Sky Ray G36 and Small Sun ZY-T13 Review

LED Flashlights – General Info 18650 Flashlights
1

Hey guys,

First off I want to apologize that A) these reviews took longer than I last promised and B) are not as detailed as my previous reviews. Ive been dealing with some health issues and finally decided to just start the reviews and add to them as the week goes.

Service:
These are from two different AuraBuy orders but Im combining them into one long review. Service was great, IMO. I ordered a ZY-T13 and it arrived with a cracked/chipped emitter. I emailed Mia and she got with the customer service team that handles replacement products. I sent over a photo of the emitter and she said no problem we will send you a replacement light. In order to save on shipping time I placed another order and said to just include it with that order, which it was. Ive ordered from AuraBuy, I believe 4 or 5 times now and they have been great every time. This was the first issue and it wasn’t AuraBuy’s fault, IMO. It was SmallSun and not checking their products prior to sending them to their sellers.

Products:
Small Sun ZY-T13
Sky Ray (Fandyfire) G36
Beats Style Headphones

First flashlight is the Small Sun ZY-T13. Basically is Small Sun’s version of the Crelant 7G5CS

Specs from the site:
Brand: SmallSun
Model: ZY-T13
Emitter Brand: Cree
LED Type: XM-L
BIN: T6
Color: Cool White
Number of Emitters: 1
Voltage Input: 7.4V
Battery Configuration: 2 x 18650 (not included)
Circuitry: 2000mA
Brightness: 685lm
Runtime: 2~3 hours
Number of Modes: 5
Mode Arrangement: Hi > Mid > Lo > Fast strobe > SOS
Mode Memory: No
Switch Type: Reverse clicky
Switch Location: Tailcap
Lens: Coated glass lens
Reflector: Smooth Aluminum / SMO
Strap Included: No
Clip Included: No
Beam Range: 800 meters
Other Features: IPX8 waterproof; HA-III surface
Dimensions: 9.65 in x 2.44 in x 2.44 in (24.5 cm x 6.2 cm x 6.2 cm)
Weight: 10.09 oz (286 g)

Package Contents:
Small Sun ZY-T13

My observations

On first examination the Small Sun, hear on referred to as the SS, is very nice. It is a great copy of the 7G5CS but with enough differences to feel unique. The anodizing is more of a “gloss” finish, which I prefer the matte finish, but is still very nice. Instead of having knurling on the battery tube, SS went with a “squared” off tube with grooves for grip. Surprisingly it actually has a ton of grip and I really like the feel of it in my hands. SS has a similar rubber assault stop (not sure exactly what to call it so see pictures for clarification) but has a twist from the 7G5CS. In the end, the assault grip functions the same as a 7G5CS and is something I will never use since I carry my flashlights by the front of the battery tube.

The reflector is very smooth with no imperfections or scratches. The XML-T6 (which looks more cool than warm) is perfectly centered thanks to the plastic alignment piece. I tested this light with 2x Sanyo 2200mAh batteries and they work fine but this light actually prefers PROTECTED cells since there is extra space in the battery tube. I put a magnet between the batteries and it took care of the extra slack perfectly. The bezel is a nice smooth piece of aluminum to give the black host a nice accent and blend in with the reflector (unfortunately it is plastic and not aluminum). The glass lens is REALLY thick and I feel I could throw it on the concrete and not smash it.

Pictures:









Sneak peak at the aspheric build results (still need some tweaking to get the alignment perfect)

Overall thoughts:
I have to give the 7G5CS the edge over this light for overall quality; HOWEVER the SS is a fraction of the cost. With that said, for the price, I am impressed with the SS. I am probably going to do an emitter swap on this light with a XM-L2 7A and aspheric lens so keep an eye out for that build.

Next is the “FandyFire” G36, but really is the Sky Ray G36. When I placed the order the site had both the FandyFire and Sky Ray G36 listed, I happened to pick the FandyFire version. I received the Sky Ray version and now the site only has one G36 listed. No big deal in my opinion since the SR has such a nice anno finish.

Specs from the site:
Model: G36
Emitter Brand: Cree
LED Type: XM-L
BIN: T6
Color: Cool White
Number of Emitters: 3
Voltage Input: 8.4~12V
Battery Configuration: 2 x 18650 (not included)
Circuitry: Digital regulated 4000mA
Brightness: 2500LM
Runtime: 1~2 hours
Number of Modes: 5
Mode Arrangement: Hi > Mid > Lo > Fast Strobe > SOS
Switch Type: Reverse clicky
Switch Location: Tailcap
Lens: Coated Glass Lens
Reflector: Aluminium Smooth/SMO
Strap Included: No
Clip Included: No
Dimensions: 8.07 in x 2.17 in x 2.17 in (20.5 cm x 5.5 cm x 5.5 cm)
Weight: 7.58 oz (215 g)

