Crappy SingFire/BLF-348 clones under $2

Lick · 2018-05-11T22:58:48.000Z

Hey guys looks like that nice SS host is very popular, there are some mods of it, the most popular one seems to have hearts on the end. They all probably have really crappy emitters but this could be the next SK68 at the prices they’re selling it for. None of them show the emitters or name them, safe to say they aren’t even crappy CREE.

https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?site=glo&SortType=price_asc&SearchText=AAA+led+flashlight+steel&page=1&isUnitPrice=y&needQuery=n&isRtl=yes&isFreeShip=y

This is the cheapest 348 style light: Page Not Found - Aliexpress.com

This one seems to be the cheapest 1:1 SF so far, none of them seem to have the same kind of perfect fit that the BLF model did. Page Not Found - Aliexpress.com

This one has a laser, UV, and crappy flashlight, around the same price too! Might be nice if the emitter was swapped. Page Not Found - Aliexpress.com

Looks like a decent disposable EDC.

Lightbringer · 2018-05-11T23:13:48.000Z

Probably made out of old car-antennas…

I gave up on ordering cheap crap, because it ends up being just crap. I’d rather throw quarters down the sewer than waste my time on garbage.

Budget vs cheap is entirely different. There has to be some minimum quality.

I had (and still have… somewhere) decent SK98s, even with “hollow pills”, but some of what I’ve seen since has been garbage.

Lick · 2018-05-12T00:55:12.000Z

I’m going to try it, it can’t hurt! The 3 mode looks interesting. I tend to avoid cheap stuff but these could be awesome. Its too heavy and fat to be antenna, at least compared to mine.

At worst it could be a decent AAA host since its SS, the tail wasn’t the best even in the 348s though.

DavidEF · 2018-05-12T03:23:21.000Z

Yeah, let us know how it turns out! :+1:

dhvl1357 · 2018-05-12T05:51:05.000Z

What a pity all of them have an optic. TIR or reflector would’ve been nicer.

AgentSteel · 2018-05-12T09:22:37.000Z

Lightbringer:

I gave up on ordering cheap crap, because it ends up being just crap. I’d rather throw quarters down the sewer than waste my time on garbage.

Budget vs cheap is entirely different. There has to be some minimum quality.

+1
And sometimes you can get quality for only a little bit more bucks

mortuus · 2018-05-12T14:04:46.000Z

nah avoid this crap… not like the real authentic singfire cost that much more but they last alot longer too.

ma_tumba · 2018-05-13T05:20:28.000Z

I bought a couple of these 3x lights. They are actually nicer than I expected. The main beam is very narrow and therefore concentrated, so even the 3mm led would provide decent throw. However the plan was to swap for 5mm yuji and there is no space for a 5mm led. Plus the lens is quite yellow.

So I will keep it as a “conference” light but thats it

wle · 2018-05-14T20:38:40.000Z

One thing to watch for is, misleading specs.
In particular - the “3 mode” capability with 1 x AAA cell.
I’ve seen it claimed and it isn’t real.
At best the modes will be “battery burner”, ” too dim ” and “annoying strobe”

ma_tumba · 2018-05-14T20:56:23.000Z

The ones I got are real 3-mode ones. Laser, uv, aspherical. The 3-way switch works just fine. I also have much smaller button batt powered ones. Nice stuff as well

nquinn · 2018-06-11T01:09:39.000Z

Lightbringer:

Probably made out of old car-antennas…

I gave up on ordering cheap crap, because it ends up being just crap. I’d rather throw quarters down the sewer than waste my time on garbage.

Budget vs cheap is entirely different. There has to be some minimum quality.

I had (and still have… somewhere) decent SK98s, even with “hollow pills”, but some of what I’ve seen since has been garbage.

You seem to have gone through quite a few lights, so I’m curious, if you could only have 3 lights in these categories which would they be?

1. A headlamp used for travel (so weight matters). Torn on AA vs 18650 because my H03 gets tons of capacity but the battery is heavy
2. A 1 x 18650 light that has some throw and isn’t too expensive for around a house. Incredible throw probably doesn’t matter.

I was thinking a zebralight H53Fc (XP-L2 high CRI, AA neutral, all flood and no hotspot. Nichia or the new samsung LED might have been better though), and then maybe something like a single XHP35 or XP-L2 C8 type light. Not sure which but maybe just a cheap Convoy C8A/C8T (xpl-hi) or some budget XHP35 light.

Lightbringer · 2018-06-11T02:56:48.000Z

Unno, the only headlamps I have are RJ02s, work fine for me.

AAA/AA lights? SP10, not sure if A or B, and/or a TK05. AAAs are too small for me to count as an actual light, except as a zipper-pull or something.

18650? Depends if for flood or throw. To me, those are 2 way different lights. And in-between would be a 3rd.

Candidates? For throw, C8 variant, dunno which. C8A or -F, most likely.

Flood? Frankly, I just handhold my RJ02 (replaced the come-with TIR with a wider-angle one) when I want wide-angle. None yet, but a S2+ triple might be nice.

In-between, there’s my ’502, only now that I’m getting jaded with 1klm donks, it’s seeming a bit anæmic lately, so I might have to upgrade it. Still 1-mode, though.

For a multi-use light, Frankly, I’ve been liking that UT20 a lot as a dual-switch light.

