Saw this AAA Zoomie in Lidl (UK) Horley the other day. Price was £2.99 ($4) with 3yr G/tee:
It says ’5W Cree XT-E’ on the pack and boasts 100 lumens.
It is very well made and all the threads were greased.
Zoom extends smoothly, and went from a usable flood to a nice small square spot.
It has 5 modes: High-Med-Low-Strobe-SOS high is stated to be 100LM with Med 50 and low
25. Took a tailcap amps reading and got 1.20, .60 and .30 for H-M-L.
Took it apart and it is very well put together:
Next to my Solfirn C01 for size comparison – finish is at least comparable
I tried to have a poke around on the pill but it’s very well put together and I scratched
the dome trying, I wonder if I could get an XML to fit in there? with 1.2 amps it
might be interesting, maybe someone could advise how it would compare to the XT-E.
A very nice little zoomie, I’d buy a few more – if I didn’t have a dozen or so AAA’s already
I
I have to check my local LIDL store but I suppose they will have different stock.Is there a brand and model of it?
I think the offer was from last Sunday, Horley, Surrey branch had around 20 of them left so
there may be a few knocking around in other stores too.
It says ‘Livarno Lux’ on the pack 5W Cree max 100lm.
IAN number = 306054
That would make a nice hands-free hat brim light, if the clip were reversible or 2-way.
I’d like to have a 1AAA zoomie for may hat brim.
The Glaree E05 is really lightweight for an AAA light. Thinwall tube, simple twisty so no switch adding weight or length, pretty sure it has a reversible clip. There was a blowout sale on Amazon ages ago, dunno what the “regular” price might be. Compared to, say, a Tool AAA, it practically levitates.
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I don’t think that the Glaree is a zoomie.
My current 1AAA light for hat brim use weighs just 30g with a NiMh installed – Factor Equipment Mizpah 130. It’s not a zoomie, either.
Nope, ain’t. Would be nice with a fixed aspheric, though, for a nice buttery-smooth floody beam.
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You’re lucky. Here lidl sells overpriced junk.
$4 gets you nothing.
Cree SMD LED? Starts at $20. Oh, you want that with aluminium body? $30-40 minimum.
It was here, in Romania, too, in the Lidl stores.
First, it appealed to me, but seeing it live discouraged my attempt to buy it.
Only 100 lumens for a light almost as big as my beloved Sofirn SP10B…
Not bright or practical for me.
FIAT LUX!
My current brim light is my D4 with a shorty 18350 tube. It may be a little heavy but it works for me
I bought one of these yesterday, And went back for another one today, They are an amazing flash-light for only £2.99, Even at £5.99 i would have bought it.
The Zoom is the deal maker for me, for an really wide beam to a tight spot.
John.
Maha C9000 – LaCrosse BC-900 – Floureon BT-C3100 V2.2 – Accumanger 10 and 20 -Thunder AC6 LiitoKala Lii-100 – Cozypony 24W Solar Panel – Soshine H4 – Soshine T2 – Soshine E4S
Can I have a semi-front view of this light, showing the lens size and curvature? This is the first I want to know of a new zoomie because it is the most important clue of the performance. And for some reason, also on sellers websites, it is often left out.
link to djozz tests
Shopping in my local (Edinburgh) LIDL yesterday I found several still on the shelves. For the price of a cup of coffee it looks a bargain. Fills a useful void in my EDC kit, between a good bright versatile Astrolux S43S which is just a bit too bulky and heavy for carrying everywhere always, and tiny keychain torches that are probably only better than striking a match. The completely even featureless flood is very nice, and the long end of the throw focuses an image of the LED so well that you can see the imperfections in its surface coating -- in other words it puts a lot of light a long way.
Chris Malcolm
These don’t seem to be available in the US.
This is what it looks like in the packing.
Maha C9000 – LaCrosse BC-900 – Floureon BT-C3100 V2.2 – Accumanger 10 and 20 -Thunder AC6 LiitoKala Lii-100 – Cozypony 24W Solar Panel – Soshine H4 – Soshine T2 – Soshine E4S
The UI is H-M-L in that order?
FIAT LUX!
No Memory, So from power on you get, High100%, Medium50%, Low25%, SOS, STROBE.
John.
