Cheapie 18650 up on eBay

^i can wait. lol

The one I got is not great .. dino direct had them for 3 bucks .. they were listed as 300 lumen lights ,, yeah right and I'm the pope

http://www.dinodirect.com/LED-Flashlight-1W-Black.html

Actually i just jammed a 18650 in it and it fit ...that was a surprise ...Still dim as can be ..On the up side it does have a ultra warm light ..a little too brown for me .. kinda dirty .. but i'm sure some would like it .

The body is too cheap for trying to make anything out of it .. just buy a solorforce AAA/18650 for 8$ and be done with it .. it's an ok 3 dollar light ..i'd probably by more to resell but they are barely worth 5 bucks to an un-educated buyer ..Budget light folks will shrug and toss it to the kids . << that is mine with a lexan .. A Q-3 might make it a formidable glove box light .. not sure anyone would spend money to upgrade it . p-60 is worth 3 times the light . not worth the trouble

Well, that's the really nice thing about eBay - if the seller really put bad specs down it's easy enough to start a complaint with eBay and get your money back. I ended up with a Sipik Sk68 for free that way as they had rated it at 300 lumens instead of 200.

Well, this is what I consider abuse of the protection system and to be honest, quite miserable too.

Why, exactly? The light was advertised as "300 Lumen Cree Q5", no brand, no picture of any branding or model number. It was only when I got the light that I realized that:

1. It was a Sipik, as there are at least 10 different lights that use that exact same body styling

2. That the light didn't reach near 300 lumens.

Edit: This is the exact auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rt=nc&nma=true&item=170558513896&si=j4KplNcIABkBIz7mhsSNnxl9OS8%253D&viewitem=#ht_2309wt_1139

Similarly, in the above example there are models of the flashlight that are using CREE Leds and hit the specified lumens, and some that apparently are using low-power generics. If you purchase on eBay, you're entitled to that sort of protection.

Gods...that same seller has a torch with a Q5 emitter claiming to hit "up to 500 lumens"....

I can see both sides of this argument...

*On one hand as an informed buyer one knows full well that the output is exaggerated - Much like DX, and I don't here folks complaining when their Aura P7 doesn't hit the claimed 900 lumens. To take advantage of this may be considered bad manners.

*On the other hand, the seller (most likely due to ignorance) is lying out his ass....and should be punished. Anyone want to buy some ebay protected trustfires?

-Match

When I bought the light originally, I couldn't be considered an informed buyer. I had no idea what to expect.

And that's part of the problem. A few weeks back I went ahead and bought one of the "340 Lumen" X2000 lights on ebay. I knew full and well that it would not be anywhere near the 340 lumen it was sold as. It ended up being about the equivilent to my QminiAA on medium. I got a little pissed then got more pissed at myself for being pissed :(. Anyway, these guys get away with selling lights based on these specs to the average Joe who has no idea. I see no problem in calling these guys out when they over sell. Think of it as helping the common un-informed man

I'm a bit busy at the moment so all I have are some unedited and somewhat unimpressive pictures:

Meh: flat-surfaced and apparently uncoated emitter, not very bright at all, thin aluminum walls, thin o-rings, crappy and easily scratched lens.

Pros: works, threads well-lubed, takes 18650s without modification (light has two springs and tailcap may not screw all the way home with protected 18650s), will tailstand, comes with AAA battery holder (so I was wrong about that).

In terms of value, well, compared to the $7 TF-801 from a few months ago, it's wholly unimpressive. Judged on its own merits, it's still not great but then again, you often get what you pay for and for five bucks shipped, I'd say it's okay value. Chances are that if you're reading this, you won't be impressed with this light.

High-resolution pictures coming up in a minute, if my Internet connection decides to play ball.

Here we go (4000x3000, largeish files, as usual).

That auction (listed in OP) is listed as over (with 115 sold), and when I click on "see seller's other items", 0 items are listed. I wonder if it's the seller or Ebay who yanked everything? Maybe this thread had something to do with it?

Belatedly, that auction is for yet another knock-off of the Surefire 6P design... American design from American company, probably the most common copy out there. Think Ultrafire WF-504B, 503b, C1, Solarforce L2, and a bevy of others. I see no reason why it couldn't be used as a 'flashlight body' or 'host' for a P60 drop-in, unless if they glued the thread heads, which is unlikely for this model (very likely on larger designs, maddeningly, case in point my Spiderfire P7).

I agree that the 3 x AAA is probably totally false and/or a mistake. (I'd be interested in a P60 host which takes 18650 and 3 x AAA, or even just 3 x AAA, for friends not for me). I'm holding up my 504B, which this most closely resembles, and there are some cosmetic differences, but the battery tube looks to be the same width. And they show now pics of a 3 x AAA battery holder.

