Hmmm. I donât think the reason it dies on 14500 is due to heat from no stepdown. I only put 14500 in to do a ceiling bounce test and it died literally within a few seconds. While it worked, it was much brighter on 14500 than AA though so it would be a great EDC with 14500 if it works reliably.
I posted my results here so you can compare it with other AA lights too.
I havenât tried with 14500 yet.
Iâm not ready for any mod in the near future :partying_face:
Got my little 18500 Brass Beauty in the mail today, 3 weeks to my door from Enogear. Not too bad.
Promptly pulled the XM-L2 and 7135 chip driver and put an FET+1 Bistro driver with an XP-L V3 3A HI emitter⌠on an Efest 18500 1000mAh cell it does 1211 lumens in Turbo. 
Works for me! 
Nice! I have the Ti 18650 headed this way. Was thinking of that brass one next. Just wish I had the hands and eyes to do a successful mod on it.
These are made as compact as possible, everything about them has very low tolerance so itâs a pretty tight situation to be modifiying.
My wifeâs 18650 DQG Brass Beauty only takes one cell in all the cells I have, and thatâs a lap pull. Tight, as compact as they could possibly make it.
I always though that there was a typing mistake and that this was a 18650 light, not 18500 :person_facepalming:
SoâŚhow hard would be to mod it Dale? :smiling_imp:
Mind posting any thing on its âentrailsâ, please? :innocent:
It has a brass pill threaded into the head much like a Convoy S2 (the old style, without the integrated emitter shelf), simple enough to bump the existing driver with a couple of 7135 chips or swap it out with an FET+1 style driver like the X6 Bistro. (which is what I did) I also swapped in an XP-L V3 3A HI on a Noctigon. Basic stuff, not all that difficult to do.
Edit: FWIW, I didnât put a spring on the Bistro driver but instead built up the pad with solder just enough for the cell to make contact without the retaining ring impeding it. This allows the 18500 to fit inside, donât think a button top cell would allow the tail cap to go on fully. Would probably still work as everything here is brass so ground is good with first contact of the threads.
There is a white plastic insulation disc in the tail cap to isolate the switch and there is a white plastic centering ring for the aluminum reflector, other than the glass lens and the o-rings everything else is brass. Everything! Even the button to turn the light on/off. My wife has had a DQG Brass Beauty in her purse for years, this one is EXACTLY the same except the battery tube is shorter and doesnât have flats cut on itâs side. The heads match up perfectly as do the tail caps.
For what you say it wouldnât be an hard mod! (so it seems)
Gonna keep this in mind as that light is gorgeaus 
Also, if I perceived well the pill doesnât have a shelf? I thought the S2 pills were like the S2+ only being shorter.
In any case DTP MCPCB (noctigon or not) are recommended to allow the led to light up according to the driverâs power!
Thanks again for the explanation Dale
This DQG has a threaded in pill, I guess the S2+ also has a pill as I got a copper one from Hoop for this light, so yeah, itâs kinda like that. Or a Sinner EDC.
Yes, the brass pill has a stepped shelf for the MCPCB, a 16mm Noctigon fits right in. I never allow an aluminum MCPCB to stay in a light, never. I have over 100 20mm SinkPADâs here, Iâll make one of those fit if I donât have the right board. lol
The new 18500 Brass Beauty next to the old 18650âŚ
And, Read em and weep Boys, read em and weep!
I have another sheet that is more complete factory wise that Iâm saving out, not planning to use. And at least a sheetâs worth on my bench, some on a sheet and some already broken downâŚ
I was on friendly terms with the Lady at SinkPAD when they switched over from their original to the SinkPADII version, I bought 200 of the old ones, the last they had in stock.
I could be wrong but I suspect these are not brass but instead, bronze. See how the old one hasnât blackened with age? No special care, it sits in my wifeâs purse and getâs used whenever she needs a light. Sheâs also got a tiny little Olight Titanium in her purse as well as a blue Emisar D4.
She likes to tell the story of a late night leaving the hospital when a couple of Security Guards were trying to assist a Nurse whoâd locked her keys in the car. They were trying to shine their light through tinted windows in an attempt to locate said keys inside the car but were having difficulty getting enough light inside to see. My wife offered up the Brass Beauty and they were like, âItâs ok maâam, weâve got this, youâre little light wouldnât be much help anyway.â Then she turned it on and put it up against the glass and they were amazed! lol Spotted the keys on the floor in front of the seat where the Nurse had dropped them in getting out of the carâŚ
Always a nice story to show how âflashaholicsâ lightsâ are not âlittle lightsâ :smiling_imp:
Hum, now itâs me whoâs getting leaned towards that Beauty!! I wonât be hard to mod it at all if the pill is like the S2+. MTN drivers will fit on that one for sure, with guppy3drv, it will be a nice light
A Luxeon V (4000K) can also be a good choice for the emitter.
A long list of desired lights, a short list on the bank account though :person_facepalming:
Thanks Dale :+1:
How are the threads on the brass 18500?
I once had the AA brass version and the threads were really tiny.
I have 0.5mm threads and just got through cutting some 0.75mm that are pretty fine, tiny works, lol.
I think these are 0.75mm, without measuring. It allows for a short piece of threaded attachment while still catching 6 or 7 threads. You canât afford to mess up any threads thoughâŚ
2 months from ordering, still no light. I wonât order there again.
they are slow but it will arrive.
just be patient and forget about your order
Should have complained sooner, next day the light turns up :person_facepalming:
Very nice light for the money. Bought it as a host, but the tint and output are very acceptable. Gonna leave it as is for now and use it as a general around the house / family light on nihm. At least till my sw40 r9080 nichiaâs arrive.
Just returning to say that after a few days of edcing this light I like it even more. Maybe because I wasnât expecting much, but it performs well above its price.
- More than enough output on an eneloop
- verry nice handfeel
- good mode spacing on nihm
- Tint is great, I probably wont even change the emiter.
- clicky has a verry nice feel
It has become my â dress EDC â . It has some style.
Just got mine. I am very impressed, for what I paid it is a bargain. Love the tint.
Just trying to get up the courage to stick a 14500 in it. Do I risk it?