sk68 clone: longitudinal section

[MountainKing]

Here is your review…ok? Thnks. Bye

[Fritz_t_Cat]

@djozz

@Fritz t. Cat

I don’t see anything but pressure to hold it in. The SK-58 has a similar space under the pill. Perhaps the thin section is to keep the body from feeling as hot. I am imagining a management decision based on beta testers complaining about it feeling hot. That doesn’t invalidate the fins on the 68, because they do keep it from feeling as hot.

You wrongly assume that expertise and finetuning has played a significant role in this design. There once was the Nitecore Extreme Infinity:

(BTW, it is a reflector based light, not a zoomie). And someday a chinese factory made a zoomie stealing the design, I assume that that first clone was the Sipik sk68. It was done fast and cheap without much thought, but it appeared to work well and eventually it started selling quite well. And that last thing, and only that last thing, is what triggered the chinese industry, and the response was not let’s make it even better, no, it is: let’s copy that. And later: how can we make an exact as possible copy even cheaper.

If the first designer had bored out the pill cavity a bit less deep so that the pill touched the battery tube on the underside, the heatsinking would have been great, and that great heatsinking would have appeared in each clone. But he didn’t, and the light worked and sold well…

I know all that, but don’t believe that a designer adapting a reflector light shape to a zoomy would miss a small change that would improve both the heat flow and the mechanical strength.

[Halo]

Honestly, I don’t think the designer really cares. Its cheap, lights up and doesn’t burn out within the 45 day paypal dispute window, its perfect! Next.

[Fritz_t_Cat]

Looking in Alibaba, the first listing I find for an SK-68 says “Supply Ability: 50000 Piece/Pieces per Month”. I don’t suppose the designer expected that much success but I think he must have taken the project seriously, probably more seriously than the one who designed the obscure Nitecore Extreme took that design. He relied on Nitecore for style, but did his own engineering. And he got the most important part right, at least, the production cost.

[Ervin_Anastasi]

Lol what an review, very original idea. Cool beamshots too

[Explicit]

This is the most informative review I’ve read on flashlights. Congrats and thanks.
Now, I’d love to see a more high end flashlight reviewed in the same way, but that would be too much to ask.

[Bort]

@Explicit

This is the most informative review I’ve read on flashlights. Congrats and thanks.
Now, I’d love to see a more high end flashlight reviewed in the same way, but that would be too much to ask.

if you pay for the flashlight i bet someone would be willing to do it for you

[djozz]

@Explicit

This is the most informative review I’ve read on flashlights. Congrats and thanks. Now, I’d love to see a more high end flashlight reviewed in the same way, but that would be too much to ask.

Thanks Explicit, I may split a high end light some day but perhaps cheapy's are the more fun because the design flaws are obvious.

Welcome to BLF! :-)

[Explicit]

@Bort

@Explicit

This is the most informative review I’ve read on flashlights. Congrats and thanks.
Now, I’d love to see a more high end flashlight reviewed in the same way, but that would be too much to ask.

if you pay for the flashlight i bet someone would be willing to do it for you

I’d certainly not be willing to pay 100% by myself, but I’d gladly participate in a crowdfunding project. I’d be willing to participate with, lets say 0.05 Bitcoin (roughly $25). If this “review” project is backed by 20 people the funding would total to 1 Bitcoin. I think this would suffice to “review” a $100 flashlight. Anyone else interested to participate?

[Explicit]

Thanks djozz, I am glad you noticed that it was my first post.

[Firelight2]

@musicmagic

now cut a battery in half to complete the picture. :evil:

Hahaha yeah!

[lionheart_2281]

@Explicit

This is the most informative review I’ve read on flashlights. Congrats and thanks.
Now, I’d love to see a more high end flashlight reviewed in the same way, but that would be too much to ask.

I’ve got a Deft X (not really), gee cutting it in half sounds like a great idea!

[CRX]

[ToyKeeper]

I think they got more than their money’s worth for this review!

[djozz]

@CRX

!{width:99%}!

Thanks CRX, these specs suit the picture very well :-)

[Fritz_t_Cat]

@djozz

@Explicit

This is the most informative review I’ve read on flashlights. Congrats and thanks. Now, I’d love to see a more high end flashlight reviewed in the same way, but that would be too much to ask.

Thanks Explicit, I may split a high end light some day but perhaps cheapy’s are the more fun because the design flaws are obvious.

Welcome to BLF!

Perhaps the design flaws of the more expensive lights run more to unnecessary difficulty of production, but I still argue that if you are going to sell a few hundred thousand lights, or even ten thousand at $10 each, it is worth putting a lot of effort into the design. A simple example is the shape of the fins. Tapered fins are more common in cheaper lights and obviously cool better, as well as being easier to make, at least in large numbers. One of the things that makes flashlights interesting to me is that even complicated shapes are cheap to make with numerical control tools, at least as long as they are axially symmetrical. I expect it will be just as easy to spot flaws in expensive lights if we get one cut in half. The lack of an effective patent system must work both ways. One makes less money from a good design, but on the other hand to get a good design a Chinese designer apparently has only to correct the flaws in an existing design and adapt it to his needs, like free software. I wonder if the designers would sell their cut in half flashlights after they are done with them.

[texaspyro]

Djozz’s reviews are a cut above your typical review…

[Explicit]

@Fritz t. Cat

@djozz

@Explicit

This is the most informative review I’ve read on flashlights. Congrats and thanks. Now, I’d love to see a more high end flashlight reviewed in the same way, but that would be too much to ask.

Thanks Explicit, I may split a high end light some day but perhaps cheapy’s are the more fun because the design flaws are obvious.

Welcome to BLF!

Perhaps the design flaws of the more expensive lights run more to unnecessary difficulty of production, but I still argue that if you are going to sell a few hundred thousand lights, or even ten thousand at $10 each, it is worth putting a lot of effort into the design. A simple example is the shape of the fins. Tapered fins are more common in cheaper lights and obviously cool better, as well as being easier to make, at least in large numbers. One of the things that makes flashlights interesting to me is that even complicated shapes are cheap to make with numerical control tools, at least as long as they are axially symmetrical. I expect it will be just as easy to spot flaws in expensive lights if we get one cut in half. The lack of an effective patent system must work both ways. One makes less money from a good design, but on the other hand to get a good design a Chinese designer apparently has only to correct the flaws in an existing design and adapt it to his needs, like free software. I wonder if the designers would sell their cut in half flashlights after they are done with them.

This is precisely why I’d love to see a “naked in-depth review”

If there is enough interest I will open another thread, or someone else can, I don’t mind.
I am pretty sure that we can raise funds to motivate a reputable reviewer to “see into it”.

I’ll stick to my promise and contribute 0.05 BTC (Bitcoin), or 5 LTC (Litecoin), if this is acceptable for the reviewer.

[Fritz_t_Cat]

On this thread: 15mm SK68 Nanjg 5*7135 V1.0 [final] I describe filling the gap between the pill and the thick battery tube with metal, with minimal tooling and material. It would be nice if someone with more stuff would make some rings of copper or soft aluminum and sell them.
The discussion ended up on that thread, because the ring is incompatible with using a 17 mm. driver, so building a good 15 mm. driver was by far the hardest part of the mod. There seems to be little difference between an SK-58 and an SK-68 around the bottom of the pill. I consider 1.8 A too low current to require cooling fins.

[NightSpy]

From 8-24 to 9/29 - that is how long my DX delivery of my gray Sipik Sk68 took!

But is arrived safely and works great.

Looks like things to the US are routed through Zurich, Switzerland now.