"The 3-mode Romisen has a reverse clicky. It means that whenever a connection is interrupted and reestablished the driver would switch to the next mode. "
I see, well I'm still a "newbie" lol..
I see what you mean. I have RC N3 and it has reverse clicky. but only 2 mode. AND it is tactical also! Forgot about driver brains and controlling switch modes.. LOL I'm learning...
I'm learning...thanks Kreisler..stay tuned :)
"If you're worried about the sharpness of the tail assault bezel edges, just tape them with some Scotch adhesive tape or similar"
LOL.. If I do not like tail sharpness,, I will remove and re-color. :)
EZ
I am looking to purchase one of these. I had the 3 mode from DD bookmarked but its $18.69 now. Where can I get a verified 3-mode version for the cheapest price? Looks like the cheapest price is $14.99 at DX? Anyone have any DX coupons?
You order from DX, and you are on the safe side. The body tube even says "14500", see the scan in my review.
14.99$ is a little much for a budget 1x AA flashlight, i know. but you get original high quality product.
Romisen is an original designer and manufacturer and considered a premium budget brand. You get what you pay for :)
I have another Romisen already, the RV-235. Unfortunately, I paid around $25 for it, it was my first "real" flashlight. So $15 for this light I can live with. Thanks.
My RC-29 came...(They sent me the one-mode)
Anyway, this light is AWESOME!
I was not expecting it to be this nice...threads are great...the fish eye lens is attached very tight, coating is great, clicky works awesome, it comes with a little hand-strap...DD sent me a red-fish cord adapter.
And I only paid 7.50 for the light.
I wish all purchases was like this.
Romisen is awesome, Im going to check out the rest of their lights now.
Im looking at this light a bit more.
Its my favorite light I own...cool orange ring. Very stable on the tail-stand...nice black coating, adjustable lens from focus to 10ft round beam, fwd clicky...compact size, and very nice beam pattern and color.
i own some Eneloops AA and AAA now. i will do some runtime tests with them in my 3-mode edition. As stated in the review, i get good runtimes from the 14500's!
Glad that you like it. Yours has forward clicky (momentary on), mine hasnt. Mine has 14500 support and Hi-Med-Strobe, yours hasnt. Both are great!!
This excellent review compelled me to order one. Initially I could not decide between the one from Deal Extreme versus Shiningbeam. Fortunately, Kreisler's comments later on mentioned that Shiningbeam's version is has only one mode and cannot take 14500s made it easy for me to choose Deal Extreme.
Hopefully this will get processed and shipped before the Chinese New Year holidays!
For each copy sold on DX i receive 250 DX points on DX as commission. I am pro DX shiller. When checking out you just have to redeem the DX coupon code "CHRYSLERJOKE" :)
( wow. that was a joke of bad taste. lol. sorry!! ha-háhh! ;) )
Pretending to be joking about it.... Nice try kreisler but you ain't fooling us. 
I'm eagerly waiting for this light to arrive. I ordered from DD. I hope I don't receive the one mode as what happened to esrevenge.
the above quote is another joke hehe. nah, seriously. esverenge already stated that DD ships the 1-mode version. attentive readers of this thread are warned/informed by that.
I've owned two Shiningbeam Romisens: the RC-G2 II and the RC-29 II. I've burned out two switches: the first time, I burned out the switch of the RC-G2 or RC-29 (I can't recall which) by using a 1.8V nickel-zinc AA. The second time, I burned out the RC-G2's switch by using a 3.0V 14505 lithium primary AA. In the first case, I can't recall whether the light stopped working completely or became a momentary switch. In the second case, it became a momentary switch.
The first time, I believed the switch was faulty, and Shingingbeam sent me a replacement for free. The second time, I had to concede that it was my fault for using a 3V cell, so I bought two replacement switches, holding one in reserve.
These replacements are the switch only, not the tailcap; you can use them in any Shingbeam's RC-G2 or RC-29 model that is rated for AA only (not 14500. To install it, you must first use needlenose pliers to unscrew the old switch. The, using your fingers, screw the new switch into the tailcap as far as you can. Tighten it snugly, using the pliers.
Recently I bought a customized Shiningbeam RC-29 II on CPF Marketplace for $15 shipped. It has a 2-mode driver (HI and LO) that works on a 14500 only. I keep it in the inner pocket of my winter coat. I have had no problems with the switch, because, as part of the customization, the enthusiast who made this light substituted a reverse-clicky that can take the 14500's voltage.
I had told myself I would never buy a 14500-only light, but I've now bought two: The custom RC-29 and an XTAR WK26. They are my longest-throwing 1AA or 1x14500 lights. The XTAR lives in my shirtpocket, next to my Blackberry.
But I plan to replace it with a third 14500-only light: the LED Lenser P5R. With a rated throw of 190 meters, the LED Lenser promises to be rival the throw of my 2-mode RC-29 II. It will improve on the XTAR WK26 in three ways: By throwing farther, by being zoomable, and by being 1 cm longer, and therefore easier to remove quickly from my shirtpocket.
