Tank007 TK-566-5
Reviewer's Overall Rating: ★★★★☆
Summary:
| Battery: | Single AA |
| Switch: | Reverse Clicky |
| Modes: | Med>Lo>Hi>Strobe>SOS (with memory) |
| LED Type: | Cree XR-E Q2-WC or Q3-WC |
| Lens: | Glass |
| Tailstands: | No |
| Price Payed: | $13.50 |
| From: | DealExtreme |
Pros:
- Multiple modes with mode memory
- Supposedly HA-III hardened
- Very bright
- Glow-in-the-dark switch
Cons:
- Very ringy beam
- Low mode is not low enough
- Protruding switch doesn't allow tailstanding
- Non-intuitive Medium>Low>High mode order
Features / Value: ★★★★☆
Tank007 is a popular Chinese manufacturer of budget flashlights. Tank007 even have a website, making it seem less like a fly-by-night generic widget company than other Chinese light manufacturers. Tank007 has a sensible nomenclature for their lights, making it possible to easily differentiate between the different models available. In the case of this review, the Tank007 product in question is the TK-566-5. Intelligently, the final -5 in the name indicates that the flashlight has 5 modes. It is worth noting that the DealExtreme description calls it a TK-566-3, which is the correct name for the 3-mode version of this light. However, as the comments confirm, DealExtreme has been shipping a 5-mode version recently, which is called the TK-566-5. That's what I received. It's nice to find a 5-mode light for less than $14.00. In addition to the modes, the TK-566-5 has a glow-in-the-dark reverse clicky switch and a nice lanyard. I wish they would have chosen to make the switch recessed, because this light can't tailstand. The switch is easy to operate, though. The only features that this light lacks are programmable modes and the ability to tailstand, and since the price is over $11.00 I'm giving it 4/5 stars. If the price were about $11.00 or if it had any additional unique, useful features, I would give it 5-stars.
Build Quality: ★★★★☆
The quality of this light is very good, but it is marred by one glaring flaw. The black painted body is perfect. The lens and the reflector are clean and shiny. I "charged" the glow-in-the-dark tailcap for a minute with another flashlight, and it glowed for the entire night during a blackout. The light also comes with a nice lanyard with Tank007 emblazoned in orange. The light has a clean, attractive, albeit unoriginal design, featuring cylindrical geometry painted black. It has very mild knurling on the tailcap and in the midsection. Fortunately the bezel has no teeth. The Tank007 website and the labelled box both claim that this light is HA-III hardened, so it should resist scratches. There are two small flat surfaces on the diameter opposed by 180 degrees that are labelled in white with Tank007 on one side and TK-566 Cree XR-Q3 on the other. And in small letters below the head they have circumscribed S/N01010007, which would appear to be a serial number. The light dissembles both at the head and at the tailcap. The threads are smooth and well lubricated, although I can detect a very fine gritty feeling on the first few turns of the tailcap. It has snazzy red O-rings at both ends, and I hope it has one at the lens too. I'm not going to take it apart to find out, though. I would expect this light to be waterproof for most common activities. Divers may not want to risk their lives with a $13.50 light. The head mates onto the midsection very precisely, leaving only a very fine line when it is fully screwed down. The gap between the tailcap and the midsection is minutely wider. The real reason that I haven't given this light a full 5-star rating is owing to an occasional flicker. It doesn't flicker every time, and if it starts up without a flicker then it continues to give steady light. But if it starts up flickering I have to change the modes several times or even cycle it off/on again to eliminate the problem. I wiped down all the internal surfaces that I could reach with a cotton swab, and it seems that has improved the situation a bit. Or maybe it was the exact extent to which I tightened the head and tailcap. Or possibly it could be that a half-press of the switch sometimes produces a bad contact. I will continue to carry and use this light to see how problematic the flickering is. Still, this shouldn't happen with a light that costs any more than a $4.00 generic LED model. I should also mention that this light has mode memory that generally works pretty well. If I click the light off/on briefly or separated by several minutes, it usually starts up in the same mode. The mode is changed by a half-press of the switch. However, occasionally the light starts up in a random mode.
Update: I have been using this light frequently for a month or so. I think I have identified the source of the flicker as loose internals. Both the switch module and the light module have threads that fit into the mid-section body threads. Both the switch and the light module were not snugly seated. So I used tweezers to tighten them down. Now the light no longer flickers. I am much more confident that this was the only problem, and from now on it will probably function flawlessly. I have updated the quality rating to 4-stars.
Battery Life: ★★★★☆
Battery life of the TK-566-5 is much better than average, but not as good as it could be. For one thing, it uses and older, less efficient LED. The DealExtreme product page claims it to be a "Q2-WC", whereas the light itself has "XR-Q3" inscribed on the body, and the Tank007 website claims that it uses a Cree 7090 XR-E Q3 LED. But clearly it's not a new Q5 model with optimum efficiency. Another factor that limits the runtime is the low mode, which is still too bright. I wish it had a moonlight mode of only a few lumens. The DealExtreme website claims the maximum voltage input is 1.5V Max, so don't try a 14500 battery in this. The claimed output is 400mA Total Current Output, Digitally Regulated. At any rate, with a very cheap Alkaline AA, this light produces usable light for about 12 hours on low mode, after which it gets very dim and then shuts off. This is considerably less than the 50 hours claimed by the Tank007 product page, but still respectable for a single-AA light.
Light Output: ★★★★☆
The Tank007 TK-566-5 is an extremely bright light. In fact, it is one of the brightest lights that I own. However, those who are accustomed to using 14500 cells will probably miss the brightness that a high-voltage cell provides. Even so, this light produces a piercing beacon of light that illuminates distant objects at night. However, the brightness of the light isn't the only factor in this rating. Unfortunately, the beam is very ringy. Although the rings are not visible over long distances outdoors, they do impede considerably night reading and general indoor activities at closer range on the low setting. The hotspot is surrounded by several large shadows, so you have to move the light around a lot for maximum clarity when used as a reading light. This is probably due in part to the smooth reflector that it uses. An orange peel type reflector would be preferable to diffuse the light a bit. The light color is pretty normal for a Cree LED, I think I might detect a slightly more blue tinge compared with my Akoray K-106. The OSRAM in the Uniquefire AA-S1 has a much warmer, buttery color than the Cree lights. But the light color is very usable, and it shows good detail at night on high power over long distances. I don't like the mode arrangement of Medium>Low>High>Strobe>SOS. I would prefer for the low mode to come first. And the SOS is really a bit of a gimmick. Strobe can be useful on a rare occasion.
Summary: ★★★★☆
The Tank007 TK-566-5 has some really nice features and generally excellent construction. This is a very solid 4-star light. Just remember to tighten everything and give it a good cleaning before you judge it for yourself.
Please give this light a star rating yourself if you own it!
