Chinese flashlights

philsyson · Jul 31, 2011

Hi all
Views much appreciated on the key points of difference between Chinese and US made lights with specific attention to build quality.

To date I only own Chinese lights but have been thinking about HDS or Surefire but would like to understand how these compare with the Chinese manufacturers. I own a few Chinese lights and all seem excellent quality:

Xeno cube

Jetbeam rrt-0, rrt-2, rrt-3

Sunwayman V10r ti

Views appreciated

Phil

yellow · Jul 31, 2011

No need to open several threads ...

You are mixing a term in Your (our) minds: "chinese"
reserved for very cheaply made products of questionable quality,

with the "newer" breed of good quality products, produced there
but on a totally different production level.

philsyson · Jul 31, 2011

Apologees... My iPhone kept freezing and didn't think the posts had gone through.

Thanks for the clarity on differentiation

shane45_1911 · Jul 31, 2011

Here we go again...

philsyson · Jul 31, 2011

Shane I'm sorry I'm not clear in what you mean?

Brasso · Jul 31, 2011

Let me put it like this...

Many of the Chinese lights are good lights for edc, but you don't want to risk your life on them. For that you want something like HDS, Surefire, Streamlight... And use them, test them, etc to make sure they are fmc.

AaronG · Jul 31, 2011

This is a very touchy subject. There has to be more threads like this shut down than any other. You might want to narrow it down a bit and focus on specific build quality questions, for instance some companies use potted electronics which increase reliability.

keep in mind all companies have failures, just some more than others. Are there specific features that your looking for? or a type of environment that you need your light to work in? I think if your hoping for some mystical difference in build quality for the money you'll be disappointed.

P.S. If we can keep it clean I'd love to see more side by side comparisons between different manufacturers with a total light breakdown and no bias towards price or country of origin

philsyson · Jul 31, 2011

Just to be clear:
1. I had no idea that this was a 'touchy subject'
2. I personally am totally objective in my perspective on country of origin

I don't care where the torch comes from if it's well made and functional

Phil

AaronG · Jul 31, 2011

I didn't mean anything towards you. It's just that most threads like this end up with Surefire fans discounting all asian made lights as crap and every body else going off about how Surefire is over priced. Hopefully we can stick to the facts and not go mud slinging again.

I suggested the more specific questions because it's less likely to get ugly asking specific questions.

For reliability there are some great threads and clips about Fenix light torture tests. Also I saw a video where a surefire and Elzetta were beat on until one of them died :devil: One of the tests was being shot repeatedly with a shotgun!

philsyson · Jul 31, 2011

Point taken Aaron.

kramer5150 · Jul 31, 2011

I generally find the well made examples of Chinese lights to be comparable quality to my USA made Surefires.

Jetbeam, spark, zebralight, Olight, Xtar, Fenix (newer models)... all good stuff IMHO.

Specifically I am speaking in terms of:
-Knurl quality
-Thread engagement
-TypeIII
-O-ring engagement
-Heft & robustness
-Switch feel
-Optics quality

Reliability is another issue all together... for this aspect Surefires track record is unmatched over the span of 2-3 decades. The Chinese lights haven't even been around long enough for anyone to make comparisons.

The quark 4-7 lights are really up there too... although most of their designs are small EDC lights so they don't have the weight and heft of many of the others.

low · Jul 31, 2011

AaronG said:
Also I saw a video where a surefire and Elzetta were beat on until one of them died :devil: One of the tests was being shot repeatedly with a shotgun!

Yeah, cool video. But I am not 100% sure the Elzetta died, with a hole through it perhaps there was battery failure and and new battery could have added life to it.

yellow · Jul 31, 2011

what really wonders me with these threads is:
the die hard SF-fans seem not to like that there are makes, that are at least the same (mechanically) for less money.
I started using a 6P/R, followed by 8X and 9N later.
That 6P still is my No.1 used light - now modded with led and 18650.

out of the new models - those with that "please bend me just from looking at me" bezel lip - I have handeled 2.
One is my orange cerakoted 6P and the other a black one I unfortunately recommended to a buddy without knowing about those "new" bezels.
All both have a bent lip from about no use at all.
Without overready`s metal bezel rings the hex bezels are totally useless.
I have now typed this a few times and NEVER had read about this problem ...
but all those die hard fans, shouldn`t they all use their lights way more often and more rugged than my orange shelf queen, standing around on my desk?
* No bent lips preventing to unscrew the retaining ring?
* Or breaking the lip/threads when trying to unscrew?
* Or not getting the ring placed again, because of the bent lip (even when slightly bent to original)?
Out of my very limited personal experience, I can not believe ...

