Sipik SK68 Clone - 3-mode. First impressions. (Picture heavy)

LED Flashlights – General Info 1 x AA / 1 x 14500 Flashlights
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(Edit: post updated with information about the Ultrafire 3-mode after Update2)

I received today the 3-mode Sipik SK68 clone from eletrading on Ebay. The light appears to be on par with my other Sipik clones (UltraFire from Manafont and one from tomtop_w on Ebay) in terms of build quality. So far I've only tested it with Eneloops. It appears to be almost as bright as the UltraFire Sipik clone, approx. 10% less light output based on ceiling bounce.

I measured 1.11A on high with a fully charged Eneloop AA battery and 0.34A on low. Compared to the UltraFire Sipik clone, the 3-mode Sipik clone appears not to be driven as hard (the UltraFire was around 1.7A iirc on a fully charged Eneloop AA). With my lux meter I measured ~200 lux @ 1 meter (flood) on high and ~50 lux @ 1 meter on low.

Here is an image of the 3-mode Sipik clone, the Sipik clone from tomtop_w and the Ultrafire Sipik clone.

The 3-mode Sipik clone has a slightly larger lens/lens opening than the two other clones. The lens was removable from the head and I measured it to approx. 22 mm in diameter. The other two clones had about 2-3 mm smaller lens openings (the lenses of the other two lights were attached to the bezel and I didn't want to pry them loose just to measure them).

Here's a couple of pictures of the pill of the 3-mode Sipik clone.

The push/pull zoom mechanism on the 3-mode Sipik clone is much tighter that the other clones I have, i.e. it doesn't slide as easily as the other clones. Me like.

The switch is same as the other clones, with some minor differences.

When zoomed in, the 3-mode Sipik clone has the "clearest" projection of the LED, not as fuzzy as the other two.

The weather here atm is crap, so I might post some beamshots if the weather improves.

Update

The pill from the Ultrafire fits the new light. I've included a pic a bit further down of the 3-mode light with the Ultrafire pill.

Ultrafire and 3-mode pills side by side. The placement of the o-ring on the 3-mode pill is what makes the zoom "tighter", which I really like.

Because of the difference in length of the wide part of the pill, the 3-mode version can be zoomed a bit further.

Here is a picture of the Ultrafire and the 3-mode when zoomed in, notice that the 3-mode is slightly taller due to different pill which allows the 3-mode to be zoomed in further.

Here are the measurements of the Ultrafire compared to the 3-mode Sipik clone:

Flood Zoom Gap
Ultrafire 92.26 mm 98.29 mm 6.00 mm
3-mode 92.03 mm 99.60 mm 7.65 mm

Gap is the part between the head and the "fins" on the body when zoomed in

The Ultrafire when zoomed in with the original lens (mouse out) and with the lens from the 3-mode (mouse over).

The Ultrafire clone flood (mouse out) and zoomed in (mouse over)

The 3-mode Sipik clone flood (mouse out) and zoomed in (mouse over).

And finally the 3-mode Sipik clone with the Ultrafire pill, flood (mouse out) and zoomed in (mouse over)

The modes in terms of light output are: high 100%, low 25% (measured around 200 lux @ 1 meter on high and around 50 lux @ 1 meter on low). Also measured the tailcap current: 1.11A on high and 0.34A on low.

My 3-mode Sipik clone from eletrading has no text on it, while in the pictures on Ebay it has the text "Ultrafire" on it. My guess would be that the light that topicshop sells on Ebay is the same model as the one I received from eletrading. In fact, I suspect that both topicshop and eletrading might be the same seller as both registered Aug-29-06 and the text on both pages are identical (Payment, Shipping, Return policy etc.).

Update2 (12 January 2012)

Today I received another 3-mode Sipik SK68 clone from eletrading that I had ordered. However this time it had the Ultrafire brand printed on the side compared to the first light that had no text on it.

There are a few differences between the Ultrafire 3-mode Sipik SK68 clone (from now on UF 3-mode) and the no name 3-mode Sipik SK68 clone (from now on NN 3-mode).

1. Amps & tint
I measured the UF 3-mode to 0.68A on high and 0.21A on low compared to the NN 3-mode which measured 1.12A on high and 0.32A on low. However the light output is pretty much identical according to my cheap lux meter (tested both lights with the same Eneloop battery and from the same distance and the results were almost identical). The UF 3-mode has a "warmer", more yellowish output than the NN 3-mode which appears to have a colder, more blueish output.

2. Pills
The pills are different as can be seen on the pictures below.


3. Lens opening
The lens opening on the UF 3-mode is similar to a "normal" 1-mode Sipik clone and not as wide as the NN 3-mode.

4. Tailstanding
As Lensman mentioned in his post in this thread the UF 3-mode can just barely tailstand due to the protruding boot.

Due to the different pills/lens opening the UF 3-mode isn't as "tight" as the NN 3-mode when zoomed in. I measured the NN 3-mode to have better throw than the UF 3-mode as it has a tighter beam when zoomed in.

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Thanks for the comparison. Eagerly awaiting beamshots.

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Excellent comparison, thanks for posting !