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There are many led lenser (lights engineered in Germany and manufactured in China where else) videos on youtube. Easy to tell that their zooming range is limited (not as open/out as Romisen, not as closed/in as Romisen). I would not doubt at all that the Lenser is superior than Romisen/Sipik. A typical Lenser costs 50€, and for that price it *MUST* beat any Chi*ese budget or premium budget light like Tank007 or Romisen.
I actually measured the throw of the Romisen (this review, OP) to being 350m+, as described (and what i mean by "throw" and how i measured it). That's by far more than my Quarks, Eagletacs, Xenos, Klarus, etc .. because of the zoom.
Led lenser may be great products and beat Romisen's throw (Dealextreme version) and they may be worth their price .. am just saying that i cant afford it.
i am a budgie :)
LED lensers are stroingly overrated. The P7 even lacks any regulation. 4AAA driven and doesent live ni-mh very much. What a waste of energ<y and money also ecologically unfriendly. Well machined tho.
they are overpriced(?) but not over-rated. in fact, i dont see any ratings or in-depth reviews on cpf, BLF, or any German flashaholic forum. the biggest German flashlight forum, called TLF, doesnt even have a subsection for them!!!
instead hehe they do have some XXXFire's and Tank007 ;)
Sorry if this is a silly question, but I am looking to pick up a decent AA torch from DX for geocaching. At first I was set on the RC-G2 due to its popularity and number of good reviews on there. Is this RC-29 a much better bet? Will it support rechargeable AAs? Don't know too much about torches but the RC-29 is only a few $ more.
I have also been considering the SIPIK SK68, or should I stick with Romisen for build quality?
Thanks.
hi, welcome to bfl the budget forum lights ;)
i dont own the (popular) RC-G2 (e.g. Shiningbeam sells updated versions of it) nor the (even more popular) Sipik or its clones. afaik, the RC-G2 doesnt eat 14500's, and for geocaching or any other serious night applications i would definitely recommend the use of LiIon's .. as explained in the text. The original RC-29 and RC-G2 are like brother and sister: both have a forward clicky and the same form factor and do not eat LiIon's with the main difference being aspherical lens vs. aluminum reflector.
Both Romisen's are great torches for beginner's: people who want a well-built, very attractive feeling and looking, compact quality 1x AA torch with a hard-driven Cree LED.
The more popular or classic 1x AA and 2x AA form factors are represented by Fenix LD10 and Fenix LD20. If you dont care for this/their form factor but prefer the original designs of Sipik and Romisen, then you should get the Sipik *or* the Romisen. Which Romisen?
Although i dont own the RC-G2, i would recommend the RC-29 (or let's call it "RC-29a" as does the ebay seller) anyway because of its versatility and fun factor. It does suck that it doesnt have momentary activation (and you might need momentary on in geocaching situations) but other than that, it surely beats the RC-G2. In my opinion.
I cant say anything good or bad about the Sipik (some of its clones have a 3-mode driver too). afaik it supports 14500's. If it also has momentary activation and reasonable runtimes, then the Sipik might be the better choice for you .. if you enjoy its unique design and form factor ;)
I used to have both lights and the biggest difference are their optics and the resulting beam patterns. The G2 is reflector based and the rc29 lens based. The RC29 can be adjusted for flood or throw but not both at the same time. The G2 has a very tight hotspot (good throw) while still maintaining a usable side spill beam. Both lights have their pros and cons and they are fundamentally different. The Sipik SK68 and RC29 are pretty much the same light as far as beam pattern goes. The biggest drawback of the RC29 are the sharp edges on the tailswitch. Both are good lights overall, but with different uses... for closeup I would get the RC29 (in flood mode) and for medium-far range and as an overall search light the G2. My father has 3xG2 (2 DX and 1 SB) and loves them as general purpose light.
Thanks Vectrex, good points made! ( Does the RC-G2 tailcap fit on the RC-29 body? well, i like the tail strike bezel. da beautiful haha. )
For geocaching you would need momentary activation, wouldnt you? And you would need a useful spill with a throwy hotspot. Clear case, then the RC-29 is *not* the right torch.
Geocaching is dead serious stuff ( i am a homey so i would know hehe ) and you might want to buy some dead serious illumination gear. Why not spend 15$ on a Klarus P1A from DD (sorry for shilling haha)? It's currently on sale for 28.39$ incl. coupon code (which is almost as good as the Xmas sale). Gather some Dinopoints (it's fun), write a 5stars DD review on ResellerRatings (and receive a 5$ giftcard), and your final paypal deduction will be some 15$ shipped.
The Klarus P1A is some serious shit and probably better suited for your geocaching needs. (The P1A is similar to Fenix LD10, just simpler and cheaper.)