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

EXACTLY

A $50 light or a $300 light both go through a delivery service. These days, these services seem to know most packages are insured so they abuse the boxes our goodies are packed in, often literally throwing the package out of the truck or off a conveyor belt. Impacts can cause electronics to break loose. It happens. The cost of the components inside have little to do with the potential for them to be damaged in transit. Is this the manufacturer’s fault? Maybe a little, better solder joints, more solder joints, might prevent this kind of thing but at the end of the day it’s really pretty trivial and can be repaired much cheaper than sending new parts.

I’d offer to fix it for you for free, but then that would entail sending it to me and me sending it back and you probably don’t want to spend $5 or $10. There is most likely someone in your area that could fix it quickly and cheaply if your’e not willing to try it yourself. Literally would only take a minute.

Thank you very much for your offer, but you are correct I don’t want to spend anymore than I already have on the flashlight for it to work properly.

I also don’t think it was necessarily a packaging issue, but rather an original soldering issue. It looks to me that there wasn’t enough solder in the first place and any movement of the outer spring pushed the inner spring enough to break it loose.

No matter how it happened I do want to stand firm on a replacement part or flashlight. I ordered a new light and expect it to be in working order when it arrives.

I noticed on mine that the solder points on the springs are a bit lacking, which is why I figured it might not be so difficult to make one or both springs disengage.

Will probably re-enforce mine, for the sake of doing it. :wink: Am cautious to start on it as I am prone to delve into the depths of it’s soul and tweak things not meant to be tweaked. :wink:

I was hoping it had a tail switch but I hasn’t. Lately I’m really starting to like tail switches.

please do delve, and let us know what u find. I would like Everett to do his magic on this light, with his MELD firmware. But not sure it’s a $200 light :stuck_out_tongue:

My tail cap inner spring arrived like yours. Disappointing. So, you are not alone :open_mouth:
I will summon my meager skills to remedy.
However, this light is still (for me) impressive.
The UI is outstanding.

If you don’t mind, could you let me know how the repair process goes?

Not you! Say it isn't so Lucy.

Update from Banggood: they are sending me a replacement tail cap, although it will be coming from China so could take a few weeks. Hopefully this one is soldered down well!

GODMES T01 arrived today. shoved in an AA battery
click. no dice. click. nothing. long click. nada. 10s long click says manual so 10s long click. nope

removed tailcap. jumpered cathode of battery to body of flashlight. long click. and there was light.

sent email to banggood asking for tail cap replacement. tsk tsk

Sorry to read so… Since the tailcap hasn’t any electronics on it, it looks like a contact issue.

A quick question (maybe someone knows):

I’m using standard alkaline and playing with pro modes. Battery is basically almost fresh (used maybe for 5min), but battery indicator blinks twice (meaning - about half power, right). That’s first strange thing…

Second - when programming modes there is no choice for Turbo (constant brightness, while it should be 330, 400 and 500)…is that something expected? It’s constant brightness, while it should cycle 330-400-500-330-… Is that due to the potential “low battery”?

Right now I don’t have eneloops to compare…neither 14500 (still in transit).

I use the flat top WindyFire 14500 cells. I have measured my T01 at 24.5KCD with these cells at 10 meters corrected. I thought it was a fluke with my lux meter so I measured my Astrolux S1 with a 30Q and got 10.5KCD and my Convoy C8 V3 and got 34KCD which was consistent with what others have measured.

I have small update about my issue:

  • When using Varta High Energy battery (considered as pretty good) after short use (maybe 10min of playing with light, no constant turbo or something, mostly lower modes) it has about 1,3V (tested with no load). Also Turbo brightness is exactly the same as High.
  • Using other no-name battery (“New Leader - Extra Heavy Duty”), totally new with initial voltage 1,47 I could not use High and Turbo - brightness was the same as Mid! Also shortly after removal it had about 1,3V and slowly increasing.
  • With Fujitsu White - I could use all modes, but even one minute usage - after battery removal voltage on it dropped 1,3->1,2.

Is that normal for this flashlight?

Anyone measured the dimensions of the T01 reflector? I would like to know the diameter and height because I want to know if it is interchangeable with its big brother the U11 reflector.

Thanks

Now that I have the T01 and the U11 and To answer my own question, although both lights have the same dimensions in the reflector, the U11 has a metal lip around the reflector edge to hold the o-ring in place and the T01 does not, using the T01 reflector would mean to loose the waterproofness of the light. So basically the reflectors are not interchangeable.

So far I am loving both lights, the U11 modified with a XP-L Hi led throws almost as good as the T01.

my t01 arrived today. two actually. put in nitecore imr14500, nada. the light doesnt turn on. the battery is fully charged. i tested it on my blf x5, no problem, so the battery is not at fault. tried olight 14500. too long to fit in. can anybody help me? thank you.

I just got the t01 last week from the fasttech Chinese new year sale. I tried a nitecore 14500 also. The nitecore battery is too long for the t01. You can screw cap on, but not fully. I ended up using a really old eneloop in it.

my reply might be dumb, excuse me if so. When I got mine I thought it was defective, it wouldn’t turn on. You have to hold the switch down for a bit. I did manage to get a Windyfire 14500 to work, but I prefer running mine on an Envelop.

edit: that is a great price from FastTech