Clone of On The Road M3 ~$13

Still not understanding why the OTR i3 doesn’t get much love here on BLF
Zoomed out about the same beam profile as the M3 but because if the zoom one can see things further away.
As a matter of fact this clone where we now talk about with zoom would be so nice for these little lights just don’t throw so far yet the i3 proves it is possible.

Can anyone confirm these lights have genuine Cree leds?

You people just made me order one :slight_smile:

Also 18650 version and small 10180 keychain…

This is one of the reasons I opted for it (S1R Baton), the chance to access directly to Moonlight and that being a low moonlight level, maybe not the lowest, but low enough for what I need it.
If it wasn’t that, my 1st option would be the OTR (half the price) or this Jaxmnve (1/4 of the price) :person_facepalming:

Djozz loved it and made some nice things in the i3 :wink:
This was also a thread on it last year!

I guess you have a point on that! It would allow to see further, and it is much more compact than other zoomie lights (AAs or 18650s). The Jaxmnve with zoom, maybe it was a winner for such a compact light!

Fasttech still sells the i3 (along with many other OTR lights, even some that seem oooold school), but GB and OTR on AliExpress don’t have them. Maybe it was discontinued.

I just sold a modded m3. I have two of these clones with charging on the bench ready to mod. I’ll post them for sale here first in case anyone wants one. I’m not sure yet if I can save the charging option. I am going to fight tooth and nail for it though. :smiley:

JAXMNVE M8

If intend to get one, you probably want to check out the short demo first.

Good thing is that there is no visible PWM from my cam.

I like mine!

On M8 it has strobe in modes? No double click or something?

Low (more like mid) > High > Strobe

Double click will activate auto ramping loop. Their ramping style is not really useful imo.

Hum, guess that’s going to be a tough mod :open_mouth:
Let us know what you’ve done, when you’ve done it :wink:

Oh boy…this UI… :person_facepalming:
From the video, on the stepless dimming, it doesn’t appear to go down to low lumen levels, does it? How low does it go, if you have an estimation?
Thanks :+1:

Oh well…
If I hate it I will give it to someone who doesn’t care :slight_smile:

Just an FYI, I noticed a recent code for On The Road U16 XP-L HD 6500 - 7000K at $19.99, with OTR cell.

I took apart the clone today. I ended up relying on an aluminum rod and a hammer two sizes larger than the one I started with. :slight_smile: It deformed the brass ring some and broke a couple solder joints, but the brass can be reformed to shape and after some extra solder on the broken connections the driver still works. I’m quite surprised though, I gave it some pretty good pounding.

My end goal does not include the original driver circuit, but I’m hanging on to the charging circuit. The charger used is labeled, HXN-MH. The charge port is remotely mounted directly to the pill with a rather heafty screw. I believe the rest of the charge circuit is contained on the back of the vertically mounted switchboard. After some digging through my parts bins the good news is that I believe I can mod it with a triple channel board running Narsil and retain the charging function. The bad news is, it is NOT going to be easy. :slight_smile:

For anyone wants to open their’s up, the reflector is not screwed in like the m3 but be prepared for a fight to get the pill out of the head! I would recommend pounding using something solid that fits tightly in the battery tube with minimal wiggle. If you need to pound with a punch or screw driver try to avoid both the end with the switch and the side with the charge port. focus on the part of the pill on either side between the two as this is where the brass touches the aluminum of the pill. Pounding the other areas will result in deforming the brass ring and possibly loosening parts on the driver. Also, I would remove the charge port cover ahead of time. I ended up shearing off the tab that keeps the cover from completely coming off when charging. With the tab gone it will be more easily lost. I have a solution in mind though.

I would have posted picks but my camera/phone quit on me. So I’m out my lifeline till I can figure that out.

Oh yes, emitter swaps should be doable. Only trouble is that the mcpcb is glued to the pill. I scraped around the edges with an exacto knife and still had to twist pretty hard with my needle nose pliers. I’m not sure what emitter is going in this one but I am sure it’s going to be nice! :slight_smile:

depends who you ask

Moonlight mode:3Lm
Low mode: 148Lm
Mid mode: 292Lm
Hiigh mode: 595Lm
Turbo mode: 870Lm

Ultra-low; 10 lumens
Low; 150 lumens
Medium; 300 lumens
High; 600 lumens
Turbo; 920 lumens

there is a review here, but it actually does not say what the lumen levels are, but it has other info and photos you may enjoy

Thanks jon_slider for the information on the On The Road M3 :+1:
Despite the different “appreciations”/measurements, it is a really great light!

However, I was asking about the levels of the Jaxmnve M3 (aka, “the clone” :smiley: ) as from freeme ’s video about the UI it is possible to see that it goes to low levels, but doesn’t seem to go to moonlight levels.

I may be wrong, but it doesn’t seem to go that down! I already have one on the way, so it won’t weight on the decision, it is just to be aware what I (or other buyers) can wait !!

Thanks again :wink:

Yes, you are correct. It doesn’t go as low as many would like. The lowest level is maybe 40lm? That is a very crude guess only from memory and not by direct comparison. But it’s definaltely not a moon mode and more like a moderate low mode.

Hahaha that ramp is funny, not a wide range but funny yeah.
It seems to go a little lower this way.

Thanks for the answer LightRider!! Well…that is not what I expected when I saw stepless dimming, but ok, we’ll survive this UI :smiley:
It will always be a nice BUDGET light as long as it works well in the modes it has, once that modding it is not an easy option, as you and TomE said!

Eheheh, at least it is funny :smiley: :partying_face:
Maybe - I’m just saying - maybe the manufacturers would be open to use one of the mentioned firmwares, Narsil, NarsilM, others, if we “advise” them to do that!

Do you think this was a good option, or was it desirable? If these firmwares are open source, it would be interesting to get to these manufacturers and tell them about it.

I don’t have much experience contacting manufacturers. Sofirn and Amutorch are just 2 of them to whom I provided some feedback on the flashlights I bought (through AliExpress).

- Sofirn - represented on BLF by Tracy Wan - incorporated some feedbacks given here about their AA lights (were from H to ML, now are L to H, and strobes were “dismissed”).

  • Amutorch contact, despite didn’t make the changes (yet?) took the given suggestions to their responsibles.

This Jaxmnve manufacturer already uses a “ramping UI” (+ clicks). Maybe they are open to make some changes on their drivers and UIs and make a more “nice” light.

I’m just saying! Sorry if I completely ignore how things can happen on this manufacturing world, as I have no experience on that :person_facepalming:

As a user, I would just like to have the best flashlights possible, keeping the budget side on it! :money_mouth_face:

I wonder how would they react to the legal burden of GPL…

BLF firmware, whilst wonderful, is not the be-all and end-all.

Neither are simple FET drivers, necessarily.

And is predicated on relatively expensive MCUs.

And is an acquired taste, maybe more than many will ever want, or use fully.

Plenty of good stuff being done commercially with much more humble stuff, E.g. I have a huge 4D cell “10W Cree LED” torch that cost £12 (reduced) from Lidl/Aldi last year, with simple high, low, then for more control a great ramping UI, up and down, flicker at each limit, hidden strobe, perfect.

All good, genuine Cree XML LED in good neutral white tint, driven well, good reflector, the metalwork alone weighs over 700g, when loaded with included x4 Ds (a few quid themselves), 1.3 kilos. Fit, finish, o-rings, anodisation quality, all great.

Bought it having a project for the chassis in mind, but so good I never bothered. Perfect for walking the dog, or investigating “bumps in the night”.