The CNQG brass beauty is gorgeous and I wish I had one. My favorite compact 18650 is my Olight S20 Baton. They can be had for $35-$40. Do yourself a favor and increase your budget for one of these. I've had mine for a couple of years of near constant EDC and it's worth every penny.
I’m hoping someone will do a group deal for a souped-up version of this light. Like, give it an XP-L HI 3D on a Noctigon, or a Nichia 219B (219C would be nice but requires a low-amp cell) or something nice like that… and a clip, if a good one can be found… and a FET+1 driver with thermal regulation… maybe a small piece of thermal-conductive foam between the MCU and the pill.
It’d probably be a pain though, since the MCPCB would need to be a very specific size that nobody seems to produce in DTP form, and because there isn’t much room for driver components, and because everything in general is so compact. It’d also be more expensive than a regular tube light, since the host is already a higher price without the improvements. So, maybe it won’t happen. But I think it’d be cool.
I’m still planning to mod mine with a Nichia 219C and FET+1, but I need to trim the MCPCB first and I’ve been procrastinating.
Actually, I’ve swapped the stock xpg2 emitter with a standard 16mm alu board and XML2 emitter without any modification on the pill nor the board.
This is why this light is so good, while being so compact it’s still standard 17mm driver and 16mm emitter board!
I got one from the first batch, loved it, and got another one before they changed the design. I don’t need more, but I still recommend it to others if they can find it in stock.
If it’s not available any more, I wonder if a special production run might be possible some time. It’s such a nice host, it’d be cool if we could make a nicer version of it available.
The AA version is awesome too, but really needs a smarter driver and a Nichia 219. I wonder if there’s a chip like the amc7135, only with twice as much current capacity. I think there’s only enough room for a driver with one chip plus the MCU, and a 350mA power limit seems a bit low.
I’ve used 18mm O-rings in mine and they fit. Link to intl. They are thicker than the original one but whatever, might be a bit more reliable. I also had to use a new lens since mine was broken and used this coated one from KD.
An excellent alternative to me is the Zebralight SC62w. I have both it and two brass beauties. The Zebralight is shorter but within a mm of the same length, about 75% of the weight with batteries in both and to me it’s recessed side switch design is better ergonomically. It is I admit a bit fatter than the Brass Beauty, particularly at the ends, but comes stock with a good clip. I definitely prefer the side switch on the Zebralight to the Olight implementation or the brass unit’s tail switch.