Yup, and the lens is glass.
I may get one but not to sure if I can get 15% off. $12.31 is a better price tahn $14.49.
How2, if you've already used the coupon before, either create a new account, or just don't bother to create one and I think it should work. And remember a referrer/recommender for the full 15%. It's possible you'll need to clear cookies but I didn't have to when I tried. Note that since you'll likely be using the same PayPal account it's possible BIC will cancel your order or something, I didn't actually try ordering anything a second time. Also this may make it harder to track your orders and you either wont collect 'coins' or they'll be in different account.
Good to see I'm not the only one to know of taobao :-)
seems like a good place, will try them out next!
First order from them arrived in 12 days from ordering - with the various discounts the item was incredibly cheap even by HK standards. http://www.buyincoins.com/3-socket-car-cigarette-lighter-charger-usb-port-adapter-product-748.html
Looks good to me.
I just ordered
http://www.buyincoins.com/zoom-focus-18650-cree-q3-led-flashlight-camping-torch-product-2077.html
I think it could be an internal sliding type like the SmallSun ZY-A4.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.42517
The head diameter is stated to be 40mm, this would mean the lens should have a bigger diameter than the ~22mm most average 18650 zoomies have. My guess is around 28mm. If the lens has the same shape as usual, this should result in a smaller die image in the zoomed position. I will see if this is true or just wishfull thinking, when it arrives.
Hey everybody,
long-time lurker, first time poster here (old habit from back when Usenet was actually useful ;)).
I don't want to bore you with a lengthy introduction, but since I recognize some of our DX forum regulars - I go by 'lowrider' over there. (I realize that it's a tad bit weird to be posting a review as a first post, and with the semi-recent influx of spammers, I thought it couldn't hurt to mention that.)
Anyway, I ordered a Skyray 1JC8 on 9/3, mostly as a test purchase. Both, the coupon and the referal, worked (thanks! :)). Just like Nil Einne, I received no status updates which came as a bit of a surprise since I order quite a bit of stuff from China/HK-based retailers and, well, they're generally not shy about sending email updates (and signing your email address up for whatever they feel like). The light was dispatched from mainland China on 9/9. They also updated the order page with a picture of the package, clearly showing the address label. That's a feature I rather like and I'm not aware of any other retailers that do this.
The light arrived on 9/21 (continential United States), after customs opened and inspected the package which happens rarely. Just to put that into perspective: I have several hundered orders with DX (1888 orders), over 100 with FP, a ton of overseas eBay orders with the odd order from KD, LT and all the other DX clones thrown in for good measure and I'd estimate that customs takes an interest in less than 10% of my orders. With a dataset of n=1 as for as BIC orders go, I'm not going to jump to any conclusions but I thought I should mention it. It's obviously no biggie but it does slow things down.
In my case, BIC didn't send the light in an envelope but rather in a black bag. I don't know about about other parts of the world, but a black bag with no markings whatsoever (except for the label and the handwritten, illegible customs declaration) tends to scream "porn" or "sex toys" around here. Now, I'm a proud flashaholic and my wife fully supports my addiction, as long as I get her some cute AAA/10440 lights every once in a while. ;) My point being, I'm a very lucky guy. If your lady is the jaelous type, you might want to explain the black bag.
The flashlight itself was wrapped in two layers of bubble wrap. Unfortunately, there is a rather noticeable ding, about half an inch long, with bare metal visible. I am pretty sure the light wasn't damaged in transit because there's absolutely no damage whatsoever to the bubble wrap. I am guessing (and I should probably stress that I'm really guessing here) that BIC is selling QC rejects with cosmetic defects, much like DX does. To tell you the truth, I'm just not that bothered by it. I used to hang out over at the other place years ago so I'm quite familiar with the "shelfqueen mentality", as I like to call it. I have some ridiculously expensive lights myself and, well, those usually double as my duty lights and they tend to get abused rather thoroughly. This would have been a good opportunity to test DIC's customer service and if this had been a $50 purchase, I might have bothered but, well, it's a $12 light. It doesn't really bother me and in any case, I'm just not going to haggle over a couple of bucks. Just be aware that you might be getting a QC reject. That isn't necessarily a negative if you know what you're getting and price it in accordingly. DX and most (if not all) competitors work the same way. That's why it's a lottery. Your particular reject may have a ding, a scratch, rough threads or it may be unreliable. And then there's the emitter lottery, but I digress. But, hey, that's all part of the fun, isn't it?
As for the 1JC8, I don't really have a whole lot to say yet -- sorry. (Oh, and by the way, Don, thanks for your excellent reviews! I've bought flashlights more than once on your recommendation and I've never been disappointed.) I've just been too busy with work lately and it's likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future. Like I said over on the DX forums, it has a glass lens and aluminum reflector. All threads were completely dry, GITD O-ring up front, GITD tailcap, won't tailstand, reverse clicky, single mode, o-rings in all the usual places. The beam is ringy and less than pretty. I haven't really had the time to test it, let alone really use it for more than half an hour but side-by-side with a WF-008 ($16.99 at the moment over at FP, btw), it performs pretty well as far as throw goes. I can't say anything about reliability - sorry.
