As promised, here's a quick review of the Palight C8 I received yesterday from Manafont. I placed the order 3-7-11 and on 3-11-11 Jim e-mailed saying they were out of the silver version and offered the black one instead of waiting. So, order placed 3-7-11, received 3-26-11. 19 days which, as far as I'm concerned is an acceptable turnaround when we're talking $2 shipping Hong Kong Post. The price for the Palight today on Manafont is $17.99 but my invoice shows I paid $16.99.
Conclusions for people who don't care to read my drivel: For a $17 torch, the solidly constructed Palight is a great value. With its superb Cree XP-G/R5 emitter mounted relatively deep in a large, smooth refector, the Palight C8 makes a lot of light for not-a-lot-of money.
The down side: Fit and finish is adequate at this price point. There are no functional flaws but the aluminum has an almost-finished look/feel with a few nicks on some edges. The anodization is not impressive and it's easy to imagine this light looking old and used very quickly.
Emitter: Cree XP-G/R5
Battery Type: 1 18650
Maximum Voltage: I have no idea.
Switch Type: tail cap, reverse clicky
Modes: 5 mode; high/medium/low/fast strobe/SOS, last mode memory
Lens: glass
Reflector: smooth then flat around emitter
Amps at the tail: with 1 x 18650 (specs do not list CR123 as I originally reported so, can be moved in the correct forum (sir) if you like) <<<update>>>
highest measured
high: 1.60
medium: .50
low: .06
Light does not appear to be rated for water and therefore, I did not do a submerge/shower test.
The light arrived in my mail box packaged thus:
Upon unwrapping I found a somewhat shiny, six inch long flashlight with a smooth reflector in a head 1 3/4 inches in diameter.
The light arrived in good condition, slightly oily, with o-rings that were nearly dry. The laynard is a plus I suppose but I'm not overly impressed with the forgettable looks of this flaslight. It has what appear to be three cooling fins below the head that are probably aesthetic. I'm not sure if the XP-G is pushed hard enough to require a cooling solution but it does make me wonder if a more robust driver/emitter might benefit from this design.
Anyway, I took the light apart for inspection and to lube the threads/o-rings with NexTorch silicone grease. My other cat, "Marx" shared my wife's indifference to the Satruday afternoon flashlight photography session on our kitchen counter.
Reflective coating is a little rough around the emitter opening.
One curious thing on the tail cap contact plunger (is that what you call it?) is this little point that didn't get clipped after coming off the lathe. /speculation
It does not look this bad in real life but I included this close-up to justify my comments about the aluminum finish and anodizing. It almost looks like paint.
Beam shot on the left is a Solarforce Skyline I (XR-E/WC/R2) with 2 CR123s. On the right is the Palight C8 with one 18650. (XP-G/R5) Cactus in the corner is 55 feet away and both were taken at 1/4 second shutter speed @ f2.8.
As you can see, the Palight is no slouch. The hot spot is very defined and although the slightly smaller reflector is less deep than the Skyline, it throws suprisingly well. Of course, it does not have the near two block reach of the Skyline (dedicated thrower) but this is not a single purpose flashlight. The Palight will throw better than most XP-G equipped P60 style torches and has a spill brighter than many floody-only lights.
And therin lies this flashlight's raison d'etre; there are floodier flashlights that cannot throw as well and there are throwers that leave the critical two or three feet around your ankles completely in the dark, both costing much more than this flashlight. For the price of a mediocre lunch for two, the Palight C8 is a very bright, well built flashlight.
I give it 3 and a half out of 5 Foys.
budebudebudethatsallfolksFoy