My Roche Desert Yellow F12 from CNQG finally arrived today. Ordered 4/4, shipped 4/20. Well packed in the same Ultrafire box Richie got, with a lanyard and 3 spare o-rings. There's been a lot of debate on the color of this baby, so I picked out the closest match I could find on CNQG and IOS, the two sellers of this beauty:
Not really sand, not really gold, kind of in between, but very striking. As someone in an earlier post said: It feels dry or flat to the touch, really unlike any other in my burgeoning collection. One things certain: It's not going to slip out of your hand. Finish is absolutely flawless, not a nick or scratch to be found anywhere. Reflector is also very clean (no fingerprints) and lense appears to have an AR coating of some kind (at least to me: when held at an angle, there is a slight purplish sheen). Emitter is perfectly centered. Tailstands cleanly.
The threads were absolutely bone dry and creaked and squeeled like chalk on a blackboard, but a little lube fixed that and it does have square threads, which I find amazing on a $30 flashlight. Threads on both ends of the body tube are anodized, so it does tailcap lockout with just a slight twist off. Construction of all parts is very good and everything fits tight. Perhaps a little too tight...
As Richie noted, battery fit is an issue. So here's the lowdown - first the ones that fit:
Trustfire 3000mAh - fit just fine and the light functions fine.
Solarforce 2400mAh - tight fit and you have to be careful not to force it, but functions fine. I would not want to try changing these out in the dark, however. And I've heard the SF cells have a somewhat brittle wrapper, so I'll probably not be using them.
That's it - out of 8 brands I own. The six that don't fit:
AW 2600mAh - Cell fits until it gets to the label sticker.
Callie's Kustoms 3100mAh - no way in hell
Xtar 2600mAh - nope
Hi-Max 2600mAh - nada
Asucell 3000mAh - nyet
Ultrafire 3000mAh - bupkis
I am thankful I purchased 4 of the Trustfires a couple months back.
Modes: Flawless, just perfect for me. If I use this for cycling, the High and Medium settings are both useable for riding. Low is not too low, still useful for fixing a flat or seeing the area around the bike. Form is perfect for a helmet mounted light.
Beam: Very nice even flood, no rings or artifacts. Love the Cool White I selected.
Brightness: I think 600-650 lm is about right. Compared it to my N-Light ST50, pretty even match. ST50 pulled ahead slightly in Turbo (720 lm). Also compared favorably to Balcer BD-2 and Solarforce M6, but those have defined hotspots so not quite even. On medium, it appears brighter than my S-mini XM-L on high with it's annoying green tint. This thing starts warming up almost immediately on high, noticeable at 30 seconds and fairly warm at one minute. At two minutes it's getting hot. Medium is bright enough that I don't think I would be using high that much. For cycling, heat is usually not an issue with the airflow around the light.
Switch: Reverse clicky. The action on the switch is about the best I've ever felt. In keeping with the color of the F12, the switch action is Goldilocks: Not too tight, not too loose, but just right. 1/2 steps for mode change are just a slight tap.
Overall, I am impressed with the looks, fit and performance of the light. A real steal at $30 and a unique look like no other. Very glad I made this purchase.
Beam Shot Comparisons: Except for first group, all shots on High unless noted.
Roche F12 (L-R) Low, Medium, High
(L-R) F12 / Yezl Z-1
F12 / Solarforce L2P w/ Manafont 3-mode Drop-in
F12 / Balder BD-2
F12 / Solarforce M6
F12 / N-Light ST50 (High)
F12 / N-Light ST50 (Turbo)
F12 / Knight Rider P-Rocket
But I've never had an issue with heat while cycling, as the 20 mph wind really helps with heat dissipation. Just have to remember to turn it down or off during stops.