Good, cheap SK-68 clone found

I have bought and received and tested 8 of these lights http://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?\_odkw=&\_ssn=ordinaryworld2009&hash=item48973e05eb%3Ag%3AvxEAAOSw241YcC0V&item=311775069675&\_osacat=0&\_from=R40&\_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xsipik.TRS0&\_nkw=sipik&\_sacat=0
for between 99c and $1.55 from dates 26 Nov to 25 Dec 2016 and now that my purchasing is done can heartily recommend them as great value for money.
Although they don’t have actual q5 LEDs like my 3 or 4 year old sk68 clones, the LEDs they do have are almost as bright, last much longer and don’t heat up as much (which indicates reasonable efficiency to me). 5 of the 8 I have tested have a colder/harsher light than my old lights but 3 have almost the same warmth as the old ones (for some reason the warmer ones last longer.)

The SK68 clone I bought from zeusmall on the 28th Nov was a piece of junk and has already been binned. The light was very weak and the flashlight was terribly designed so the lens couldn’t go all the way back leaving a tight beam at full flood.

Personally I take the lens off my SK68s for use in the house and have a magnificent almost hemisphere of light to work with.

Thanks Sean,

which seller are you referring to has the good ones?

Sorry about that. It was every flashlight in the link I posted but clicking on the link comes up with 0 results :rage: .

It is every flashlight in the new link I posted and TESTED :+1:

It seems the seller has run out so if the link ever has the lights for sale again, it will be a new batch without my recommendation.

Are the new lights you bought xpe’s or are they fake cree lattice brite emitters ?

if you haven’t de-domed one .i’d suggest trying it and maybe swapping out an emitter with a de-domed xpe2 or xpg-2…maybe a nichia high cri

My magnifying glass tells me they have the proper 3 rectangles and round connectors in 2 corners but whether they are fakes or real I am perfectly happy with their brightness and endurance so won’t be swapping anything.

finally got the link to work, assume this one is the one you bought. Looks like he raised prices to 7.90 and The angels on the side of his decription are watching that marvel of light and saying: I can’t believe it’s a CREE :).

He always had one for $7.90, presumably as an anchoring price to make the others seem bargains and no-one has been stupid enough to buy it yet.

I got a couple Sipik Sk68 just before Christmas listed as Auctions. Both were around $1 and included ePacket trackable shipping through USPS. Both were inside a box, in the envelope (bag) and shipped separately. They are the best ones out there these days and 14500 compatible. Oh, and mine came from the same seller listing them for $8 now. Linked above.

Selling cheap at start to get a good “sell count” for some product to make it look like more reasonable choice to purchase even when the price has gone up?

The auctions come and go… have bought them before and all arrived fast and packaged the same. Can’t say 100% prior purchases were the exact same seller as the last two but they all were packaged identical. More will come.

Due to Traditional Spring Festival and New Year Holiday, we will off until 04th Feb.Sorry for the inconvenience.

This is probably why the price is still high and there are no other listings .\

A quick gas dedome is an easy way to get more throw and in some cases a better tint .
Do they need thermal paste under these emitters ?

I had some of those SK68’s. Those has hollow pill, so paste has no use… for SK68 clones are indeed decent, however if you’re looking for solid pill (thin and aluminium, but still - not hollow) - check Hugsby V1. I find hugsby quality MUCH better than any SK68 I owned. Just the driver is next mode memory…

Sipik SK68 are back on ebay for cheap auctions. Have already received one and another arriving in a couple days.

1xAA SIPIK SK68 3W Cree Q5 250-Lumen Convex Lens LED Flashlight 1x14500

Just received a PM from another user so I thought I would post here too.

I have bought several Sipik branded lights from ordinaryworld2009, usually for $1.50 or less. It is a cheap light but it is the best one out there that I know of.
AAA or 14500 batteries.
Hollow pill
16mm mcpcb
Not sure on emitter. XT-E maybe, probably fake
15mm driver