Yep. Good info there. The only thing I would change is the charger. A Xtar mc1 is only $3.49 at GB. In my opinion its a perfect charger for a single cell light.
Marc.
WillyD, I work in a hospital…probably why I find the color so favorable!
Werner, I am in no hurry. Have a few coast lights that I am content but recently saw a law enforcer with this monstrous thrown on a tiny handheld light…so I KNEW there had to be better!
Thanks for the info on batteries. Never would have thought that my 3-AAA powered light was NOWHERE near the level of my tiny rechargeable bike light, primarily because of batteries.
Have not done soldering at this level (do not even own a soldering gun) but definitely interested in learning.
Marcl, got your messages…thanks! Will report back after I have received the product!
Super excited to get going and spend some money!
No problems, your welcome. If you take my advise you may have to get your X6 somewhere else as eagleye seem to have sold out. I’m sure there is no one here that will not agree with me when I say it is THE best quality light for the money, quite unbelievable really.
Good hunting,
Marc.
Is this this a fake or is it the upgraded version?
Looking for the 4 mode version and only finding 5 modes. Is there a specific model number for that version? And have never used AliExpress - any thoughts?
http://m.banggood.com/BLF-Special-Edition-X6-LED-Flashlight-Body-Shell-Host-p-959747.html
Must admit…I have little knowledge of what I am doing but pretty good at following directions. Is this something I could put together myself? (Built numerous computers in my day but very little soldering).
No one tells people about the battery energys, it’s no secret at all but I never seen a simple comparison so I looked it up in the net and share it here and there. Especially the AAAs are overestimated and really bad for modern flashlights and I will never understand why there aren’t 3xAA flashlights more common available….especially if you consider that in former times huge D cell lights were almost standard and 3AAs are smaller than one Dcell…
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X6 is awesome, I agree. The new groupbuy should be still open BLF Kronos X6/X5 GB - Group Buy now closed.
But it might be a bit overkill for a first light.
Have you checked some lights and their sizes? I always find it useful to imagine how big/small a light is to get a feeling what might fit my needs.
A x6 is nice because it is very compact but still throws well.
Check out convoy S series, the M1 and the C8 to see what I mean, they all are a different kind of size.
I added some links to the fastech site, I haven’t compared prices or so I just did it because they have a nice site with specifications and pictures to get a oversight.
(All the mentioned lights have a nanjg driver which is pretty good but not perfect, it consist of parallel currentlimiting electronic devices called 7135, every 7135 gives 350mA so you can often choose some different currents in the multiple of 350mA)
If you are in the U.S. This store is a good source for customization gear you can also order modded lights: http://www.mtnelectronics.com
The convoy lights are great value for the price and easy modable so if you want to get into the hobby a bit that’s good start.
If you just want a nice small light, a brand light in a kind of deal might be more likely the best bet. Just check out the flashlight section on some vendors and research what you like.
Some shops which have often great deals but are a bit controversy because of their shipping time and customerservice are
Gearbest.com and banggood.com
Both have a wide variety of good 18650 powered flashlights and I had no real big problems with any of them…
Avoid AAA, AA are much better e.g. 800 versus 2400 mah i.e. one AA equals 3 AAA.
There are some bargains on this forum if you don’t mind buying from China and waiting 3 or more weeks. The Olight S15r is £15 at present. Some people such as freeme do codes giving you discounts, I can’t say how much, but take a look.
But something like the Fenix EA41 is nice. I prefer NiMH, why buy LiIon when you have to watch them charge for safety reasons?
Yeah I always see people staring at their phones, laptops and tablets to monitor their lithium cells… 
1.One 18650 has the energy of 4 eneloops
2.the voltage suits the white LEDs forward voltage well
3.There are not much really bright AA lights out there
4. The formfactor is nice
5. It’s the best resources battery size which is also commonly available for cheap
Put my name on the list for this set. Love the looks of the x6
Not much, other than what is found at a local store - home depot, REI, Bass Pro, etc. I have big hands and either use mounts for bike (currently have 2 now), or headlights for working. Use a Coast Lenser and a Coast V2, dual light, simply because there has been nothing available, locally, with both the lumens and throw (which I find out now, still is not THAT great).
