MiniReview: Newish design Sipik zoomie lookalike but 18650 powered Q5 XR-E

LED Flashlights – General Info 18650 Flashlights
1

http://www.ebay.com/itm/280724961881?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

Today i recieved my 2 samples of this thingy and had been positively impressed. For what i paid (just a bit under 20usd for 2) it is a great value.

The only grief is the pressed tail switch department and the pressed driver but fortunately is a good one. Otherwise very neat for the price. Finish is decent and i immediately removed the spring at the driver (poorly soldered and barehandedly snapped off - i liked that) with the spring a xtar 18700 2600 had an exteremly tight fit, beyond comfort levels. Without just perfect.

Current draw:

A:

hi - 0,98A

mid - 240mA

B:

hi - 0,95A

mid - 231mA

Pretty decent so i leave them as is. Smooth push pull operation, non overly stiff clip nad plastic lens. Disassembly is very easy. Heat transfer can be improved by messing with tin foil but a bit tricky to do it right. Require some steady hand an patience. Not very modding friendly since the driver aint soldered but at such price there is hardly anything better atm. Looks nice and it is not much bigger than the sipik AA sibling.

Not scratched and decently anodized. I had a feel it would came painted or other half assed job. Internals are from aluminum and some cheap metal lookalike for the bezel. A steel one would top it nicely. 4 lines of taicap threads are barely enough but work fine and not flimsy at all. Screws on like a solarforce would. Smooth as butter:)

It does have a relatively narrow flood and an usual emitter shaped hotspot when zoomed in. Pretty standard but i noticed both had the least amount of artifacts present in all such designs. That's another good point. The strobe is fast and annoying, and as usual i wish it was not there at all.

What more to say? I can reccomend it if one likes such lights. It is rather big for EDC but can be done. Afterall it has a nice clip very similar to the sipik sibling.

If they managed to do a decent tailcap and a better brass made pill this could be the best zoomie in the market (budget wise). Despite the few drawbacks i like it more than my ex romisen RC-C8 which had a bit better build quality of internals.

One o-ring at tailcap. If fiddled with a bit one can make it easily waterproof but not submergeable. The zoom action kill the watertightness and as such it cannot be improved further, no other easy points of water entry however.

That's it.

Reccomended without second toughts. Pics later if i find a camera.

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I have one of these coming. Paid $10.33, Ebay auction.

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Let me know if you need to tweak it. I did. Happy ever after. :)

Be sure to remove the foreard spring if anything.

4

can it be modded with xml led and 2.8A driver... ??

5

Probably yes, but the termals are unsuitable. If that is not enought to discourage you perhaps the lens focal point ant good for XM-L either. Keep it at what it is stock. :)

6

It looks and works fine with a Trustfire 2400 flame with the spring left on the driver.

My only complaint is that the pocket clip screws were too long and would damage the casing of the battery. Easy to fix, the screws are standard Phillips head.

I have also ordered a similar flashlight on Ebay for $6.61. It is priced @ AUS $6.59. At the time I ordered the exchange rate meant that I paid $6.61 USD.

The pics show minor differences so these lights seem to have come from different factories.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/190529994052?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

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looks pretty nice, thanks for the review. Does it significantly out throw the sipik?

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Probably not but if you use wthe sipik with AA then yes. :)

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It's a tight fit. Anway the one above look very cheap in fisnish. Looks painted and left drying on a rainy day. Aesthetically os also a lesser specimen. I filed the screws on 1 of the 2 myself too. :)

This flashlight soo needs a foyzelTM treatment. Way useless crenelation on the bezel.

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Its an Ultrapire !

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The pics for that one seem to have changed - it now has a nicer looking bezel - it looks like stainless steel but could just be that cheap pot metal.

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I just got mine yesterday(ordered on 10/6/2011) - its marked UltraOK 7W VS-05. Build quality is great in some areas, but lacking in others. The lens rattles(needs an o-ring) and the clicky rattles as well. Tint is more yellow than my SK68, and maybe a bit dimmer(or could be the tint that makes it look that way?). The bezel is complete rubbish though. Anyone know of a replacement bezel that would fit, preferably stainless steel?

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I bought the light in the OP and then I bought the cheaper one that I mentioned in a post above. The cheaper model arrived yesterday, 32 days after I paid for it.

I am suprised how nice it is and how well it works so far.

The pics at Ebay make it look terrible but in person it is quite nice. It is a lot brighter than the light in the OP. My OP light draws 1.2A and the brighter but cheaper one draws 1.7A.

The only markings are a Cree logo and Q5 on one of the flats.

The finish may not last, but it looks good now. The front end is polished aluminum and the machining of the body and threads are nice.

I used it while fishing all night and am pleased with it. It is easily as nicely made as my Sipik SK68 and costs even less.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/190529994052?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

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Are the bezels on these 2 interchangeable?

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The bezel from the cheaper model will thread onto the UltraOK model but will not fully tighten down....almost though, it lacks the thickness of the flap on a paper match book.

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My first "Torch" of any kind is the big brother to this- the Saik Sa9 which uses the same emitter- a nice light.

Coolest thing is the beam at tightest setting is about the diameter of a penny and in a dark room or area it has an almost laser-like appearance as the beam is clearly visible and defined with humidity etc.

I'd like to see a version with an XM-L with a similar lens and a nicer host- (although for under $10 this is excellent) to really give the "Laser Effect" even stronger.

Also - if the Cree LED was shaped like a bat- it would project the Batman Signal on the wall.

---Maybe they could do custom shaped emitters to project whatever image we want- Ha.

Instead of a business card- shine your logo on the nearest wall !

Electronically and functionally- it's very similar to the Tank 007 TK737 -same Cree Q5 runs on 3aaas or with adapter tube a 18650- except a little more intense than the Tank- unregulated.

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Thanks for the heads up, Steve. I appreciate it.

Just ordered a couple. :)

18

SteveTexas, did you have to pay shipping on the cheaper one in Au dollars? The listing still shows the same price, but now US$4.24 and AU$4.09 shipping fees.
Found this, apparently by same seller (same body, extactly the same % feedback), US$ listing, $3.99 + $5.59, a little cheaper but nowhere near the $6 you claimed.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CREE-Q5-LED-Torch-Zoomable-Flashlight-Lamp-500-Lumen-/200645024099
Everything else in 18650 is more expensive. Just wondering if it was something you forgot to mention, or if the price goes way up and down on these things.
Thanks for sharing your comparison after having bought both. I’m sure we’d all appreciate some side-by-side pics & beamshots if you got to it.

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Hi brjones,

At the time I bought from ebay dealer Ultrapire, more than 6 months ago, shipping was included in the price.

I have just looked at the link that I posted above and noticed that the shipping was not included. That link was over a month old when I posted it, due to the fact that delivery of the flashlight took a little over a month.

At some point, Ultrapire started charging for shipping, however, I don't know when.

Quality of the Ultrapire and the UltraOK are similar, but my Ultrapire is brighter at 1.7A tailcap amps vrs 1.2A for the UltraOK. I would compare quality of both to the Sipik SK68.

BTW, my permanent home is in Callahan County, Texas; however, I am currently working in NC.