My observations:
This light has a great anno finish! It actually surprised me. It is a nice smooth matte black with a little shine, perfect IMO. I was also surprised by how short the light was for a 2x 18650. It’s a good 1-2” shorted than expected. It fits perfectly in my hand and feels really well. Im not going to lie, I personally hate the SRK M6 and M4 so when I opened the box and saw it was a SR I was disappointed and expected the worst. HOWEVER, this light is nothing like the SRK! It doesn’t heat up and become uncomfortable to hold like the SRK and it floods very well.
The G36 has three individual aluminum reflectors which look cool as heck IMO against the black face of the light. The only thing I didn’t originally like was that there is no pill. HOWEVER, I have since thought about this design and kind of like it. The head has two pieces; the actual head with emitters and then a small piece that screws into the head and holds the driver in place. (I originally took the light apart to examine this but forgot to take a picture. I cranked the pieces back together and now its slightly hard to take apart again but if someone wants a picture ill be happy to take it apart and get one)

Pictures:
Size compared to my Barracuda (sits on my kitchen table 24/7 ;))








Overall:
I really do like this light, it is my go to for a small light weight flooder. Idk there is just something about the finish that draws me to the SR. I just really like the style and the face of the light; chrome vs black is just a killer look IMO. Not one complaint on this light :smiley:

Thanks for reading guys!

PLEASE if you have any questions or requests for things, let me know and Ill get you the info when I have time. I already plan to get current readings since as I was writing this I remembered I forgot to take those :frowning:

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Thanks for the look at the cheapened T13. :slight_smile: The different centering ring for the emitter has warning bells going off in my head. “Danger Will Robinson, Danger!”

My biggest concern though would be the heart of any side-switch; the driver. What does the driver look like in comparison to the original aluminum-reflectored T13, as reviewed by AlexGT

[EDIT] I just saw the square threads in that pic. Maybe these were more a production overrun and they just had some plastic reflectors made to finish off the batch? If they were genuinely trying to cheapen something I’d think the threads would be first on the list.

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Thanks for the review Livinloud and all the best with your health issues.

4

Hi, thanks for the review.
Are you sure the specific ZY-T13 does have aluminum reflector?

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@TheGloriousTachikoma, the driver looks the exact same. its on super short leads so cant get a good picture without taking it off.

@zeremefico, those are the specs from AuraBuy. It has a plastic reflector but im seeing if I can change that with my aspheric build

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what size is the aspheric lens? and where did you get that aspheric lens from? :slight_smile:

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Got it from Joe and idk the size off top of my head, all i know is i had to grind it down a hair to make it fit…….just a hair and did it by hand. I think it just had a slight edge since when I bought it, the size was listed as the perfect size.

8

Interesting. Anyway, good review, Livinloud.
:wink:

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Hi Livinloud,
Thanks for the reviews. That G36 does look interesting. Just a couple of questions:-

Do you know how the G36 compares to a SRK in beam profile and real life output?
Do you know how the G36 compares to the old Trustfire TR-3t6?

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Seeing as how I owned the SRK M4 for all of one week before selling it and don’t own the 3t6, no I have no idea how they compare, sorry. Ill dig my photo of the M4 vs C8 out and then compare C8 to G36 so we can get some idea of how they stack up.

To tell you the truth, I’m more of a higher end light guy. Dont own too many buget lights other than the C8 and ZY-T13 but the SS is going to be a mod host so idc about the guts all that much.The G36 has nice guts from what I can tell.

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Ok thanks, if it’s not too much trouble. As I havent got the modding bug yet, I tend to try for different beam profiles so I have something to cater for different needs or try and find that perfect ( well almost) light for a task rather than getting a light because the host is different.

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Convoy C8 vs SRK M4

Ill get the C8 vs G36 comparison tonight and then we can see which fits you better. M4 has a ton of flood and overheats even on low since heat sinking is poor. SRK suffers from the same problems so run time is limited to like 10 minutes, if that matters

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I dont have any C8’s but I have a couple of similar sized lights such as the a Convoy L4. That C8 is has a pretty warm beam. I havent compared mine to my SRK though. I agree about the heat sinking on it, thats why I am looking at the G36. To me my 3T6 has similar flood as the SRK but with a bit more throw. I like flooders at the moment but I dont really like the style of the 7,9,12,15 led lights, even if they are the best flooders, so looking for something in between. The SRK is almost there ( admittedly with faults).

14

GS6

Just found this. Looks like it answered my question against the SRK now. I see now why you intend this for a modding light.

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I’m not modding the G36, I’m modding the small sun. The G36 is perfect for my needs now so don’t plan on modding that