& dont ask me what dings my better chinese lights got from impacts, or the old 6P/8X/9N, when there still came rugged QUALITY from the maker.

If there were a choice, I would any time get the old, round SF models instead of the new ones.

Napalm · Jul 31, 2011

philsyson said:
My iPhone kept freezing and didn't think the posts had gone through.

Would you classify it as an American or Chinese product?

Nap.

Napalm · Jul 31, 2011

I've said it in some other threads but here it is on short again:

- it's 2011, the Chinese can make products of any quality including awesome
- "made in somewhere" doesn't mean much these days
- we have to start to be able to judge the quality of products by ourselves (inspection, test, reviews etc) without relying on brand names or country of provenience as "seals of quality" - as they aren't anymore.

For the OP - examine your existing lights, see whether there's something to them that a different brand does better, if yes, then buy the new brand/model (regardless where it's made), if not, be happy with your lights as they meet your requirements of quality.

Nap.

kramer5150 · Jul 31, 2011

yellow said:
what really wonders me with these threads is:
the die hard SF-fans seem not to like that there are makes, that are at least the same (mechanically) for less money.
I started using a 6P/R, followed by 8X and 9N later.
That 6P still is my No.1 used light - now modded with led and 18650.

out of the new models - those with that "please bend me just from looking at me" bezel lip - I have handeled 2.
One is my orange cerakoted 6P and the other a black one I unfortunately recommended to a buddy without knowing about those "new" bezels.
All both have a bent lip from about no use at all.
Without overready`s metal bezel rings the hex bezels are totally useless.
I have now typed this a few times and NEVER had read about this problem ...
but all those die hard fans, shouldn`t they all use their lights way more often and more rugged than my orange shelf queen, standing around on my desk?
* No bent lips preventing to unscrew the retaining ring?
* Or breaking the lip/threads when trying to unscrew?
* Or not getting the ring placed again, because of the bent lip (even when slightly bent to original)?
Out of my very limited personal experience, I can not believe ...

& dont ask me what dings my better chinese lights got from impacts, or the old 6P/8X/9N, when there still came rugged QUALITY from the maker.

If there were a choice, I would any time get the old, round SF models instead of the new ones.

I replaced my stock SF bezel with a solarforce long ago because of this. $10 with a stainless retainer ring... its $$ well spent. I might be in the minority, but at least on mine its tighter fit with the O-ring too, compared to the stock SF.

Brasso · Jul 31, 2011

I guess I have to disagree with most here. I have not seen any chinese make light that was up to the same stadard of quality as Surefire, HDS, Malkoff, etc.. Just haven't. Some of them are good for edc, but that's about as far as it goes. I'm not saying they can't make them as well, I just haven't seen it yet.

rmteo · Jul 31, 2011

Brasso said:
....I have not seen any chinese make light that was up to the same stadard of quality as Surefire, HDS, Malkoff, etc.. Just haven't.

What are your criteria for quality and what methodology did you use to arrive at that conclusion? What sample sizes have you looked at? Quality can be measured and quantified though testing - not something that you can determine just by looking at the product.

Hobbs · Jul 31, 2011

Some are better than others, even two of the same brand and model can vary wildly, I actually had THREE that were all different. For the money and as long as you can return it if you get a bad one, I say good value for the money.

ebow86 · Jul 31, 2011

Brasso said:
I guess I have to disagree with most here. I have not seen any chinese make light that was up to the same stadard of quality as Surefire, HDS, Malkoff, etc.. Just haven't. Some of them are good for edc, but that's about as far as it goes. I'm not saying they can't make them as well, I just haven't seen it yet.

That is true, there aren't any Chinese light's that are up to the quality standard of surefire, HDS, or malkoff. But that's not to say that their aren't some VERY GOOD QUALITY CHINESE brands out there, and their getting better and better everyday. Then again, why should someone expect a Chinese light that cost 1/2 the price to be of the same quality? Things don't work that way. I fully acknowledge that the Chinese company's are making extremely well made and reliable flashlights that are much more affordable that whats made here in the USA, but if someone is expecting their Chinese made light to match or equal the quality of the best USA made lights for half the price, they are kidding themselves. My whole viewpoint on the matter is " many Chinese made flashlights are extremely well made and affordable" BUT "certain USA manufactured lights are of a higher quality but will cost you much more in return for that extra increase in quality". Also try to keep in mind that there's a vast amount of junk lights that come out of china that flood places like DX which can really hurt the reputation of the really good stuff that comes out of China, so don't think for a minute that doesn't play a signifigant role in people thoughts on the matter.

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