I just got a notification email from Stanley at hkequipment.net that they just got their last shipment of MCU-C88 torches. I immediately placed my order and received confirmation from him that my order is received and the light will ship in a day or two.
Price went up a few bucks to $38.99 but considering it may be the last opportunity to get them new it's not as bad as it could have been. This will be my first one and I hope it lives up to the expectations everyone has built it up to be. :)
Johnny
UPDATE:
Just spoke with HKE over skype and mine has shipped. They confirmed that this is the last batch they will get as the light is discontinued. They have only a few left so if you wanted one and didn't get one yet you better jump on it quick and snag one of the last few to be had. ;)
X, is your driver just press fit into the pill or is it soldered? I was a little surprised to see mine just press fit into the pill. I’m gonna hafta dig up the old reviews on it and see what driver they put in it. It’s definitely brighter if I put a 18650 cell in it.
Price aside, I wouldn't really consider hkequipment as being a budget operation anyway. China and Hong Kong may be associated with budget shops, but that doesn't mean that all shops are. Also, a lot of their stock is of the big name brands rather than the cheap brands, so of course the name brands will cost more. This is, for want of a better description, a flashlight specialist store who just happen to be based in a region better known for cheap brands.
Taking in to account that they are a flashlight specialist and not a budget store, and that it is the name brands, the pricing looks reasonable to me, but then, UK and Western European pricing is generally very high, so most prices outside of Europe look pretty good to me.....