Some trivia/catch-up for newbies: the 6P knock-offs ARE superior to the Surefire in one important way: most of them take an 18650 lithium ion battery. The Surefire was designed on using 2 lithium primary (non-rechargeable/use once and dispose) batteries, as the design dates back to when incandescent was the only game, and the extra voltage was needed (I think they also made 3-cell/9V -- and perhaps even 4-cell/12 volt? designs). So a 100% faithful replica will be too narrow, while a knock-off which can take an 18650, can also take two 3V lithium primary cr123 batteries if that's what your module calls for. White LED's are very well-matched for single-cell lithium ion cells (4.2V) and it looks like it's going to remain that way for awhile. A tip for newbies hunting on Ebay for "P60" compatible stuff: in addition to using the "P60" search term, try "6P" and whatever other word (flashlight, drop-in; I've found "bulb" is actually a surprisingly effective term). Ebay has the best deals on Solarforce L2 bodies (no drop-in), which is the way to go if you only buy a host. I have 3 flashlights which are P60 hosts (the 2 above + a WF-501B), and of the three, the Solarforce L2 is easily the nicest, plus seemingly having the best fit from head to reflector for heat transfer (still not great). I use it more than my Spiderfire P7 due to the size... and... now that I received my XM-L drop-in yesterday, it's now officially the brightest flashlight I own, easily brighter than the P7. I haven't been able to find L2's on Dealextreme actually in stock for years, and the old ones they have listed are exorbitant (old prices I guess).

I actually bought from Ebay the L2m combo, where you can use just a single 16340 rechargeable or CR123 primary (same size), plus an extension tube to use an 18650. In retrospect, the 16340 function seems silly, b/c the heads and switches of these are so long. Nice feature but probably should've gone with the single long cheaper tube. The crenelated bezel is also annoying and I stole the smooth bezel ring from my 504B to use on it, until I decided not to use a 'lens' at all anymore. Some of the Ebay sellers who specialize in this stuff actually are reputable and seem to understand us. You can even get compatible forward clicky switch assemblies there, albeit seemingly expensive for what it is ($10+ but free shipping) (any reviews/feedback on those welcome--need to make a break from reverse clickies). I agree that Ebay does give sellers good recourse, esp with these Asian high-volume outfits. On Ebay, item description is considered to be extremely important. We in the 'torch' community, esp budget flashlight community, have learned to be tolerant of puffery, wrong specs, and blatant incompetence/false advertising. But on Ebay, item description is like sacred. And why shouldn't it be. That is the most common reason for disputes, and underneath that, bad communication. Items not showing up at all (blatent fraud/theft) is rarely the problem. I think if you have 1000 flashlights to sell, you can spend more than 10 seconds on your description and make sure it's not poppycock with outright falsehoods in the already-lacking description. Battery specs vary by drain current so it's harder to prove. But Cree provides spec sheets, so if someone is outside of Cree's claimed max, there is no dispute. The question of "out the front" vs "published maximum" is much murkier; then again, what newbie will have an integrating sphere?

Another tip for newbies to get smooth rings off: Meritline occasionally has good deals (39c/free!) on fancy so-called "anti-static" tweezers. I have one where the pickup points are curved at an angle (straight would work too I think), and it's been invaluable for removing nutty-design flashlight parts. Needle-nosed pliers can work, but often those pliers' points aren't "needle-y" enough.

More trivia: the term "P60" is from the part number Surefire designated as the interchangeable module which went into their 6P flashlight. Maybe stands for "Part 60"? So, P60 actually being a Surefire part number, the politically correct term would be "P60-compatible" drop-in ;) (not like I care, just informatively).

Anyone know of a p60 host which takes 3 x AAA (and possibly 18650 too)? Would be nice to hook up a non-flashaholic with a new-age Cree light with an upgrade path. My XM-L is brighter at .9 amps (medium; about 4 watts) than my XP-G is at 1.9 amps (on high at about 8 watts)! WTF!

Solarforce L2i is made for 3xAAA and can take 18650. $7.99 plus $2 shipping is hard to beat at solarforce-sales.com. They seem to be out of sand color right now, so it's either glossy black or gunmetal gray (really kind of greenish). Might want to cough up $2.50 for a flat bezel.

Not as much "might" as "will" unless you want pockets destroyed.

Thanks brted!

Correcting myself, I took a look at that DinoDirect link in this thread, and it does seem to be identical to that Ebay auction in the OP, doesn't it. In the DinoDirect, they do bother to actually show the 3 x AAA battery holder, while not mentioning anything regarding 18650 compatibility (which doesn't mean it's not; just a little longer and thinner than 3 x AAA). It also doesn't show the head taken off sooo.... who knows what they've done inside.

