Hello,
I recieved a flashlight host from CNQG today. It's a 1x or 2x26650 host, with all the parts except an emitter and driver. Well I thought I would show some photos of it, before I do anything to it and tell you a little about what I know, or have discovered about this host.
This is the whole kit. Everything came wrapped well and in overall good condition. I see no scratches in the ano, but I do see a few very small ano chips on the edges of a couple pieces. I see that quite often on these HAIII type lights. All of the small parts, such as the O rings, heatsink, switch parts, etc., came in a separate bag. There is even a simple contact plate there, so it could be done direct drive without a driver and all you would need is the emitter. Even the springs are there.
Here's the bare host in 1x26650 configuration
and 2x26650 configuration
I wanted to show several photos of the threads, because this is the best I have ever gotten from overseas so far. I found No loose shavings at all anywhere on this light. The threads all start easily and even though they are dry as a bone, they do not squeal as you thread the pieces together. I am totally impressed by the workmanship I see, in the way of the threading, on this inexpensive host.
Here's a side view of the head. This is where I feel the light lets me down. The exterior finish of this light is rough, just a mill finish and I know it's not a $100 light, but this work could have been done much smoother even with a machine, during the cutting process.
Here's the pill/heatsink. It's hollow except for a thin base for the emitter/star. I imagine they call these copper, but they are brass or bronze. There may be a little copper in the mix, but it is not copper and will not conduct heat as copper would. I will be filling this in, to have a solid heatsink.
Here's the ring to cover and hold the switch assembly in place.
Just a shot of the tailcap with slots for a lanyard
The reflector is threaded and screws down into the bezel. Again, the threads here are great compared to most of what I have seen.
Some Dimensions:
OAL 1x26650 - 139.25mm
OAL 2x26650 - 203mm
Bezel OAL - 25mm
Bezel ID - 36.25mm Threaded ID
Head OAL - 47mm
Head ID - 29.2mm Threaded ID
Body OAL - the first section - 71.9mm
Body ID - the first section - 26.5mm (it should be 27mm to fit a 26650, edit: it won't fit as is)
Body OAL - the extension - 75mm
Body ID - the extension - 27.25mm (why is the extension a larger ID)
Reflector OAL - 31mm
Reflector ID at mouth - 31mm
Reflector OD at mouth - (same as Bezel ID - threaded to match bezel)
Lens - 36mm Glass
Heatsink OAL - 12.2mm
Heatsink OD - (same as head ID - threaded to match head)
Switch - appears to be 17mm with a 14mm rubber cover.
The whole host is very light. The aluminum is fairly thin and will probably dent if abused.
The idea of this host (I assume), is to buy this and drop in an emitter and driver and have a nice light. The idea is great. The actual mechanics of that fell short.
Problems:
Someone missed some crucial measurements in the stack up. When you screw in the heatsink, it threads up too far into the head and when you put the bezel assembly (with lens and reflector), onto the head, the reflector grinds down against the heatsink, before it screws down all the way. If you were to add the emitter/star into that, you would be looking at 2mm-3mm of crunch area there.
In other words, you have to back off the heatsink and guess what, if you do that, then the body does not screw all the way into the head and it barely screws in far enough to have the O ring on the body engauge.
So.... the heatsink is 2mm-3mm too tall. That's poor planning and poor execution as far as I am concerned.
Also the switch is supposed to be pressed into the tailcap, just as most chinese switches are, with a plastic holder that pushes the switch and itself into the hole to seat. One contact is supposed to be sandwiched in there to make contact against the wall of the tailcap and the other touches the spring.
That will all work, except...... No one ever removed the Ano from the inside of the tialcap, where the contact is supposed to touch and it's in a very hard place to get to, but it has to be removed before the switch is going to work. Again, someone missed the boat here.
Overall I would rate this bare host at a 4 (out of a possible 5), for what it could be, with some work on appearance and fit/finish, but I would rate it at a 2, as is, since it would not function, if you simply put it together with a driver and emitter.
but those are monsters....so sub-C might be just right...
I killed one w/ 3 D alkalines - instantly, no light, no smoke, no visible damage. Just no more worky. n Then I screwed up the silicone inside the dome w/ 3D Nimh.
I could not believe how hard it is.