YEZL T9 Short Review

LED Flashlights – General Info 18650 Flashlights
1

Hi all,

I just got my YEZL T9 XML in. To start things off, I purchased mine from Taobao so keep in mind that my sample might be different from the ones currently being offered on the forum. The light is pretty large compared to everything else I have, and the anodizing is not as good as the custom T8X I purchased on Taobao before this one, coming out of the package with a few chips at the edges. Also, the light is very dirty on the metal ring around the emitter. Despite all this, the light construction is quite solid and seems like it will hold up quite well to use.

Moving on to the actual lighting, it's very bright out right now so I haven't yet had a chance to see how it will perform in darkness. Compared to my modified T8X, however, it has a significantly larger beam when completely retracted but this beam is ever so slightly dimmer. My T8X runs at 2.1A, and after a quick measurement it turns out this T9 driver is pulling only 2A on high. And that brings me to my biggest concern about this light, the driver just doesn't seem to be driving the XML as high as would be ideal for this light. However, the spacing between H-M-L is quite good, 2A on high, 0.6A on med, and 0.1A on low. Again, keep in mind that my driver is probably different from the one that's available on the forum. I'm not sure if the driver is replaceable though, it's plugged in pretty tight to the large metal ring pseudo reflector piece.. Any ideas on how to get it out?

Another thing I've noticed is that you absolutely must keep the sliding portion lubed up, mine came oiled quite nicely but when handling the light in the extended mode it is near impossible to not wipe off some of the lube, and once a large portion of the lube is removed it becomes rather difficult to extend or retract the head.

The optic is 39mm across.

I've taken a few pictures for you guys, I'm not a very good photographer so my sincerest apologies for that, but I hope you guys enjoy them anyways.

T9, Modified T8x, Ultrafire C3, Sipik SK-68, Generic Sipik CR123 Clone, Ultrafire C30 (aka Skyray S1)

This is my first attempt at reviewing anything and I'm sure I left a bunch of stuff out so if there's anything else you guys want to know I'll do my best to answer!

2

2A is still ok, actually the Vf of XM-L is lower still so that's like closer to 2.5A at emitter after driver losses.

Anyway confirm your batteries at 4.2V topped up and in other lights capable of providing more than 2A of juice? (just confirming)

The torch looks ok, better than the T8X review one by Foy. Well these lights are like that, need a bit of cleaning up. Where are the chips, i don't see any.

3

Doh! You're right, it's just using the included battery that the high is stuck at 2A, using my other 18650 that came with the other light it hits 2.5A. Well I don't know if the terminology is actually "chipped", it's just on the edges the anodization has scratched off and revealed the silver underneath. It's not that big of a deal, I was just expecting a little better QC. The other light off taobao (second from left in the first pic) came in perfect condition, threads lubed and all.

Triker,

I have already given the diameter of the lens, it's 39mm across. Not sure if there's a glass optic on DX that'll fit. The circuit board appears to be ~19mm in diameter. So is there any way to replace a press-fit driver? The flickering right when it turns on is pretty irritating.. The emitter is only slightly off center, I think it's the angle at which the pill was tilted that's throwing you off.

Oh and I forgot to mention, there is quite a bit of battery rattle, especially using slightly shorter 18650s. Overall it's not a bad light at all, it's still plenty bright (but AGAIN I'm a light noob so I don't have many lights to compare it to) and I love the styling.

4

How big is the beam compared to your other zoom lights? It's kind of important because xml projects a lot of light sideways and you need to push the lens as close to the emitter as possible to get max brightness.

5

That's great. 2.5A at the tailcap with fresh good batteries @ 4.2V (don't sag much under load for the best cells) means its around the same as Ultrafire C8, U-80 etc. I also get 2.5A for those lights so that's in the ballpark alright, that's like 3A to the emitter @ Vf of about 3.35V already. No worries, I have my fair share of not-so-good cells. LOL!

Those "chips" can be touched up with black marker, no worries. So far the light looks good, seriously I bought this as a shelf queen. LOL!

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BTW, being 1-2mm off center does not matter for aspherics. The angle other than being perpendicular to the aspheric lens matters way more. But centering is a very big deal for SMO reflectors.

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The beam is huge.. Even larger than my other XML light, which I already thought was huge. It's just a giant hotspot, not much in the way of spill. Just from eyeballing, it's almost twice the diameter of the beam coming from my SK68.

I notice no detrimental effects from the emitter being slightly off center, the beam is a lot more even than the custom T8X, which has a few artifacts (probably because I scratched up the reflector trying to get the pill out).

I will order a few glass lenses to see if they fit.. I can only find 38.5mm and 40mm so I'll probably check both those out.