The Solarforce tip is unequivocally the way to go. They do say it's 18650-compatible too. I have the direct link:

gray color:

black color:

Funny they mention things like "up to 900 lumens of current-regulated output" and then at the bottom go 'out of their way' to state there's no LED. Sometimes I don't know how the world keeps turning.

Would someone please post the link to the $2.50 smooth/flat bezel ring mentioned at solarforce-sales? I've tried browsing, and searching smooth, flat, bezel, ring (all separately) and all I get are head/ring combos. I wonder if those sharp bezel rings are a marketing strategy to force upsales. Or maybe to try to meet a market demand for people starved of the right to bear arms in self-defense(?). For all the talk of 'blinding an opponent' or 'strike bezels', I have not yet ever heard of a triumphant "citizen fights back" story where the weapon used was a flashlight. (I have heard of ripped pockets though.)

You say this like American companies don't steal designs from each other all the time.

I won't be home until after the game to take more pictures but the flashlight I received comes fully apart, no problem - no glue anywhere. As for the batteries, I can confirm that this light will accept a fully-charged and rested (ie. not fresh off the charger) "Flame" TF 18650. As a matter of fact, I never even bothered with AAAs and just tossed the battery holder in one of my spare part boxes. It's not very bright but there were no noticeable signs of the emitter being overdriven. I have to admit I only played with this light for ten minutes tops before taking the pictures above.

Normally, I'd agree but seeing that I just spent way over $200 on food and booze for the big game, knowing full well that my family and friends will go through all that stuff like mad -- just like every year, even though it is bad for us, I just don't feel like bothering. Yes, sellers should know better and DSRs are what make or break you these days when you depend on eBay to make a living but we'll probably end up donating the thing to church anyway, as it's one of the few lights we have that do take primaries (which I'll obviously have to confirm first ;)).

For brjones. Here's the link for the bezel. Another nod from me for the L2i... with a low voltage module (.8-4.2v) and some homemade pvc adapters greatly increases the battery options in a pinch: 1aaa, 3aaa, 1aa, 1x cr123, 1x16340, 1x18650, 1x17670, and I'm sure there's more...

Thanks for the link. Upon following it... doh, I figured it out. When you go to Products > Flashlight Accessories, you then have to do the drop-down at the top (and choose "Bezel for head"). <Headslap>

Hey, check this out. You can get the 3 x AAA tube ONLY (comes with AAA "conventor tube"!) for $5.50. I guess might as well spring for the extra few to get the full body, though. But if you already have some rotgut 6P variants around and want to pass one to a friend, only in AAA version, this could be the way to go. Best upgrade partner !!!

Just re-noticed the L2r, a 2 x AA variant but still a P60 host. Not interesting on alkalines or nimh's, BUT with NiZn's (see the PowerGenix thread) at 1.8 volts, x2, that starts to become interesting at 3.6V. They don't sell the body-only on the site, but they sell a body kit which comprises parts to make an L2r, L2i, and L2 (one switch and head) for $20. Kind of overkill; they should sell it if they do the L2 and L2i. HEY... body sold on Ebay, starting at 10.56/free for the black version with obnoxious bezel, then 15 for the sand version, and on up.

Now wondering what's more desirable: L2r starting at 3.64V on NiZn, or L2i at 4.5V on alkalines and ~3.8V starting on NiMH's. Might have to drain an 18650 or 16340 down to 3.6 to check it out on the xpg and xmL (i usually recharge before reaching that). I have to say that what I read about XM-L's being inefficient on low currents is wrong. 0.9 amps at ~4 volts it seems brighter than my XP-G at 2.5 amps ~4 volts. Didn't seem possible, but that's why I measured it.

Oxy Moron, although I'm sure the game will go on on Sunday, do you think there'll be full spectatorship? Dallas is almost in suspended animation, I hear.

You can get the 2 x AA body and switch for $6.99 http://www.solarforce-sales.com/product_detail.php?t=FA&s=16&id=132 :)

I don't know why you wouldn't buy the whole solarforce light..why by half no head no tail clicky?? . when for a few bucks more you get a host .??

The origional light on ebay is pure junk it is what it is , thinking of modifying it is an exersise in stupidity it's just flat out a waste of time ..

OK I pulled one out and spun the head open .. the heatsink says JULY on it ...which makes sense .. in July ...tie an M-80 on this sucker and blow it to hell .. this light deserves a Whopping 3 minute conversation, it doesn't deserve the server space or the space on your 8 gig sd memory card in your camera.. It's pure trash and if you paid 5 bucks you paid 3$ too much.. This one ranks right up there with the shake lite