Welcome lowrider Oxy Moron. :-)
WF-008 fp linky please? Can't find it.
EDIT: Ah, I guess you are referring to the C74? It's labeled "Torch Light", but otherwise it does indeed look exactly the same as the WF-008.
Welcome!
Good to have you here OxyMoron. Enjoy your time here.
Glad someone thinks my comments useful
Hey there OxyMoron, welcome to the show! Please enjoy your time here, and feel free to post links to flashlight products.
Thanks for the warm welcome, guys. :)
Phlowcus, yep, that's the one. Sorry, I didn't include a link. The WF-008 is one of my personal favorites. I ordered one from FP about two weeks ago (my fifth - I'm told, admitting you have a problem is the first step or something :D). I'll let you guys know how it stacks up when it gets here.
wf-008 quality is supposedly not great lately. the new batch doesn't have that green dot on the front and part fitment is off.
The thing that's kinda annoying about the FP specs is that it says 18650, but shows a AAA holder. There's also the black model for a dollar more. No price reduction. Chinese retailers <-- no frickin clue.
black one http://www.focalprice.com/detail_LF494B.html
btw, for recoil thrower, last day for dx sale on 008 recoil thrower.
Just wanted to thank everyone on this forum
for all their hard work and kindness in helping others to make an informed purchase.
Thanks to this particular thread I made a purchase of the SkyRay 1JC8 and I am well pleased.
Here are some pictures.
I bought it with the suggested case and it arrived safely as it was packaged inside the case.
Here are some more pix of the flashlight.
Also for those interested here are the parts that make up the light.
The white spots on the led are from my lighting.
Hope you enjoyed and if you have any suggestions or questions let me know.
It seems that I got so involved in posting pictures of my new light that I forgot this is really all about the vendor.
I've only placed two orders with BuyInCoins and they both arrived in good condition. They were a little slower in arriving than orders that I placed with DX around the same time. I found the little picture they post of my name and address on my package to be reassuring but that feature wasn’t working in this last shipment. I was able to communicate my dismay about that to the company and they assured me that the package was on its way and that it was just a technical problem with their equipment soon to be fixed. I did get the 10% off that was talked about but got frustrated in obtaining the extra 5% for referring someone. Oh well. Unlike Oxy Moron everything that I have ordered seems to be first rate. Do you (other members) really think that some of these companies purposely send out rejects?
Hi there, thanks LIght_Of_Day for the review, and welcome! That Skyray 1JC8 is a drop-dead good looking flashlight- clean, simple design with no useless frills. Glad you like it.
Hi LIght_Of_Day,
nice pictures you have there. Could you measure the diameter of the driver pcb for me? Is it a standard 17mm? Thanks.
The driver measures the standard 17mm. It's soldered to a brass ring that sits inside the aluminum part that screws into the battery tube (see picture). I didn't try to take it apart. In fact I was wondering how it comes apart. Does the brass ring just pry out after disconnecting it from the led?
Please forgive my tardiness. I’ve been busy with work lately. I’m pretty familiar with DX and the way they operate and in their case, it’s mostly the supplier who is to blame. Having said that, DX do know about it and it’s pretty common. As I mentioned, this can range from “hardly noticeable, if at all” to “quite annoying” (or funny – I have a few “PLOICE” lights, and even though I realize that their English is much better than my Cantonese, I still find it kind of amusing). In my experience, DX is usually pretty good about making things right. I don’t complain about minor issues because it’s just not worth it for me and I’ve had to go over the head of the CSE rep who handled that particular issue on a few occasions but, then again, I do order a lot from them.
As for other retailers, I usually order from DX or FP and both sell QC rejects, as far as I can tell. FP tends to make sure you don't ship DOA items (I think I've only had one from them) and cosmetic defects tend to be less frequent. CS is equally good - again, in my personal experience. YMMV if you have just a couple of orders with them. I've had to explain DX policy to a new CS rep more than once (but then again, I'm much more familiar with how DX works and the people involved, compared to FP or any other HK-based retailer) but that's mostly due to a combination of language barrier/new hire/ignorance/lack of training. As for other retailers, I really don't have enough orders with them to say.
The folks at KD seem to try. And they have a lot of items that DX really should have (most of which have been requested again and again and again - and even if you know their people, there's just no way to fasttrack this sort of stuff which is quite frustrating when FP manages to get back to you within days). In my personal experience, KD's CS sucks big time. I'm customer. I certainly expect a reply. Something. Anything at all. And I'm not going to play games after I've been lied to. I'll just refer you to PP and my CC company who have people on staff to make sure you don't get your money if you don't treat your customers right. 'nuff said. I don't know if "do not lie to this guy! Main screen turn on! It's You!" flashes on the screen of the DX reps who respond to my tickets but I get the feeling that they want to treat me right. I don't get that feeling from KD. And, well, postal markings on the envelopes don't lie.
For me it's been 22 days and counting.
My A3 EOS is already sick of alkaline AAAs ;)