Maha C9000 – LaCrosse BC-900 – Floureon BT-C3100 V2.2 – Accumanger 10 and 20 -Thunder AC6 LiitoKala Lii-100 – Cozypony 24W Solar Panel – Soshine H4 – Soshine T2 – Soshine E4S
Thank you!
FIAT LUX!
Haven’t spotted them in the Netherlands (yet). Or on the Lidl-website.
But if they are: there is a Lidl store just around the corner
You are a flashaholic if you are forced to come out of the closet, to make room for more flashlights.
Djozz, could you please tell us what cues can you take from such picture?
The diameter (or more precisesily said: surface area) of the lens allows a direct calculation of throw capability, how curved it is (or more precise: what is the estimated focal length) gives a clue about light loss; many small zoomies have a very shallow lens (so long focal length) that in zoom configuration will produce very little light (but concentrated in a very small spot which is perceived by non-flashoholics as very awesome), while some have very nice lenses (like the classic sk68(-clones) that is optically very good) that capture more light in spot-modus.
BTW, shallow lenses produce a very wide flood that is especially appreciated by many, while I like how far it throws.
link to djozz tests
I know this is a very budget light, but is it just me that finds this angle completely unacceptable, my eyes are drawn to it like magnets?
Beam me up!
That bend is caused by the camera lens when you take a really close photo, It`s called "Geometric Distortion", It`s not on the flash-light, I checked mine.
https://photographylife.com/what-is-distortion
John.
Maha C9000 – LaCrosse BC-900 – Floureon BT-C3100 V2.2 – Accumanger 10 and 20 -Thunder AC6 LiitoKala Lii-100 – Cozypony 24W Solar Panel – Soshine H4 – Soshine T2 – Soshine E4S
Thanks.
BTW it is by far the cheapest OK-quality AAA zoomie that I’ve seen….I must visit lidl often in the coming weeks…
I’ve measured the lens with my Digital calipers. It’s 16mm Diameter and 6.4mm thick at the apogee of the lens.
I grabbed one of these last week too out of curiosity, just couldn’t resist the tiny zoomie! I don’t think it’s an XT-E, at a glance it looks like a fake to me and it doesn’t have the cross of an XT-E on the die but does have the mottled effect of a flip-chip when zoomed in, only coarser than i remember. Have to admit though, i can’t see where it specifies XT-E on the packaging.
I like the body though and the lens seems alright when going from flood to spot (looking forward to Djozz’s assessment) so will look at changing the LED at some point.
It also has obvious low freq PWM for mid and low, and a glued-in switch, none of which is a surprise at the price
I also picked up a 2xAA zoomie in Lidl a couple of months back, anyone else grab one of those? Didn’t think to point out it’s availability on here, shame on me!
I dunno if it’s a fake XTE or not, but it it says XTE in the manual on the LIDL website
(you can search for manuals there, IAN 306054 in this case). Specs as listed there:
Technical data
• Bulb (not replaceable): 1 × 5 watts CREE LED XTE
• LED light intensity: in 100% mode approx. 80-100 lumens*
• LED life: approx. 50,000 h
• Battery life: in 100% mode approx. 40-45 minutes*
• Lighting range: in 100% mode approx. 80-100 m*
• Dust- and splash-proof in accordance with IP44
*In accordance with ANSI testing specifications
That’ll be why i missed it
It’s not a bad LED though, i’ll post a pic in the fake Cree thread when i get a chance, for confirmation.
I picked up a couple of these to give away. One friend called after a few days to say it was “fantastic” (some people are easily pleased), and wanted “at least” two more. That’s the sad thing about Lidl – when they are gone, they are generally gone for quite some time.
I didn’t really like the one I played with (for 5 minutes), but then again I have a dozen or so single AAA lights, and I’m not a fan of zoomies. For £3 though …….
Ever since this thread started I’m looking locally to see if they are available….nope, they are not.
I even checked some site that catalogues lidl stuff – it doesn’t list them so they probably didn’t arrive some time before I started looking.
I wonder if they’ll eventually show up….I lost most of the hope already.
Maybe when they’ll do another camping campaign. In a few month or or next year. Maybe. Usually, Lidl sells no more the items that do not sell well.
FIAT LUX!
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