Now DX has added an Ultrafire version (LZZ-F13) of this Sky Eye F13. Same price.
-Garry
Yeah, the entire description sounds suspect! I've never dealt with Meritline and don't really desire to.
-Garry
I have no experience with them either, and don’t really feel the need to gamble. There is no way that light is actually NW.
Sadly, I don’t see these sorts of budget lights ever being offered in NW. They hype lumen ratings like crazy already, so you know maximum brightness bragging rights is their main concern. NW and warms have slightly less output - which would obviously never sell! 
riiiiiiiight……
The day the cheaper vendors/mfrs start offering neutrals & warms would be a bad day for vendors like intl outdoor and fasttech, but a great day for tint snobs! 
Well they did claim only "860 lumens" on this one which could be close to being true! Somehow I don't believe this statement though: "Integrated "Precision Digital Optics Technology" provides enhanced reflector performance" - yeah right! It's a basic cheap chinese aluminum reflector!
-Garry
It does seem like they stole a nitecore pioneer description, like was speculated on that other thread I linked.
Not sure why they would do so… but then I dont agree with a lot of what goes on…
Yep, stats match the EA4 Pioneer, that’s exactly what they’ve done, they’ve copied the stats and a lot of it’s description.
This part made me laugh:
“Innovative single button two-stage switch offers a user-friendly interface”
So this light apparently has a camera style shutter button like the nitecore lights, only it’s invisible. :bigsmile:
Don’t think I’ll ever bother with meritline.
pretty stupid sales tactics if you ask me
Well I received this light today. Some quick rambling thoughts and some quick photos using my phone. Packing from DX was pretty typical:
Light disassembled:
Reflector is aluminum and quite small (width & depth). All threads extremely dry and squeaky. O-rings are thin and don't fit tightly. Spring on the driver is off-center but that seems to be because the spring diameter is wider than the + pad to solder it too (just slightly too large). Tailcap spring leans off-center. Body tube is very thin and very lightweight. The finned section of the body (where the pill screws in) is heavier and seems pretty decent. 3AAA carrier is typical. I notice the reflector centering piece seems that it might not allow the emitter far enough up into the reflector (have no cells on me to fire the light up). Oh, and there's no thermal paste that I can see under the emitter! I poked at the side with a pencil and the star just moves around (I couldn't pull it up to look under). Tailcap switch feel pretty good (not too gushy).
Right now I'd say I'm a little disappointed in the build quality. I expected (perhaps "hoped" is a better word) it to be a little better. It's ok, not awful. Will probably handle a 3A XM-L ok, but I wouldn't say this host is beefy enough for 5A. Even when I do get a chance to fire this up I don't have a good multimeter to check tailcap current (found mine to be grossly in error).
I'm going to try to do a full review with pics sometime, but I don't know when. It's getting very hard for me to find the time nowadays! I thought I would at least post these quick impressions.
-Garry
I checked my DX account and my flashlights is shipped out today - maybe I would have changed it, if I knopw about the quality. I will also made a review, when I get it (I think it will take 4 weeks for shipping, 1-1,5 weeks for writting the review (it takes some times).
Thanks Garry, so sounds like for the price it’s o.k but nothing special. I had a feeling that might be the case, price wise it just seemed too cheap and I’ve been burnt before with the shadow JM05 clone.
Does the tube fit in the Defiant?
Sorry this took me awhile to get back to. It does fit perfectly! Smooth as butter!
-Garry
Appears to be a version of a light I reviewed a while back . . .
https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/7098
The previous/non-side switch version I think. I probably walked up into the conversation late but the Shadow version JM07 is a spectacular light with superb quality, albeit at about $50.
Foy
This light isn't so bad with some work. BEWARE there is NO thermal paste under the emitter! Once you take care of that and lube it up its not so bad. The driver is next mode memory though and never resets (or if it does its after hours). I can't confirm the coated lens though.
-Garry
Quick beamshot pic:
Note that the photo is dimmer than it really looked. The shed is 184 feet away. I didn't use a tripod; I just held the camera against the fencepost underneath the light. It was a miserably wet day, but the rain had just about stopped for me to get this shot.
-Garry
I'm guessing you ordered the same SkyEye version I got? Would be good to hear about your sample and see how it compares to mine. I'm working up my review and can hopefully post it in a week or so (limited time to work it up, but I've gathered photos).
-Garry
My review posted here, relic's review posted here, Buwuve's review of the Ultrafire version posted here.
-Garry
I’m looking for a family member who’s now bicycle commuting — has anyone got an ultimate final (grin) opinion on all these various but similar lights?
I got a couple of the “F13” $10 clones a while back but didn’t think of them for bicycle lights — not enough spill/flood and too narrow a spot for bicycle use, I thought.