Review: Dollar Tree Flashlight (Lampe de Poche)

LED Flashlights – General Info Multiple AAA Flashlights
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Dollar Tree Flashlight (Lampe de Poche)

Reviewer’s Overall Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★

Summary:

Battery: 3xAA
Switch: Side Clicky
Modes: low, Low, LOw, LOW
LED Type: 3 x CREEp XPU/ke
Lens: Space aged polymer (I think it’s called plastic)
Reflector: Space aged polymer
Body: Space aged polymer. HO-4 hard-onodized
Tailstands: Yes
Headstands: Yes
Handstands: Yes
Withstands: No
Price Paid: $1 + $0.08 tex tax
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree Store (where everything’s $1.00)

Pros:

Nice useable low, Low, LOw, and LOW
No mode memory
No PWM
Direct drive in all modes

Output:

low: 5 lumens
Low: 5 lumens
LOw: 5 lumens
LOW: 5 lumens

No PWM in any mode. No blinkies or SOS modes.

Tail cap currents:
low: 345 mA
Low: 345 mA
LOw: 345 mA
LOW: 345 mA

Lumens/watt: an incredible, whopping 3.62 lumens/watt. How can such massive output be produced? The answer is the amazing XPU/ke LEDs from CREEp. These LEDs produce an amazing corpse/zombie enhancing 6900K light. Color Rending Index is estimated at 0.00001 unless your target is a decaying corpse then it is 100.0000

The only wording on the light is “Made in China”

Molded knurling on the light. It provides enough grip for a small light like this as long as you are not trying to hold it.

I hate cooling fins, clips, clops, or claps. This light has none of that, although I think it may have given me the clap.

As you can see the tailcap is rounded on the end and the switch boot sticks out of the side about 1/8 inch (3 mm for you euro types). The clicky has a good taunt feel and makes a pronounced click when used. No issues with mode changes. All modes are very evenly spaced (at 0%).

Everything on this light is made of some space aged polymer, I believe it is called “Plastic”. The body is hard-onodized type IV.

Tailcap threads are fine. They are not lubed and there are none of those pesky o-rings anywhere in the light. It abuses 3 AAA cells in a carrier.

The bezel unscrews to find no o-ring in front of the space aged polymer lens. The reflector/led position is un-optimized. I’m not going to screw anything up by not messing with it!

The bezel is also space aged polymer… or whatever. There are no crenelations, this should give Foy a satisfying throb in his tighty whities.

This amazing light in it’s high-quality packaging:

The business end of this amazing light. Note that lens and reflector come pre-scratched and dented so you don’t have to spend any time mucking this puppy up:

The light disassembled into it native nekidness:

Here is the money shot. It does not do the zombie-corpse blueness justice:

SUMMARY:

All in all I think this is a great light. Say what you want about the budget host or tailstanding or blinky modes… this light gets a 0/10 for it’s intended purpose. I highly approve, though it is a bit pricey - but you pay a premium for the worst of anything, and in pocket-sized pukers this thing is it.

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Nice review! Love it! I almost reviewed a similar one in a similar manner!

-Garry

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I still think I have you beat with the "12,000 lumen" flashlight I found for $4!

-Garry

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I buy flashlights like that to hide money in .

Oops .

I mean , I read on the internet that some people do that .

Seriously though texaspyro , thanks for the comprehensive review .

Maybe in your next review you could share some of your personal thoughts .

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Those generally run along the lines of “Kill all humans!” J)

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.....save the funny ones for last , please ....

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Great pics and review! Our local $ tree has some 5 emitter beasts. They don’t come in the fancy packaging, in fact they are completely devoid of packaging, and they are smaller, 3 aaa I think. I bet with 5, count ’em 5, XPU/ke leds, and a trio of the ultra-high Mah sunbeam cells also available in 4-packs at the waste-a-dollar tree, this thing wil rock! And throw…my god!

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Wow! It’s like a AAA Skyray King! I have a grey one :slight_smile:

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I have confirmed that the Lampe de Poche is made out of genuine plastic! How can they possibly sell a light made out of this high-tech space age material for only $1.00?

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Does (Lampe de Poche) translate to Sc**w the Pooch?Tongue Out

Nice light, great review.Undecided

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I think you should get one and mod it with some nichias.

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:_( Oh why oh why texaspyro did you hurt me with a review of such a …. THING! Gawd! I read all of it. :zipper_mouth_face:

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Thanks for the review texaspyro. With a 10 out of 5 star rating, $1.00 price tag and genuine plastic used through out there only remains one question. Do you think we could start a group buy and perhaps if we get 239 members interested we may get this absolutely fantastic flashlight for 99 cents.

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Alas, at Dollar Tree everything’s a buck. No discounts for bulk purchases. It’s not even listed on their web site where they only sell things in bulk… for a buck.

Now, if I can only find one of those 5 emitter monster lights, my life would be complete.

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Lucks in. Maybe we can get this down to $64.50 with a group buy. If the shipping to Aus is under $200.00 I may just get one at the listed price. The write up on these lights is unbelievable and I dont want to miss out.

http://shop.monsterflashlight.com/Monster-Flashlight-5Q5-1200-5-Cree-LED-1200-Lumens-Max-5-Mode-5Q5-1200-5.htm

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lol That first pic of the triple emitter/leds made me think it had promise for a sec.

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:smiley:
This is the funniest review I’ve read so far!
I like!

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Any idea where can i get the cheaper chinese clone?
When the give-away?

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YEP, got it at Dollar Tree, 5-6 years ago. The only TRUE dollar store left - everything is still a dollar. The day I bought this there was a Scoutmaster there buying all they had for a camping trip his troop was going on. He actually described this light as having “good throw” Up until then, I had never heard the term, but I knew what he meant by it. He was right, it would throw clear across the room!, better than the other 6-8 LED shower heads that were also available at the time. Of course the 6-8 LED lights were “flooders” I remember giving them out as stocking stuffers that Christmas and was everyone impressed!
A closeup of this triple emitter looks impressive but wait ’til you see the scale of it is in context.

I have been gifting LED lights to family members ever since, and every year they are impressed at how much progress there has been in the technology. I still find it amazing that a light this small, with but just 3 emitters us able to throw so many photons all the way across a room.