✌ FREEME - Haikelite HK90 3*Luminus SBT90.2 High Lumens 3*21700 Flashlight - ALIVE

I’ve just tried, all I’ve ended up doing is melting the battery wrap lol. There’s a company in the US called IMR that sell modded 40T/30T. Just hope it isn’t a 3 week wait with a sh*t load of import duty.

Edit: ordered some 8mm x 1mm magnets locally, so hopefully they’ll work.

I've done many. Tricks:

  • dab on plenty of flux to the batt top (I use a flux pen)
  • use a large surface iron tip - I use a large slanted head one with a big flat top
  • though it sounds scary, get a lot of solder on the tip of the iron, then hold it to the batt top for a few secs as flat as possible. You need to do this in order to heat it up enough to get a good bond. Results may not always be a perfect round blob but for me it's close enough
  • Usually I'll go with a 2nd tip full of solder to get it bumped up enough - doesn't need time, or as much time for bonding, not always necessary

IMRBatteries, Liionwholesale, and 18650batterystore are the 3 US batt retailers that are pretty good in pricing and quality. Liionwholesale probably has the best support, but haven't used the others, really.

Cheers Tom.

I would caution against magnets in this type of application where there is very high current (they are extremely poor conductors) and a multi cell layout. What can happen is the magnets will shift from shear forces as the head is screwed on, and this could short the cells if they cut through or slide under the insulator ring/wrap.

Better to buy some low temp solder and use TomE’s method if BTs can’t be sourced.

I am glad that you got yours, for two reasons: 1. I want to see your review. 2. It means that mines may arrive later or sooner. I ordered two HK90: One September 7 from this group buy, and another one on October 26.

Back to 1. There are lots of reviews, but only a few reviews where the reviewer posts his throw and lumens measurements. :)

Gonna be a while before my batteries arrive from the US. I’m not gonna try soldering again as any slight lack of smoothness will scratch the hell out of the head contact and the solder could pop off too like a magnet could.

Terrible battery set up by HAIKELITE.

I got a set of 3 40T's and set of 30T's all soldered up - works great! Been doing this for 4+ years, least since the prototype days of the Q8: https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/39069/3850

Never had problems or issues with any of those solder topped cells - still have most of them.

Hhhmmm, I should make a vid of it, but I'm not good with videos.

I soldered a 14500 for my Tool AA but it did flake off once so I’m hesitant to do it more. This is a real strange decision or oversight by Haikelite.

Well, I've been expecting this to happen eventually with 21700's. Age old argument around about carrier vs straight SRK/Q8 style tube with brass ring for batt+ contact.

For drivers and LED's like this (very high amps, turbo FET), I prefer the brass ring batt+ design over a carrier because there's less transition/contact points and therefore less resistance. Also the carrier designs will be more expensive, more complicated, subject to parts that can be cheapened down. I've worked with high quality carriers but all those are in expensive lights. However the BLF GT line of lights have excellent quality carriers, made by Lumintop.

Back in the days of the Q8, it originally was difficult to find high performance 18650's with button tops. Only because we demanded it, it eventually became more commonly available, least this is what I believe from what I seen. In the days of the Q8, we had battery dealers like Liionwholsale jump on the Q8 bandwagon with special deals/discounts of button tops for the BLF Q8 community, and Banggood and Neal of course also had some great 30Q BT deals helping us.

The triple 21700's should become more common, and for 3V LED's like the SBT90.2, OSRAM's, SST-20/40's, 351D; Nichia's, etc., parallel configuration will still be around a while. Unfortunately the HK90 doesn't have the clout (number in sales) to demand this of the battery retailers for providing button tops.

Unfortunately along with high performance button top cells, came the cheap, poor methods of doing a proper button top. Some BT's have the button just sitting on the top, secured by an outer wrapper - no spot welding. Also the quality of the metal used in the BT varies greatly. BT's are very much subject to quality problems resulting in increased resistance, negating the result of high performance cells. 30Q BT's from 2 different sources can have different resistances all because of the BT - we've seen this.

I see IMR has BT's on the 30T and 40T, though for $2 more which is a big bump in cost - hope it's a quality top done right.

Nightmare, IMRbatteries.com are only delivering to the US/Canada.

Looks nice

Molicel P42A 21700’s work on my HK90 as they have slightly raised tops. All 3 cells measured the same voltage after some use.

I doubt lumen output will be 18,000 at turn on with 30T

I only hit 18090 (calibrated) with 30T solder tops after the mods - didn't try them before the mods.

The P42A's are pretty decent, though didn't think they were as good as the 40T's in the first 30 secs.

If you compare the P42A against the 40T at 20 amps, the P42A starts out weaker, but slighter better over the full drain: https://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/Common18650comparator.php

Yeah they never have been in the past for me. I suspect I’ll get 500 more lumens with 40T and 1000 more with 30T, stepdown was ludicrously fast now 3 cells contact, 20 secs, gonna have to program a higher temp.

Hello freeme,

I ordered the HK90 from this Group Buy September 7, and it shipped on October 14. But the tracking number yields zero information. When should I begin to ask where the flashlight is located at?

Let me check for you. Do expect slower response as reps are busy with 11.11 sale.

Thank you for checking on my order for me, I really do appreciate it. I really do want this light! This light has both a little bit more throw and also somewhat more power than the X65, therefore it is a must-have item. If my references are correct and if I recall correctly, both lights weigh almost the same with batteries. I anticipate a beam profile that is a little bit longer and a little bit wider and a little bit less cool white than the X65. A beam profile and performance that I gotta have. Thanks again!

I finally got my hot little hands on the much anticipated HK90, one hour ago. It is the one that I ordered from Vinh54 on October 26. Driver VNX2, spec card says 14,000 lumens and 750Kcd and 1732 meters throw. 5,700K, de-lens. it came with 3 x Vapcell INR21700 4,000 mAh, 30A, solder blob top cells.

The HK90 that I ordered from here on Sept. 7 is lost in space without a trace.

I'd be interested in what vinh did with centering the LED's after the de-lens. I thought about it, would probably give me the same throw h spec'd (about 5% bump), but the centering pieces center on the lens frames, so if you remove them, you could take your chances on centering, and not destroy the LED's by hitting the wires, or come up with another way to center them. If you could take a pic down the barrel at the LED's, much appreciated.