I love it when someone comes up with a better price. Thank you M4d M4x, I just bought my first soupcan light :bigsmile:
Hopefully the coupon is active wed. Wife is making me wait.
I think everyone is aware of that offer. Aurabuy is just another channel of getting T4. I know there are couple of BLFers who are against of buying from BG or FT.
I think so…
btw : if someone wants to use a affiliate link…
pm me 
Thx for the review, I’ve just received a T4 myself through the mail today.
I have really limited knowledge of cree lights as have only ever owned a single 1 x t6 headlight, so cant really contribute a lot, all I know is -
Ordered from banggood on 15/08 using ST4 code $29/£17.50, selected the free shipping method
Received light today 22/08 - seems really fast delivery to the UK considering free shipping method
Light came boxed, with extra padding around box.
1 led is quite mis-aligned compared to the other’s. more mis-aligned than in the OP’s light.
Apart from that visually looks very good. Light seems to be working as it should.
Hopefully when I get more knowledgeable about these things I can give better feedback!
Welcome to the SS-T4 club, Strumble! Hope you enjoy your new flashlight. Remember to reserve some fund for high-drain cells to power up your T4. 
Hi there,
Great review Freeme, thanks for investing so much of your time to help us! Newbie here:
I received my T4 a few days ago and really like the light, i am aware that my opinion is relative to what other flashlights i have - Thunite TN12, Zebralight H600. I was looking for a multiple emitter floody soup can light, this light meets my needs at a great price!
I did a run time test last night to see what i can get out of it, here are my findings:
Batteries: Panasonic 3400 flat top cells (Flat top cells don’t work with this light, added solder blobs to make them work)
High: apx 3 min before it stepped down to medium…. not sure if that was due to the temp or the solder blobs affecting performance.
I shut it off to let it cool down then turned it on to high again, this time i only got 30 sec before step down. I repeated the process only this time letting the torch cool down for a longer period, i got apx 2:30 on high before step down. I then placed the torch in the freezer to cool it significantly and ended up getting about 10 min on high.
Med: I left the torch on after the last stepdown and let it run on medium until i got the low battery indicator come on at apx 2 hrs and 55 min including the times on high mentioned above.
Has anyone done any run time testing of their own?
Am i doing something wrong that is affecting the run time on high?
I would appreciate your feedback.
Previously I had only briefly tested my light on some 6yr old used samsung icr18650 2600mah laptop pull batts. I never seen any step down, would just get the red light after a bit, torch would get warm but not too hot.
Yesterday I received some new sanyo protected 2800 mah (real capacity around 2300-2600 due to 4.3v batt and charging it to 4.2v only) I put them in and got 1minute 30seconds before it stepped down to medium, would then only get 30 seconds or less on high like yourself before going to medium unless it was turned off for a bit, was actually thinking the torch was broke fore a min as never see the stepdown before, light was getting hot pretty quick, I do have some panasonics on the way which i’ll try. I’ll see what other batteries I have and do some more tests.
Thanks stumble for sharing your experience, I hope the wise would chime in and tell us if we’re doing something wrong. I was really hoping to get at least one hour on high.
I now have two of these T4s. The first did not fully shut off and was sent to RMM to see what he could do. He replaced the driver and firmware with his seven mode driver as used on his Supfire M6 and SRK enhanced lights. He also had to replace the switch as the one in the light was not compatible with the new electronics. Apparently the original switch does not have a true open or off position but changes resistance between pressed and not pressed positions. After repair/modification the light now gives a measured 2450 OTF lumens. In comparison the $10.50 modification M6 with only three XM-L2s gives a measured 3230 Lumens on the same equipment and the fully modified M6 versions are good for 4650 Lumens. He also modified a five XM-L2 Supfire L1 for me and it is now putting out a measured 7300 Lumens maximum, though not for long as the turbo timer is set for 1 minute.
LED heights appear to be the same in both lights but the one that went to RMM has a larger diameter hot spot than the unmodified one for some reason. So far as I know the LEDs and reflector were not messed with in the RMM repaired light. If correct then there may be considerable differences in Lux readings and throw between individual lights. That would not surprise me at the retail price point.
Some very useful info there Rich. Seems the quality control is not too good.
Have you done any runtime figures on either of them in high mode to see if/when stepdown occurs?