The Convoy C8 was how I stumbled across this site, trying to find some information. Though I have had the 6D mag lite, that is definitely larger than I want to go, witb 2D/3D being the biggest i desire. The 6D was bought for both longevitiy and thoughts that more battery=more throw. Once I get a smaller, pocket-type light, the C8, and larger, will be on my horizon. After that - spotlight-type that does not drain in 30 mins. Living out of the area now but saltwater fished in heavily wooded, shallow, and oyster laden areas. Regardless of how well i knew the area, if the moon was not full and sky clear, I was not going out, as I did not have a light that would last me long enough to get there and back (need at least 30 mins but probably closer to 1 hour of runtime).
Thanks for all the information and look forward to reading/learning more.
Werner - noticed I had not respondrd properly to size. The M1 and S2+ are probably the size i am using most frequently, but that has strictly been due to availability. When I look for a C8 sized light, all I can find are Energizer or some other garbage with incredibly low lumen/throw (meaning my M1 sized Coast can outperform these bigger lights).
As said before, have put my name on the list for group buy - 1 CW, 1 NW. Once I receive these, and play with them for a little while, I then can see what my next step will be. Probably will order a Convoy C8, though, while I await these other sets.
Be careful whilst it’s nice to have a crazy bright light, remember that runtime will be hit hard. I have a Skilhunt D0 it only pulls 1.8a but produces 650 lumens OTF. I challenge anyone to say it’s not bright enough. But most importantly I can get nearly 2 hours runtime on max. The standard X6 is 2.2a so is also going to give decent runtime. For reference a Lenser p7 4aaa outputs about 160 lumens on high and 220 on turbo.
All I’m saying is think about what you want.
Marc.
PS gearbest also has the x6 for about $16.
People who know far more than I do about LiIon cells used in torches/flashlights say that you should watch them charge for safety reasons.
The batteries in phones, laptops and tablets are inside tough cases with protection circuits inside and are supplied with dedicated chargers. Decent quality 18650 cells from Keeppower etc should be okay, but the knowledgeable people still say to keep an eye on them while charging. By the way it is not uncommon for third party camera batteries etc to explode/vent. When I used to read photo forums I came across a couple of UK cases where a house nearly burnt down but for the presence of the fire brigade when a charging camera battery caught fire. These were third party batteries.
I can quite understand why others use LiIon but I prefer NiNH:
1. Cheaper. In the UK four 2400mah Duracells cost about £6, a decent 18650 costs about £12-18. And if you want cheaper, Lidl sell decent LSD AA cells at £3 for 4.
2. Readily available: you can get replacements anywhere, and alkaleaks if in need too.
3. Lots of home items such as my door bell units use AA and AAA cells, so I only need one kind of charger. (There are multi chemistry chargers now.)
4. There are plenty of bright AA lights. Over 1000 lumens and you start annoying other people e.g. car drivers and walkers who are dazzled. I’ve been in a wood and completely blinded by an oncoming pushbike with light. I find 600 lumens is enough, 1000 lumens about the limit, for cross country running.
5. Totally safe. The probability of a good quality 18650 LiIon venting may be low, or very low, but the outcome when one does fail is very serious e.g. house burnt down.
Oh and the AA lights I have are well regulated on high power. Most 18650 lights are not well regulated, they do 1000 lumens for 3 minutes, then drop to 300 lumens. My SWM M40A XML does ~600 lumens for ~1.5 hours.
There is no need to watch your li-ion cells providing you have a good charger and cells. The protective case on a mobile you speak of is as much use as a paper Johnny.
As for the lights available generally you would do well to get more than 300 LM from a 2xAA light. I say 2XAA to compare size to an 18650 light. A decent 18650 should be well regulated and hold its output for longer than NiMH as the voltage is higher. My Skilhunt D0 holds 650 LM for well over an hour as is smaller than a 2xAA light.
But that’s not to say I don’t like NiMH lights, I do and I still think the Klarus p2a is one of the nicest lights I’ve ever had.
Marc.
PS 4 Sanyo 18650 are only $9.13 at the moment. That’s cheaper than 4 eneloops.
“There is no need to watch your li-ion cells providing you have a good charger and cells. ”
According to many knowledgeable people on CPF you must keep an eye on them when charging, and place the charger on a fire proof surface. Venting is very unlikely, but the potential damage is very high. These people prefer to warn customers (click on specifications):
http://www.ledfiretorches.co.uk/aw-14500-rechargeable-lithium-batteries
I choose not to take the (small) risk i.e. to assume that charger and the cells are without manufacturing faults. 
