Marduke
Flashaholic
Last month I decided I wanted try try out this little 1xAAA stainless light from DX. I enjoy it enough that I wanted to post a little mini-review for everyone. BTW, the picture on the main page is incorrect (it's of the UF C3). The lower pics are correct however (at this time)
This light was originally brought to our attention in this thread, which has some excellent pictures and beamshots, so I won't really duplicate those (I'm horrible at beamshots).
Some good points to note:
I would recommend this light to anyone in the market for a powerful AAA keychain light where the slight bit of added weight was of little concern.
Picture for comparison:
This light was originally brought to our attention in this thread, which has some excellent pictures and beamshots, so I won't really duplicate those (I'm horrible at beamshots).
Some good points to note:
- High on par with LOD Q4
- Excellent machining and finish
- High frequency PWM (not perceivable in any way)
- Very floody
- Came with 4 extra o-rings.
- Fenix AAA clip fits perfectly, and lets it ride very low in bezel-up configuration with no chance of the clip sliding off.
- Spring in bottom, so not a "battery crusher" style light.
- At least with my unit, it was clear that QC actually put a battery in and tested the light, as there was the scuff mark of a battery nipple on the PCB when it arrived.
- Good heatsinking (body warms quickly on high, a good sign)
- 10440 use is suposedly supported, however I have not tried it.
- Slight bit of wobble in head, but it's not bad at all
- Have to wait approx 1/2 to 1 second after switch off to cycle modes. It doesn't switch modes automatically with every power interrupt. This helps to avoid accidental mode switching with intermittent contact, but you can't quickly cycle though modes like some lights (LOD). It was a little odd at first, but I quickly got used to it, and found that it's easy for most people who generally don't twist on and off very quickly. It's really a non-issue most of the time.
- Little heavy for it's size (it is steel after all...)
- Medium is slightly brighter than LOD Q4, low is about the same or slightly lower, high is about the same (both on NiMH). Strobe appears to be slightly faster
- There is no SOS in mine. Instead, it's a different beacon mode. It's two quick flashes, then a long pause of about 2 seconds. Between flashes during the long pause the LED die glows very dimly.
- Even on the low setting, there is no noticeable PWM affects, unlike the LOD. I suspect the PWM frequency is set to several kHz, well above what is possible to perceive with your eyes. I checked this my waving something in front. Both a wagging finger or various fan blades show no affect.
- Nearly the exact same size as the Fenix LOD.
- Uses Chinese made Cree. Would have preferred US made.
- Head and body completely interchangeable with LOD
I would recommend this light to anyone in the market for a powerful AAA keychain light where the slight bit of added weight was of little concern.
Picture for comparison:
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