The JAXMNVE M18 was a little disappointment - the feature I was interested in (“2.Double click the switch turn to limitless modes (1–100)”) doesn’t exist! Only high low strobe, at least it has proper mode memory.
JAXMNVE M18: The mode is there. Fish for it. When you triple press from H/L hold it. The switch will light up red. It will go up then reverse until you stop it. It has last mode mem. It is different. Then it’s level1, blinky, level2. Best I can tell when using custom modes the switch stays lit red.
I blame Convoy. Cause you know you are getting a GOOD light with a genuine emitter at a price that is hard to beat and not worth modding a low cost light to what you wanted in the first place. Convoy certainly has raised the bar on quality standards for for what I consider a “budget” or affordable light.
I have been very unhappy with my last few WF502B purchases. Bad threads, got a couple with plastic reflectors and aluminum pills which were gold anodized to look brass. Honestly I have Wasted enough money over the years to make me wish I had just bought a few more Convoys and been done. Some of the sub $4 lights I have bought can not be modded easily or cheaply if at all.
If you look at it from economic standpoint it kinda makes sense. $4 light 10 years ago may have been decent. Today a $4 light is going to have corners cut to save weight and materials. Thin wires, hollow pills, fake emitters, plastic lenses and reflectors. Why bother when you can get an S-series Convoy for $14 shipped to your door and you know you will be happy.
For me $50 is about all I can afford to spend on a light & consider that to be an expensive light in my collection. But my last 2 $50ish lights have been disappointments in one way or another. Spending more don’t necessarily make them better has been my experience. Last 2 were Astrolux… SS has the wonky driver that gets stupid after its remotely warm and the S41 that lost domes on 2 emitters in 2 weeks (nichia). They just need more money to get happy.
A lot of my friends have been drown in the streamlight Kool-aide. Most have over-paid for the already expensive junk off the “tool truck”. That, I never fell for. I have given away a few WF502B’s with laptop pulls and cheap chargers to get them away from that junk. Look… this was under $10 and way brighter AND a glass lens that doesn’t get frosted with brake cleaner. Let me know if you break or lose it.
All this retrospection is giving me a headache. I had a hard time spending $100 on two incredibly sweet custom BLF lights but on the other hand I don’t have much use for bad switches, threads, or cheap ano. I like inexpensive but there has to be something of value I can use from the light or want to invest the effort of a mod. If it’s too expensive I don’t want it. Like Justin I enjoy modding more than having.
I love visiting this forum. Its interesting and the people are great. Not many forums like this that virtually run themselves.
But I do feel now each time I log in I get spammed with group buys, deal threads, just seems to have a slightly cheap and commercial feel sometimes. I have to scroll through 3 pages of topics just to find a couple of interesting topics. thats not what BLF is about, not to me.
I don’t mod lights, so do appreciate the deal threads, it’s just too much sometimes.
The other day i done the Eagle eye X6 review and i will do the S2 when i get a chance and ages ago i done a hugsby XP2 and i have also done a C8 review but this video is older now. like a year old.
Yeah, I was over on CPF and mentioned the word “fire” outside of the context of Surefire. Sheeessh, you’d think I punched somebody’s mother. Not that I don’t like CPF and that there isn’t a vast amount of fascinating discussion going on over there but, let’s just say the tolerances can be a bit tight.
Well, I too personally enjoy going on and on about getting 80 - 90% of the performance of a premium light for under $20. It’s one of my favorite things topic-wise, and I could easily go on for hours about how amazing budget lights can be. The Eagle Eye X6 is an excellent example of this as the light was just $18 several months back and, not counting build quality, you basically get an Olight M23 beam out of this light. Then there’s this here guy for $10 and was only $8 several months back Meco XP-L I know it’s only about 700-850 lumens so you don’t get the totality of 1,000 lumens but…. look what it costs and has quasi mode memory too.
I haven’t gotten much into the modding side of my flashlight craze as the daily grind has been rather daunting and recently I came down with some bad vertigo due to vestibular neuritis which has had me off work about 7 weeks now. However I have admittedly gotten into the high-end flashlight craze, and as an extension, the low price seeking aspect is quite the attraction. I don’t think I am the only one who has walked this avenue and has appreciation for the widening of this “grey” area. I’m still new to this forum, yet I feel the point Old-Lumens is making is a heck of a lot more than mere spewed opinion. Old-Lumens presents a topic, states some facts, and conditions and asks for feedback/discussion. Also, what could be more relevant on a Budgetlightforums than asking if we are even discussing budget lights anymore? Please don’t delete this thread, for Pete’s sake.
SMD soldering is really not hard. Some solder paste, a reflow gun, fine tweezers, magnifier helmet (harbor freight sells one that I use) and you are basically set.
There are lots of videos online about how to do it but basically you put solder pate on pads, place components on the paste in the correct locations, heat with some kind of temperature control heat source (aka, reflow / hot air gun), wait until the paste melts and then let everything cool.
The hardest part is installing all the tiny components without dropping one, cause you ain’t never gonna find it if you do.
Yep. I wouldn’t be doing my own drivers if I had to use my iron, I’m not that precise with it either. Paste and a heat gun make it pretty easy, as long as you have a steady enough hand and a good eye. Not much skill needed
Mine are about $3 in parts for a 17mm, $4 if you use the best FET.
