Upcoming review ,RJ-T9C with Luminus SBT-70 LED

LED Flashlights – General Info
1

One of the good things of living in China is that you can get firstly the latest flashlights in your hands before they arrive the market. M. Jiang, has been very kind and lend me one prototype of the first flashlight in the world using a innovative LED.

As founder of Barbolight, I have been in flashlight business many years (AKA “Barbarin” in CPF), so I think I can give you a good review of the light.

I’m coming back to Spain in a few days, so it will take more than desired, but I promise a good set of pics, beamshots included.

Speaking frankly, since my last and terrible experience with the design of the Triton flashlights, and the infamous company “Archon” owned by sneaky Mr. Felix Cai and his colleagues at Xeccon, I decided that I wanted to haved nothing with flashights… but I’m insane and I’ma little masochistic, so I can’t avoid it (Btw, you can join Archon Dive Lights on FB )

The reason you will see this review here before than anywere else is because I no longer feel confortable at CPF, after the way the now beheaded DM51 acted on this, which was far from elegant.

One day, I promise you to tell the whole story, as a vengeance, yes, but also as warning to others, because this costed me a lot of time, effort, money and even reputation and would like to help others to avoid this.

Well, coming back to the light, here they are my first impressions.

1. Body: Bulky, well executed, heavy, quality materials and finish, and imaginative solutions (charging system).

2. Beam: Impressive hotspot with a very wide corona. No soft transition (SMO reflector)

3. Comparisson. I have a collection of cheap lights I use to buy at the Huaquiangbei market. The only one which can get similiar result in terms of beam type is an XML with a 65 mm OD, and deep SMO reflector, but to my naked (but well trained eye, as I still work on lighting industry as CTO) I would say that the overall amount of light OTF is double (lm) and the peak lux is probably 130% higher so, it “throws” double. Roughly the hot-spot is 3º in both models, while the corona is 40º on the XML light and 75º on the reviewed one. The luxometer is now on the office, but I have few of them in Spain, so will get you that information, and I have free access to a photogoniometer (Everfine) as well as an integrating sphere, but those tests will take place when I come back to China, in August.

4. Comments. With no doubt this one will be if not beating at least on the same league as a 24 Watt HID, in overall performance, with similar power and results.

Probably tomorrow I’ll take some pics in Hong Kong before I take the plane, so you will have your daily dose of teasing.

Best regards,

Javier

2

Hola Javier!!! Welcome to BLF.

Yeah that Barborlight / Archon thing was a real mess on CPF. I hope your BLF involvement is much more to your liking.

Your thread here touches on a LOT of very controversial topics (DM51 dismissal, Barborlight VS Archon, Copying/cloning/stealing designs, business ethics…etc.). BLF is a MUCH more loosely moderated forum, people here are very free to post and say what that want… thats why I like it here. But it can be a double edged sword, in that threads can easily wander VERY FAR off topic when an opening thread touches on multiple discussion topics. No hard feelings here friend… just courteous little heads-up. Its a vastly different community here than CPF because its not moderated as strictly.

Anyways… thanks for the heads-up. Looking forward to your BLF involvement!!

What LED does it use? EDIT OOps never mind, I just read your title more carefully.

3

I would predict it will throw… about 500m at best?

4

I looked at this light but they don’t indicate price, just that you can send a request to buy one.

5

I would not recommend this company. I emailed them numerous times about purchasing this flashlight and the price that they ask varies and they did not honor the price they offered me. Furthermore when I mentioned BLF they then ceased communication with me. This company is not going to be getting any of my business.

6

Hello Kramer,

Thank you very much for your advice. Yes, I got the chance to speak a lot about of things that I had kept silent for no other reason than my own pain to avoid talking on them. As I said I will open a thread specific on it, on the Archon vs Triton thing, and I will upload all the original ACAD files, making the lights “open code”, so now everyone will be able to copy them. I can proof all my words, so no controversial at all.

Regarding DM51, I asked him politely to remove from the forum all the accusations he made with no proof after I proved that the original designs were mine (I was guilty with no proof), but he never did that. Being a member since 2001 and manufacturer with long story I deserved different behaviour, I think.

Anyway, as I said, this thread is for the light, not for me.

