The full review is available here

English review at BLF

Summary

The Gyrfalcon S8000 is a powerful charger that targets professional users. It allows you to set many detailed options to adjust the charging and discharging process. And it performs really good in charging and discharging batteries!

On the other hand it doesn’t feel quite finished. The firmware got improved a lot over my testing period, but there’s still room for improvement and extension. There are a few mechanical usability problems with the terminals as well.

It is quite obvious that Enova took more than a single look at the SkyRC MC3000 when designing the S8000. It has a similar appearance, similar menu and the manual is almost identical. However it still lacks some features to be a real competitor. So far it is more like an “MC3000 light” – but with the potential for improvement!

Hullo! I just wanted to make aware of the latest updates on one of the newest Fireflylite flashlights, the X1L Elite (I am in no way affiliated with them and read the most info on Reddit, but it would be nice to kickoff a discussion on it here too).

Yesterdays update includes these 3 emitter choices:

• CREE XHP50.3 HI 5000K CRI90 2600lumens 120 000cd
• CREE XHP70.3 HI 6500K CRI70 3500lumens 84 000cd
• CREE XHP70.3 HI 4000K CRI90 2600lumen 62 000cd

It's very strange that the 70.3 HI 4000K would output the same lumes as the 50.3: I asked them and Ivy (the sales representative of Fireflylite) says it's because it's the low bin K2, if someone were interested.

There is as of now just one review by ZeroAir but it is expected that at least two other reviews will come out soon.

I hope some of you find this interesting, I personally find the 4 new models that are slowly coming out of preorder beautiful and with solid specs.

What are your thoughts? Did you preorder the X1L or other new gen FFL flashlights?

Review: Skilhunt EK1 USB-C keychain flashlight

The EK1 is Skilhunt's take on a twisty keychain light with USB-C charging and an optional high-CRI LED

https://zakreviews.com/skilhunt-ek1.html

#flashlight #flashlights #keychain #EDC #EveryDayCarry #skilhunt @flashlight

The full review is available here

English review at BLF
German review at my website

Summary

The Sofirn SC13 is a small and lightweight EDC flashlight with a creative design. The waist and texture feel very nice in the hand and allow for a reliable grip. Sofirn did everything right with the UI: It is simple, has shortcuts to lowest, highest and last used brightness and no unnecessary features.

Not sure if there is any benefit from the fancy Fresnel optic. The beam has a smooth spot with some small rings in the spill. Unfortunately the tint is not the best: slightly green with a noticeable tint shift between spot and spill. But for most users it should be acceptable.

Got curious? Then check out the full review linked above. There you can also find a link to Amazon US with a 10% discount code.

So I have an Astrolux MF01S with the extended battery tube and recently it wouldn't turn on after not having really used it in a bit due to moving. I put all the cells into my XTAR VC8 and one of the cells wasn't recognized by the charger. I used a multimeter and it's not reading any voltage from that cell (reads appropriate voltage from other cells). Is there anything to do or is this cell just dead for some reason? I believe they're the samsung 30Q's that are generally recommended.

The tiny shitty fan on my Opus BT-C3100 (V1) is failing for the third time, sick of replacing it, so I want to buy a new charger.

I need something that can charge and measure the capacity of Ni-Mh and Li-Ion batteries up to 26650 in size. Was looking at the dragon vp4 plus which seems good, except it's max discharge is 500ma which is a bit pants since my old opus can do 1A. Is there anything better around the same price range?

The full review is available here

English review at BLF
German review at my website

Summary

The Prime C2 – Armytek’s new entry-level model of the Prime flashlight series. Compact size and with a simple user interface. But also tough, great switch and with the proven magnetic charging system.

But in my opinion there are too many compromises with the driver, the firmware and especially the light quality. Why was the battery level indicator omitted? The LED is probably still hidden behind the switch. Why is the current so low? The LED could handle more. And who approved this horrendous beam?

I would have been happy to recommend this flashlight. I was really looking forward to it myself. Unfortunately I got disappointed. But just try it out and decide for yourself whether you like it or not. Alternatively, I can recommend the Prime C2 Pro, which is a bit larger but otherwise better in many respects.

...and have some new toys because of it!

The full review is available here

English review at BLF
German review at my website

Summary

The Manker E05 II is a compact EDC flashlight, supporting Li-ion and NiMH batteries. It has three levels of brightness with constant output for most of the runtime. The mechanical tail switch makes it easy to use.

Waterproofing of the switch is a little questionable, though. Better don’t try to press it under water.

You can get the flashlight in various colors and materials. You even have the choice between different LEDs (get the Nichia 519A version).

Hey guys! I’m looking for an EDC light that’s 800+ (pref 1000+) lumens, tailcap switch, rechargeable via mini USB or USB-C, and less than $50– is that price point delusional?
The closest I’ve gotten is the Wurkkos FC11 but that’s a little too large for my pocket and doesn’t have the tailcap switch (which means it turns on in my pocket sometimes and I can’t turn it on as quick when I grab it). My use case is obviously flashlighty stuff but an important use for me is that it’s part of my self defense layering.