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Ok, you have a point for this kind of a product esp for flashlights. (was thinking more of lasers)

9

Shd be dealextreme which has the most/widest range I have ever seen, i got some nice replacement glass lenses, 41.5mm and there are some for the big 52.7mm and also P60 sizes. Aspherics as well. You can get nice glass aspherics on some chinese sites.....

Here's a big momma. You can check out the TMA-73 on CPF..... XM-L, IIRC its over 100K lux @ 1m.

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/75mm-optical-glass-lens-for-flashlight-spot-light-43044

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I have that lens, it's quite nice. Fits perfectly in a 3" pvc FF coupler for projects.

11

Taobao.. I'm in the flashlight motherland haha

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=3507773729

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=3507690287

12

Be sure to get the exact focal distance lens or what is that called for your needs as you might get something very unusefull.

13

No s***, that's nice. Can you get Firefoxes over there? (the 35W or 40W)

Trust me guys, if you have never been to China, you don't know what you are missing. Of course if you cannot have an open mind, then you will never like China. Some people just cannot take it. Anyway, I love Taiwan more..... very decent quality goods for low prices.

Hey, your location says "USA".

14

Holy poopcakes two grand for a HID... I'd assume they're purchasable but unless they're made by a chinese company it will most likely be marked up a huge amount. Would find it hard to justify such a pricey light in the first place. Everything that's "imported" (which has always confounded me because almost everything's made here in the first place, just by foreign companies, so technically it should be even cheaper to get the products for distribution because there's no need to ship it to say, America) always gets marked up due to duties and taxes and what have you.

I've actually never been to TW, is it very different from mainland china? I'm of chinese heritage but I was born and raised in the states, I'm just here for summer vacation. It's a great country, it's just kind of alarming to see all the animosity towards china in american media.

Going kind of OT... Bringing it back, would focal distance matter that much for zoomie lights? Since the distance between the emitter and optic is adjustable.. Those two lenses I linked are definitely thicker than the stock lens, the stock lens is ~10mm tall and those two are listed at ~16mm tall, I assume the focal length would be dramatically altered.

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I guess when buying aftermarket aspheric optics, there is always a chance of having "not enough zoom" to cover. But with this I think its ok, the shaft is long. LOL!

Sorry, since its your thread I shall OT. Yeah Taiwan is great....well I don't know how to say it as I have been to TW for 2X and CN for 3X. Probably need at least 100 trips to tour all of China. Generally I like Taiwan more and yes its quite a bit different from China. Similarly Singapore here is very different from those 2 countries. But just for touring, China is the place for viewing sceneries, and TW for shopping and higher-end enjoyment. Eg, over here in SG its always Made in PRC stuff, so the level you see here is what you see there. There are better made stuff, but expensive here in SG. Everything is so frigging expensive here, i can tell you we already are up there together with the big cities in terms of cost of living, but pay is low for quite a lot of locals.

TW is still pretty low.....but pay is low there. Eg, a handbag that is selling here is about 2X the price of what you can find in Taiwan....for exactly the same model. They just stick another label on it and sell it here. Many items are like that. Sometimes stuff here are even 3X the price of what you can find in Taiwan, exactly the same model. Eg, bags and shoes and blouses. My wife found a $129 bag in Orchard Road....its actually "Great Singapore Sale" now. I just returned from Taiwan in April....same bag at Shi Da night market Taipei...NTD 900 which means S$39. BTW, the Taiwanese do not give discounts, unlike in China where as you'd know 500% cuts are not uncommon. My record is like 1000% discount. :) (anyway i still got fleeced a bit as it was a bit cheaper elsewhere, it was in Shanghai... LOL!)

Then I got a Swarovkvsi watch for my wife, 30% cheaper there, and you get 5% tax rebate at the Taipei airport. Miu Miu is also like 10% cheaper, but Louis Vuitton is more expensive.

Yes I know imported foreign branded stuff are really expensive in China. As much as 2X more expensive.

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So what is the throw like? It is just big but not overly bright emitter when focused and does not penetrate into the distance?

17

Yes the shaft is very long.. It is a very phallic light. I would be wary of busting this thing out around non flashlight people, it might be taken as overcompensating for something..

Yeah I've been to singapore too, it is a pretty expensive place. I'm in shanghai right now though, also pretty expensive (especially by chinese standards). Haha that's funny, bargaining is an art when done properly. It's really interesting how much extra people will pay for the same/sometimes even worse quality things just because someone's slapped a little logo on it! Thanks for the info brother.

OKAY back on topic. The light throws very far, the beam is visible on buildings a couple hundred feet away, not entirely sure of the distance but it does throw quite well as far as I can tell. The flood mode is remarkable too, it literally is like a wall of light emanating from your hand.

18

How well does memory work, and tint?

19

I wouldn't mind seeing some comparison beam shots to the T8X

20

No, it won't work...there is no reflector in the T9.