And that’s not even counting any Q8s, L2s, Jet-Is or -IIs, DV-S9s, etc.

jerm03 · 2018-06-11T17:41:06.000Z

I also bought several of those 348 clones. I ended up discarding nearly all.
The one clone I have bought for 2-3 dollars is the Hugsby XP 1 clones. Some are unbranded and others Enjoydeal. I have not gotten a bad one, and have probably bought close to 20. They are great for gifting.
Jerry

WalkIntoTheLight · 2018-06-11T18:24:37.000Z

mortuus:

nah avoid this crap… not like the real authentic singfire cost that much more but they last alot longer too.

The quality of the authentic 348 isn’t that great to begin with. Passable, but not much more. I hate to think what a cheap clone quality is!

nquinn:

A headlamp used for travel (so weight matters). Torn on AA vs 18650 because my H03 gets tons of capacity but the battery is heavy

A 1 x 18650 light that has some throw and isn’t too expensive for around a house. Incredible throw probably doesn’t matter.

I was thinking a zebralight H53Fc (XP-L2 high CRI, AA neutral, all flood and no hotspot.

I think that’s a great choice. 1xAA keeps a headlamp light enough for comfort. And, while I’m not a fan of frosted lenses, it makes sense on a headlamp meant for seeing your immediate surroundings.

and then maybe something like a single XHP35 or XP-L2 C8 type light. Not sure which but maybe just a cheap Convoy C8A/C8T (xpl-hi) or some budget XHP35 light.

If you want to stick with Zebralight, I really like the SC600w MkIV HI. It’s 1x18650 with an XHP35 HI emitter. It throws surprisingly well for such a small light, and of course has the efficiency and long run-times you get with Zebras. It’s my favourite for a general-purpose outdoor light on walks, if I carry just one primary light.

For long throw, a C8 makes sense. But, don’t get the Convoy C8, go with one with a FET driver for more output. For example, the Astrolux C8 gives you 100K candella, which is about 60% more than the Convoy C8. The downside is less runtime, but you really don’t need long run-times with a dedicated thrower, since you’ll probably just use it for short bursts.

On walks, though, I prefer the Zebralight.

On bicycle rides, I use a Zebralight SC600w MkIV Plus as a bike light (floody XHP50.2, and very bright and efficient), and use the Astrolux C8 as a spotter for animals and stuff. That combo works really well. When biking, I appreciate the extra throw of a dedicated thrower when I need it.

Lick · 2018-06-29T11:42:07.000Z

WalkIntoTheLight:

mortuus:

nah avoid this crap… not like the real authentic singfire cost that much more but they last alot longer too.

The quality of the authentic 348 isn’t that great to begin with. Passable, but not much more. I hate to think what a cheap clone quality is!

Why don't you like them? The SF had a crappy tailcap IMO, it just looked cool how it the brushing fit together IMO.

WalkIntoTheLight · 2018-06-29T13:23:44.000Z

Lick:

WalkIntoTheLight:

The quality of the authentic 348 isn’t that great to begin with. Passable, but not much more. I hate to think what a cheap clone quality is!

Why don’t you like them? The SF had a crappy tailcap IMO, it just looked cool how it the brushing fit together IMO.

Oh, I do like them, and I’ve bought plenty of them. Great lights, for the price, but it’s primarily the Nichia 219 that makes them great lights. The quality is barely acceptable, IMO. Threads are way too fine, and some lights even came already cross-threaded as a result. They are not very drop-proof. Even dropping on a carpet, I’ve had the switch push in and stop working. It’s easy enough to fix, but the press-fit is too easily slipped when dropped. They are not waterproof, so I’m not sure you can wash them under a faucet if you get them dirty. Finally, while the LED is great, the range of tints you get is far too wide (I have a really green one, something I’ve never seen on another Nichia 219 light).

For those reasons, I would not carry one as an EDC or depend on it as a primary light. But, I stash them around the house, and they make perfect lights for brief use when you need a light that’s handy and close by. Also, since they’re so inexpensive, I don’t really care if I break one or lose one.

Streamer · 2018-06-29T18:12:26.000Z

Waterproof? I have to laugh. Wife has handed mine back to me at least 5-6 times from the washer/ dryer obstacle course and it shines brightly til this day….waterproof? just don’t DIVE with it…

eta: she gets a real kick out of clickin it on and handin it to me…makes me smile every time… :innocent:

WalkIntoTheLight · 2018-06-29T18:54:02.000Z

Streamer:

Waterproof? I have to laugh. Wife has handed mine back to me at least 5-6 times from the washer/ dryer obstacle course and it shines brightly til this day….waterproof? just don’t DIVE with it…

Oh, that’s good to know. I won’t worry about washing some of mine off if they get dirty.

Lick · 2019-11-10T18:50:50.000Z

I want to update this thread: I settled on glaree e03, thrunite ti3 clones for my AAA project. They work great and weren't too expensive, wish I could find good 348 clones but these are good for the price at $6ish and come with low 3lm med 25lm high 120lm

WalkIntoTheLight · 2019-11-14T21:42:20.000Z

Elymir66:

Coucou tout le monde. Merci d’exposer cela avec nous, je pense aussi comme vous
et aussi je pense que c’est important car j’ai suivi votre discussion, j’ai une question en passant?

Spam, en francais.