Review: FandyFire S1-1 1xAAA XP-E Flashlight

LED Flashlights – General Info 1 x AAA Flashlights
1

FandyFire S1-1 (1xAAA, XP-E R2)

Reviewer's Overall Rating: ★★★☆☆

Reviewer's Mod Host Rating: ★★★☆☆

Summary:

Battery: 1xAAA (0.8V - 1.5V)
Switch: Tail Twisty
Modes:

H 100%
LED Type: Cree XP-E R2 flux bin, est. 1B or 1C tint bin
Lens: Standard Glass
Tailstands: Yes
Price Paid: Review sample from DX, reg. price was $10.30
From: DX
Date Ordered:

N/A

Pros:

  • Excellent finish, no scratches or blemishes
  • Very good machining, good threads on tailcap and bezel
  • Very good reflector, aluminum SMO
  • Great tailstander

Cons:

  • Driver/Emitter board is fixed in place, not easily modded
  • Beam is not centered in spill, offset to one side
  • Deep bezel blocks some spill
  • Virtually impossible to operate with one hand

Features / Value: ★★★☆☆

Design / Build Quality: ★★★★☆

Battery Life: ★★★★☆

Light Output: ★★★☆☆


Overview

DX accidentally sent me the wrong review light (198768 is not equal to 198786) which they promptly addressed by sending the actual item. I decided to review this one anyway.

I was a bit surprised when I opened this up. It is a rather strange looking AAA light. The machining and finish on the entire light is very good . In short, the only slightly sharp edge is found on the body ridges. The anodize is nice and even over the entire light, including the threads. What is the strange (ish) part? It has a tiny 'foot' where a lanyard could go.

Compared to an AAA cell.

From the front you can see the nicely finished SMO reflector and XP-E emitter. What you cannot see is the alignment issue, that appears in the beam profile as an off-center beam. It's not a major functional issue, but definitely noticeable on a white wall.

The tail is nice and flat, good for tailstanding. Unfortunately, if a lanyard is in place, tailstanding will become a problem.

As with many 1xAAA lights, handling is a mixed bag. A big issue is one-handed operation; not gonna happen. The body is too smooth to allow a good enough grip. Also, the O-ring is very firm, making it even more difficult.

[In-hand shot to come soon...]

The light comes apart at the tailcap. No wrist strap was provided.

The threads on the tailcap end are nicely cut, smooth, dry, and anodized (a necessity for this light).

The tailcap contains a simple PCB with a spring on it.

The light can be torn down to get the lens and reflector out. The reflector seats directly onto the star around the emitter. There is an O-ring between the reflector and lens. The bezel is tiny and made of brass, adding a bit of shine to the front end.

The driver PCB is fixed in place somehow. I could not get it out without risk of breaking the light. The driver is a one mode boost that does not appear to support 14500 cells.

On the other end we can see the emitter is mounted right on the same PCB. No easy access to do an emitter upgrade or driver swap.

Beamshots

The beam is not bad, other than being slightly off-center. Of the three 1xAAA lights I have, this one has the smoothest hotspot.

High:

Measurements

Dimensions:

  • Overall Length: 67.0mm
  • Bezel Diameter: 14.3mm
  • Body Diameter: 13.3mm
  • Tail Diameter: 16.0mm, 19.9mm
  • Reflector Inner Diameter: 10.2mm
  • Reflector Outer Diameter: 11.9mm
  • Reflector Depth: 7.7mm
  • Reflector Emitter hole Diameter: 2.7mm
  • Lens Diameter: 12.0mm
  • Lens Thickness: 1.2mm
  • Emitter star diameter: N/A
  • Driver diameter: N/A

Weights (without battery):

  • Overall: 12.1g
  • Head/body tube: 9.4g
  • Tailcap: 2.7g

Performance (stock, fully charged 1.2V AAA NiMH supply, uncalibrated measurement equipment):

  • Light Output: ~54 lumens at start, ~50 after 30s
  • Beam Intensity: ~400cd

Power Source Options: 1xxAAA, 0.9V - 1.8V.

Switch type: Twisty

Modes: High (0.9A)

Mode Memory: N/A

Conclusions

The FandyFire S1-1 is an OK keychain light, but not much as an EDC. A low mode and one-hand operation are important to me for EDC. It has a great finish and decent looks (if they grow on you). The output is as expected for a 1xAAA light. The price is reasonable if all you need is a keychain light.

As shipped, this light gets a 'middle-of-the-road' rating.

As a 1xAAA mod host, not recommended. The integrated driver/star, which is glued in place, makes this virtually unmoddable.

Thanks for reading! searchID8934

2

Reserved.

3

Thanks for saving me the trouble, I was doing a review on this light myself! Overall I like it for what I paid for it. Mine is also very stiff in the tail…I lubed it well, which helped but it’s still a tough single hand light. I found that I can turn it on with one hand however, if I hold it upside down in my palm and flick the tail with my thumb, somewhat like operating a disposable lighter.

4

5

Thanks for the nice review Relic38!

6

I just got one of these from FastTech yesterday along with a Tank007 E09.
DIdn’t know if I would like it or not and so when I ordered the Tank and this Fandyfire I just hoped I would like one of them.
As it turns out, I really like them both. Not sure I know which I like better. I like the way the FandyFire tailstands and the fact it onl y has one mode most of the time.
On the other hand, the Tank seems to be a little better quality. Both are very similar in brightness and beam/throw. The Tank may be just slightly brighter but very hard to tell. I put newly charged eneloops in them and gave them a run time test. Interesting is that the FandyFire didn’t get near as hot and the battery lasted quite a bit longer than the Tank.
I have been a big fan of my iTP A3 E0S but both of these new lights blow the iTP out of the water with brightness and throw. I just wish either of them had a pocket clip as I like to carry it in my shirt pocket.

PS. I have also learned to turn it on one handed by turning it around in my palm and using my thumb to twist the tailcap. Not as easy as the Tank but it can be done.

7

I swapped the tail O-ring with one of the spares that came with a Tank007 E09. Much better. It is now one-hand operable, without straining or flipping the light around.

8

I find that a twisty is much more useful with a lanyard attached. I just use a small one that’s big enough for my last two fingers. I like the lanyard to be shorter than the flashlight so that there is no chance of it blocking the LED window.

Does this light activate by pushing the tailcap? I do that with some of my twisty lights.

9

The threads are well matched, with not a lot of play to allow this pressing action.
If you leave the tailcap very close to tightened (1/8 of a turn or less), you can press the tailcap for momentary on.
It works well once you leave it almost tightened. The risk would be accidentally twisting it on in a pocket. In this case, leave the original O-ring in place; it should not ‘auto-twist’ with that on there.

10

Thanks a lot for the review! Frontpage’d and Sticky’d.