BessieBenny's Budget LED (DX/KD etc) Flashlights Review Roundup (Part VI)

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Re: BessieBenny's Budget LED (DX/KD etc) Flashlights Review Roundup (Part 6)

kosPap said:
As far as I can tell there is no memory when the flashlight is turned off.
Click to expand...

Very interesting, the memory on mine works perfectly...

Still trying to make time to do runtime tests... maybe I'll start tonight..
 
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Re: BessieBenny's Budget LED (DX/KD etc) Flashlights Review Roundup (Part 6)

tonyblack said:
I really wish this light just had 3 brightness levels, I'll never use any of the strobes beyond what I just did to time them for atropine1
Click to expand...

Looking at the description on DX and reading your review here I can't help but think that this is a reasonable little light for the price . . . BUT . . . I would hate to own & use this light due to the dreadful UI.

From DX:
- 6-mode clicky tailcap switch with mode memory: Hi > Mid > Lo > Strobe > SOS > Slow Strobe
- Mode memory returns the flashlights to the previously usage mode when the light is turned on

That UI description puts me off completely and is enough for me to recommend to anyone that they avoid buying this light. If it is in Lo and you wish to bump it up to Mid you have to switch through Strobe-SOS-Slow Strobe-Hi then to Mid, that's five clicks to bump it up a level. If it is on Mid and you want Hi then it is again 5 clicks. Lo to Hi is four clicks, almost as bad.
The Mode memory in my opinion makes it even worse for changing modes. At least my Fenix can be turned off for a couple of seconds then back on to the Lo mode.

I like my Jetbeam much more:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14447
But of course you have to weigh up the better light with the better UI against the higher price. Then again buying a cheaper light and getting completely brassed off with an annoying UI and then buying a dearer light - well it can cost more than just buying the better light to start with. Jetbeam's IBS means you have 3 modes: 'customisable-customisable-customisable' these 3 are very versatile and can be any brightness or any of over a dozen different strobe modes. Sure it costs sixty buck and many will say it is too dear, but that is not all THAT expensive - compared to many lights sixty bucks IS budget!
 
Re: BessieBenny's Budget LED (DX/KD etc) Flashlights Review Roundup (Part 6)

Usually this flashlight use a PIC microcontroller to control levels and the previous mode is stored in EEPROM memory.

You have to keep the light ON for at least 3-5 seconds in the mode you want to start the next time you turn on it again and you have to keep the flashlight OFF for at least 3 seconds. i.e. If you want the flashlight to keep the middle level then turn the flashlight on an choose middle level, keep the light on for 3-5 seconds and then turn the light off. If you keep it off for at least 3 seconds then the next time you turn the light on again it will start in the middle level again.
 
Re: BessieBenny's Budget LED (DX/KD etc) Flashlights Review Roundup (Part 6)

Agree with the above post wholeheartedly!

If I mean to have ANY of my memory lights come on at that level again I do a count to 5.

I really like that the Fenix P2D does L,M,H SOS with NO memory, and the Wolf-Eyes Sniper does H,M,L with no memory.

Whether forward or reverse switch I end up clicking a time or two when I want to change modes in memory lights.
 
Re: BessieBenny's Budget LED (DX/KD etc) Flashlights Review Roundup (Part 6)

I do agree that this light's UI is kinda crappy, but I can cycle through the modes/levels to whatever I want pretty quick and easy... But is there any way to replace the control board in one of these lights with something better? I like the size, and manufacturing quality of the light, and the modes/ UI are the only things I'd change...

That Jetbeam Sure does look like a nice light though... maybe I'll ask for that for christmas... Aparently I'm hard to shop for :o

I thought you guys might get a kick out of this next shot.... it's a photo of the LED and reflector of the light while running... or more accurately, a photo of the projected image of the LEd and reflector... I just aimed the light at a large format camera's lens stopped down to F16 and moved the light 'till it was relatively in focus...

ledprojection.jpg
 
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Re: Smartfire V-65C Cree Q5 - DBS sized reflector thrower

wrong thred
 
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Re: Best MC-E flashlight

Hello Glenda,

I haven't tried either light, but I will move this over to the LED section of the forum.

Tom
 
Re: BessieBenny's Budget LED (DX/KD etc) Flashlights Review Roundup (Part 6)

linterno said:
Usually this flashlight use a PIC microcontroller to control levels and the previous mode is stored in EEPROM memory.

You have to keep the light ON for at least 3-5 seconds in the mode you want to start the next time you turn on it again and you have to keep the flashlight OFF for at least 3 seconds. i.e. If you want the flashlight to keep the middle level then turn the flashlight on an choose middle level, keep the light on for 3-5 seconds and then turn the light off. If you keep it off for at least 3 seconds then the next time you turn the light on again it will start in the middle level again.
Click to expand...

hmm it seems I was caught without knowing my lesson well...I never had a light that required to be off for 3 seconds....I will be checking again...

Now on the UI each of us drinks his coffee diferently. This light has perfect Modes for outdoors. Like the good enough low, and warning locating strobe. And contrary to popular taste I do want a SOS available. I do not mind the mode series too. Usually I like/need a LOT of light so having the high first is what I like.

BTW did I tell you that it can tailstand???

