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.
This one says "CREE 7W"
LOL
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I received mine recently and the light says "UltraOK" on one side and "CREE" with their logo on the other.
However I noticed that the font used in the word "CREE" seems a little off based on photos I've seen of other Cree lights (I don't personally own any others). It is also missing any kind of "TM" or "(R)" symbol. This seems a little strange to me, is it likely that this is a bootleg light? It seems to work just fine and I'm happy with the performance for the money, but not having any other Cree lights to compare against I'm not sure if I got hoodwinked. The emitter itself "looks" like what I'd expect, based on the shape (and it does have the dark red line around it).
Btw, are there some disassembly instructions for this light, and/or something generic that covers a wide range of lights?
Here's a picture of the CREE side of the light.
Hi Huny, FWIW I just ran mine under running water and also submerged it (for about 30-60 secs) in a sink. I also operated the switch and cycled the zoom several times while it was under water.
Water did intrude behind the lens (between the backside of the lens and the emitter), but the light continued to function fine. Removing the bezel allowed me to shake out the water that did get in.
I don't know how to fully disassemble this thing yet so I don't know if water got into the rest of the body but it seems to be able to withstand a reasonable amount of exposure to water.
HTH!
ETA: After taking off the tailcap I notice that some water did enter the battery compartment. However, as mentioned, the light was still operating properly.
Well, I'm not planning on dunking mine anytime soon. lol Thanks for taking the plunge..
I like my Sipik clone. It came all beat up with little dents all over, but for less than 2 gallons of gas, it's sweet.
Mine also says UltraOK.
Looks like a Q3. No wait, it looks like a Q4. Q5 anyone? :)
Ima order a couple more..
It's a Q3.14159265.... I am sure . ;-)
How odd. I have π memorized to just 8 digits after the decimal point. I like how 1-4-1-5 rhymes with 9-2-6-5, but I'm just a quirky former-math-prodigy. Most people think that 3.14 is sufficient.
Hehe, I wanted to post all the digits of π, but there is a limit of how long posts can be. ;-)
Manafont has these for USD10 with free ship .. thought I'd finally throw my hat in that ring. I know that it's cheaper elsewhere but manafont seem to be much more professional, and shipping out of hong kong seems to be a little more ahem, reliable, these days.
*EDIT* Well two weeks to the day later, and I have this, along with the Trustfire R5-A3. I was fully expecting to like the R5A3 more, but actually I have really been loving this sipik. The color is definitely leaning towards the purplish end, and the plastic aspheric definitely lends itself to some uglier outer-pattern color smearing, but the zoomie is fun as hell, and throws like a mutha ;) Runtime is so-so, and it does eventually get warm, which is a good thing. On 14500 it's very bright, almost as much so as my XP-Gs. I noticed that it pulls 3 Watts on AA, and 4 Watts on 14500.
I've put it in a few people's hands, and it was tough to get it back afterwards. I get the feeling that I'll be ordering several more of these to pass around. Well done, sipik.