The larger lens is a nice find. Can the pill from the Ultrafire fit in the new light? I would be curious to see the combo.

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Dimlux, thanks for the post, I've been waiting for your report. Can you tell us a bit about the modes? I'm guessing they're the usual high, med, strobe.. Also, any clues as to the manufacturer, or something that might help me find this model somewhere else who actually ships to UK?

Edit:

I've found this seller: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110788686599&fromMakeTrack=true The pictures and product blurb look the same as eletrading; anything in this listing that makes you think they might be the same model as yours?

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Updated my first post with more pictures and more info as requested. The new stuff can be found after Update in the first post.

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interesting review, thanks.

how well does the brightness regulation work (and what are the respective runtimes)? Does the light dim over time?

On the Romisen RC-29 with 3-mode pill, we get *perfect* brightness regulation (until the PCB of the cell kicks in) and decent runtimes! Absolutely no dimming.

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Thanks again Dimlux. I'll order a couple from Topicshop and hope for the best. Though it's odd, if they are in fact the same as yours, that topicshop's are clearly labelled Ultrafire and the eletrading model has no name. Hmm, have to wait and see..

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So far, I have not had the chance to test runtimes since I received the light yesterday and I've been busy with preparations for the holidays. I might do a runtime test at some point, but don't expect too much since I'm still a newbie when it comes to LED flashlights .

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@ gorann: "This is great little flashlight. One mode gives it simplicity, but 3 modes gives it more of practicality. Longer runtime on low, and perhaps using it as a bike light in blinking mode".

Absolutely. If quality and brightness are on a par with the 1 mode I have then this is the light I've been looking for.

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Very well done comparison. Thanks for doing the pill swap.

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Here it is on the UK site: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/130615720153

Cheaper than the standard SK68 as well!

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1. is this a forward or reverse clicky?

2. how are modes changed? by turning the light off and then on again to advance to the next one?

3. does it remember the last mode you were in, or does it just automatically go to the next mode when you turn the light back on?

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+1 Great question. Another question I have is if the pill is solid or hollow.

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I tested the runtime of the 3-mode Sipik clone with a fully charged Eneloop AA (HR-3UTGA). Here are the results:

Minutes Lux
0,5 203
10 205
15,20,25,30 207
35,40,45 208
50 209
55 210
60,65 212
70 201
75 164
76 157
77 129
77½ 101

I placed my lux meter at 1 meter from the light and took measurements every 5 minutes. To avoid making the table unnecessary long I used the same row for several measurements as long as the lux value hadn't changed. E.g. the third row means that the lux value stayed at 207 lux when the light had been on for 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes and 30 minutes.

After 70 minutes the light output started sagging and after approx. 77.5 minutes the light output had reached 50%. At 80 minutes the light output was down to 45 lux, at 85 minutes output was 13 lux and at after 90 minutes output was 6 lux and I stopped measuring.

1. Reverse clicky

2. Modes are changed by a half-press.

3. It has no real memory, i.e. if you have the light turned off for 5 seconds or more it always goes back to first mode (high). If you turn it back on within 3-4 seconds or less it changes to next mode.

No idea if the pill is solid or hollow. I didn't want to force it open because I only got one of these lights so far and didn't want to risk destroying it. The plastic ring that keeps the "reflector" in place appears to be firmly attached and I didn't want to pry out the driver to find out. Maybe someone else who has one of these could answer this question?

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Could you provide a link to the ebay offer of eletrading?

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http://www.ebay.com/itm/CREE-Q5-LED-300-Lumens-Zoom-Torch-Flashlight-Lamp-Light-/180770524636?pt=US_Flashlights&hash=item2a16c34ddc

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Here is the link to the light. I had posted a link to the 3-mode version in the "Sipik(?) 1-AA zoom for $6.77" thread over in the Deal Alerts forum which is why I didn't include a link in the first post of this thread. However I've now also added a link in the first post.

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In general, how would you rate the overall build quality, fit/finish etc compared to the other two models? Anything feel flimsier, less solidly made?

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As you can expect from lights that are this cheap there are some minor flaws/blemishes on the fit/finish on all models if you look closely.

+ As I mentioned earlier, the pill has an o-ring instead of the metal ring thingie on the other models which make the zoom sturdier.

+ Threads on tail cap are better, much "smoother" when screwing/unscrewing the tail cap than the other models.

± This depends on your preferences. The on/off switch isn't as sturdy as the other models. It is easier to click the light on/off than the other models. I guess some might dislike this "flimsy" switch.

- No o-ring at the bezel. Both the tomtop version and the Ultrafire version have an o-ring where the lens unscrews, the 3-mode version doesn't.

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Ok, I've just ordered two, one from topicshop and one from ntxmas. The Paypal billing name is Bin Li for both transactions so I assume they're the same seller. If Dimlux is right about eletrading also being the same seller as Topicshop then all three are the same company. Be very interesting to see if there's any difference in the models or the seller efficiency..

FWIW, Topicshop ebaymailed me to confrm/thanks for order etc, which is usually a promising sign. I'll update when the waiting is over.