The RMM repaired/modified light is stepping down after 1 minute which is about standard for his drivers and firmware. My SupFire M6 and L1 lights and RMM modified SRK and SecurityIng lights are the same. Richard is conservative and does not like to risk customers killing his efforts though the firmware does allow returning to Turbo immediately if needed.
Great review. I’ve been eyeing this light.
I’ve come to the conclusion that 3 x 18650 lights are my favorite form factor, wether they are loaded in parallel, like the T4, or in a series carrier.
I ran a quick test just now. T4 does step down to a lower output once it hit ~5min 30s mark with a USB fan running at ~50cm away. Most likely it is triggered by temp sensor?
I only have a bundle of mixed cells right now, unable to provide any accurate reading for the time being. Just ordered a batch of 3400mAh over the weekend, will try to come out with something when they arrive.
Thanks for running the test, it appears that it does indeed step down due to temperature…. A little disappointing to be honest.
You do not have to be. It is still brighter than lots of lights out there even at medium mode 
. In fact, I like the temp control function as I hate flashlight that is too hot to handle (there is no winter in my country).
ontheR6;
Considering the weight of the light and the output at maximum, if it did not step down it would eventually damage itself I expect. It also has minimal cooling fins area which does not help the cooling. It does warm up relatively rapidly and heat is the biggest enemy of solid state electronics long term reliability.
A high output LED light that does not heat up relatively quickly is a danger to itself as the heat is building up inside and apparently has no escape path. A group of recently built SRK clones are made this way with a LED mounting plate that does not even touch the light head shell. The only way for heat to escape is via the bolt which attaches the LED mounting plate to the reflector. I was unlucky enough to buy one without knowing it. I sent it to RMM to see if it was suitable for modification and he gave me the bad news that it was a piece of junk internally. He did give it the 7 output level user interface but there is no way to increase the output. Another BLF member who buys SRKs as hosts posted about these lights with the floating LED mounting plates. He was told that it was done due to some customer complaints about the lights getting hot. So basically they have made a bunch of defective lights to satisfy customers who know nothing of electronics and high power LED physics.
About like designing a internal combustion engine with no cooling system.
Freeme,
You are right, i shouldn’t be disappointed - it’s the excited child in me that is speaking out (new hobby LOL). The light is super bright even at the medium level. I really like the light and can’t stop messing with it! :bigsmile:
Out of curiosity, I ran an unscientific test regarding temperature readings of the torch on high, here are the results:
- Thermometer used: Cen-Tech infrared (not too bad, i used it in the past to measure tire temps at the track)
- The area the temperature was measured on the outside of the torch: Between side switch and bezel (head).
- Room temp: 73 Degrees Fahrenheit. (central AC set to 72)
- Starting torch Temp: 76 Degrees Fahrenheit.
- Batteries: Fully charged 3400 mah panasonic brand. (Newly Purchased)
Test 1:
Readings On High:
1:00 min - Temp reading: 94 Degrees Fahrenheit
2:00 min - Temp reading: 107 Degrees
2:35 min - Temp reading: 111 Degrees Step down occurred
Test 2: with cooling fan
Cooled torch to 76 degrees prior to start of test 2.
Added a small 5 inch fan apx 10 inches from the torch and pointed it straight at it.
Here are the results:
1:00 min - Temp reading: 87 Degrees Fahrenheit
2:00 min - Temp reading: 95 Degrees
2:35 min - Temp reading: 97.8 Degrees
3:00 min - Temp reading: 100 Degrees
4:00 min - Temp reading: 104 Degrees
4:35 min - Temp reading: 110 Degrees Step down occurred
In addition, I left the torch on in medium setting for about 30 min and the temp reading was 130 degrees which is uncomfortable to hold for more than a few seconds. It reiterates your point about the light getting way too hot to handle without a step down plus the potential damage it could be doing to the internals.
Interesting comparison you make with an internal combustion engine, makes perfect sense. Thank you for your explanation! I’m a sponge right now and trying to absorb as much information as possible.
BTW if you had of held onto the light during your 30 minute temperature test it almost certainly would not have gotten so hot as much of the heat would transfer to you and your blood circulation would have helped carry away the heat. Your hand and body would act as a heat sink.