SingFire SF-749B
Reviewer's Overall Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Summary:
Battery: |
26650, 18650 w/ provided spacer, 3xAAA w/ provided adapter |
Switch: |
Magnetic ring with 3 positions (left, off, right) |
Modes: |
8, 4 constant (Highest>MidHi>MidLo>Lowest) and 4 flashing (SOS, 1, 3, 9 Hz) |
LED Type: |
Cree XM-L CW |
Lens: |
Glass - uncoated |
Tailstands: |
No |
Price Paid: |
Review Sample (Currently 19.67 USD) |
From: |
MyLED.com (http://www.myled.com/p4883-led-flashlight-cree-xm-l-u2-800lm-8-mode-1-26650-1-18650-3-aaa-black.html) |
Date Ordered: |
9 May 2014 |
This light was provided by MyLED for review.
Pros:
- Constant modes separated from flashies
- Battery versatility
- Magnetic switch
Cons:
- Visible PWM
- Next mode memory
- Poor finish
- High centering ring robs output
Features / Value: ★★★☆☆
This is a unique light in the budget realm since it comes with a magnetic switch, has more than your standard 5 modes, and is purportedly for diving. I was unable to test that last feature.
Packaging was a plain box and 1 layer of bubble wrap in a bubble mailer. This box was actually corrugated and not just cardstock. It also came with an 18650 spacer and a 3xAA adapter.
Here is the SF-749B in a lineup: EA4W, 502B, SF-749B, HD2010.
Design / Build Quality: ★☆☆☆☆
The overall design is nice and I really like how the regular modes are grouped away from strobe so you don’t have to see them. The LED was centered well with a centering ring, but it is very tall and robs output.
The anodizing colors are pretty different for the bezel and the rest of the light. The ring is also plastic which is hard to color match and makes it feel cheap. The overall machining and finish was rather poor, with excess metal and marks around. The worst offense was on the lanyard hole, where an extra shard of aluminum out of the hole may cut the lanyard it is supposed to retain. From a design standpoint, I understand divers most likely don’t need tailstanding ability, but I’d like to have that option.
The light has a smooth metal reflector that is similar in dimensions to a C8 reflector as I understand. It has a thick glass lens that is uncoated. The bezel has an o-ring on top of the glass and on the threads. I couldn’t access the pill readily, but there is a standard CW XM-L on a 20mm star. The driver is held in by some sort of glue, which is a first for me and doesn’t instill that much confidence. The connection between tube and switch had 1 o-ring, which I ripped upon separating them. At the tail cap, there were 3 o-rings in my sample, so I cannibalized one for the top of the tube. There were copious amounts of grease everywhere.
Battery Life: ★★★★☆
For this and output testing, I used the pictured K2 LiFePO4 26650 pictured. Using 3.7V chemistry would likely raise all the values I got with the 3.2V cell. Amp readings at the tail were 1.2, 0.56, 0.33, and 0.11 A. Flashy modes seem to each pull the same current as max when on. I got a standby current measurement of 0.005 A. This would equate to runtime of about 2 hours on high and almost a day on low with a 2500 mAh 26650 cell.
Light Output: ★★☆☆☆
The light has a High to Low mode order with dreaded next mode memory. Flashy modes start in SOS, and then to slow to fast strobes. This light uses PWM at noticeable frequency. According to my integrating bathroom, high was around 145 lumens with the next modes at 72.5, 43.5, and 14.5 lumens. I would have liked to see a bit lower low and a drop in the second medium mode as well.
Stock, this light has a very tight hotspot and smooth, constant spill. Here is an image comparing it (left) to the EA4W (right) on 135 lumen mode.
Slicing off the raised part of the centering ring gave a nice bump in output to an eyeball value of around 250 lumens. It also added a large corona to the previously tight hotspot. It now resembles the EA4's profile.
Summary: ★★☆☆☆
This light and its sister models are a unique offering in the budget realm, but that meant that there were some liberties taken in the creating of this light. The overall concept is good, but the poor finish and high centering ring made it feel cheap and underperform. For $10 I think it would be a good deal, like its sister model was on promotion. If they could increase the PWM frequency, get rid of next mode memory, and spend a bit more effort on build quality, I think they could ask for $20. It is a nice form factor for a 26650 capable light.
I got the model information from DX (http://www.dx.com/p/singfire-sf-749b-cree-xm-l-u2-800lm-8-mode-ultra-bright-diving-led-flashlight-1x26650-18650-3xaaa-277883)
As always, there are some lottery odds as to what you will actually get. =the= reviewed a similar model here, but his internals are different than what I got.
