I am glad you like it,as I said not the best but better than the most cheap flashlights in that price range.
I do like them. 
And they are much, much better I would go so far as to say………… :+1: … 
You got a better cell than me.
I bought 2 lights & the supplied “crapfire” 3000mah cells only tested out at 1100 & 1200mah at 0.5A :person_facepalming:
Even worse junk than yours
The lights themselves though I really like a lot :+1:
Yeah, it was pretty much a given from the start the battery was no good, so those results are no suprize.
Good to hear your results with the GA though. :+1:
It is exactly the same.
Please let me know if this flashlight works 100% with a protected cell ? Since there is no LVP, should I get protected cell? Flat or button? Thanks in advance.
Received one of these yesterday, second one I bought for a friend. My first was delivered to me in a couple days, this one's been :facepalm: 53.
Problem: while USB powered, the output voltage to the battery peaks at 
≈4.46V, while the first unit correctly does so just below 4.19V. After checking out this chinese (?) TP4057 datasheet, seems to me like battery output voltage isn't configurable so I'm screwed with the battery charging thing unless I change the charging IC. Damn…
Guess I'll have to shot a clip for GearBest to see the flaw and see what deal can I come up with them.
By the way: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/5000LM-XM-L2-led-flashlight-2-mode-USB-Rechargeable-Torch-light-bike-lamp-lighting-lantern/32834539862.html Much cheaper than GearBest. 
Cheers 
P.S.: I'd suggest the thread creator to change the thread's title to “No name USB rechargeable nice quality flashlight”, as such is the term used in GearBest listing; would make this thread easier to find with a search, imho.
The guys at work were buying some real junk so I went in search of something better and bought two of these. The first night one worker had his, he dropped it in a full (5’ deep) manhole. After vacuuming all the stuff out of the MH, it was still on! He washed it and hand sanitizer soaked it. It dried out well (and didn’t stink anymore) so I took it apart to clean the diluted thermal paste I put on the threads at the reflector bottom. I took some shots of the pill, emitter and driver. Put all back together and measured amps for any shorting. It checked out fine. I can’t believe it survived being submerged in acidic, foul liquid for that long and still works! I put a thin membrane under the switch retaining ring and hope it’ll keep liquid out. This has been a nice discovery and I have another order on the way for more coworkers.
I have several of these I got from Gearbest for under $10. Two for $7.80. The light is likely made by Ultrafire. It’s well made and very bright. The charging works well. The battery is a piece of garbage.
It is rumored the emitter is a counterfeit XM-L2. That’s possible.
You can see the brass pill/shelf that screws into the reflector which screws into the head. The emitter is definitely not a Cree. I got 2 hours and 10 minutes from an LGEAS31865 (2,200 mAh, if new) on high. With some Samsung INR18650 20R batteries, the light will pull up to 2.7A but typically, 2.2A with most other cells.
Edit: I discharged a full, protected Sofirn 2800 (Amazon $10 SP31 kit) for 2.5 hours till red indicator came on thinking this would be a good battery for this light without auto shut-off. Wrong! It discharged to 2.59V and the protection circuit never kicked in. I’ll just have to keep an eye on the voltage indicator.
Does this mean its dangerous to charge via the built in USB charger? 4.46v could explode the battery right?
Measurable between the driver's spring and retaining ring, a high charging output voltage won't make a cell explode afaik, but will at least considerably reduce its lifespan or even kill it.
Cheers :-)
Got mine , finding it somehow hidden , behind a shelf full of nitecore and olight.., the seller hardly remember it...My first thought was : " is a MH 20 clone !..." , then I realized that is something else.., the price : 10 $ ! I took it , and home , I disassembled it.., brass pill in a aluminium reflector , screwed in the head !
The led , a LB with an ugly blue-ish tint . Swapped with a dedomed XML T6 ( as you know these ones have a tint shift with dedoming towards NW ...).
