You got the Keygos Ke-5 yet? Will be waiting for a report !! :)
Well what do ya know...as I was going to sell my second in the batch of KE-5s, when I gave it to my friend, I noticed it was (as some of you stated) underdriven.
On a totally fresh cell, maybe 590 or so lumens. Can't believe I didn't notice it before. Dimishes gradually to less than 300 lumens (I'm ball-parking) and hardly even gets warm. We're at over an hour on the runtime test with one of my cheapie cells now. I still have usuable light.
My friend didn't even notice much difference, but I'm splitting him this one with a half-off discount on a KD C8. I can't live with myself if I don't. So yeah, watch it with underdriven KE-5s.
now you tell us. Mine should arrive pretty soon. This takes the anxiety away. Live and learn, hopefully.
Got mine today. I didn't have any fully charged 18650s so I tested it with one @4.02V. Damn this thing is bright, tried measuring it and got 3.85A. The driver has "EAST-092" imprinted on it.
No scratches or anything, only the battery tube is tight. I tried putting a XTAR 18700 2600 (purple label version) in it, but stopped halfway as the tube was so tight I feared I wouldn't have gotten the XTAR out of it without picking the light apart. It made a "popping" sound as I pulled the XTAR out.
Can't wait until it gets dark so I can compare it to my Trustfire C8.
Mine arrived today, shipped on the 3rd I think it was. Came fairly well wrapped in bubble wrap and box. The light is terrific! In my opinion much nicer than my KD C8. My 18650, a Trustfire 2400 measured at 4.14V gave me a reading of only 1.65A on high. I don't know how all these others get 3.85A??? My KD C8 only gave me 1.5A Could it be a cheap meter? The Keygos is MUCH brighter than the KD. And the strobe on the Keygos is amazing, best one I have. Other problem is the OSO, how come they can't get that right? I mean it's only a $20 light but still? Nice lubed threads, glow in the dark tail cap, SS bezel. I think it's a great light for $20 shipped.
What meter are you using? See my KD C8 post where I compared my meters and tried thicker gauge leads. You might at least try the thicker leads trick (just jam some thick wire in the meter sockets and test). I know a lot of people have that cheap Harbor Freight meter and in my experience it's worthless for current measurements for flashlights.
-Garry
Hi Garry. I'm using the highly touted DT-830B, $5 on E-Bay. I'm recharging my cells now and will test the light again tonight with a friends Fluke. I'll let you know what I find out, but either way I am very happy with this light. I know u were on the fence about it 
patrick
Told ya!
Pretty friggin' amazing amount of light! I still adore mine.
Yeah, I've been anxious to hear about how well these are driven of if they're under-driven. Have also been looking at that Prairie Fire UF-980L clone. This KE-5 does have a really nice look to it though. I'm not familiar with that meter, but it looks eerily similar to the Harbor Freight one.
-Garry
The KE-5 is a nice light. But they don't put out no 800 lumens. I used to think they put out probably about 700. But until you get a good XM-L thrower like a Crelant 7G5 or Olight M3X or Olight SR51 to compare it to then you will know it's not 800 lumens.
It performs very, very close to the 980L in performance. I'd believe 800. And it matches my friend Olight M31 Triton with SSt-50. How could it now be?
The leads are terrible. I replace them a few month ago with two 4mm² cables and two banana plugs and measure correct Amperes. With the old leads the measurement to 1A (XP-E, XR-E LED) was correct but for the XM-L measurement with 3A false.
NEW ROMISEN RC T601 IS THE SAME BRIGHTNESS AS THE OLD ONE TO MY NAKED EYES. BUT IT IS STILL BRIGHTER THAN MY KEYGOS KE5.
what battery do you use to get a 3.85A reading?
My M3X is supposedly 700 otf lumens. Ok maybe that's a little low. But the M3X will smoke the Keygos. And I have one of the hotter Keygos at the tailcap probably out there at around 3.5amps.
It is a custom brand sold domestically based on a Sanyo cell (2600mAh, max current drain rated 6.5A). It was expensive (a bit more expensive than a Redilast 3100) but I couldn't wait for my 18650s to arrive that I had ordered from Manafont. I had a new light at the time and no 18650s so I ordered one locally 
.
Only thing I don't like is the tight battery tube. The XTAR 2600 (purple label) does not fit (too wide), same goes for Redilast 3100. A Trustfire Flame 3000 fits without any problems.
Stronger spot does not mean automatically that stronger in overall brightness.
kind of apples/oranges too (reflector size, battery config, price)
I bet a ke-5 in each hand and $60? in your pocket looks pretty good next to an m3x 
I dunno. People (even at CPF) have gone back and forth as to whether Olight measures OTF or at the emitter, but I've heard it said more often that the Olight M31 SST-50 is 800 OTF. Only one person said it is no less than 755 OTF. In any case, the beams are way different (as we'd expect). My Manafont XM-L C8 is no match for the Olight. It trounces it easily, but the Coleman 500 Lumen (ANSI rated) is trounced by my Manafont XM-L C8 pretty badly. Now the KE-5 is way brighter than the Manafont XM-L. And if you compare it on a white wall against the Olight, taking into account differences in reflector size for throw, the KE-5 looks brighter or as bright, hence, somewhere at the 800 lumens range. My 980L beats the Olight even better--supposed at something like 896 lumens OTF? So I'd believe 800-840 OTF with the Keygos. I dunno, but a properly driven KE-5 is a retina scorcher while a general XM-L is a touch above TK40 level, I guess.
Sheesh, I feel pretty good about the way my two Keygos Ke-5s perform. After all, I only paid $20 each with free shipping. That is opposed to some of these lights it is compared with costing upward of $100. Also, in applications, when things are that close, who is to tell the close differences? Such as 700 lums compared to 750 lums?? 
Just the 2 cents of a newbie..
ceh