i just bought this light... i like the looks of Romisen and their reviews on quality. after some looking around, i believe its a counterfeit... threads are bare, not anodized. its q5 and not q3. and its a slide zoom not twist. and its from yallstore...
im not new to this style lights, i have 3 that im pretty fond of. never bought one online, and pretty p!$$3d its not real.
already have a tracking #, though its not giving any info out yet as it just shipped today. when/if i get it, ill compare it to my 3 i have..
I got it when they were labeled as RC-29 (same item, same seller). It's a fake with abysmal output compared to the real RC-29 (0.8A vs 3A and it shows). I complained and was offered 60% back which I took instead of fighting it. Not a bad deal for $4 since it's at least cree.
could it have been a ground issue for such low current? i sent them a message complaining about the counterfeit, waiting to hear back. guess i need to do my homework on this. never thought theyd counterfeit a $14 light to sell for $10
No, it's just that way. 0.8A isn't low per se, and makes it actually usable on a AA alkaline, but at least for mine they advertised it as something where it's even faking the right item.
I can't figure out how to open the head from a tentative effort, and the tail is glued, so at least not modded by me.
i finally got this light today, about 5 days later than it was supposed to be.
the bad:
twisty zoom, not slide. wanted slide
twisty head threads feel dry and grindy
tail threads not anodized
about 90 l not 280 l
takes AA not cr123a
the good:
threads on tail do feel good, though not many of them
VERY crisp image of die when focused
smaller than i though
basically, im pretty disappointed... but i still am having fun playing with it. the focused die is neat, its real crisp and clear. it says romisen rc-c6 on the head, BUT IT TAKES AA not cr123a. i wanted a single 123 for carry.
so in the end... if he refunds me atleast half the cost, ill be happy with it
i put a 10440 in this thing (i dont have any 14500s) and seems to do just fine. id say its around 120-150l judging by my other lights. hard to tell with out any real way to measure output, and all their beams are different. ill have to get some 14500s just for this.
light comes apart pretty simple... take out battery, unscrew bezel, take out o ring and lens, unscrew bezel base(?), screw head all the way down toward the bottom until its free and slide off toward tail, unscrew led module
i dont know anything about modding lights yet, but id say its doable.
I would start by swapping the driver with one from Shiningbeam. If the emitter doesn't burn out than leave it as is, if the new driver melts the emitter than you can upgrade that after.
@ agenthex - no problem, im a tinker'r... if it comes apart, ill get it.
@ e1320 - looks like the driver in this is about 15-16mm. have you modded one of these? i think something like the 2nd would be good... but what id really like is infinite adjust, if possible. only thing i can find is QTC, but i dont think that would work good for my idea
can this be moved from cr123a section to single AA section? its supposed to be a 123 light, but the knock off is a AA
and also...
i think im going to use this lens on it, unless you guys dont think it would be good. its got a 23mm lens in it, not sure about the deg of the dome. if its getting modded, plastic lens has gotta go
next, id like to make it a forward clicky, maybe with this?
i think i will go the li-ion route, and replace the driver to a 3 mode. but im not sure if the 17mm would work
also, i ran this on a 10440 for 10-15 mins straight tonight. head got a lil warm, but nothing terrible i dont think
on a 10440 @ 3.7v, its drawing 0.78a at the tail cap, and with an advanced lithium AA @ 1.5v its also drawing 0.78a. its gotta be some regulation there
using that chart, at 800ma the led gets 75l/w, this is my results
Volts
3.7
1.5
Watts
2.9
1.17
Lumens
217.5
87.75
surprisingly close to my first guess on an AA. but im still not sure about my calculations
IF my calculations are correct, using a li-ion, and a 1.5a driver, it would push it down to 55l/w, pushing out about 305l, minus a margin for optics. could be a fun, promising light i got here
These in general have boost drivers, which are ostensibly "regulated, but run straight up DD above Vf. It's quite likely you'll see that current draw on lithiums drop unless that 10440 has already drooped to <3.6v or so.
ill keep testing it. ill also test regular AAs amp draw too.
im pretty impressed. for the 4.76 i payed after refund cus its a knock off, this light performs good with li-ions in it. its the smallest light i have, and the throw to flood is a huge differance, unlike the duracell daylight 123 i have
i took it apart and measured the driver board again... i must have misread it, its actually about 16.5mm. i should be able to shave down a 17mm board with a file to fit
i was thinking a forward would be easier to change modes from what i have read, but playing, this reverse seems like it would be ideal for me. only thing is if the switch gets bumped while on, the mode will get changed. but if its forward and the switch gets bumped in my pocket, it could get changed. maybe i can recess the switch a little further into the tail cap, and that will make it tail stand a little better too
Ok I live by UNH I was going to say I have a bag full of drivers and other various parts you are welcome to pick through, but it would cost more in gas to get here than the parts are worth. If you get in a bind let me know.
i agree that this thread should be in the 1x AA forum section..
Great finding this Romisen fake!
How can a manufacturer clone a budget light (worth 13$)? Or maybe it's Romisen himself who does the cloning lol?
From reading this thread i get that your torch cannot tailstand, and that it's twisty too. So there is no benefit if i get it in addition to my real Romisen RC-29 3-Mode 14500 edition by dealextreme.
Woah. i wouldnt have thought that clone manufacturers think that high of the Romisen model!!!
