KDlight C8 Review

Overview :

Brand: KDLIGHT
Model: C8-XPLHI
Flashlight Material: Aluminum Alloy
Flashlight Color: Black
Emitter Brand/Type: Cree
Emitter BIN: XP-L HI V3
Color BIN: White 6500K
Total Emitters: 1
Battery Configurations: 1 × 18650 Batteries (not included)
Voltage Input: 2.5V – 4.5V
Switch Type: Clicky
Switch Location: Tail Cap
Modes: 3
Mode Memory: Yes (2 secs)
Mode Arrangement: Lo(2%) > Medium(35%) > Hi(100%)

Brightness: 1100 Lumens maximum brightness

Lens: Ultra clear reinforced lens
Reflector: Aluminum Textured / SMO Reflector
Carrying Clip: -
Carrying Strap: Yes

Waterproof IPX-6 Standard
Dimension: 148mm (L) x 44.5mm (Dia. of Head) x 26.5mm (Dia. of Body)
Weight: 180g (not include battery)

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First Look :

Flashlights comes in a brown box :

Package Contains :
- Flashlight
- Lanyard
- Spare GITD tailcap
- Soft cleaning cloth

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Extended View (with some pictures ofcourse ) :

The flashlight itself , with a helpful “Do not look into the beam” warning :

Reflector is really good quality , specifically designed for xp-l hi :

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A quick teardown :

Head , tube and tailswitch :

Tube threads , not anodized but well macined and polished . Note that it has a thick o-ring , and well lubed :

Switch :

Switch assembly :

Head parts . Bezel with o-ring , head with pill inside , lens (2.5mm thick) and reflector (with centering ring and insulation gasket ):

Close-up pictures of the reflector :

Head , with pill inside :

It uses xp-l hi v3 1A on copper DTP board , and a 8*AMC7135 (8*380mA = 3.04 Amp) driver with 16 mode groups available . You can find the driver here .

And the available mode groups :

Some interesting features of the flashlight’s driver :
1. Current regulation for all output mode (no PWM flicks even at Low mode), PWM frequency is 15kHz
2. Battery reverse polarity protection
3. Low voltage warning A. When the voltage is below 2.8V, it changes to Low mode (1 ma) and flashing every 60 secs. B. When the voltage is below 2.6V, LED will be turned off.
4. Memory / Non-memory function : Easily configurable by setting the output group.

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Measurements :

Battery used : Panasonic NCR18650B 3400mAh

Lumens on highest setting (3.04 Amps) : Approx. 1160 Lumens

Intensity on highest setting (3.04 Amps) : 63kcd

Amperage Draw :
Hi : 100% / 3040mA
Med : 35% / 1064mA
Lo : 2% / 5mA

Runtime :
Hi : 87-90 minutes (tested)
Med : 180 mins
Lo : 500+ mins

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Beamshots section :

A picture of the beam – Wall @ 12 meters :

Tree @ 140 meters (ISO 250 , Shutter speed 1/2) :

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Conclusion :

A well built C8 , with an interesting driver (3.04amps & 16 mode groups) and the xp-l hi v3 with some great throw .
Every little component i tested is high quality , and anodization feels great in hand . KD’s new reflector has a nice design and produces a nice , even beam with great throw . The only minus for some people would be the non-anodized threads.
Overall , it is an interesting stock C8 light !
Thanks for reading

Flashlight was provided by Kaidomain for review purposes . You can find this flashlight here .