The A10 looks alright, let me share some DX experiences with you, back in 2007 i ordered the Ultrafire C3 single mode, 1xAA/14500 with a 2xAA extension tube, that one is working fine, no issues, been banged up, dropped etc and still works great.
Recently, a few months back, i ordered another, exactly the same but this time, had flickering issues, dropped it on purpose and it started acting up.
Then i read about and ordered 2 of the 1xAA/14500 stainless steel Ultrafire C3 5 mode, 1 was more or less okay but the other just up and died on me after 1 drop but other reports state otherwise. It
may be that the first few batches were fine, but
perhaps after the great demand following the good reviews, quality
may have taken a dip. Note that i am being as unbiased as i can be here.
But purchases from shiningbeam are thus far in my personal experience backed by good customer service, less than 24 hrs after i made payment, my order was shipped, not processing but shipped, i found that simply amazing! I have a few orders there, all of them have performed flawlessly to date. With other online sellers, i have had defects, flaws in finishing, nicks and dings that i couldnt (except with one exception) be bothered to send back and even the one that i sent back still has some albeit minor issues (you can see that particular issue
here)
I read on someone's signature line that if he knew then what he knew now, he'd skip all the lower end lights and just go for the quality lights. I heartily agree with that now.
BUT that isnt to say there arent some great deals out there, the Ultrafire RL2088 springs to mind but then again, the price point is comparable to the higher end lights so it had better be a quality product.
Best bang for the buck, balancing quality of production with price and output and from my own humble experience, i would go for the Romisen RC N3 (whether the 2 mode or single mode), selfbuilt has done a review of 2xAA lights and the Romisen is the only 'budget' light featured in his review.
And, have you tried dropping your lights yet? I mean, that's what counts right? you wouldnt want a light that dropped and died. To illustrate, last saturday i was out and had a few too many, someone was asking me why my Nitecore EX10 cost so much more than his cheap 9-LED, 3xAAA light that he had, without a word, i took out my EX10 and flung it full force into a brick wall, picked it up, turned it on, dunked it in a glass of water and said "let's see your light do that"
gave him the link to 4sevens and i think he just ordered one.
quality does count, fellow CPF-er. We have a sort of slang saying in Singapore, "Good things not cheap, cheap things not good" but as with all sayings there are always exceptions to the rule, just have to hunt really hard to find them, am glad that you have had no problems with your purchases so far.
i'd still say go for a RC N3, 2xAAs are easier for a mechanic to grip
