What lights u bought were the biggest let down of 2016 and why?
For me the skilhunt h15. The ui is really annoying: it needs 2 long presses to turn of, I don t see the point of that red flashing light. It could be nice as an option but the way it s incorporated now just pisses me of. Also the size and weight for a single aa light is just to much.
Lumintop prince, it looks pretty but after a tiny drop on hard floor the bezel got deformed pretty badly. Never got any real use
Jetbeam jet-i mk and imalent dn11 . I would actually sell them if i could find buyer 
Mine was a Lumintop Cu Nichia Worm - Nicely finished light but it’s twisty was way too tight to be remotely practical. It lives in a storage bag & until I saw this thread I had forgotten I even own this. :confounded:
Nitecore TM26GT
Lot of great properties, but they simply do not outweigh the cons:
- only 3500 lumens with freshly charged cells; you quickly end up with only 1800 lumens available…
- dual stage switch doesn’t work too well. Happens regularly that light switches on immediately after switching it off; it’s annoying and feels budget
- charges only to 4.13V
- Sure, tint is not so good, but this is actually just something minor compared to other disadvantages…
- Stupid high MSRP gives the light a pretentious vibe; just doesn’t give me a good feeling about it…
Olight R50
harsh tint and it gets way too hot
Think there is an issue with step down (my review sample doesn’t do that)
I might swap the led with a 3000K XHP70 to see if that turns things around
Nice topic though!
I kind of agree with OP about the H15, except for the fact that it’s a very pretty light (i.m.o.), and it’s actually smaller than a SK68.
But indeed, the H03 (even stranger UI) is only slightly bigger.
I was very disappointed in my Pop Lite 2x C-cell wannabee LedLenser.
Bezel is glued and heating could mean deforming the TIR, so it’s just sitting in its box…
2x Astrolux M01 also in box waiting for nothing… :weary:
…and my new Olight i3s, which is not as good as my older one, just sits in its box too…
I’d have to say that mine is the UniqueFire 1508 with 75mm optic. Unfortunately, I had committed to order the light in early January, and about a week later, discovered that our landlord was evicting us so he could sell the property we were renting from him.
As a result, we were moving during the time when I received the light. It ended up being several months before I could even do anything with the light. After moving, I no longer have a workshop/workbench area, so I haven’t been able to do any serious modding in about a year now. I finally threw a pill together for this light using a 3A 105c/Qlite and a XP-G2 (domed) emitter I had in my kit. After putting it together, I found that the head has to be nearly unthreaded before the light is focused properly. Even so, I haven’t had time or facility to fine tune or build a proper hard-driven setup with a dedomed emitter to really push this light.
My results are similar to what NeilP posted here: Ultimate aspherical flashlight set / Uniquefire 1508 - #77 by NeilP
…with the head fully threaded in place being on the right, and one just barely threaded on the left.
Dang Keltex that’s sad!
Nitenumen NE01. It wasn’t really cheap and it was nasty!
Also an Ultrafire C8. I ended up getting a solid pill for it and a proper reflector and AR coated lens i made it good.
BLF X5/X6 SS/Cu - great lights, impressive driver and firmware, love the tailcap illumination - but just too heavy to reasonably carry. They sit on the shelf and occasionally get used around the house. That’s on me and not the lights, of course.
Why don’t you like the Jetbeam? I was thinking about getting that one.
A lot of people thinks it is great , but i don’t like the tint (and it has a lot of glue inside , a little hard to change LED) and the fact that it is a twisty . Just my point of view .
Crelant v4a. Too much parasitic loss and run time is a fraction of my ea41w. Changing batteries leads to a struggle to get it to work. I install freshly charged nimh and get a dim flashing. Clean all contacts, try different cells, unscrew the tailcap a bit… working. Switch it off and on… flashing again. It may be a decent light if I replace the driver but as it is it is my #1 disappointment for 2016.
I got one of those ultrafire C8’s also. What a POS. Tossed in the garbage can. Good thing I only paid 6 dollars for it
I like my Jetbeam Jet I MK, but then again, I like well made twistys, and knew it was a twisty when I bought it. The beam is on the cool side but not bad outdoors. I try not to judge by shining them on a wall inside the house. If you buy one, get a 14500 for it. It’s weak with a AA alkaline IMO.
Yunmai Y3 (convoy s2+ style)
My expectations may have been too high for a light that was only $8AU but nonetheless it’s far from the claimed 1000 lumen
Thin construction
Gets hot fast
Extremely visible PWM except on high
They just sit in wait in the spare lights drawer (yes I actually bought 2 to make things worse)
I got a CooYoo Particle L (same as MecArmy PT16). It had good build quality and a good feel, nice-ish LEDs, very bright, but the most awful UI I’ve come across. I ended up giving it to a family member.
Supposedly there are newer versions of the light with a slightly better UI but it’s impossible to tell what you are going to get so I just gave up on them.
My Cometa, not due to the quality issues even. I had fun modding one and tightening the zoom threads with JB weld, etc… Dropped new emitters into see how they looked… Then I realized, the zoomies are not my thing…
I bought two… Anyone wants two cometas for $50 shipped (US only) shoot me a PM. One is an XPL HI V3 2A and the other is a domed 219C 5000K 320 I believe… Trades are good too… I got to put a WTS thread up and clear the shelf…
I do not have any “let down” lights, but I have lights that are least used, because I bought them to add to my collection.
Non collection lights, for use: Two of my largest lights get used for my night walks, while my other large lights are less used.