I'd love to see one or two maybe three or four even of his lights coated also. They say great minds think alike. 
dale has almost double the points of everybody else combined
I’m worried these lights might not be the best test subjects. Denting the aluminum itself or breaking thw whole light in half is a possibility with Dale. 
Can the coating be blamed if the light underneath causes it to break?
Maybe just have dale send you one of his X6’s to coat. Then you don’t have to shell out for a cheap light, and Dale get’s to keep it when he’s done with it? He like lights with character.
Anything is possible with Dale. I bought cheap lights as I fully expect them to be destroyed. That’s part of the fun of this. Whoever gets them just needs to take pictures before the carnage and their I initial impression of the coating. After that, I don’t care. Drop them off a bridge. Hit them with a hammer. Set them on fire. Whatever floats your boat as long as it is equal punishment for both lights. I’d think it’d be cool if the tester posted a poll of realistic things people wanted to see done to them. I’m not worried about the light functioning. Hell, it wouldn’t bother me if a battery was never put in them. It’s all about Cerakote vs anodizing.
Let me add that I’d like to see:
1: scratch test- before the carnage, try to scratch each light with an object like a nail or something. Attempt to use equal pressure. Show the scratches. Then wipe each finish with oil and see if they are just as visible.
2. abrasion test- before the carnage, use sandpaper and scratch the surface the same number of times using about the same pressure. Show the scratches then wipe with oil and show them.
3. Heat- Cerakote is supposed to withstand a constant 525F. See what it can handle compared to anodizing. I’d like this to be done after the carnage though so it doesn’t damage the finish and affect the rest of the tests. Pour gas on it and set it on fire. I don’t care.
The reason I mention wiping it with oil is that I have pistols I’ve dropped and have light scratches/abrasions. I clean them with oil and the scratches disappear. I know, firearms stay oiled and flashlights don’t, but I just wanna see for myself.
All good options. I vote for whoever is the most interested in doing it. 
Have to admit, the freeway sounds fun.
I too vote that we “make” Dale’s wife chuck a few more flashlights at him. 
That’s a pretty cool thread. I’ll have to think about giving away a prize or something.
I’ve been thinking about real world type situations such as the “skid test” on asphalt (light falls off roof of car where it was temporarily placed and forgotten) “drop test” from the top row at the football stadium where one of the kids might let one go just to see how long it takes it to hit the ground “gravel test” where a light is dropped and run over by the car/truck and maybe after some “scratch tests” and “heat tests” we might see how it/they fare against a .50 BMG? (if my neighbor could hit consecutive small flashlights from the gigantor) [might have to do .38/9mm] How are the shooting tests real world? Well, you might be out investigating a noise and get shot at and have to use the light to deflect the bullet! What? It could happen!
Ooooh ooooh, I know, a lever holding both lights side by side that could be weighted and then both lights, simultaneously, laid on a sanding belt on a belt sander. Yeah, that should tell an interesting story. But it wouldn’t be fair, as the anodizing on the cheap Sipik’s is only Type I, Type II at best. I might have to buy a 3rd light to throw in the mix, the tried and true Eagle Eye X6.
Freezing and boiling were also tested.
Sounds like you are getting into the idea of this test Dale. Does that mean you are up for it?
Yes, the cheap lights are probably class II anodizing. This is the budget light forum, and most budget lights don’t come with a true and tested class III anodized finish. It takes longer and is more expensive. I won’t name companies, but I have blasted some so called class III finishes off lights and Class III they were not. Class III is much harder than class II, and you can definitely tell the difference in the blasting cabinet. Honest to God military grade Class III is probably as tough as Cerakote if not tougher. It goes into the metal which Cerakote doesn’t. True Class III has specific requirements, which I have been told is the reason the colors are limited because the colored dyes make the finish out of spec. So, Class II is a more appropriate comparison as it can be dyed. Not trying to make it one sided, but colored finish vs colored finish. Heck, the anodizing may win. I just want to put my services out there to be tested so people know what to expect.
All right, I have to vote for Dale. 
Dale had me at 50 BMG! At this point I nominate him as the official tester.
Freezing would be a good test. Boiling would be a walk in the park for Cerakote as it’s baked on at 250-300F and water boils at 212F.
1st to 2nd! :bigsmile:
As a now more or less long time member I feel it’s my duty to dredge up old threads that contain relevant information. There’s so much here that goes untapped if one only looks at recent posts. Regardless of test outcomes which I’m sure will support your already extensive experience making a finish a available that can be applied to lights of varied composition with even results is just outstanding. This is definitely a thread to watch.
Drop test straight out of the freezer. Cold does increase brittleness.
Maybe I could take em down to Zeroº for 24 hours then dump em in boiling water? I dont’ see how that would be a problem for either, but anodizing might hold up better to that as it IS embedded in the metal itself, even Type II. Type III is just considerably deeper into the metal with smaller pores that typically won’t take a color (the color being too large in the molecular side of things) dye.
So the real question will be how to set up the tests such that one test’s destructive nature doesn’t over rule another test from being applied. Difficult to say what might do severe damage, leaving a crippled finish to survive the next in series. I think it’s obvious though that the high velocity blunt force trauma test should come last…
Edit: I might need reminding to remove the cell for some of these… or put it back in for the grande finale, you know, two birds……
Dale, by your destructive nature it’s obvious you didn’t get enough hugs as a kid LOL. I have said my part about the testing, I will leave the decisions up to you and the BLF family. Y’all figure out what you want to do. When I ship the lights to you, I will start another thread with a contest (prize to be determined). Contest entries will continue as long as you tell me to, and will definitely stop once you start posting results. I want to limit the requests for tests in that thread. Just give me an outline of what you plan to do and I’ll post it in the original post so there will be no questioning it. We will just leave the last test as a surprise finally and you do something creative. Whatcha think?
Would you consider coating a light as a prize, or am I being thick as usual?