Semi-quick review for Spark SL5-220CW...A great little AA light

I had bought the Spark SL5-210CW about 4 months ago, but from the start its side switch was too easy to click which led to it being very easy to accidentally switch on, so I sent it back for warranty through Going Gear. AFter about 6 weeks I called GG to make sure it had made it, but they just tld me they were expecting the lights to get back very soon, maybe a week. So I waited another 7 weeks, and emailed GG again, but they told me they still had not received it or heard anything, so they had sent me a brand new SL5-220CW, which is the XM-L version of the same light. The SL5-210CW was the XP-G version.

So I get the light when I come home from work and I at first had thought about just selling it at cpf marketplace as a new light, since I now own a Zebralight SC52. But first I decided to take it out, put a battery in it and check to see if it works and if the switch on this light is better than the other. It is.

This light, and the entire SL5 series are single AA lights that look very similar to the 18650 sized SL6 line of lights made by Spark. SO there is a lot of fairly complicated machining involved in producing these lights, and they look very cool. The anodizing is similar to Zebralights. It seems to be of high quality. Right now there's a thread asking whether you like side switches, or if you prefer rear clicky switches. Well, these lights give you BOTH options, as they have a rear clicky and a side switch, both of which operate the same. So you can choose to use the rear or the side switch, it is up to you and it makes no difference which you choose. I kinda like that! It tail stands very well.

Another aspect some people might like, is that they dont appear to have any strobes to get in the way of the basic light functions. It has 5 modes of brightness. You click it on, and it comes on whatever mode you had it in last, so its got mode memory. I like that too! When you click it on, you just hold it down to cycle through the different modes from low to high. But if you ever want the turbo, or super mode as they call it, you simply double click at any time, on any mode, and it brings you to turbo. It will also memorize the turbo mode if you prefer, and come on that mode from off if you leave it there when you shut it off.

It has a screw off crenelated bezel that allows you to see if the light was left on if its sitting face down, and it allows you to remove the lens easily. Also, it comes with a flat diffuser lens that you install by removing the bezel and dropping in the diffuser lens. It has a pretty nice pocket clip that does not get in the way of the head or any moving parts. It attaches at the tail cap, so it can be removed by pulling it off. This light is about 5/8" longer than the tiny Zebralight SC52, so its still a small-ish light. It's reflector is an orange peel type, but its more coarse textured than the SC52. Its beam is very clean and neat. Its hot spot is round and well defined, more so than the XPG version of this light. Its overall beam is almost identical in size to the SC52, thats both the spill and the hot spot.

Its the cool white version, hence the CW at the end of the name. But it pretty neutral. Its not real blue. Its hot spot is 95% white with only the very slightest yellowishness, and a very slight blue to the spill. So I like the tint. Here are the specs: 220L/.9 hours(super), 120L(1.8 hours)Max, 36L(8 hours)med2, 10L(30 hours)Med1, 2L(86hours)Low

This light is made to run on either AA or 14500's. They DO NOT make it clear which batteries they are referring to in the run times and specs I listed above. I have tried the 14500 and the Eneloops and although there is a little difference in brightness, its not a huge difference like with the Jetbeam PA-10 or even a moderately big difference like with the SC52. If I had to guess, I'd say the specs are using the 14500. I compared the SL5-220CW using a 14500 to the SC52 with an Eneloop, and there's almost no noticeable difference in brightness.

But even when I compare the SC52 with an Eneloop to the SL5 with an Eneloop, the difference is very minimal on turbo/super. It seems a little brighter on its super setting than my much larger Jetbeam PA-10 with an Eneloop on its Turbo setting. Although the PA-10 has an awesome 650L turbo setting on a 14500! The SL5-220CW's lowest setting is pretty low and its useful. I think its got well spread out modes too. Unlike the PA-10, this light will function in all modes using either an Eneloop or a 14500.


The light feels good in my hand, and I like the 2 switches, rear and side that accomplish the same thing, and I like that there's no strobes to get in the way. I like the mode memory so I can keep it on the most commonly used mode and it'll stay there for when I need the light again. But its very easy to get to super mode just by a quick double click from any mode.

