What is the lock type on that Tekut in the middle photo? What do you think of it and the Tekupt knives in general? Build quality? Handle material?
+1
And the overall finsih i would like to know. :)
Very interesting looking light, I was unaware of it. Gotta check it out…
Looks like a C8 or K8 sized reflector, but you can switch out the drop-in? Hmmmmm...
My little Trustfire Z1 is finished in that same color, it's different from the usual stuff you see. I like it.
I recieved some iphone 4 cases, another SRM 763 (LOVE this knife!), and two 962's from DB. Luckily they arrived after they screwed up the shipping address.
It's a U-lock, which is supposedly unique to Tekut knives and also the main reason why I bought one. I haven't really had it long enough to put it through its paces or form much of an opinion, but it looks like it's essentially an axis lock, except it's not a direct copy of a Benchmade design. Well, I'm not even sure if Benchmade really invented the axis lock or if there's any prior art and I wouldn't be surprised, to be honest, but I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and at the end of the day, nobody really cares. The main difference, as far as I can see, is that the Benchmade designs and all other knives that incorporate this locking mechanism use a rounded bar, which is attached to the thumbstuds, whereas the U-lock uses a squarish-looking pin, that looks like a U when viewed from above (hence the name). I could be wrong, but I don't see any major differences between the two designs.
There are a bunch of other knives that have a locking mechanism very similar to what Benchmade claims to have a patented, like SOG's Arc-Lock and I can only assume the idea is to offer something very similar in terms of functionality without getting sued. This is the pretty much the same. The mechanism isn't as smooth as any of my axis locks (knock off or brand name) but that's probably mostly because the spring is stiffer. In theory, the U-lock should provide more surface area to operate the lock while wearing gloves than a traditional axis lock design but, personally, I've never been in much of a hurry to close a knife. ;) Long story short: I could be wrong, but it's another variation on an old theme and very similar to most other axis lock knives.
As for the quality, I'm sorry. I'm afraid I'll have to reserve judgment since I've only had it for a few hours. If you're interested, I'd be happy to take a few high-res pictures for you guys when I get home though.
The handle is supposed to be "aluminum with G10 inlays". No sign of G10 anywhere on the knife they sent me, but oh well. I guess it could easily be aluminum. As for first impressions, the locking mechanism isn't as smooth as I expected. It's somewhat hard to close and there's a review on DX that mentions this as well but I haven't tinkered with it at all, so like I said, I'm afraid I'll have to reserve judgement for now. The blade is supposed to be 7Cr17MoV, so for all intends and purposes 440A and chances are edge retention might be a problem but then again, that's nothing out of the ordinary. I own plenty of sub-$20 knives that are worse.
I'll have some pictures tonight for you. :)
Veeeerrrry interesting find. But now you have to tell us more. How is the positioning of those "flatter" emitters in the reflector? How is the beam quality with them? Pics? In short, where is the review.....;-)
P.S.: I found this older post from Hrvoje.
Had a couple of minutes to take some pictures so here we go. :)
High-res pictures available here, as usual.
Thanks for the photos and comments Oxy. I went to their site and the only one that really caught my eye is the one you have. Too bad about the lack of G10 in the handle, but it looks like a nice knife.
That's a pretty cool light, no? Has the bigger/deeper head but any P60 drop-in will fit? Me likes.
Foy
A few more early impressions.
Pills are best inserted from the bat end of the head and screwed in until the rim is level with the top of the thread. Heat sinking is more than adequate as the pill is located in the area with thickest metal and cooling fins.
The emitter hole in the reflector measures ~7.5mm dia........just enough for the base of an XM-L. (The reflector screws into the head, there's no removeable bezel.) Being designed for an XRE the reflector doesn't tightly focus the beam from an XM-L, it does however give a nice hot-spot and very smooth spill. With it's native XRE it's an impressive thrower.
It ain't perfect. My example arrived with some of those annoying assembly issues like gritty threads, loose tailcap retainer ring and fingerprints inside the lens and on the reflector.
When the moon is a bit less full I'll try for some outdoor beamshots with different pills. (Crikey......sounds like a werewolf there!).
I guess this is as good a place as any to give a shout-out to Lighthound for giving everybody a text book example of how to do business on-line. Herewith, my last Lighthound order experience:
5-11-11 @ 11:15 pm - PP sent to Lighthound
5-12-11 @ 9:05 am - order confirmation e-mail from Lighthound to Foy
5-12-11 @ 9:06 am - order shipped e-mail from Lighthound to Foy
5-14-11 @ 10:00 am - box of flashlight goodies handed to Foy by postmistress
Order arrived in a stout cardboard box and included the thank you prize below.
This is how it's done, folks. Communication and follow through, what a concept.
Foy
+1 on Lighthound, fair prices and shipping and a bunch of little goodies. They package the little goodies well too(paracord stuff, split rings, etc.).
They also have those real small gate clips that are perfect on AAA lights to clip to your key ring.
+1 for light hound too, bought nyogel and other goodies, and it was a smooth and quick transaction. Shipping to Australia aint cheap ($30) for my $30 of stuff!!!!! but it did arrive within a week as opposed to weeks.
So, Foy, I can't wait to see what you come up with to mod that keychain light with an XM-L! 
I just received a pair of household LED bulbs like these from the same seller on eBay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/170571287220
They were ordered on 4/29 and delivered on 5/17 from Singapore so a quick turnaround as compared to my typical DX shipment.
22x 5050 LEDs rated at a total of 6W in a Warm White output with a standard 110V E27 package. Overall, I am very impressed with the light output on these bulbs. I would put them roughly on par with a 30W-40W incandescent bulb. Three of them would be sufficient for a comfortable amount of light in a standard ceiling fan fixture. One of them is perfect for desk-lamp use. The color is a very nice warmth which does a good job of approximating the color of an incandescent bulb so things do not look washed out.
Now, the bad. You get a very noticable 60Hz flicker when looking directly at the emitters making them rather distracting when used in the ceiling fan fixture mentioned above. When used in the desk lamp where the bulb is not directly viewed, the amount of flicker observed is negligable. Also, the lightweight contruction of these bulbs means little heatsinking so I am worried about overheating killing the emitters. After a few minutes of operation, the bulb is warm to the touch, so the actual emitters must be roasting. I purchased these to install in porch light fixtures so I'm hoping the intermittent night-time use will help maximize their life.
I just got word that a package arrived at the house from LCK-LED which means my XM-L T6 emitters I got for $6/pc have arrived along with a 3.0A driver I got to try out. Woohoo! Not too bad...ordered them on 4/29, they shipped on 5/3 and they arrived on 5/18.
My mods have been stalled up until now due to lack of components. I will be having some fun in the next few days.
Photon1k - No problem. I'm glad I could help. :)
And here's what I got today. It's a Maxam that I bought on a whim from PA because it reminded me of the Schrade clone DX sells and, let me tell you, this thing is massive.
Not sure what's up with the warning on the box but it hasn't stopped me from ordering another one. At twelve bucks and some change, it's an absolute steal in my book. I just wish they had spend a buck or two on a beefier liner.
Pardon my ignorance, Oxy, but where did you get this from? I don’t know what “PA” is yet. I did find it here though for $3.95 at what appears to be their wholesale site. I’m sure that doesn’t include shipping. Very few of their knives are over $5 so am extrememly leary of their quality. How about a review of that bad boy?
recieved a '200 mw' laser pointer from manafont today. Just needed another one to have kicking around so I ordered it and it arrived within 2 weeks. Not too bad!