LighTake Q5 Camo Forward Switch C8
Reviewer's Overall Rating:
★★★
Summary:
| Battery: | 18650 |
| Switch: | Forward switch reverse clicky |
| Modes: | 5 Modes |
| LED Type: | Q5 (XM-L T6 advertised) |
| Lens: | Glass |
| Tailstands: | Yes |
| Price Paid: | Advertised $14.54 |
| From: | http://lightake.com/detail.do/sku.Rechargeable_Cree_XML_T6_LED_5_Mode_1100_Lumens_Flashlight_Torch__1x18650____Camouflage-59412 |
| Date Ordered: | 5.11.12 |
Pros:
- Camouflage finish. Forward switch. Q5 LED in this lens.
Cons:
- Charging port. Warning, DO NOT USE.
- This light is not the same as the light on there website. An XM-L T6 is advertised. This is not what what was supplied for review. This flashlight came with a Q5 LED fitted.
Features / Value:
★★★
I was a little surprised when this flashlight arrived because of the LED which was not as advertised. Straight out I did not pay for this light and it was supplied for review by LighTake. On saying this I contacted LighTake before posting about the incorrect LED and there response was to just do an honest review. I am reviewing this light as a Q5 C8.
This light stands out from the normal black C8 Flashlights with its forward mounted switch and in my opinion stunning camo finish. It is a satin finish and apart from the lens and green caps definitely blends in to the bush as the pictures below show.
The reflector is of a deep design and has a slightly smaller hotspot than the G4 MCU Q5 C8 Light that I have. The light tint is also slightly warmer on the Camo. The lanyard is your typical light duty item. Tailstanding is no problem and will sit perfectly flat if the lanyard is removed. The forward switch is a joy to use and falls naturally to where your thumb sits for quick mode changes. Only a moderate push is needed to change modes. Not to hard that it will give you a sore thumb and just hard enough to prevent accidental mode switching if carried in a pocket. If worn in a holster though care will have to be taken.
As expected from a Q5 the LED sits perfectly central in the reflector which has a very nice smooth finish. It is also made from aluminum. The battery has spring contacts on both ends so should not change modes with rough usage. All the threads and o'rings were lightly lubricated with a Vaseline type substance.
Packaging was a lot better than usual. Inside the typical white box was the flashlight wrapped in bubble wrap. The white box was also bubble wrapped and placed inside the heavy plastic envelope which did have some damage from the delivery man. The light came through unscathed.
DO NOT USE THE CHARGER PORT. This is potentially dangerous as there is no circuitry at all for charging though this port. It is a direct line to the battery and whatever voltage you feed it through the charge port it will feed directly into the battery. I have disabled this so called feature to prevent any damage to the light or person using it. A star and a half was deducted because of this.
If this flashlight did not have the charging port I would say that this light would be excellent value but unfortunately this is not the case.
Packaging.
Camo at its best.
The light itself. left Camo and right G4 MCU.
The fraudulent charging port. The negative part of the port was pulled out disabling this from ever working.
The switch and driver side contact.
Camo reflector left. G4 MCU left.
The slight spots is where I accidentally made a mess with the thread lube.
The 5 mode, high, medium, low and two flashy driver. If it is turned on then of then on again in a short period of time the flashlight will start in the next mode from what it was turned of on. If left of for over about 10 seconds it will always turn on high.
Design / Build Quality:
★★
This is a hard one. The design of the light if built correctly would be outstanding with its forward switch, camo finish and charging port. That charging port the way it is should just not be there.
The threads are very loose making the thick, very soft o'rings work for there money. You can see in one picture where because there so soft have slight nicks in them. There are a couple of very slight nicks in the camo finish which I did not see until I was looking at the pictures. apart from this I would suggest that the finish would be pretty tough.
The pill is a reasonable size and after extended running the LED area of the head did get warm without being overly hot. The pill screws in from the reflector end.
I would only call this flashlight splash proof. There is no way I would have this in the shower with me.
The hand shot complete with matching camo nails.
Battery Life:
★★★★★
Battery life is excellent with high running at 1.6 amps, medium .8 amps and low running .2 amps. As mentioned the head does get warm without being overly hot with extended running on high.
Light Output:
★★★★
The beam pattern is very focused. At 3 meters the G4 MCU has a 180mm hot spot with about a 260mm very light corona. The camo had a 130mm hotspot with a brighter 300mm corona. Spill on both lights was similar. Looking at a tree at 120 meters the G4 MCU had a slightly bigger area lit up but with the brighter larger corona from the Camo both lights were very similar. If the conditions pick up I will add some night shots.
Summary:
★★ and a half
I would love to give this light another star but it is flawed in a big way which takes away from the excellent design feature of the forward switch, deep reflector and camo finish. I'm not a fan of flashy modes and would prefer memory. I really like the G4 MCU and I like this light just as much with the charging port disabled. The camo really stands out as different and to some people will be a big advantage over a black light.
I would like to thank LighTake for giving me the opportunity (risk) of sending this flashlight to me for review.
The following couple of pictures are between the G4-MCU, Camo and the HD-2010 for interest sake.
Mouse out G4-MCU, mouse over Camo. If you look carefully you can see the smaller hotspot but bigger corona of the Camo. This is about 65 meters to the shrub at the end of the driveway. At longer distances it is hard to tell the differences in the light patterns.
Below is the HD-2010 against the Camo. I will let you guess which is what. There is no prizes for correct answers. There is not a great difference in the hotspot for one being brighter than the other, just one being driven at 1.6 amps and the other well over 3 amps.
On the left is the G4-MCU and the right is the Camo. If you look carefully you can just pick out the difference in size between the corona and hot spot.
