident CPF NDI fanatic I would have been surprised not to hear from you

haha, i have been abit enthusiastic havnt I...

but the cult of the NDI is growing...bwaahahah! :devil:





Crenshaw

I bought an NDI from ebay last week from hkequipment. I won't be getting it for at least another week or two. I can't wait.

Hello Chaps Congrats for joining the NDI family :thumbsup: every time i get a new light the NDI goes in to my side cargo pocket but after acouple of days playing with the new lights i get fed up but for some reason the NDI is 1 light i just seem to cant get enough of i just love it

Enjoyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

I'd let Edge Tac know about the gritty threads. They maybe able to take steps to avoid that issue in the future. Mine didn't have any gritty threads, but I was in on the first production run so maybe they were more careful.

WadeF said:

I'd let Edge Tac know about the gritty threads. They maybe able to take steps to avoid that issue in the future. Mine didn't have any gritty threads, but I was in on the first production run so maybe they were more careful.

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Below you can see the EDGETACs answer (2 of them) about gritty threads.

EDGETAC said:

Dear phantom23,

Thanks for the reply.
I know what you mean now. Yes, the threads of the new batch all IMPROVED! They are Nickel-plated, which should be one and only threads processing for the moment, and it will solve the issues some customers met with before, the metal we plated is used for making coins here, really strong and smooth.

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EDGETAC said:

Hi phantom23,

The NDI you received is newer batch than those we ship to HK, they are earlier than yours, and the threads have not yet improved.

As to the noisy and gritting, please try use some grease for it, since the threads are Nickel-plated, they are both very smooth, so when they meet and have to be screwed together, they produce noise and grit you mentioned, you may imagine two glass face press together and when you have to move them. So a little grease will help, please try, thanks!

I hope that you can enjoy the light!


Best Regards,

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Price is now $80 on Ebay. I'll wait and buy from TAD.

bspofford said:

Price is now $80 on Ebay. I'll wait and buy from TAD.

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Still $71.99 as far as i can see. But if this isn't the latest ones with the "improved threads" i won't buy it.

Thread started with $71 + $1, and same seller is now at $71.99 + $8 or $80. Seems to me that the price went up $8 and is now the same as TAD. I just bought two lights at TAD and shipping over $149 is free.

I ordered mine from eBay last week and am hoping to get it later this week or early next. Even though I wanted to see what all the buzz is about I am also curious as to why a lot of people are only hanging onto them a couple of weeks and then selling them. Any thoughts??

I would like to see any beam shots because I too was looking into this little bugger but the "ringy beam" doesnt interest me.

bspofford said:

Thread started with $71 + $1, and same seller is now at $71.99 + $8 or $80. Seems to me that the price went up $8 and is now the same as TAD. I just bought two lights at TAD and shipping over $149 is free.

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That's what happens when someone starts these threads. Some dealers complain to the maker and then the maker slaps the other dealer around.

senna94 said:

I ordered mine from eBay last week and am hoping to get it later this week or early next. Even though I wanted to see what all the buzz is about I am also curious as to why a lot of people are only hanging onto them a couple of weeks and then selling them. Any thoughts??

Click to expand...

+1 exactly what I was thinking about too. Maybe some sellers can asnwer this?

phantom23 said:

Below you can see the EDGETACs answer (2 of them) about gritty threads.

Click to expand...

After using the light for a while the gritty threads issue is the only thing that is getting me down slightly about this torch. I tried cleaning out the threads with a bent safety pin, then scrubbing with an old toothbrush dipped in isopropanol, then lightly lubing, and the bloody thing still squeaks and grinds. OTOH once the head is on, it's only a few degrees of travel to switch modes so the roughness is less appreciable.

EDIT: I notice that if I reassemble the torch without a battery in it, the action actually feels reasonably smooth. The pressure of the battery must force the threads together and roughen things up a little.