Review Model SA-22 - from cyberport on ebay '7w Cree Q5' Zoomable 1x18650 / 3xAAA

LED Flashlights – General Info 18650 Flashlights
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Hi all! You may have seen this flashlight on ebay in various forms. I decided to buy one and look it over. I attempted some beamshots but it's harder than it looks to capture a light beam on a camera. So, take them with a grain of salt. I am not an expert on flashlight components, please feel free to slam,lambast, and ridicule this light, after all, I didn't make the d@%n thing. Here goes:

Ok, so there it is, el cheapo $10 or under light. I just happen to like salt, so there ya go.This light can take 3AAA's or 1x 18650 battery

Then there's this thingamajig, it has a spring, I have nothing against springs.

At first, i thought there was no-oring between the bezel and the plastic lens, but then I found this piece. It's not a flexible silicone ring, it a fairly rigid plastic ring. So, I suppose it'll keep out some rain or a quick splash of water. Better than nothin'. O.k., next up, light .....

Sorry about the junk, Christmas time.... But this is the Full flood from about 5ft away (1.5 meters) Good enough I think. Actually, this being my first zoom led light, I am satisfied with the functionality of this. You can light up a big open room with this light. It is not 'XM-L' bright, but It's not XM-L cost either.

On this next one, I'm not able to truly show the brightness that this has, but I wanted to show that it focuses the emitter.Now, in person, you can get this to focus so that you can see the little wires connecting into it. It is pretty cool actually, and looks kinda like a hologram.(I don't know how else to describe it). It does have a reddish/purple tint on the edge of this, and then if you focus alittle more carefully and slowly, you can dial it in sharper and the tint turns to blue on the edges.

Here is a brighter exposure, you can see 2 of the wires going into the led. In person, you can actually see the other 2 on the other side, however, they are fainter, and harder to capture on camera. You can also see here, the faint 'rainbow' ring. At longer distances you can't see this though. The light beam has artefact in it sure, and these change depending on the viewing environment. In normal use, the light is very clean and undistracting. I like it, does the job.

Another angle...

You can better see the rainbow ring, it's a very peaceable light dude

Here's all the stuff .... good job #51.... you're not fired. That's one of my Marrs Inc. Tenergy's..... Hasn't blown up yet. Well, I've had this light for only a day, but I took it with me on my evening walk and it didn't flicker or leave me in the dark. I usually take along my 2x 18650 XM-L light, a Trustfire TR1, but ya know, for a small little light, this one held its own. It doesn't have the sheer power that the 2 cell XM-L has, but it's surprisingly good in comparison. I did have to lube up the threads, no big whoop. What can i say?... except... 'Hope it don't break'.

The led in question.... then there's this jobby, I think they should have smoothed off those burrs, but it should be alright.

So, anyone out there, can you tell me if this is indeed a Cree Q5 LED? I honestly have no idea if it is, and don't particularly care if it isn't. It's bright enough for the money. Thanks for looking, hope you find this useful, and take 'er easy.

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I have this light. It is my EDC and I've sold countless ones to friends. It is a Q5 and absolutely kills all of my other 3AAA lights in brightness and throw. For some reason, it is driven much harder than comparable zoomies I've played with. That emitter is perfect for the zoom feature.

If you put it horizontally at your waist, you can use the clip to attach to one of your belt loops. That way, no pocket constriction.

EDIT: Well, correction. It is almost the same. Beamshots, and I'd imagine, performance, are the same, too. I have the SAIK SA-9 with the strike bezel. For all practical purposes, they appear to be the same.

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Thanks Rusty, and since you've sold many of them, they must be durable enough. Glad to hear it is a Q5 also. Thanks again.

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Thanks for the review. Nice light and great first review. I bought this also. Everyone seems to like it. But I still prefer the sk68 or clones better as gift since all of the receiver will use regular aa, or aaa. Still a nice light.

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Thanks for the review. Do you have a link? I can't find it through the Evilbay system.

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http://www.ebay.com/itm/ZOOMABLE-7W-CREE-LED-Flashlight-Torch-Zoom-SA22-18650-/350516116497?pt=US_Flashlights&hash=item519c637c11 Lensman, there’s one,it ends December 21st. good luck… or… in ebay search for… cree 7w sa-22 and that should bring some up.

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Thanks r b . It's up for auction so I've plonked a bid down.

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Thanks for the review. Have bid on one.

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You're quite welcome neo. I have been using this light quite a bit since this review, and it has held up well. The zoom is addictive, and useful. I've used it to spot wildlife in the trees at night, such as Raccoon and Owls. It has good runtimes on an 18650, haven't tried the AAA's much, only to test it out, AAA's are nice and bright in it,but I'll just stick to the 18650 for simplicity. Merry Christmas to all, and happy holidays!

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I bought 10 of these torches for friends mix of SA 6, SA 9 and SA 22 two of them didn't work. The LED was broken. I got a replacement for one and still waiting for the second. I think a rate of 20% broken is too high even for a cheapy. The working torches are not bad for the money (nice zoom)

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I bought 4 SA22 for xmas presents. 2 out of 4 did not work. The problem was the battery carrier. The wire that the end of the battery contacted with did not make contact with the battery. It was not hard to fix but should not of happened.

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Shame to hear that, about the broken lights. So far, mine is still working great. It is now the light I use almost exclusively, due to its compactness and functionality. I rarely use my 2x 18650 xm-l light anymore, but it's nice to have around for its blinding brightness. I keep that one by the bed. Still, only been a month of use, but so far so good on the sa-22.

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Since original write-up, I have had an opportunity to use this light in real world situations and it held up fine. I went on a 2 week trip during which I faced remote location, cold weather, wet weather, and fog. I brought this sa-22 zoomie and my terralux lightstar 220 (2xAA). I brought the terralux as a back-up, as I know it is reliable and is time tested. Nevertheless, I didn't need or want to use the terralux, as the sa-22 handled all situations to my satisfaction. The sa-22 looks really cool when used in fog/mist by the way, you can see a distinct cone of light on flood, and a distinct far reaching beam on throw. I managed to drop this light from about shoulder height, onto a rock and it didn't flinch. It dented the body in the battery tube area, but didn't puncture through the metal. Light still shining like new, so far so good.