The driver has a sense resistor , R200 , and could be changed , or just add an other R200 on top.., but I decided not to do it , first of all because all the active components had no codes on its (!!!) so I wasn't sure if the proprietary fet will stand the current , and second , I think that the thermal path is not so great...
Plus the fact that I had no idea how the current increase will affect the ramping ( the low is already too much for my taste...)
I sanded the centering ring ( that was too much in the reflector ) , and left only few teens of a mm , just enough for the reflector to sit and center the led...
Now is much better , it's throwing better with very little artifacts .., not bad for 10$...
Also I replaced the red collar for the switch ( too high , IMHO ..) with one from an SRK , sanded to go down on the threads ( btw , they are the same) , and I reduced the height of the white button , just to sit a little under the collar . Is looking much better , and it's feel more acurate.., plus that the accidental activation is reduced...
But I have to say that the machining is poor , threads are short and the edges are a little bit sharp (even the anodized ones...)
I like that , with the UI , looks like an classic flashlight with "on -off" , lighted switch and the ramping is a plus... Good to have it in the kitchen or garage , not so for outside , not so confident about water ingress...
Quick little question for those of you technology knowledgeable: TP4057 chips can be bought quite cheap, I suppose this is the only responsible component behind my last CFG01 malfunction, isn't it?
Cheers everyone :-)
Yes , it suppose to be a 4.2V preset ( factory ) , only the charge current could be changed ( if I remember good , pin 5 ?...) . If you want to be perfectionist , you can set up a bench check for those , and chose the one with the charge voltage ( 4.15...4.24 V ) you feel comfortable with .
Doing like this is offering the certitude that the chip is good and can be mounted on the final setup plate ...
I think that you charging chip was a lemon.., it happens sometime , especially when the QC is made by probe-ing some samples from a whole lot !
I've really thought about this you say. I should be able to measure the effective maximum charging voltage over pin 3 by providing power to pin 4, ground to pin 2 and maybe attach an Rprog to ground on pin 6.
Correct me if I'm wrong please. 
Cheers :-)
You are right , this is the minimal setup to test ! Only 2 things to take care of :
1. Set the charging current to a low value ( 200-250mA) by Rprog ( pin6 ) . I'll explain latter why ...
2.Use as "load" (battery) an older one , with the IR a little higher , and precharged at 4.0 V ( in order not to wait too much to charge up to 4.2V ) . I'll explain this also...
Now , the low charging current is a way to test that the cut-off point ,( minimal current where the circuit is "seeing" the battery as charged ) , is working properly . This internal circuit is a current based Trigger Schmitt , and the dispersion of the value could be significant ...somehow this is normal , and is coming with the fabrication process ( due to the purity of the silicon used , dopping process etc...)
Using an older cell , with an IR higher , will test also that , no matter how a cell will behave , and will be a guaranty that , with good battery, the process of charge will be repetitive, in the same parameters...
In this way you can " select" some " premium" circuits that can be used in future projects...
Good luck , and keep us posted...
I realize of course I’m over a year behind on this thread but I have 2 of these lights and agree with all of what bella-headlight wrote, especially about the Reddit reviewer being harsh. Although he did a thorough job for a short review, apparently he just doesn’t have the mindset to find value (when it exists) in a truly budget priced light. One thing I found perplexing is in his UI chart he’s showing (Memory) which it does not have.
I do have an answer for this statement he made: “There’s a red anodized surround on that switch for no apparent reason”
And another statement in the comments: “I suppose the red ring over the switch was put there as a way to stop accidental activation”…
Well that red anodized surround serves a very important purpose, and is one of the best features of this light: Locating the switch in total darkness!
I find the majority of side switched lights have the disadvantage of being hard to locate the switch when you can’t see it. You have to roll the light around in your hand feeling for where the switch might be, which can be somewhat frustrating. That big red flange on this makes it real easy to find the switch, and I wish many other side switch lights had a similar feature.
