Getting What You Pay For

I just received two flashlight from DX today. The Stainless Steel F22 and their Uniquefire L2. I own two Olight T-20 flashlights which have been amazing, very well made and very reliable. Back to my DX "deals", due to budget and curiosity I have purchased from DX in the past. I have the Ultrafire A1, lots of fun and function for a CR123A, and their C3 which has been my EDC for many months.
I wanted to talk to people who are new to LED flashlights, and explain that while the DX products are relatively inexpensive and fun, they should never be confused with the quality flashlights made by name manufacturers. The A1 for example has no mode memory and I doubt it could hold a candle D) to a Quark. The Trustfire F22 is a solid stainless steel beauty with mode memory and pretty bright, but the clicky is very poorly made and hangs up. This is a flashlight you play with or keep in the drawer or glove box. I urge newbies to buy a quality flashlight before ordering a cheapo from DX.
I'm not upset with DX, the batteries have been great and the flashlights are okay. I will not be ordering LED flashlights from DX in the future because it is time to get serious and only buy dependable, quality products. I will be buying a Quark before the end of the year and my next flashlight will be the Nitecore D10. I hope BatteryJunction is up and running very soon, because those folks know their stuff and carry some of the very best flashlights, batteries and chargers. Good luck to those of you who are interested in this fun hobby, and please make the first purchase count.:twothumbs

Frankiarmz said:

I'm not upset with DX, the batteries have been great and the flashlights are okay.

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Even with batteries be careful of Deal Extreme. There have been several reports here on CPF of them selling fake Sanyo Eneloop AA batteries.

My father used to say, "I cannot afford to buy the cheapest". It still holds true.

These days I am no longer buying much in the mid-range lights ($50-100). I'm really only interested in the better and more expensive hand built custom stuff, but I still buy DX stuff from time to time.

However, I consider the DX stuff to be nothing but junk food for a flashaholic. Some stuff is a real good deal (Akoray K106), and some stuff has been total junk, but it all has been fun to play with.

But if you buy a $20 light from DX and are disappointed with the quality and expect more. . . you are lying to yourself.

Yucca Patrol said:

These days I am no longer buying much in the mid-range lights ($50-100). I'm really only interested in the better and more expensive hand built custom stuff, but I still buy DX stuff from time to time.

However, I consider the DX stuff to be nothing but junk food for a flashaholic. Some stuff is a real good deal (Akoray K106), and some stuff has been total junk, but it all has been fun to play with.

But if you buy a $20 light from DX and are disappointed with the quality and expect more. . . you are lying to yourself.

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I agree that we can't expect much from a $20 DX flashlight, but as you said they can be fun. I want folks who are new to flashlights to know the difference between the quality items and DX, and that it is important to start with a quality flashlight. Since we are not kidding ourselves when we buy from DX, there's no harm, but that can't be said of the newbie.

Yucca Patrol said:

However, I consider the DX stuff to be nothing but junk food for a flashaholic. Some stuff is a real good deal (Akoray K106), and some stuff has been total junk, but it all has been fun to play with.

But if you buy a $20 light from DX and are disappointed with the quality and expect more. . . you are lying to yourself.

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Unfortunately DX lights have poor QC so you might get a good one. My AK106 5 mode developed a faulty switch and now it changes mode when tapped. A light such as the ITP A2 is just as bright, but smaller and better made.

Hobbs said:

My father used to say, "I cannot afford to buy the cheapest". It still holds true.

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Someone on the forum has that principle as a sig line, something like "I'm too poor to buy cheap". Wise words indeed.

Hobbs said:

My father used to say, "I cannot afford to buy the cheapest". It still holds true.

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.
My Father used to say "If it's not raining take your coat , If it is raining please yourself" ... This used to puzzle me a lot as a child.

Anyway , I have bought a few torches and Li-Ions etc from DX and have been 100% lucky so far ... Everything working perfectly ... So , to me , they are great and their prices are in my personal budget ... If you have a higher budget , then buy whatever you want and from wherever you want ... If I was an essential user where my life depended on a flashlight then I probably would save up and pay more for a torch ... I suspect that most people in these circumstances will also carry at least one other EDC of comparable quality and price which again takes it out of my financial league.

I have my Solarforces (L2 five mode or L2i single mode) as a main torch and Trustfire F20 five mode (single AA) as my EDC and am waiting for an iTP A2 which will probably become my new EDC ... These are perfectly adequate for my use though they don't have the high prices of certain other "flashy" (pun intended) male jewelry ... The quality is perfectly satisfactory for my needs.

However , back to DX , my only complaint is the length of time it takes to arrive in the UK ... You have to plan several weeks in advance ... Four weeks is classed as a quick delivery.

Still , the price is right.
.

they are perfect to start and to get a feel what is important in lights (individual choice) and what not.
There is so much: output, tint, MACHINING, reliability, finish, materials used, UI, level count, switch action, ...

Dont forget 99,99 % of ppl we know would never ever consider just 20,-- to be a "good value price" for a light.
Thats why everyone brings non funktional cheap plastic crap to night activities
(and then complain about its usefulness)
((and have to be helped out with our spares. Brought along, because we know what will happen)


PS: now, most of them work (I still count on a 1/3 direct faliures at 1st uses) and shipping is quick. More than 2 weeks, thats really long now.

a flashlight is a metal tube with some parts either end. i have some cheapies and some more expensive ones,

they all produce light, none have failed.

