SRK replacement, if it can’t be cured of a contact problem

LED Flashlights – General Info 18650 Flashlights
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I have loved my Skyray King NW for the last five years or so. Unfortunately it began tripping off this week due to lack of contact between the body and head, caused by the metal (screw) connection being slightly stripped over time. If I screw it together then push, it will turn on, but as soon as I let go, the light turns off. If anyone knows how to restore it from such a problem I would appreciate direction.

Otherwise, I need to get a replacement and a bit of an upgrade towards 5K lumens if possible without breaking a $70 budget. I haven’t been connected to light developments over the last 5 years but looks from searching a bit like BLF Q8, Sofirn Q8 or Sofirn BLF SP 36 might be good candidates. I don’t like temperatures cooler than the 5000s, so that may eliminate the Sofirn Q8 even though I like that it appears to throw farther. Am I missing an obvious similar candidate? Is the SP 36 actually brighter than the BLF Q8? If so, seems it would have to have shorter life or a much narrower beam given the 3 vs. 4 18650s but I know little when it comes to light mechanics. Thanks in advance for any help on these topics! If either topic is too hashed, links to threads would also be appreciated.

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Wow, just typed this a few minutes ago, and really don’t wanna retype it. :laughing:

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Copy & paste is your friend Lightbringer…. :smiley:
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Lightbringer wrote:
Wellp, I can’t speak to the Niwalker, but as far as Q8 class lights, you have

  • BLF Q8

  • Sofirn Q8

  • Airpro DC7

I got a few BLF Q8s. Pretty good build quality, nice floody beam, great CT/tint right out of the box.

No Sofirn Q8s, because a) they’re throwier, and I find the BLF’s floody beam lots more useful, b) it’s more CW than NW, again, a negative to me, but Sofirn’s quality in general is spot-on.

The Airpros are quite nice, excellent build quality that I’ve seen, everything nicely lubed, threads glide like they’re made of glass, everything fits like a Swiss watch, plus, it has onboard usb-c charging so you never even have to open it up.

In contrast, my grexes about the BLF Q8s are that the threads on all of mine tend to bind in a few spots and feel a bit grittier, and the O-ring is a bit loose and needs constant unwavering attention when rescrewing it to keep a “tongue” from forming and sticking out and then being lopped off when you fully tighten the head onto the tube, that you constantly have to watch while turning and poking it back in. Unscrewing then rescrewing has gotten to be a laborious chore on the rescrewing part because of this.

So… my particular summary would be that the BLF Q8 has the best and most useful beam profile, hands-down, but mine have minor issues; the Sofirn Q8 would be throwier and cooler but I can’t speak to their quality simply because I don’t have any although it’s likely quite good; and the Airpro DC7 likely has a beam similar to the Sofirn but has built-in charging.

Solution? Get one of each.

Oh, the BLF Q8 has been on sale for around 50bux, the Airpro also was on sale for about 50bux (my first was 43), and the Sofirn will likely have various sales whenever the holidays come up.

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Noooooo, that hurts my head…

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:smiley: :smiley: … :+1:

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Thanks guys, need to add the Airpro DC7 to the shortlist. Warmer temperature like the BLF Q8?

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Gnope, CW like the Sofirn.