That's my guess.
The fun thing about these lights is it doesn't cost much to find out. Much more fun than finding out that your multi-hundred dollar light does things in a strange way.
Just ordered one to find out. didn't create an account just in case they happen to be reading here. The anticipation is half the fun...
It may use some totally weird way of doing things after all. I spent a chunk of the late 70's early 80's selling used cameras and new ones if I absolutely had to. Most of the trade was in Leicas which were 10-40 years older than I was, but we traded in all sorts of incredibly expensive oddities. Most of the things were bought and sold in auction houses for 5 figure prices. I have a strange fondness for Arca cameras. They were unbelievably expensive (They were hand built in Switzerland after all) and did things in their own way. Most notably the film wind went from front to back unlike any other camera I've ever come across. They were also tough enough to knock in nails with though not may people were prepared to do that with multi-thousand pound (multiply by 2.5x for US dollars - and this was 1980, make that >$10,000 at today's prices) cameras.
Hasselblad cameras had a similar effect but they were just stupid. But cost even more.
I'm trying to order LF336B, LF591B, and LF592B, but PayPal is stupid and doesn't work very well with my shipping address country. So I'm waiting for FP to send me a manual invoice. They're fairly obliging in these cases at least, especially when a sale is involved.
Which is quite impressive given the cash amount involved. My organisation reckons that a manual invoice costs around $15 to generate. The labour costs here are a bit higher. At today's exchange rate the legal minimum wage is $9.25/hr. Anyone generating invoices earns at least double that.
Yes, it is incredibly easy and affordable to check out these budget lights. Sometimes, though, I drift back into "cheapskate" mode with these lights, and start debating to myself the relative merits of a $2.00 light before I eventually snap out of it and just buy the darned thing!
I have a fondness for the budget quest, as in my interest with wine. Years ago, I climbed the mountain and looked from the summit of my wine interests and, aside from some frugality imposed by current real life, what really satisfies me is that rare gem in a $10 bottle. Finding such a bargain makes it taste even better. I get a similar satisfaction with some of my budget lights, knowing that I got, say, 90% of the performance for 20% of the cost of an expensive flashlight.
I find satisfaction when I buy a light with a product description of Cree Q2 and I end up receiving a Cree Q5 :)
Better that way than the other way around :)
Here are some nice looking cheap 1xAAA flashlights at KD: http://kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=10756
I don't like the moveable clip though, I'd prefer a captured clip.
These are the clickies I was referring to in the other thread. http://www.ledshoppe.com has these for $2.99/pc but I got some on their ebay listing for $2.28 (before the listing ended). Subsequently emailed them and arranged to buy 20 more for $2.20/pc. Nice little light - smooth, more floody beam than the mxdl twisty. Clicky feels really good. I actually like the clip, but I needed to stretch them out a bit for easier pocket holstering.
Maybe I'm just too picky, but I personally would prefer the MXDL brand like in the Kaidomain picture, although they're probably all the same. The eBay version above is a generic.
Well.. you won't find quality lights with XP-G R5 and HAIII from a brand manufacturer for such a low price. These lights all fall in the category: "I hope it's working and not too blue of a tint"-lights. So don't expect too much from sub 3 Dollar lights and there is a reason MXDL lights are not labelled Romisen. These are all mass-produced with virtually no quality control and just labelled MXDL or Whateverfire. It's more like gambling on a purchase.
True true!
Hey sb56637, I bought a couple of those Tank007 E08 type lights (LF592B) from focalprice - I'll let you know how they work once I get them.
Great, thanks boomhauer! I also ordered one, but you'll probably receive it before I do.
Forgot to mention that I purchased one of those ebay lights in my first post of this thread. It's a sickness, I tell ya!
Nice deal on the MXDL 1xAAA Twisty and Clicky versions in a pair:
http://cgi.ebay.com/2-Style-3-Watt-3W-Luxeon-Flashlight-LED-Torch-8cm-10-cm-/270554043312
http://cgi.ebay.com/2-SIZE-3-Watt-3W-Luxeon-Flashlight-LED-Torch-8cm-10-cm-/270554060391
Depending on your currency, one of the two above will be cheaper. I just bought the pair for USD 5.78.
So in summary, these are what I consider to be the four (4) best 1xAAA ultra-cheap BLF lights that I am currently waiting for, which, in my not-so-expert opinion, might be real BLF winners:
MXDL 1xAAA Clicky and Twisty with Clips
Generic LED version of the Tank007 E08 1xAAA with Clicky Carabiner
autoshop8810 on Ebay used to sell both clicky and twisty versions of these MXDLs for $2.28 each, shipped ("buy it now") but has since gone to an auction format. He sells these on his main website for about $3/ea. If you contact him through Ebay, you could work out a deal for the lower price - Paypal direct, and go around Ebay. That's what I did, and got the clickies for $2.20/ea. I'm sure he would mix and match, depending on the quantity of the order, so you'd effectively pay $4.40 for the pair.
I really like those MXDLs, both versions. The fit, finish and function definitely seem better than what you pay for them. I should receive the Tank007 E08 cheapie any day now, and really should order that Richuang to satisfy my curiosity.
I received the flashlight linked in the first post, and it did not exactly impress.
First crack out of the envelope showed that, although the shape is more stylish than the original MXDL twisty and it will tailstand, the glossy finish makes any machining imperfections more evident. The original MXDL has a more refined matte finish.
The designs look so similar that I was sure the heads were interchangable - to my surprise, they were not. Makes me scratch my head since I was thinking they must come from the same factory, or the basic design was copied exactly.
Mine was missing the rubber o-ring, so the twisty function is rather loose and feels more gritty. Might try to scrounge one somewhere.
Finally, although the generic led looks identical to my other MXDLs, the light output is not as great - perhaps 2/3rds by my offhand perception from a ceiling bounce.
Oh, well - a $1.88 bust, I'll get over it. Some kid will be happy.
I have that light, too, and concur with those observations.
On mine the head is plastic and a bit wobbly, and I would say it's worth the already bottom dolar if it were metal.
Those kaidomain cheapies above do look interesting, though. If the house is good, it's worth it. Remember fenix or whatever pricy brand with the 5mm leds sell for $10-20.