[REVIEW] CVLIFE Flashlight (1x18650) (Pictures, Beamshots, etc.)

This is a quick review of one of CVLIFE's "tactical" 18650 zoom flashlights.
There had been some discussion around the CVLIFE brand flashlights, so I reached out to them and asked for a sample to review.


Official Product Specifications
Specifications:
Flashlight Dimensions: 5.2"(L) x 1.26" (Head) x 0.79" (Tail)
IPX6 Waterproof Rating
Beam distance: Up to 700 feet
Brightness: Up to 800 lumens
Brightness Dimming Modes: High / Medium/Low /Strobe/SOS
Battery Type: 1 x 18650 Battery (included)
Charging Time: 6 Hours or so

Features:
1.High Quality LED with max output when used with 18650 battery.
2.Made of aluminum alloy to sustain abrasion and shock. Ideal for outdoor activities.
3.Zoom allows adjustable focus
4.Soft-touch Red Tail Cap Switch allows on/off and switching between 5 modes(High/ Medium/Low/ Strobe/SOS, take a slightly press to change modes)
5.Suitable for outdoor activities, emergency, search missions, routine patrolling, camping, hiking, fishing, cycling, cave exploring, household use
6. 3.7V 2200mAh 18650 battery, is built in protective board to avoid over-charge and over discharge
Packaging and Contents
Flashlight comes in a foam padded box which can be used for storage. This is a similar box used by other lights. I have no complaints with keeping these boxes around to store batteries or lights.

1 x Flashlight
1 x Box
1 x Battery
1 x Charger
1 x Manual

Fit and Finish
Black anodizing is actually quite nice. The interior of the tube was also clean and did not have a excessive smell of cheaper lights.
The tail cap is a plunger style reverse-clicky.
However, the threads on the tail were not cut square so there is some grittiness whenever you first screw on the tail.


Tail Stand
No problems tail-standing.



User Interface and Modes
Operation:
  • To turn the light ON, fully press tail switch.
  • To advance modes, partial press tail switch (H > M > L > Strobe > SOS)
  • To turn the light OFF, fully press tail switch.
No memory.

Comment: I dislike the forced blinky mode rotation.




Output, Runtime and Power


Measurements were done using freshly charged EVVA protected Panasonic 18650Bs using a quasi-integrating sphere.
Comment: Actual output is ~50% of manufacturer spec.

PWM
PWM in Medium and Low.
Beam Profile
Zoomable flashlight from flood to zoom. Zoom shows the square emitter pattern.



Beamshots, Color Temperature and Tint
The color temperature is 6500K (cold) using Lightroom's Auto WB. When white-balanced in Adobe Lightroom against "Daylight 5500K", the beamshots appear cold. The is a minor green-shift of ~3 points in Lightroom from Daylight. The green-shift is not noticeable but the color temperature is too cold.
Like other similar lights, the boundary of the beam has a yellowish color shift.


Battery Support and Fitment
Protected Batteries Fit. The EVVA Protected Panasonic NCR18650B fits fine length-wise at 69.5mm and width-wise at 18.67mm. The fit was a little snug length-wise.
Lock-Out
You can physically lock-out the light with a turn of the tail switch.

If there is a possibility of accidental activation, you should remove the batteries entirely if possible.
Size Comparison
Pictured next to other lights for comparison.



Summary and Conclusion
Budget light with nice anodizing and style. However... output is underwhelming (approx. 400 lumens) to people who have experience with more powerful lights, light temperature is too cold and threads were not cut square. The blinky modes are also part of the forced mode rotation and cannot be avoided except for turning off the light.
This would be okay for a muggle or as a beater light. However, there are other options in this size category which are comparably priced which perform better.