I think it was Gopatji who said he really liked the Spark SL6, and the SL5 series is just a smaller version of the same light. I really am glad that GG sent me a new SL5-220CW, because I really like the XM-L version better than the XP-G version, because the beam just seemes cleaner, neater and the hot spot is more pronounced and symmetrically round. When I ordered the 210CW, I thought the XM-L would be too floody because its a large emitter in a small reflector, but its just fine, and its not too floody. Its a happy medium between floody and throwy. :twothumbs

I have decided NOT to sell this light. I like it, and its a really cool looking light with some nice features. I may remove the pocket clip but well see. Since its a little bit longer and a wee bit wider than the Sc52, its a little more comfortable in the hand and easier to switch on and off. I really like the SC52, but I could end up liking this one as much.

http://goinggear.com/spark-sl5-220cw-xm-l-t6-cool-white-aa-220-lumen-flashlight.html



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTIAt0YTZ2k

As you alluded in your post, the Spark seems to have some striking similarities to Zebralights, while not being quite the same.
I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling as is there is some connection of them in the background, such as OEM producer or something.

That "holding down the switch for ramping" was also seen quite a while ago with the Nitecore ramping series of lights. And some of the new Nitecore lights have some similiarities in head style such as the EC1, and Jetbeam DDC10 series does too, and a couple of models from Klarus did too(not sure if they still have those models in the line-up at Klarus).
Are they all "copycats", or all they being made in the same place, and these "brands" are all buying their own OEM variants from this Chinese flashlight factory?

Regarding the longer length, which puts it into the middle of the 3" category, I have found that 3.5" is a very good length for EDC and I prefer that length to the sub-3" lights which are just a bit too short for easy handling.

twl said:

As you alluded in your post, the Spark seems to have some striking similarities to Zebralights, while not being quite the same.
I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling as is there is some connection of them in the background, such as OEM producer or something.

That "holding down the switch for ramping" was also seen quite a while ago with the Nitecore ramping series of lights. And some of the new Nitecore lights have some similiarities in head style such as the EC1, and Jetbeam DDC10 series does too, and a couple of models from Klarus did too(not sure if they still have those models in the line-up at Klarus).
Are they all "copycats", or all they being made in the same place, and these "brands" are all buying their own OEM variants from this Chinese flashlight factory?

Regarding the longer length, which puts it into the middle of the 3" category, I have found that 3.5" is a very good length for EDC and I prefer that length to the sub-3" lights which are just a bit too short for easy handling.

Click to expand...

I just realized that by doing this review just a few hours after I'd received this light yesterday, was somewhat hypocritical, considering that I started a thread over at general flashlight forum asking if people had become disappointed with any lights after initially being satisfied with the purchase, and in that thread I pointed out that in too many cases, people do reviews shortly after buying their lights, instead of waiting til they had some experience before reviewing it, yet here I am doing that very thing! However, I did own the XP-G version of this light until I returned it for warranty repair after a few weeks of ownership. So I guess to some degree it may be less hypocritical(LOL)

^Anyway, to twl, When I first received the SL5-210CW several months ago, and I set it on a table beside my ZL SC600, it did seem that there were similarlities in the design, in that these arent the typical black, smooth round cylindrical lights with standard checkering and a rear clicky only. They are different. But as someone else pointed out earlier on another thread, Zebralight started out as a headlamp manufacturer. So by design, the actual body of their lights had to be small and compact to be able to fit into a headlamp setup, so when they started making flashlights, it was no doubt cheaper and easier to just stick with the basic tooling they already had invested in to build those flashlights, which has in effect resulted in lights that look very different from the standard lights of other manufacturers.

Well, Spark started out as a headlamp manufacturer as well, so their lights also had to fit inside the headlamp fixtures, so their lights are generally smaller than many more standard lights. I dont think there are enough similarities to say for sure that companies like ZL, Spark or Nitecore's lights are all made by the same company. With a simple switch, there is a limited number of options for switching from mode to mode, so because 2-3 companies use the press and hold method isnt unusual. Its either press and hold or click your way through, those just about the only options with a simple click switch.

Nice looking light! I may have to add one to my collection!! :devil:

One thing that I should have mentioned in the OP, is that although when you look at the design of this light, it appears to have indents just behind the head that might be there to prevent it from rolling when sat on its side, but in fact those indents dont touch the table when its sitting on its side, so they wont keep it from rolling. However, the pocket clip does stop it from rolling. So if you keep the pocket clip on it wont roll more than a max of about 320 degrees before the clip stops it. But if you remove the pocket clip then it can roll if not on a flat surface.

Its also reverse polarity protected.

Another thing that is curious that I didnt read before, is the following comment made in Spark's specs in the link I provided in the OP. It says: "Electrically conductive aluminum body provides inherent EMI/RFI shielding. SCHOTT ultra clear lens, Reverse polarity protected".

^^Does that mean this light is immune from the extremely rare possibility of a solar storm that could knock out electronics, or from an even more unlikely electromagnetic pulse from a nuclear weapon? Most lights are made from "electrically conductive aluminum", so why wouldnt all aluminum lights be shielded from EMI/RFI damage?