Another one of the sub comments I found true and humorous: “I wouldn’t expect anything more for $12. I wonder why GearBest sent it to you?“ 
I also couldn’t find the other thread on this light, if anyone knows it please post a link.
More about this light in my next post…
Again I realize I’m over a year behind on this thread, and that it almost sort of turned into a Diving Light thread. 
Actually thanks Litebringer for bringing up the DV-S9, I’ve been interested in a slider switch light for a while and subscribed to your other thread on it.
- Thanks NikolaS for the nice video, obviously you are one who can see value in a budget light when there is some. I agree these are great for around the house.
- Thanks Wildcat for the link to the photos in post #28, very helpful. I’m not sure who’s photos they are but I don’t do facebook ATM.
I have two of these lights, one from Gearbest and one from Amazon. I really like it, I think it may be the best low price budget light I’ve ever got!
The Amazon one is a HOVINSO brand, and the Gearbest one is the “No Name” (Gearbest no longer includes a battery or the plastic case).
My 18350 shorty version:
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I’m using a Jaxman 18350 tube with a Convoy S2 tail w/ metal switch.
The tube technically does not fit this light as it doesn’t really thread on properly, however it works just fine, the tube’s threads are a smaller diameter and only catches tight at the very end, but it’s enough to actually tighten and hold without any damage to either the tube’s threads or the head. (I’ve taken it on and off many times)
The Convoy tube doesn’t catch the threads for a good fit like the Jaxman. The Jaxman tube has a bit wider I.D. and it’s also longer than the Convoy tube so it fits the Ultrafire 1100mAh protected cell I’m using (Aspire cell in photo for size only) The tail switch provides a lockout so the light can be safely carried or put in a backpack etc.
Although they’re CW, there’s no overly noticeable blue in either of the ones I got, they look nearly pure white to me.
Here’s some more info on it:
The light is sold nearly everywhere under MANY different brands. Ebay, Amazon, Aliexpress, Gearbest, Fasttech, etc. etc.
The one I got from Amazon (HOVINSO) has a tint noticeably more towards neutral than the one from Gearbest.
(probably just got a winning ticket in the Lettuce Bright tint lottery)
Gearbest has two brands of this, a no-brand (one I got) and an HKV brand.
The Good:
- It’s very bright
- Tint is not too cold 5000-6000K
- Switch extremely easy to find in the dark (big protruding red bezel ring) :+1:
- Switch is very effortless to click, feels nice, a real joy to use!.
- Always starts on High :+1:
- Simple UI: Single click ON – click again OFF :+1:
- Hidden strobe - double click :+1:
- Ramping UI - 4 seconds from H to L flashes twice at lowest and at highest. :+1:
- Well defined hotspot, deep reflector has decent throw
- Springs on both ends inside fits about any 18650 battery I tried
- USB charging cover fits flush and snug
- Glass lens
The Bad:
- Switch can accidentally switch on fairly easy.
- No way to lock-out, no mechanical lockout (non-anodized tail threads)
- Because of these two cons I don’t recommend for pack or carry around, makes an EXCELLENT home utility light though.
I don’t really like mode memory and for certain uses (like this) I like lights that always start on high.
I haven’t used the USB charging but I took a measurement using Barkuti’s method (between the driver’s spring and retaining ring)…
I’m getting 4.32v (HOVINSO brand from Amazon)
Can’t measure the No Name one from Gearbest ATM, since it’s at my mother’s house as a home utility light. I’ll check it soon an post my findings.
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Links:
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The one I got from Amazon the description shows H > SOS but is actually ramping with double click strobe (description also shows zooming but it’s not).
The one I got from Gearbest (un-branded) 5000-6000K:
https://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_604347.html
Here’s the other one at Gearbest (HKV brand) CW 6000-6500K:
https://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_1295273.html
Fasttech also has it (Innuo branded):
https://www.fasttech.com/product/9634574
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Bangood has a somewhat similar zooming version, also stepless dimming (XANES brand, only $6.89!):
Zooming versions also sold everywhere under MANY different brands