As you can tell from my avatar, I am a big fan of the Akoray K-106 3-mode programmable light. I got one about a month ago, and I would heartily recommend it to others, but there is a problem in the supply chain.... The #1 perk to this flashlight is the fact that it is programmable, so I can have an extremely low power light that runs for days, or a piercing bright beam at the highest setting, however I want. The problem though, is that the programmable feature is unadvertised on Dealextreme, where I prefer to get my budget lights. Rather, they advertise a 6-fixed-modes light, so they are not under obligation to ship a 3-mode version. Some of the comments on DX seem to indicate that they are starting to move toward selling only the 6-mode version instead of the 3-mode unadvertised version. So now, where can we buy these 3-mode programmable Akorays from? Kaidomain has them but KD is less professional than DX. Any other ideas?
KD seems okay to me. I don't trust them more or less than DX because I don't trust either one. I ordered a light from them and although the output and runtime were exaggerated, otherwise it was as advertised and I got it faster than a shipment from DX placed around the same time.
The only thing I worry about with the KD 106 (and really any 106) is what kind of brightness are you really going to get? The ones people rave about are incredibly bright but are certainly being overdriven. Some of them appear to be better regulated but not nearly as bright. Plus sometimes the tint can be quite blue (maybe because it is being overdriven?). I love the idea that the levels can be customized, it has memory, and it has li-ion protection, but I've never ordered one because I just never knew exactly what I'd get. Unfortunately KD doesn't have as many reviews as DX, so there are no reviews there to tell me one way or the other.
Yes, I suppose I would buy a K-106 from Kaidomain if I knew for sure that they are still carrying the programmable version. I have my first order from KD on its way in the mail right now, but I ordered the cheaper Uniquefire AA-S1 from them to see how it turns out. I wasn't terribly impressed with KD's site or their ordering/shipping habits, but we'll see when the proof finally shows up in the mail. At any rate I wonder if the manufacturer of the K-106 is changing over to a cheaper non-programmable model now.
I can't speak for everyone, but I am very impressed with the K-106. It feels expensive, it has great knurling, solid connections, good threading, and three programmable modes. I personally don't care much about brightness, but I care very much about runtime. The K-106 delivers, with almost two days of nonstop usable light on a plain Duracell alkaline, and letting the battery sit for half a day, I turned it back on and got another 24 hours or so of usable light out of it. Very impressive. I wish these lights weren't so scarce.
Personally, I like the Uniquefire more than the Akoray. But you won't get the same super runtime out of it. I got 1 hour 8 mins to 50% with a 2000mAh NiMH. Judging by the steepness of the drop I doubt you'll get an hour of even the dimmest light after that. The review is here.
I like the price a lot more of the Uniquefire AA-S1 but I'm a sucker for dim lights that run for a long time. At any rate I will soon have both, if KD manages to get me the shipment sometime this century before we drop AA cells and start using nuclear flashlights...
Programmable (unless they've made a new and cheaper batch). Review here
It will be fatter than the K-106 as it can take CR123 as well. It says it is 21mm(Just shy of an inch) in diameter whereas the K-106 is just under 20mm. This suggests that the walls are a bit thinner than in the K-106
Looks like another good Akoray product. Just costs a bit more than the K-106. In other news, the $13.99 "Nkoray" K-106 on DX has been updated to be "Akoray". Quality seems to be quite an issue for that light, though.
There are two internal spacers. An AA sits inside it and a CR123 sits on it. It also has a very long and presumably rather soft spring at both ends. The review is here. the pics of head and tail caps show this clearly.
I ordered KD's K-106 last night, so hopefully in 2-20 weeks I'll have one. I know the AK-16 got a good review, but I didn't need the ability to handle 16340's. Hopefully this one is programmable, has memory, and the optional low battery cutoff, though none of that is clear from KD's description.
The good thing about KD is they advertise it as 3-mode programmable, so if you get something different you can technically send it back. But please let us know, the K-106 programmable is my favorite light to date, and I would like to know if we can get more.
OK, good news, brted informs us that KD is shipping the programmable version. Let's hope they keep producing it. This is the flagship "budget light" in my opinion.
but I'm a sucker for dim lights that run for a long time. At any rate I will soon have both, if KD manages to get me the shipment sometime this century before we drop AA cells and start using nuclear flashlights...