Oh! my light is going! I will be giving it for testing and keeping to a Special forces friend of mine. Just the other day he asked me for a light to replace his maglite and asked for a light for a clip that he can attach insid ethe loops of his webbing! WTF was he sprying my purchases???? LOL

enjoy, Kostas
 
Re: BessieBenny's Budget LED (DX/KD etc) Flashlights Review Roundup (Part 6)

kosPap said:
hmm it seems I was caught without knowing my lesson well...I never had a light that required to be off for 3 seconds....I will be checking again...
Click to expand...
I am going to correct myself. You don't need to let it off for three seconds to save current mode. You only need to let it on in the current mode for 3 to 5 seconds before turning it off.

Some of these flashlights do a very short flicker when the current mode has been saved.

In those with multiple modes in groups you can see a short "turn off" when the driver has changed to the next groups. This group change usually occurs in the lowest mode.

Juan C.
 
Re: BessieBenny's Budget LED (DX/KD etc) Flashlights Review Roundup (Part 6)

linterno said:
I am going to correct myself. You don't need to let it off for three seconds to save current mode. You only need to let it on in the current mode for 3 to 5 seconds before turning it off.

Some of these flashlights do a very short flicker when the current mode has been saved.

In those with multiple modes in groups you can see a short "turn off" when the driver has changed to the next groups. This group change usually occurs in the lowest mode.

Juan C.
Click to expand...

Hmm just when I tried it and found out taht it needs some time fater all!

This light seems better as time goes by. I dropped it twice today (on wooden floor though) and still works
 
Re: BessieBenny's Budget LED (DX/KD etc) Flashlights Review Roundup (Part 6)

Figure since I can't post new thread, this would be the place for this.

I received RC-P3 and RC-X5 today from DX.

P3 is my fave of the two. Switch works better, color of anodizing is more gray than silver of X5.

My X5 needed some fooling with to work. A small magnet on the + contact of the switch fixed it but it took a while to figure it out!

X5 does not get as compact as I figured it would on 1x123. Nor does it seem any brighter with RCR 3.7V than with two NimH AA.

Lastly, not DX but Dollar Tree 3 LED light. Got it home and put three somewhat used AAA Rayovac in it.

For about 1 minute it made near UV light, then went red then went out! The LEDs are not like any I have seen so far. And all three are cooked.

Good thing it only cost a buck!
 
Re: Dealextreme 16607

Well, I got a few runtimes, but I don't have as much time as I'd like to spend on such things... but here's what I did get:

Nimh 2500MaH on high: 62 minutes till noticeable dimming

Alkaline Duracell on high: 54 minutes till noticeable dimming

Trustfire "900MaH" 14500 on high: 58 minutes till complete shut off, with no noticeable dimming. The light would run on low afterwards, but I didn't test for how long.

I left the thing running on low on a duracell most of a day, but I had to stop timing it when I was going out of town...

Hope that helps!
 
Re: Dealextreme 16607

tonyblack said:
Well, I got a few runtimes, but I don't have as much time as I'd like to spend on such things... but here's what I did get:

Nimh 2500MaH on high: 62 minutes till noticeable dimming

Alkaline Duracell on high: 54 minutes till noticeable dimming

Trustfire "900MaH" 14500 on high: 58 minutes till complete shut off, with no noticeable dimming. The light would run on low afterwards, but I didn't test for how long.

I left the thing running on low on a duracell most of a day, but I had to stop timing it when I was going out of town...

Hope that helps!
Click to expand...

Thanks for that report. I guess this light must be regulated and not direct driven. I was wondering if there's any difference in the output of the light when it is run on nimh vs the 14500 lithiums. Presumably the 14500 is brighter?

thanks.
 
Re: Dealextreme 16607

bigballer1 said:
Thanks for that report. I guess this light must be regulated and not direct driven. I was wondering if there's any difference in the output of the light when it is run on nimh vs the 14500 lithiums. Presumably the 14500 is brighter?

thanks.
Click to expand...
No problem, and yes the 14500 is significantly brighter, and the circuitry does appear to be pretty soundly (perhaps heavy-handedly) regulated.

Hope that helps!

I had the opportunity to do a side by side comparison (though no beam shots... Sorry) of this light next to a 3D mag with the mag LED conversion, and this light was discernibly brighter with an alkaline AA than the mag light was with fresh cells. I'm impressed.
 
Re: BessieBenny's Budget LED (DX/KD etc) Flashlights Review Roundup (Part 6)

tonyblack, thank you once again for your information! (I assume you are talking about the 1-AA multi-mode that you have posted shots of). When you said you left it on low "most of the day" until you had to take off, did you mean that you put in a fresh alkaline battery and left it on low? And most of the day would be at least around 8-10 hours? Just a rough estimate would suffice.

In any case, thanks again, and after seeing your beam shots I purchased one myself! Hope it will arrive soon as I think I will like it.
 
Re: BessieBenny's Budget LED (DX/KD etc) Flashlights Review Roundup (Part 6)

highseas said:
tonyblack, thank you once again for your information! (I assume you are talking about the 1-AA multi-mode that you have posted shots of). When you said you left it on low "most of the day" until you had to take off, did you mean that you put in a fresh alkaline battery and left it on low? And most of the day would be at least around 8-10 hours? Just a rough estimate would suffice.

In any case, thanks again, and after seeing your beam shots I purchased one myself! Hope it will arrive soon as I think I will like it.
Click to expand...

Highseas,

Yes, that is the light I'm referring to. I left the light on for about 6/12 or 7 hours before having to leave, but I don't have an exact time for that, let-alone an actual runtime on low.

I hope you like the light you get as much as I like mine. Probably my favorite made in China toy ever :twothumbs I'm EDC'ing it now and have been for over a week, (not that much time admittedly) and see myself carrying it until it breaks.
 
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