It came out with ease. First unscrew the bezel with the glass lens at the front and remove. Then pull the zoom slid back. The pill has two slots, fix someting across the slots and twist/unscrew. I used a wide metal rule. Once the pill is out you need to remove the metal cover arond the LED, under that will be a plastic cover. Then gently lift the LED.
I got my Sipik SK68 a couple weeks ago and like it a lot. Haven't taken it apart to check for thermal paste because I haven't felt like tearing it up just yet. Heat sinking seems to be very good if there is no paste in it as the entire housing seems to get warm evenly if left on for a couple minutes. I love the heatsinking potential on this torch with the fins and the solid back on the pill under the emitter. In comparison, the classic zoomer, the x2000 (aka c30), has the hollow pill with only the outer edges of the emitter contacting the pill is simply horrible with heat management. Currently the SK68 is my EDC torch.
Call me a noob (might be new here but not to torches) but I still love zoomers especially as EDC lights because of their versatility. Are they as good as a high end dedicated thrower? No, but they are almost as good when you want to reach out and touch someone/something. They kick the snot out of many mid-to-high end throwers without having to light up the entire countryside and making your presence known to all. Are they the best flooders available? While they certainly don't cast as wide a flood as a good flood light, they certainly make up for it in the quality of the circle of light they do cast. Almost zero hotspot with smooth distribution just perfect for working on computers and searching for small items. I find the hotspot most torches have makes them horrible for seaching for small things inside or outside because the hotspot almost obscures anythig you are trying to locate or see clearly. To me anything other than a zoomer is a specialty light and therefore not a versatile EDC torch. A good zoomer is also almost as good as a laser for pointing out stars and other objects in the night sky. Nothing says "Jedi Knight" and wows the crowd like this light. It even looks like a small light saber. 
As for the SK68 in particular, the one thing it definitely lacks is modes. I run 14500 cells in my AA sized torches and without a mid or low option they just put out far too much light and heat with only the 1 mode and run time is greatly reduced. I have a nice 5-mode driver I will be installing in mine soon that will take care of that. It could also use some knurling on the tail cap. While not impossible to open and close, I would certainly feel more secure with it if I could get a better grip on it. Thankfully the threading on mine is nearly perfect. The lense housing moves nicely with not too much friction nor too lose and with very little wobble.
Cheers,
Johnny
Looks like a great light. I would solve the one mode only with QTC pill...
Does anyone know if the seemingly-identical Q5 lights on eBay really are Q5? Example:
This seems otherwise the same as the Sipik SK68 for about the same price delivered. I'd prefer ordering from DX vs. eBay but if I can get a better emitter for the same price then I'd go for it.
I got it, and its a Q5.
It's Q4 according to Sipik themselves and I really doubt they would make custom Q5s for every seller on ebay. So no it's not Q5.
And DX has downgraded its specs to Q3 just so they cant be accused of bragging. LOL
GMX go buy the light, its very bright, can tailstand and good for edc as it has a clip.
Cree only specify a minimum output bin for orders. If you order a batch of Q3s and Cree haven't got any (Which wouldn't surprise me as they tend to get higher in bin as the process gets improved), you'll get what they have even if that means you get a batch of R2s or R3s instead. I wonder if Cree have any white XR-E Q3 or Q4 emitters any more
I just installed a 3-mode 1000mA driver I got from ShiningBeam into my SK68. High output is much better and low is great for reading in bed and such. The original driver was no more than a 700mA so now it is pushed to it's full potential. I think I'll swap out the Q3 with one of the Q5 emitters I have in my bin. Then it really should be putting out quite a bit of light. As it is it puts out a brighter focus spot than the hotspot from my xml-t6 driven at 2800mA. With multi-modes it really is a great little torch!
Thanks for the responses.
I am definitely buying one of these since it looks like just what I'm looking for, feature-wise. But for roughly the same money it seems like a gamble as to whether it's delivered with a Q3, Q5 or something else, no matter where I buy it -- does that sound right?
Nautic, you got yours off eBay from a similar "Q5" advertisement?
I did, the eBay listing didn't have Sipik anywhere on the page but it had Sipik on the body.
three of these from Focalprice. They draw around 1300mA from a 14500.
Yes same dealer
Mine just arrived (very fast shipping from the eBay dealer!). I am only running an alkaline AA in it right now, but I have to say -- wow! This is an amazingly bright and versatile little light.
Mine doesn't say "Sipik" anywhere on it though, instead it says "UltraOK" on one side and CREE on the other. Sorry for the newbie question, but how can I tell if this has a Q3 or Q5 in it?
Can't wait til my 14500 batts arrive....
Unfortunately, the only way to tell between different emitter bins is by direct comparison - same driver, same battery (at the same charge), same optics, same reflector.
As Jekostas wrote, very difficult. But you can see if its a new or old version of the led.
The new EZ900 has a dark-red line all around the chip
What's the difference between a Q3 and Q5?
13 lumen @ 350mA (93.9 vs 107) and 37 lumen @ 1000mA (268 vs 305)
Thanks, and can you tell them apart by looking at them?
No. And if it says Sipik 68 you get the same emitter everywhere, unless you find one with a (fake/old) OSRAM, it's not Q5 just because an inflated ebay description says so.