Would you be interested in buying a 4-mode; Very low - Low - Med - High; XP-G version of the Eastward YJ J609 for ~$18?

Thanks Mr Admin for a very thorough and informative post. Looking forward to hear more about the

project when you know more. I´ll make my final decision then.

If I should point to any dealer it would be ITC.

I vote for ITC if the shipping is free via HK post. (and preferably registered mail - traceable mail)

Ebay Seller = perfect!, because paypal offers 100% money back in case of not received item, and now, as paypal policies changed, 100% money back if product arrive defective (or product cost + shipping fee 100% reinbursed)

The manufacturer (I think) cant sell the product directly to us. It will be "competencia desleal" to the HK online shops. Also the manufacturer will not offer us free shipping worldwide.........

I contacted Daniel @ lightake , and gave the details ... Maybe Lightake will stock a 3 mode Hi-Med-Lo .....

At least we have a HK dealer prepared to talk to us , so will see what happens ...

The manufacturer is happy to supply , Hi-med-Lo , we just need a dealer to order Hi-Med-Lo ......

For some strange reason DX keeps ordering/supplying lights with Strobe [ junk function to me ] , obviously it must be something some one wants ? I just want a flashlight with different levels and no junk .

And Im not really sure , dealers or manufacturers care that much ? especially if there selling huge numbers of items [ flashlights ] without our input .

If we keep buying lights with junk modes ? I guess they will keep making them .... I have grown to despise Strobe / SOS ... And any light without such modes is to be treasured ...

Be carefull with sites with no so good RMA policies!

I never RMA , I just fix it myself ..... I expect such when buying cheaper .... Its the price you pay , or dont pay ...

If you buy a light costing the same as a Burger and Fries [ 10 minutes to eat ] and it lasts a month , I consider that value for money

If I buy a light for the same price as a movie ticket [ 2 hours of fun ] and it lasts for 3 months , I consider that value for money

Ive learned a lot from the lights that have been bad , I consider it a very cheap education . There are a few I wish I had never purchased , but I consider that poor form on my part .

I sugested ITC for the same reason as Fran82: free postage, better PayPal protection and

I can add much better RMA than any other dealer I know of.

LT (and some others) are out of the picture for my part, If they dont improve their policies.

I have modded a few lights and can do it again, but as a rule I want a working specimen

from the dealer, so Old´s metode is not one I can support. Besides it will keep all those

who dont mod out of the game.

I throughly share your point of view.

quote:

There are a few I wish I had never purchased , but I consider that poor form on my part .

end quote

I believe averyone of us with a bunch of flashlights has some that became categorized as miserable purchases. You can't truly get to know untill you try out. It's the price you pay to learn so it's not that bad. Gift those to a kid that fell in love with it when you get some random wife visitors at home. ;) Just leave it around to be seen, you might make someone happy with a few $.

I'd be in for at least one, possibly 2.

I'll take at least 1 and if I like it I'll buy more.

Is the advantage of this light over the EOS A2 that it's brighter? If it's similar quality, I'd take one and recommend to others, but if if worse, I'll still take one, but then it's more of a tradeoff.

On subject of vendor, at least Lightake provides a reply to queries. KD just ignores you, DX doesn't care about hobbyists. ITC is probably decent but they also wouldn't reply to my question about XP-G drop-ins (like which version is better with 1 cell), and only interested if you want to buy something from them straight away.

Hi agenthex, to me the J609 looks much nicer than the ITP EOS A2, and it's tailstandable, clicky, and potentially significantly cheaper. And potentially it could have an XP-G emitter, which we would all love. Otherwise, I'm still waiting for a killer deal on the EOS A2, it does look like like a great light, just a tad pricey for my liking.

OK, potential demand of 33 and counting... Looking very promising!

So it appears that most of our more opinionated users generally agree on ITC as a possible vendor? Sounds like a pretty good option. I personally would not be opposed to buying it from Lightake either. But again, let's wait to hear back from the company to see if we can possibly swing a shipping deal. Fran82 mentioned the issue of breaches of contract with the HK retailers if Eastward were to sell the lights directly to us users here. I imagine that could be an issue, although it still doesn't seem like it should be. In this case, we're not simply asking for a cheaper price on a product that other dealers sell. We are asking for an entirely NEW product that nobody sells yet. So I don't think DX or KD could complain about this if they are simply not interested in the product.

Some of you were wondering why DX and friends continue selling lights with strobe and SOS. My guess is that people buy them and usually don't like them, but they don't have any other option of south of $50.00, so they just live with it. And from the Chinese suppliers' end, I suspect it's simply an issue of lack of perception or "feel" for their target market. They probably mistakenly conclude that their consumers will think that MORE MODES = BETTER VALUE. Adding cheap "bling", gimmicky features is a common marketing method. But ultimately, as someone mentioned, they just want to sell what people will buy and make money. So BLF is here is to tell the world that they will sell far more and probably make way more money if they offer some lights without strobe and SOS. And my personal wish is for a light that has an EXTREMELY low mode that offer 60 to 80 hours of runtime on an AA.

Thanks guys. Please make sure that if you are interested in this light to respond (once) in the poll, that's what we'll use to impress the manufacturer with our numbers.

Otherwise, I'm still waiting for a killer deal on the EOS A2, it does look like like a great light, just a tad pricey for my liking.

Yes, but what makes the EOS lights "worth it" is that they have superior build quality (that and no shit modes). Everyone makes a $10 aaa xr-e light, but many are willing to shell out for the A3. It is somewhat assumed here that Eastward meets this bar?

While we're still dreaming, I'd like a neutral-ish (4500K, or just 5000K WH tint is perfect) bin. I'd buy 3 even if they dropped every other feature if they can guarentee that.

I don't know why higher end lights still use WC. I can't think of any reason to prefer it over WH and I can't imagine it would cost much more.

I guess we don't know. The design is really nice, though. If they will do the custom modes with an XP-G emitter, it should be well worth the (very approximately) $18 price we're aiming for. And again, if I'm going to pay more than $15 for a light, I really want it to (1) Tailstand and (2) Be a clicky.

Why click? That takes up mores space for an EDC. Size is why, say, the Tank E07 is worth its price.

Bring on the suggestions! This thing might turn out to be a designer light.

So while we're building our dream flashlight, I'd like to propose the following mode lineup:

  1. Moonlight low (1 lumen)
  2. Low (6 lumens)
  3. Med (40 lumens)
  4. Maximum (150 lumens on NiMH)

In this case it would be called the BLF AA-Z4, of course.

And personally I think that the low mode should come first, because if it defaults to 100% High, it won't turn on at all when the battery is really low. What do you guys think?

Hmmm, does a clicky switch necessarily have to preclude small size? These 1xAAA MXDL lights are tiny little things, despite the clicky.

But it seems like the world already has two perfect budget twisties in the ITP EOS lineup. (Although they should really lose the bump on the tailcap that prevents them from tailstanding.) What we don´t have yet are budget lights with an extremely low mode and a clicky.

I'll buy 1 or 2 of the BLF AA-Z4's. That to me would be close to perfect on a budget light. Low mode when turned on, then medium, then high and then moonlight. No dumb strobes or sos.

Is it just me or is 'QUOTE' missing from this thread? Undecided

Sounds nice = Moon mode / Low / med / High 100% + memory to remember last mode ....

If we are going custom ? How bout mirroring the body [ middle part ] , so it looks like the head end in the picture , for both ends , that would be even more trick ......... Id pay another dollar for that ! , or two !

Good idea old.......I'm in for 1 or 2 of those.