I got some components from CNQG and bought this light at the same time. I didn't really want it, but felt it would be something different and easy.
Size |
96mm*20.5mm |
NetW |
43 |
Material |
Aluminum Alloy |
Anodise |
- - |
LED |
for 16mm LED( Not include ) |
Power |
1xAA(Not include) |
Reflector |
for CREE XP-E (include) |
Driver |
For 17mm (Not include) |
Protection |
- - |
Switch |
Tail cap switch |
I felt this might be a simple mod for anyone out there and thought I would try it. I have some photos of the light as it came and then I will do the mod.
It came in a white box and what I got was the bare host, (2 piece, body and head), Glow rings, an aluminum OP reflector, a glass lens, a bare pill and a brass adapter for differend driver diameters. I did Not get the isolator, which shows to be there in the stock CNQG photo.
The threads are square cut and cleaner than I expected for the price. I found one spot where the thread was pulled a little and I took care of that with sandpaper.
The body has no tail cap, it's all one piece and the clip is a wire clip that locks in the body. It has a Glow cap for the switch.
Side shot of the body, notice the double "O" rings. There is enough slop in the head/body fit, when screwing the head on, that the two "O" rings are necessary. Looks to me like it was a Mfg afterthought, when they found out the clearances were so sloppy. Neither "O" ring compresses at all, so I doubt it is water resistant.
Overall, for the price, it should work for a simple first time DIY guy. The ano is thin, but I had no real nicks or scrapes on it. The threads are better than I expected and the color is ok, even for an olive drab/green.
On to the guts;
Here's the driver end of the pill. The step inside is how far down a 17mm driver will fit inside. The outer lip is cut for something to turn the pill in with, but it's very thin and could easily get damaged. This pill is so thin, there's no heatsinking, except for the fact that it screws in the head and has some good contact area there. Unfortunately, the head is super thin too, so it's going to get hot quickly. Well, let me qualify that. If it stays a 1AA light, with a 500ma driver, then it will not get hot quickly, but you know I don't do mods like that, LOL.
The top side of the pill is where the led will go (on a 16mm star). Notice how rough that seat is in there. That's unacceptable in my book, but I don't have a way to correct it. It's so thin that if I tried to smooth it, there wouldn't be a seat there any more at all.
This brass adapter will fit into the pill and will accept a 16mm driver, instead of the pill's 17mm driver.
The lens is glass and it's very dirty. It also appears that it is coated and the coating was done very poorly. I'm not impressed.
The aluminum reflector has an OP coating, but the led hole is huge! It fits over an XM-L including the square base. I wouldn't want to use the (intended), XP-E in it. It would get lost in there.
Bottom of the reflector is flat. A problem I have with this design is that the reflector will sit flat on the face of the led/star. There has to be an isolator on there, to protect the wires. The other thing I don't like about this design is the fact that the reflector is not spaced correctly from the led (focus) and the height is determined on how high the wires stick up. If you use thin wires and flatten them out and go sparingly on the solder, the reflector will sit down too far. If you use big wires or glob the solder on, the reflector will sit too high. It's not a good system, but for cheap, it's what you get. Just remember that the reflector height is determined by how you solder the wires on the star.
Glow "O" ring that goes in front of the lens.
Overall, I feel that for the price, this would be good for someone wanting to try their hand at modding. The 16mm star fits in well, the 17mm driver fits in, the tolerances may not be the best on the threads, but they work and don't bind up. With a glass lens and aluminum reflector, it is good for your first try at modding and it will be small enough for EDC. Just know that it needs to be an AA light, without some other more serious mods. 1xAA and a 500ma driver would be ok, but anything stronger would get hot fast.
On to the Modding! (In the next post).