Howdy Guys and Girls!
Its been a while since I bought anything flashlight-related, but recently I was in search for a good work+general headlamp, I thought I'd give a chance to this new Russian designed, chinese made light.
YLP Panda 4.0 18650 headlight
https://ylplight.com/en/katalog/1/nalobnye-fonari/panda-40/
General Specs: -Dual LEDs: Samsung LH351D HiCRI for flood, XP-L HI for throw mode -Orange-Peel and Smooth TIR lens for the respective emitters -Dual Buttons for separate control -135m ANSI throw -Customizable UI with battery indication -Thermal regulation |
Light output (factory): Moonlight (Hidden) – 0.5 / 1 lm |
Weight and dimensions: Weight (empty): 65g Dimensions:85mmx35mm, dia: 25mm
|
Runtimes (factory): Moonlight (Hidden) –300 / 250 h |
I got the light from the manufacturer's site, as there are no other international resellers yet.
I paid 64USD for the light+7USD international shipping+EU taxes(dependent on your country, mine would be 25%).
At first, I was very enthusiastic about the light and quickly snapped on it, but after reading its original Fonarevka thread, I had some fears regarding quality that are partially true to my piece, too.
Packaging:
It came in a nice plastic box with the specs and promotional points on it:
The box has a magnetic lid, it is a quality packaging solution.
The included parts are: 2x Spare o-rings. I separately bought a Magnetic tailcap for it (4USD).
Appearance:
The included headband is quite good quality, it has a grippy silicone layer inside.
I have to mention, that while it is very comfortable, on my piece, both the two rubber bands that hold the light, has a very small tear in them. I hope it will not affect the use, as I do not have plans to remove it often.
The light has dark grey, matte anodizing. The body has some subtle cooling fins.
One side of the light is glued in tightly, the other is removable for installing the battery. Both protected, heatshrinked and bare batteries will fit in this light.
The tailcap has normal triangle threads with a very tight o-ring. Greasing is a must here, otherwise the cap will cut the o-ring in pieces.
The cap has a nice, stiff spring. It can be locked out, too.
One of the main complaints about this light covers the buttons. They are indeed very stiff and small, too. They are at least twice as stiff as the de-facto standard Skilhunt H03's clicky switch. With cold, weak hands or in gloves it can be a pain to push and hold them. Generally, these are usable, but it is an irritating quirk...
On my piece, the retaining rings that hold the buttons, were pushed in a bit crooked (another main complaint for other users, too).
Disassembly:
I did not disassemble my piece, as our Russian friends did it in a great quality. You can check it out in these forums:
English translation works well, too. All credit goes to AEDe, and other forum members.
http://forum.fonarevka.ru/showthread.php?t=45917
http://forum.fonarevka.ru/showthread.php?t=46384
Lightshots:
Russian friends's major complaint was the scratched smooth TIR lens, which appeared better in my piece, still there are some on the backside of the lens.
The two floodlights are not matched, they have visibly different light output. No, it is not the viewing angle that makes this.
Outdoor shots:
Every pic was made with a Mi9T Pro, f/1.75, 1/8 shutter, 4.77mm
The magnetic tailcap does work even on thin metal sheets.
Flood-low:
Flood-medium 1:
Flood-medium 2:
Flood-High:
Throw-low:
Throw-medium 1:
Throw-medium 2:
Throw-high:
Conclusion:
Its pro's:
-very nice tint
-flood is very even, yet really floody, short ranged
-The distant lens is very practical, not pinpoint, but not a flooder.
-thermal control and output regulation(supposedly)
-no visible PWM on any mode
-tweakable "Inferion" driver, Narsil-like UI
I must say that while the light tint, CRI and beam is very nice, i am not fully satisfied. I can agree with the Fonarevka community, that this Panda seems to be an Alpha or Beta version, not the finished, tested and QCed product. The stiff buttons, while usable, are a big letdown, compared to older, simpler models. The assembly quality quirks do not bother me too much, but its competitors surely figured it out better. It just does not feel like you've spent almost 100USD on a headlamp. If you are proficient in the russian forums, you can find out that you can tweak its driver firmware, modify the driving parameters which maybe a good toy for somebody, but Panda4 would have deserved a more refined quality.
10/8, only for the beam.
The light costs 64+7USD, plus various VAT expenses, 10-15-25%, whatever your country has set, easily around 100. Luckily, the seller has written a lower value to my parcel, it spared me about 15USD in VAT, but still, the other contenders I looked at like the Fenix HM65, Nitecore HC65, Acebeam H60 Sunlike or H30 can be had for similar, or not much higher prices from local resellers with local warranty.
Given its not too small price tag, if you are not after the latest and greatest exotic, you may be better off with a known name brand like Nitecore, Fenix.