I can see we have a difference of opinion regarding wheter or not to buy ceap to begin with, or hold off until after you have a quality flashlight. My budget is also limited, but I'm glad I got a quality flashlight before dabbling with DX. As I have said in previous posts, I am not upset with my DX flashlights but they have their issues. I still think it would be more encouraging for a person new to this hobby to have a good first experience, rather than receive a flashlight that has a problem and is just not that well made.But clearly, "opinions differ".

waddup said:

a flashlight is a metal tube with some parts either end. i have some cheapies and some more expensive ones,

they all produce light, none have failed.

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I beg to differ. Flashlights come in many forms. DX flashlights can be purchased anywhere.

Case in point - "Cute Cow 2-LED Squeeze-Press Powered Battery-Free Dynamo Flashlight (Pink)" is one of the best and brightest animal themed dynamo torches you can get, and although the build quality is a little lacking my 4yr old absolutely loves it, and has no issues accepting that the "piggy flashlight" has horns.

I have been unable to find any comparable products from the 'serious' flashlight vendors.

-PG

I use my DX lights along side my more $$$ ones. I like their stuff for modding, and have reworked them to where they perform as reliably as my most $$$ lights. Half my DX lights required a complete tear down part by part (flickering or DOA). A little dremel work, grinding, trimming, sanding and solder reflow and they are just as good as my best lights.

I am a newbie and can see both sides of this discussion.

My first "decent" light (i use the term loosely) other than a M@g was a Brinkmann Legend LX 2x123 light. It was an impulse buy that wowed me but disarppointed me in battery life (and cost!). After some research, I stepped up to a Streamlight Scorpion. IMHO, its a good light for the price. This was all a few years ago, before I stumbled upon this sight.

Fast forward to now, I have been drawn into the flashlight game without proper funds for the "buy both" motto!

I purchased a Quark 2AA Turbo and this will probably be my workhorse, all-around, go-to, blah blah, light for a long time.

I am now trying to find the best EDC that suits ME. I got a Maratac AAA Stainless that I love. But now I am drawn to a 1xCR123 light for an EDC...but I don't know if I will like this light in my pocket, much less which brand to get.

So, as much as I want to get the best quality light that will a.) function as it should and b.) last a long time, right now I can't afford to just buy a light that might not be what I want.

This is where I believe DX and other places come into play. You don't have to break the bank in hopes getting what you want. If it turns out you like everything (or most things) about the cheapie, you can look for the best quality light that suits your needs and you can afford. If not, you didn' spend a lot of $$ and feel guilty about a light you don't like.

So ultimately, anyone (newbie or not) needs to be be aware of what they are getting from DX type stores and keep their expectations low. Its easier to take being wowed :huh: than let down. :sigh:

A little winded, but just my $.02 :shrug:

PS. I haven't found a light I didn't like, just another light I liked more :twothumbs

PS. I haven't found a light I didn't like, just another light I liked more :twothumbs

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hehehe,
I like that
:thumbs:

IMHO,
If you are just looking for a TOY, DX sells some fun stuff.

(I just ordered a $10 green laser to mess around with. Probably 48 hours later I'll get bored with it.)

However, if you are looking for a TOOL, stick to the real stuff.

Flashlights may be a metal tube but the components (clicky, electronics, etc) are actually pretty complicated and there are plenty of ways to screw it up. Quality costs money. Raw materials may be cheap but R&D never is.

Actually I have to partially disagree on DX... for me it bridged the gap into high quality lights. Like others have said, non-flashaholics consider a $20 light to be excessive for a flashlight (or even carrying two) and DX offers something to show them what modern electronics can do in a "decent" price bracket for them.

Start cheap, you find what you like, and it makes you curious what else a high quality light can offer over the DX lights... I started with Costco lights ages ago, got the TK-566 in... December, and moved to a D10 by the time February rolled around.

One of the key components that seems to be neglected or missing in the cheap lights is proper electronics. I see mention of resistors used in the cheapos to drop the voltage and current thru the LED for 'medium' modes.

In addition to a nice housing, paying for a good light buys you proper constant-current switched-mode regulation that can adjust light intensity without throwing away power in a resistor or something similarly primitive. Translation: more run time for a given battery capacity and light output. Also, such regulation is insensitive to battery voltage fluctuation with state of charge. Properly done, the light will be as bright the last 10 minutes of operation as the first 10 minutes.

Everyones point is valid on this.

I think of flashlights like cars.

When I started I bought a few old/cheap cars.I had a few breakdowns and had to fix them.

This was a good way to learn about my car/flashlight and how it worked.

Flashlights are a bit like that. You buy a cheap light and fix it when/if it goes wrong.

You get to understand how it works and how to fix the problems.

later when you want a better car/flashlight you know what will suit your needs.

Honestly I have never been in a situation where a light failure would be a risk to my life.

As someone else said the DX type lights are still a world apart from what most people still consider a cheap light.

I was going to get a couple lights from DX when I was starting this
hobby but decided against so I could save for an "artisan" light and
support someone who really cared about lights and was hopefully
making more than 3$ an hour and not exposing themselves to
dangerous chemicals or work environs etc. blah blah blah
I run a small bus. and like the idea of supporting them.
sometimes you need to run to target n buy some junky stuff
to "get er done" but I really enjoyed spending the time researching
and finding something special.
I got a bored C2 from EG and SST50 from NB.
it was probably 3x the price of something similar on DX
BUT I got MORE than 3x the fun talking to them and am
more that 3X more exited to pull er outta the bag when
the sun goes down out on the trail.

I did the same with my Limmer boots and with assorted bike
and guitar components.. even a bunch of my drift car mods are done
with small artisan made pieces!

theres goooood stuffff out there made by coool peops for sure!!