Oh and I forgot: I am SOOO disappointed with the SIPIK company! BAD COMPANY, BAD BAD BAD!
To market this without proper heat sinking. I feel so let down and I am sorry if anyone bought this light because of this thread and feel like they wasted money. I used my sipik sk68ās for years. More or less since they came out. And they never let me down, I like the design and the clip and in fact the whole package. So I was stoked when I saw the pictures on Manafont. Hoping for a complete upscaling of the 68 model to the 98 model was apparently too much to ask for so to the Sipik company all I want to say is
> and now the the star isnāt contacting the āpillā.
Any chance of a straight on closeup of the driver board while itās open, or any good picture?
Been wondering what people will find when they start opening those up. I bet it varies from one to the next.
I see how you still remember that lathe-born mag heatsink
The copper disk is pretty easy to machine, no electric tools needed. The most important part is to find a correct diammetter stock bar of copper. The hole in the pill measures 18mm (17.8mm in another unit, some tolerance). Go to your hardware store and ask for a copper bar of 18mm, cut a disk using a handsaw of 6mm.
Cut to small bits on oposite sides for the wires.
Try to fit the disk in place, use sandpaper if needed. The hardest fit the better.
Iāve used a vice to push it to the place.
I read this post and the reviews and negative first impressions, and then ordered an SK98 anyway for the heck of it. I really dig my little SK68 and even the UF 3-mode clone I just got. I figure if this SK98 has high and low modes, and Iām not abusing my torch with rigorous testing and running on high all the time, maybe Iāll at least get better, larger-format performance than the SK68 even with the SK98 on low. Obviously zooming an XM-L emitter isnāt going to be the prettiest throw, but having a powerful LED zoomy in my collection seemed like a good idea if not for just the fun factor alone. In fact, I have another eBay no-name special (not a Sipik clone - different design) on the way that boasts 1400 lm. LOL. But Iāll bet that actual 300 or so lms will seem pretty bright when zoomed to throw. Some guys report the SK68 only topping out at 90lm or so, but the perceived brightness of the little rocket seems to be so much more because of the zoom function. Gimmick or not, itās fun to have a 100 yard beam capability in a little device that fits in my front pocket.
Any feedback on my ideology? If we donāt run this SK98 on high for any length of time, can we expect it to hold together? Anyone else order one of those other 18650 zoomy things from eBay or elsewhere?
I can give a simple layman review without draw measurements and photos. I just got my SK98 today, and because I have a couple loser UF red 18650s that have bunk protection circuits that donāt allow enough draw, Iāve not been able to play much with it. But I have a third red 18650 that seems to hold at a bit higher draw, and the driver in this SK98 wants to pull more voltage, which I guess is a good thing. If you read the reviews earlier in the thread that the plastic portion of the āpillā might melt within several minutes on āhighā because of poorly designed heat-sinking(or lack thereof), well that may be the downfall of these lights.
That being said, mine is REALLY bright. If you own an SK68 or one of the clones, you know how they can perform and they are impressive for the size. So itās somewhat exciting to know what a 18650 version might be capable of. I was. I donāt plan on using mine on high for any length of time, so I appreciate the mode options.
Anyway, Iāll cut to the chase - and make it simple: everything about the SK98 is BIGGER. The size, the flood, the amount of light out the front, and somewhat sadly, the size of the projected emitter zoomed out to throw. Itās huge, not a pin-point of fire like the SK68, which is shooting out far less lumens, but seems so bright because of that small diameter throw beam. The SK98 seems not to throw as far because of such a large throw spot.
But, it is bright. If you read in the thread above, there are some cool suggestions to mod the pill for sufficient heat sinking to prevent meltdown on high. The potential for cool mods to improve this light is pretty good if you mod, but not much will change the fact that you cant zoom-throw the big XM-L emitter like other LEDs.
The more experienced members here can critique my assessments freely, because Iām just learning this stuff. But I think I get itā¦
And welcome to the BLF. I hope you have fun here. In fact it already seems like you do.
And I do appreciate the ālaymans reviewā. In fact it made me think I still need this light. I guess IĀ“m easy & cheap
Iām a newbee here, so I may not know all the voltages and correct terminology, but I have two Ultrafires that look like the Sipik and one Sipik (that coincidentally just came 20 minutes ago from Manafont). The Ultrafires (from 2 different ebay sellers; no model number on light) are slightly (15%?) less bright but do not have the rapid overheating problem the Sipik has. Yes, I tried several different batteries. They DEFINITELY get hottish warm, but not like the Sipik.
I noticed the heat on the Sipik almost the minute I turned it on. You can feel the heat start building in literally 30 seconds, on mine anyway. The Ultrafire isnāt like that. I havenāt done a side by side heat comparison, but itās a substantial difference I think. At first I was psyched that the Sipik was marginally brighter than the Ultrafire, but now Iām pleased to have the Ultrafires as they seem more usable, although a little less bright ā but still bright, marginally the brightest cheapy (under $18) T6s that I have.
Fabricate that disc yourself? Or available for purchase somewhere?