“The protective case on a mobile you speak of is as much use as a paper Johnny. ”
No. The case contains custom protection circuitry, which can balance the charging over the cells when many are present, and protects the cells and protection circuitry from accidental damage. Consumer battery packs for quality products do not fully charge the cells, and probably do not discharge the cells as much as you might in a flashlight, both to prolong the life of the cells and for safety. A protected 18650 has a simple protection circuit and shrink wrap ‘casing’.
Even high quality cells in a pack can explode cf Sony laptops catching fire. There is a video on CPF of a RC hobby shop burning down after the owner left cells charging and nipped out for a short while. A LiIon cell is potentially very dangerous so you want to rely on the manufacturing process being perfect? The new Boeing 787 aircraft had significan problems with LiIon cells in its battery pack:
This is an aircraft fire:
Aircraft parts are made to higher standards than consumer goods.
“PS 4 Sanyo 18650 are only $9.13 at the moment. That’s cheaper than 4 eneloops”
Are these decent capacity protected cells from a reputable seller? If so, then that is very good. The best I’ve seen from a UK seller is I think £12 for a Keeppower ~3200 mah 18650.
By the way I’m not against LiIon 14500/18650 cells, I have a few of the former, but I took the decision to err on the side of caution. Obviously you make your own choice based on your understanding of the issues. No doubt 18650 have a big advantage in terms of size, so an 18650 torch can match a 4AA one, whilst being smaller and easier to ‘refuel’.
The main problem of course if when Joe Bloggs buys cheap CatchFire cells and charger from China, and wonders why their house goes up in flames. :Sp
You said it all in the last sentence. Cheap cells from China are dangerous and I would not touch them. Issues with lithium exist but they are the same issues in a laptop or a light. These people on CPF charge their cells in a fire proof container whilst having the local fire station on speed dial and then talk about it on a laptop that is charging on their knees.
We still don’t know what caused the fires on the Boeing, it was probably from over charging or not having the cells balanced when discharging.
I drive a TDI it would be very easy for me to say you should not drive a petrol as petrol can explode. But because both technologys have been around so long we accept both for what they are li-ion is a little new to some people so they are over cautious.
All I’m saying is take normal precautions, don’t leave them charging over night or if you leave the house. But I would not leave any charger on over night. You will find that quality cells can take more abuse than you can throw at them.
Marc
There are in the UK regulations that apply to petrol. If the garage is attached to the house with a door between, that door must be a firedoor. If you fill a container with petrol, it must be an approved container. And we don’t (normally) keep petrol in the house. So the comparison is not a good one.
I don’t accept that a flashlight is comparable to a quality consumer product with a LiIon pack. Anyway, do a Google, you’ll find lots of LiIon fires even with quality products, and many many laptop battery recalls.
Your comments about experts on CPF are silly. They simply advise to take care and be aware of the worst case scenario. I’m glad that you advise against leaving the house while charging, or doing so overnight. In that case our views are not that far apart at all. Now should we obey your rules for a hoover LiIon battery pack, or a camera battery?
The petrol/diesel is a good example, I’m talking about petrol cars not petrol storage. If i throw a match into a bucket of diesel it will be extinguished, i dont need to tell you what will happen to the bucket filled with petrol. My point is should we stop buying petrol cars? Of course not.
The cells in your laptop are the same in my torch so I am confident that if they do not explode in my laptop then there is no reason why they should explode in my light. But if you can show me examples or Samsung Sanyo or Panasonic cells catching fire in a light I will change my opinion, but as many years as I’ve been on BLF and using li-ion I have not seen one example.
As for my comments being silly, charging cells in a metal box is silly if you ask me. Unless they charge there smart phones in the same box of course.
Marc.
Tell me one other thing. When you buy a cordless drill do you know exactly what cells are inside? No. In my lights I can tell you exactly what cells are inside. I choose the quality.
Petrol cars are not a good comparison. We do have regulations, processes and laws controlling them. Fires due to LiIon cells in waste disposal facilities are not rare. Sony laptops did catch fire on many occasions, due to manufacturing flaws.
Your comments about CPF were silly because they do not do what you said, you used hyperbole, they just take sensible precautions, as do you in your own words. You have admitted to not being carefree with LiIon i.e. you are informed.
Serious? The only examples you can find are
In waste disposal facilities? So from old knackered cells possibly ultrafire crap lying round in skips and bins. Won’t loose sleep over that.