[Review] Manker T01 (XP-L HI V3, 1x AA / 14500)

Great review.
I’ve been fan of Manker ever since getting the Rambler, they seem built to last. I like the mild crenelated bezel so I can tell if I accidentally left the light on when putting it down head first. I don’t understand the re-labeling to GODMES. Too bad they are asking so much for the price, else I would get one!

The price is too high for me but if M4DM4X can get a good deal from BG that would be great :bigsmile:

Got my T01 today, love it! I got the clear anodized and it really lets you see the attention to detail on this small but awesome looking light! The dimensions, the proportions, are just spectacular! And the clip is a good solid matte black deep carry clip, perfect for this light. The AR lens is super clear, the exceptional reflector is top notch, perfect. I stuck a WindyFire IMR14500 in it and it performs flawlessly! UI is nice, easy to figure out in like the first 30 seconds. With my memory, that is a truly good thing! lol

I don’t know how I’m gonna do it, but I’m gonna be carrying this little beauty daily, along with my Cu X5 and Ti X6 Quad. :slight_smile: Overkill? Naaaaa, simply addicted! :wink:

For the record, with a freshly charged Efest Purple IMR14500 I get 862.5 lumens out the front. Not shabby. Not shabby at all. :slight_smile:

Just opened up my Black Manker T-01 from Banggood that arrived right before Thanksgiving.

It works ok, but I noticed the inner spring of the tail cap on mine is loose, looks like it wasn’t soldered properly. The outer spring barely has any solder holding it down either :frowning:

I sent a message to Banggood, hopefully they can quickly send me a replacement tail cap so I can enjoy this light!

Excellent review UPz!! You definitely set the review benchmark to the highest levels, you bastard!

I just received my production Godmes T01 today and had not read your review at the time (until now). Much is missing from the user manual such as the quick moon and strobe access. I do have the thicker clip on mine and I will say it's a huge improvement over the prototype clip and the one that came on your 1st batch production version.

I am thrown off by the mode memory on mine and will try to explain as best I can...

When I first powered it up and tested it it would turn on in turbo mode every time no matter what mode it was in when I turned it off. This led me to believe it had no mode memory.

Then I realized it is off-time mode memory. If I let it sit in the off position it would start in the mode I last used...for the first few times. Occasionally it would start in the next mode up. Sometimes it would even start two modes higher. For example, I turned it off in moon but it would start in medium. Or turned off in moon it would start in high mode. Very confusing and makes little to no sense at all. I've asked Neal to question Manker about it. I will add that if I turn it off in Turbo it always starts in Turbo.

I've also noticed that the quick moon access by a single quick click is also inconsistent. Sometimes the first quick click did nothing and it needed a second click to turn it on in moon mode from off. Also 2 quick clicks NEVER starts it in strobe. I found that 2 quick clicks ALWAYS starts it in moon mode and 3 quick clicks ALWAYS starts it in strobe mode. Apparently mine differs from yours in this aspect.

I am happy that it can be started in moon low every time with two quick clicks at least. It makes it usable as my EDC with this ability. At first I thought that Manker had taken none of my notes to heart regarding the prototype testing I did. Thanks for discovering the quick access modes. Did they tell you about them or did you figure it out on your own? I found nothing in the user manual about it.

This is why I read this forum. If they can make this flashlight right I might consider buying it.

yep, that really blows that such a pricey piece would arrive with a naughty tail-cap spring arrangement.

Well I will update everyone on how BG / Manker respond to this.

This is my first >$40 light since an INOVA XO3 I bought many years ago, and I hope I didn’t make a mistake not buying the SC5 over this.

Any chance to post some outdoor shots?

:beer: Nahhh...I don't think so. I know it sux when it goes bad at the beginning, but once you get it sorted I'm sure you'll :love: LUV it. just as a few others here that have it already

Oh trust me, I do already love the little light, which is why a problem like this sucks so much. If it was a light I hated to begin with, I wouldn’t care too much.

Do you have a Soldering iron?
Looks like an easy fix, why wait another couple weeks when you can fix it now.

Normally I would just repair it myself, but two reasons not to:

1) There is no retaining ring for the pcb the springs are soldered to so it might be glued in, which means I don’t have an easy way of accessing it without breaking it

2) This is a double spring, so I would have to first remove the out spring for access, then solder the inner spring, then the outer spring

So even if I can access the PCB, then I still have too many steps to fix it which is a risk that I shouldn’t have to take on a new light

Not that I haven’t built up a few convoy host lights before :slight_smile:

was hoping for a bad report, guess I will have to buy this now! 862 lumens??? Good thing is that it’s offered at the USA warehouse.

See what you mean, PM sent.
later,
Keith

So if this review, up in the original post, can take it completely and totally apart to show us this…

Why can’t you remove the switch pcb, solder the springs in properly, then put the pcb back? If it’s glued, glue it back.

You can probably solder that inner spring in place with a quick touch and not even unseat the original glue. If indeed it releases, fix it.

Because of how narrow the tail cap is, I am not confident I can get anything in to pry the switch out without risking damage to the tail cap.

For now I will wait on the BG response.

That’s really weird Johnnymac. Mine has instantaneous mode memory, but no quick moon access. Very consistent.

If it had a simple double click to turbo, and a long click to moon it would be absolutely perfect, for me at least. As it is it’s got a decent UI.

I was told about it by another insider owner, and confirmed by manufacturer when I asked them ahead of receiving my sample. I also was told recently that they were using another digital switch, different to the one used in my sample & previous samples… Maybe this is the reason for the buggy reactions you’re explaining.

Thanks for the feedback!