Regarding the price… sincerely, have no idea, but I guess is not going to be cheap, because the materials are expensive and the quality really high. Quality machining, QC, HA, good reflectors, AR coated glass… is expensive in China too. Of course, you can be sure that if the light was named Surefire Stratowarriornightdestroyer, it would be on the 2000 US$ range, but that is not related so much to quality than to mkt, brand name and promotion (which cost a lot to keep and maintain) and undoubtely the cost of their excelent CS and warranties.

7

Well,

All I can say is that I tried to buy it, and I got one “for free” (I will have to give it back). I have no commercial links with the company, but Mr. Jiang, who is the manager and does not speak english, was very nice and passionate about flashlight technology, as well as proud of some of the achievements. Probably a nice guy, with deep knowledge on the area, but not the best for customer relationships.

He asked me some technical aspects and my opinion on the light… I’m reviewing it because I like it, and because I think I have the only one out there, with a very special LED.

My two cents.

Javier

8

Well I was quoted a few different prices ranging from 135 (I wanted to purchase it then but they no longer replied to that email) to 200. So it is fairly expensive. They also refused to mention technical details such as drive current and whether the built in charger followed the cc/cv charging curve.

9

IMHO 135 US$ for this light is not realistic at all. I have no doubt that is the price they gave you, but for sure was a mistake. I know perfectly the cost of materials and components, and this light can’t be sold at that price.

Regarding the technical questions, I call tell you it is driven at 8 Amps, but will provide you more accurate information soon.

I think that if they didn’t responded you is more an issue of the communication barrier because of language than a strategy to hide information. Trust me, I had to go to the meeting with a translator because he asked for it, but in person and with the translator he responded to me to any question.

If you are not used to China it can be a little shocking how companies with maybe 100-200 employees (even much more than that) and making and selling quality products, have no staff speaking english, and in case they do, seldom they are dedicated to customer relationship. Most of the companies who have people speaking english fluently, and are used to deal with abroad customers are “trading companies”. But of course very few call themselves as that, they all claim to be manufacturers (this one is a very typical chinese defect).

That is the reason very often they dont respond, of just do it very poorly, or simply cease communication when you ask for detailed information. They just can`t understand or explain.

10

At first I thought it was the language barrier but I think that for what ever reason they do not like BLF or the publicity. I am not sure but if I mention BLF then communication ends. This has happened multiple times on different accounts.

11

looks interesting, awaiting beamshots

12

Hello friends,

While I’m finding the right time to perform a serious review, I send you a couple of pics I took two days ago. They were taken with no tripod, with high ISO, and identical camera settings. Then both pictures were edited with same parameters, so the comparative is realistic, is quite close to waht you see. I just changed to B/W because it can show better the differences.

Speaking frankly I was not sure if the current consumption which is more than double pays what you get, but when I saw the pics I realized that it does when it comes to raw power.

The target was arround 100 meters distance.

13

I can’t see those pics Javier ( tocayo por cierto)

It is interesting to see the performance of that new led, if it is true it throws twice as much as an XM-l it would be great, theorically to my eyes it has much bigger surface, so it should’t do that good, but lets see.

14

Hmm… I personally prefer colour photo, would you?

15

Javier

Do you have anymore pic’s or info you can share with us :party:

16

Welcome to the monkey house, KW!

17

Welcome, Javier. And you’re not the only one to have had TONS of problems with the way CPF is run.

Could you please explain what you mean when you refer to the problems with the Triton lights?

18

Welcome javier! The irony is we (BLF) wind up with ‘MANY’ of CPF’s best (& nicest). Hope you’ve found a new home. Even while this place is growing, it is still a very nice place.

Keith

19

Unless something has changed over there, I would take scaru’s advice. I don’t like vendors where one has to ‘add to cart’ before seeing the price. That indicates for me that price can be changed anytime (even after you buy?) Nah.
Keith (plus, that fellow scaru gits around lol)

20

Update: I talked to them some more and it seems they are now willing to honor the 135 dollars price so I may end up ordering it and posting a review here. So while I would no longer say not to order from them I would suggest being careful as this companies business practices seem sketchy. I would probably rate them on par with DD. :P