DQG Tiny 26650 III Review - 7x XP-G2 2,500lm Pocket rocket!

I finally got one of these, and i’m pretty happy with it. The price was too high at Banggood, but i got it anyway. the Neutral-White is nice, a little on the warm side though. The interface is very nice compared to the POS that was in their early 26650 Triple that uses long-press for on and for off. That was one of the worst ever, this one is a dream in comparison; even if they did copy a lot of Zebralight.

I really wish it was not a battery crusher design and they used springs. for a small savings in length over their previous dual-spring light it’s not worth it. Why they had to be so hung up on creating the shortest light by a few mm at the sacrifice of good design is beyond me. With a large protected cell, there are only like 1.5 threads to catch on the tail-cap. I need to test a few other cells, and see if I can find a protected one that’s a bit shorter. Having used DQG lights since their first lights, I don’t trust them enough to use a non-protected cell.

I’m happy to have another 26650 light that should be useful.

If anyone is interested in the Gray NW version, GearBest is currently selling it at US$49.58 before shipping. Because it has not been categorised as a flash sale, you can use your GB points. After using 743 GB points (discount of US$14.86), the price drops down to a very cool price of US$34.72.

Dang near GIVING it away! :slight_smile:

Nice ssschen, good find. Wish I had the cash flow to pick up items like this, would love another one one I could leave stock…

I have both the gray NW and black CW. Really nice lights IMO - if you like the flood.

The NW is on the warm side though - not so neutral to my taste.

It is one of my favorite UI too. Easy to catch right away. Mid is default when you just turn it on. Shortcuts to every three modes - is it four modes?. I think it can stay on mid at 500-600 lumen for 6-8h. With a high/turbo around 2500 lumen it is a small light that can do. :+1:

…but, i’m not buying a third one!
I’d rather get a forth Q8… twice the output for about the same price (not including batteries though).
…or maybe another D4?

The DQG Tiny 26650 is somehow in between.

I recently purchased a DQG Tiny 26650 3th and had it modded with 7 x Nichia 219C 90CRI 4000K leds.
The beam pattern is now smoother, with less drastic cutoff from the spot to spill. The overall output did drop a little, and so did the throw, but the output is still incredibly bright and tint, CCT, and CRI is absolutely wonderful.

So far, no issues with the LEDs in terms of compatibility with the driver. Mode spacing is still very good.
Really special light for its size. Can sustain much higher output for longer than your usual triple in a small compact body.

Thought I’d share for anybody else thinking about doing the same mod.

:slight_smile:

Very nice. I wonder if the driver is replaceable too so you can put a higher output ramping driver on it so it will be like a D7 in spirit.

The driver of the DQG is actually one of the elements that really convinced me to get the light. It features a super efficient boost driver. A ramping UI would be nice, but I wouldn’t give up the efficiency of this driver for a PWM based ramping one.

As for output, I bet it can squeeze out alot more lumens with a higher output driver, but I actually really like that the high mode can be sustained without ramping down. Not many lights around these days that can sustain about 1000 lumens for over 1.5 hours of constant runtime.

Below is the chart that shows lumen output of XP-G2 vs 219C.

Imgur

And a beamshot comparison:

Imgur

I had a closer look to the MCPCB and I think it is possible to modify it from serial to parallel connection by cutting and reconnecting traces. In this case you need a new driver which fits the special cell connector. I have this idea for quite a while and probably will design a FET+X driver when I find some time.
But there is still a problem if you want high output: the MCPCB is made from aluminium, not copper.

Received my DQG Tiny 26650 III today. Love how tiny it is.

Went out for a walk tonight with my son, and he noticed the buzzing sound coming from my DQG Tiny when I put it on Turbo. I put the flashlight closer to my ear, and sure enough the buzzing sound seems to be constantly there when on Turbo, but not when it was on High. Is this a defect?

Copper or aluminum base substrate don’t really make any significant difference up to 3A per LED. Being DTP or not that’s another thing. You can place a small order quantity for either aluminum or copper DTP 7-up board to Kerui. If I remember correctly the minimum order was something like USD 500, very affordable. Less than that then there’s a certain amount of tooling cost.

- Clemence

Will this work:
https://www.senslite.com.tw/Home/2011/09/29/ø35mm-multi-led-9-cree-xp-mcpcb-7w-mr16/
?
Even if yes, it would probably need to be converted to DTP….

I bet the performance is not differ much compared to OEM board, and I don’t know if the driver still has a headroom to boost another 2 LEDs.

- Clemence

The specs says 9-up LED but the picture shows 7-up. Which one is correct?

Specs say “MR11/MR16/LED Bulb MCPCB for 7 LEDs (SiLED, CREE XP, Nichia 219)”

The driver in this light is pretty special, boosting from a single cell to supply 20V at 1A to the 7S emitter layout. Very little room in this light for modification, as per the norm in DQG lights.

Still very happy with my switch to a high CRI Cree COB, use it for lighting Macro shots regularly. :smiley:

Yup, I modded one and didn’t see a DTP would boost the output to any appreciable value. Each XPG2 takes only 1A. Perhaps removing the thermal glue, bolting down the MCPCB, and use thinner TIM paste would give more outcome.
I rather worrying the switch button and it’s waterproofness. The rubber switch held down only by loose collar. Removing the switch was unexpectedly super easy.

- Clemence

This looks like a very nice light!
The only thing I’m not completely happy about is the mode spacing.
I would love to have a 1200LM setting.

Measured and spec, differ quite a bit. Do you have any idea the same values should be expected from every light from this series? Or can the measured outputs vary between two lights?
The specced high of 800LM isn’t bad, but the measured 946LM is a welcome surprise.



- Clemence

I’ve seen lengths of 92, 97 and 99mm stated in the specs. Head diameters of 33 and 38mm.
What are the real dimensions?

I have a digital caliper, and I have just measured mine. Length is 91.2 mm, and head diameter of 37.8 mm.