hm, the Ali Express link posted at trying to consolidate all ZeusRay posts
for the same light from their other web store for $14
has a “$5 coupon”
but strangely after they tell you you got the coupon available
and try to buy the light
it has no coupon discount available.
Which cup is the little pea under? shuffle… shuffle ….shuffle …
Oh, and nevermind those $5 off coupons they claim to offer on the page: they eventually show up as
US $5 off $175.00
Valid Time: 21 Oct,2014 12:40:21 ~ 24 Oct,2014 12:40:21
Restrictions: Only used on one order value ≥ US $175.00
Application: All items for this store
From: Oct 9 to Oct 31
Yes, it’s a shell game. Keeps you guessing and hoping that somewhere, there’s the flashlight they told us they wanted to sell.
Now it is back to backordered. Maybe I picked up the last one. I hope I receive both I have ordered. I want this more than the three groupbuy X6 lights.
OK, got the one I’d had on back-order.
Looks OK; slightly smaller type for the “XML-L2”
and slightly different appearance of the “CREE” and cube icon.
Lights up the same.
I’ll continue to recommend this to anyone can manange a li-ion and wants a zoom.
yeah all my zeusray are like that. Now I get the 3rd zeus, its slightly different…… no more hole to screw out pill. but its good, I still can remove the pill by rotating the whole head. Performance isn’t effected so its good.
Very first run is the best. Focus is spot on at longest end. My latest copy has dirty led and inside fill with oily lubricant. Spent some time cleaning it though. For this price, you cannot really complain much.
Confirming, my most recent Zeusray also zooms a little past best focus, lacks the little holes on the retaining ring, and has way too much liquid goop — had to wipe it off the perimeter of the lens and out of the head. I haven’t tried removing the retaining ring yet.
Thought I’d post up and say I got my back ordered Zuesray the other day (ordered in Sep).
Actually I’m quite impressed with it.
No memory
Always starts in high
No PWM I could detect on any mode
It has disco modes, but you never see them unless you want them
And pulls 3.76amps on high with an Efest IMR 3100mAh 20A!
Pocket friendly.
Not much of a thrower, my “220” lumen T33 POP lite that runs 3xAAA.
I’ve received the Zeusray “clone” from the bay; it’s slightly smaller, not as bright, narrower beam
and has some minor rings but not that bad. But at half the price I suppose it’s not too bad. I’d rather
pay extra for the Zeusray.
+1 - I got qty 2 of the silver ones in, same source, and pretty much agree, but I'm a bit more disappointed:
design does not match their photos (scallop marks around the head are missing - which I prefer the look of)
flood width is much smaller because of the poor head design with the emitter set deep into the pill top (I was hoping at least some modding could fix this, but I don't see any way possible - other cheap zoomies can be fixed up by shortening the zoom slide, but this is not moddable for that)
of course it has the hollow pill
Amps is limited, not DD like the ZeusRay
lower end LED of course, probably XPE - no idea what the "Q5" is - that usually means XRE
to get access to the switch, looks like you'd have to drill holes in the press fit plastic
As my thoughts about zoomies have been posted in another thread I will post them here, in case Zeusray are interetsed in my views.
I use zoomies quite a lot, for photography, climbing in the dark etc etc. For me the most important thing in a zoomie is how wide the zoom angle is. Measurements in another thread by BLF members who have a Zeusray zoomie suggest that the flood beam angle is up to 77 degrees, possibly lower. The host I use has 81,5 degrees (also has a solid pill). However, the Zeusray host is however a little smaller. If the flood beam angle was as wide I’d be interested… But then again, I don’t think most users really care about flood width as I do.
Mike, I have both the Zeusray and the 878 clone (which you mentioned in other thread). They both have almost exactly the same wide beam. For this I highly prefer the zeusray since it’s much smaller.
If yours has exactly the same width as the one I use means that the Zeusray is highly inconsistent in it’s production and is a lottery of what you get. Check out this discussion from this post onwards: Review: Zeusray CREE XM-L2 zoomable flashlight. Others measured the angle on the Zuesray up to 77 degrees, using the same measurement method where the one I use meassured 81,5. I have four of the hosts I like and they are all exactly the same.
So if you are right the Zuesray is too inconsistent for me to consider. So I’ll be sticking with the other, despite it’s slightly larger size.
If you’d like a wider flood, try an emitter swap — my ZeusRay with a PC Rebel Amber gives a bit over 80 degrees, my unmodified ZeusRay gives a bit under 80 degrees.
It would take doing screenshots to be sure exactly where at the rim of the flood the measurement’s being taken, the ‘gray area’ is maybe half a centimeter.
I’d bet that’s the main source of the difference people are reporting, the “meniscus” where the light changes isn’t exact.
No argument that you’d expect less variation from the $12 light than from the $8 light, all else being equal.
I’m going to replace the lens with flat antireflection glass on one of mine, as the unfocused flood is very nice.
