Romisen RC-C6
Reviewer's Overall Rating: ★★★☆☆
Summary:
| Battery: | CR123/RCR123 |
| Switch: | Reverse clicky |
| Modes: | 3 - H L Strobe |
| LED Type: | Cree XR-E Q3 |
| Lens: | Plastic |
| Tailstands: | No |
| Price Payed: | $11.59 |
| From: | Dinodirect |
Pros:
- This guy is tiny!
- I prefer a screw mechanism for focus to a push-pull
- Well enough put together
- Runtime is ages
- Light weight
Cons:
- Could do with some lube in the focus mechanism - it graunches and squeaks
- Plastic lens. But it'd be a lot heavier with a glass lens and probably way more expensive
- Could use some more threads on the body tube
- The tailcap! It came from the same place as the $1 cheapies tailcaps. Excusable for a dollar but not $12
- Why does one put strobe on such a device? In fact why does one want modes on it at all?
- The zoom loses 50% of output at narrowest focus. This is a lot to lose.
Features / Value: ★★★★
This is a nice little light. It came as a surprise to me how small it was. It is actually shorter than my Tank007 E07s and they are very small. I reckon the price was right at $11.59.
It has three modes. I can't see any point in this. One could argue it actually has six because at tightest focus the optical system eats 50% of its output. In addition to high and low, it also has strobe which I never want. No marks off for strobe, there may be someone out there who wants it. That person isn't me though. Like all these zoom lights, they will get used at the extremes of their ranges, either full flood or full zoom. Or at least I do so I really don't care much about what happens in between. In practice it is only going to get used in "project and image of the LED as far away as possible" mode.
Personally, I prefer the screw to focus mechanism over the push-pull type. There is a downside to the screw to focus mechanism though. Don't hold on to the tailcap while you do this or you will unscrew it. Followed by grovelling on the floor trying to find the battery and tailcap.
It has been lubed, but not sure if the lube has got to where it needs to be or if it has migrated elsewhere since it was made. I took off the bezel ring to have a look inside and it came as a pleasant surprise that the (plastic) lens was also held in place by an O ring. This thing may actually have some water resistance.
The tailcap is definitely from a "value" manufacturer. It is horrible. It lets down the rest of the light. It could do with more threading there but it works and keeps costs down. If it were an expensive light it would lose marks big-time but it costs about the price of a Chinese takeaway meal here so no marks lost. Apparently, the more expensive Q5 version has a better body tube and tailcap. I didn't reckon it was worth 50% for for a less than 10% increase in light output.
Obviously its main feature is the zoom mechanism and IMO this is better implemented than most so I'm giving it a 5-star value. If I were rating it for general utility, rather than the specialised device it is I'd probably give it 3-4 stars.
Build Quality: ★★★
Adequate. The tailcap ought to be better IMO. However, the bits that need to be good are. I have deducted marks for the tailcap - but remember this is a pretty cheap light so expecting perfection is plain silly. I am assessing it by the same standards as I'd assess any light here - price does not come into it. 
Could use some more threads on the body tube. Not knocking much off for this as it works and is faster to remove and replace. I would like to see more threading though.
There is an O ring holding in the lens. This did come as a pleasant surprise. This is as well as the O ring on the bezel ring.
The lens itself is moulded plastic and doesn't look too pretty but it gets the job done.
The switch is good. firm and positive - just the way I like them. You can certainly hear the click in here though it isn't as loud as my typing.
Battery Life: ★★★☆☆Copy and paste, maximum ★★★★★
Measurements need doing.
Light Output: ★★★☆☆Copy and paste, maximum ★★★★★
Beamshots need doing. Here are some close up shots. It needs about 1.5 metres to the wall to image the LED.
5cm from the edge of the coffee table, tightest focus
Same distance widest focus.
About 2.5m from the ceiling. The LED images far better than that but the camera's autofocus wasn't playing nice. All three of these shots were taken in the afternoon with a lot of ambient light.
Summary: ★★★☆☆Copy and paste, use rounded average, maximum ★★★★★
Worth the money.