Review: LIXADA X3

Flashlight Review: LIXADA X3

Reviewer’s Rating:

Special thanks to TOMTOP for providing this light for review:

LIXADA X3 – 16340 (non-affiliate links)

Manufacturer’s Specs:

Specifications:
Brand: LIXADA
Product Model: X3
Item Color: Black
Material: Aircraft Aluminum
LED Type: XML-T6
Light Color: White
Lumens: Max.1000lms
Power Supply: 1 * 16340 Lithium Battery (not included)
Waterproof: IPX8 (underwater 2m)
Item Size: 9 * 2.6 * 2.2cm / 3.5 * 1 * 0.9in(L * Head Dia. * Tail Dia)
Item Weight: 54g / 1.9oz
Package Size: 10 * 3.8 * 3.8cm / 3.9 * 1.5 * 1.5in
Package Weight: 62g / 2.2oz

_________________________________________

Pros:

  • Affordable option for 16340 flashlight (~$10)
  • Quite throwy for a small light
  • Seems like genuine CREE XM-L inside
  • Heat dissipation is very good
  • Strobe is actually a slower flashing bike strobe
  • Moddable

Cons:

  • Build quality could have been a bit better
      • Tailcap switch driver board doesn’t stay set
      • Bezel o-ring might be wrong size so bezel doesn’t sit flush with head
      • I wouldn’t trust it to be IPX8
  • No mode memory, instead, it is next mode

Conclusion:

This flashlight doesn’t do anything ground-breaking, but it’s nicely priced in between other 16340 options. My cheap $5 generic Ultrafire is a throwaway light while the Trusfire Mini priced at $16 makes it hard to pull the trigger. This X3 sits nicely in the middle. It’s not the most well built, but still serves a purpose. Its compact size, no-worries price point, and decent brightness can make this a good light you would use on a quick walk with the dog, or a bike light for city biking where it can be helpful to get you noticed (blinky mode). Would I trust my life with this light? No. But I also don’t feel the need to dismount it from my bike every time for fear of someone stealing it.

On with the pictures!!

It comes in standard packaging with a lanyard and spare o-rings.

Here’s a quick comparison for size perspective. It’s a bit on the chunky side, but that also helps keep it cool when running on high. Notice the size of the head compared to the S2+. This is what makes it much more throwy than I had expected from a light this size.

Convoy S2+ - 18650, X3 - 16340, Foursevens Mini MA – AA, Tiny DQG - AA

Here is the first stage of disassembly: Head, body, tail cap and switch. I tried to take the driver out, but failed. Might be glued, might be not, but either way my poor tweezers got all bent out of shape from trying.

The switch board is from United Palight. Not really a fan of this switch/board design. It would require trimming of the new switch arms and then soldering if you were to replace it.

Who doesn’t like lots of fins? Notice also the tiny gap between the bezel and the head.

Smooth reflector that also sits rather deep with a centering ring.

Clean soldering job, and it says CREE on the board, but it’s hard to really know these days. The tint color is promising though. (see below)

These beam shots are to show brightness and also tint when compared to my $5 generic Ultrafire 16340. The first set of three are the X3: low, mid, high. The bottom two pictures are the generic with just low and high. Notice the huge difference in tint. The generic had a verified LatticeBright LED inside. Also, the hotspot is quite nice on the X3.

Since we can’t go by the lumens rated by the manufacturer, I can only guess that it’s around 500 lumens on high and about 40 on low. When compared to my other XM-L2 1A lights, the X3 had a slightly green tint.

Thanks for reading!

TOMTOP has told me they are having a promotion on this light so it’s even more budget friendly now.

US$2 coupon code :LIXADAX3
Valid time : 2016.9.06-2016.9.30

The driver looks the same as in my Lixada X1. Did somebody find a way to kill the next mode memory on this kind of driver? Performance is ok for me but the next mode is very annoying…

I’ve already tried to do the pencil trick on these two capacitors (and solder a resistor on top of the larger capacity C1) with no luck.

Did you get a discounted price, or get it free, for review?

Being explicit about that detail protects TOMTOP from attracting FTC attention

Disclosing this detail protects the seller/advertiser/product placement company from attention they don’t want need. Much detail at the link. Amazon’s rule follows the new FTC rule, recently.

(It’s also in our interest here to compare, if only by PM, when several of us are being solicited for reviews — I’ve found I’ve paid more, or less, or nothing comparing with other potential reviewers here, when solicited to get the same light on the same week for a review)

They give it to me for free to test and try, and then I write what I think about it. Should I be disclosing more information than that? I don’t really know what else I would/should say. I’m not getting compensated in any way other than getting a free product to keep. Any suggestions would be great.

> free product to keep.

That, up front, is all the FTC/Amazon wants to see said.

Thanks for the review!

I see a lot of details that make me think it is made by the same people that make Lucky Sun flashlights.