Lumintop has a “Tool AA 2.0 EDC” that is about the perfect shape (fits in my fist- not square, knobby, or fat) and size (3.52*0.73 inch), but it’s not rechargeable, not as bright as the Wurkkos (but still bright at 650 lumens), and I don’t need its 5 different light modes to cycle through if I accidentally tap the back during use. Still would recommend the light, and I thought about getting a USB-C rechargeable AA for it, but as previously stated I’d really like something a little brighter and ideally a better tailcap switch.

I browsed the forum, and I saw a couple posts about the Wurkkos TS10. It’s kind of similar in size to another light I have and is a little fat for what I’m looking for. I think the FC11 is as thick or a little thinner, and still a bit big for what I’m looking for. May still try the TS10 if I can’t find anything else. I’d still consider stuff outside of the $50 price range but I really want something inside if at all possible.

First impression: It's nice, I really like the new switch that Sofirn used here. It's like the large switch from Wurkkos, just smaller and far better than the hard, wobbly switch they used in the past.

The tint is mediocre and the Fresnel lens creates some rings. Unfortunately also some tint variation from spot to spill. Overall pretty soft beam, but not too floody.

It appears like the bezel is press fit, but it has a small gap and it might be possible to open it.

Interesting place to attach the clip. There's this large groove at the front. Looks little weird without a clip, though.

A magnet is included as well, but it can only be used when no lanyard is attached (D'oh!).

I will write a full review, but it will take some weeks because I have quite a lot other flashlights in the queue.

It can certainly turn night into day

Flashlight is an S6 with Osram W1. The mount is designed to aim at about 10 degrees down from the level of the top of the stem, whatever that is. With the Osram the hotspot ends about 20' out.

I'm officially the flashlight guy of the family, according to this present 😭
#flashlight @flashlight

Arbitrary List of Popular Lights - Winter Solstice 2023 Edition

In honor of Winter Solstice, I've made an updated list of popular lights. Today is the day you're most likely to need a flashlight in the northern hemisphere; if you're shopping for one, I hope this will help.

https://zakreviews.com/arbitrary-list-2023.3.html

#flashlight #flashlights #EDC #EveryDayCarry @flashlight@lemmy.world @flashlight@kbin.social

The P20iX is a tacticool type 21700 size light. It's very floody - perfect for inside buildings or close range outside where you need a big field of view, and bright enough at 4000 lumens .

The bumps on the front are something super tough for breaking car windows etc - so I guess aimed at first responder types. I quite like the double clicky tail switch. One is a really solid on/off click and the other cycles between light levels.

It has two modes, I use it in the everyday mode where it remembers the light brightness from when you turned it off. There also a hard core mode where it always turns on in max.

The hard plastic holster has a hole in the bottom, which I assume is to avoid melting it with the 4 x 4 x CREE XP-L2V6 leds, but I have occasionally just turned it on in the holster for general lighting if I needed both hands.

Since it's quite easy to pull it out of the holster, I do have a slight worry that it will come out by itself if I'm clambering around somewhere - but it never has yet. The holster is intended for clipping on those massive duty belts - it would swing around a bit otherwise. I have a vague recollection it came with some clips to use on narrower belts but perhaps I've thrown them away.

The 21700 battery it needs is a weird Nitecore one with positive and negative contacts each end. I wasn't wild about that, but in practice I never carry spare batteries, so they can be weird or built in and it's no particular problem. If you really hate this idea, there is an optional caddy for 2 x cr123s - but less brightness and lower run times.

The full review is available here

English review at BLF
German review at my website

Summary

Seven LEDs in five colors, in a very compact flashlight. The Nichia 519A LEDs are just beautiful with their high CRI and lovely tint. Red, green and blue are less interesting to me, but the UV light comes in very handy. This paired with the great driver and magnetic charging make the MiX-7 almost perfect.

It’s hard to say anything negative about it. I’d like to see more brightness levels for the color channels and maybe the possibility to mix them. Sometimes it can be annoying that the colors were integrated together with the white channel into the low group.

Overall I’m very satisfied with the MiX-7, even at my high expectations I had for this flashlight. If you want a flashlight with multiple colors, you should definitely try the MiX-7.

This image is illuminated entirely by the UV LED of the MiX-7. Yes, it looks exactly like this in real life!

Just in case you want to see it with regular light instead (and without the ZWB2 filter):

This review was sponsored by flashlightgo from where I got the flashlight for free in return for this review. Thank you very much!

The full review is available here

English review at BLF
German review at my website

Summary

As long as you ignore the term "tactical" in the product description, the Acebeam TAC AA is a nice EDC flashlight. On the larger side for a AA flashlight, but just the right size for a comfortable grip. The Nichia 519A with its lovely tint and high CRI will make you happy. The universal beam is great for EDC use and comes with good throw for a light of this size. Build quality is superb and it feels very robust.

Unfortunately the driver is on a different level: Simple brightness regulation using PWM and the modes are messed up when using a NiMH battery. A real shame, because the TAC AA would have been a very nice, simple AA flashlight for family and friends. I wonder why Acebeam didn't use a better driver.

Overall the Acebeam TAC AA struggles to stand out against other less expensive flashlights. Yet it is a good option if you need support for Li-ion and NiMH batteries, as long as you don't miss the medium mode with NiMH. There aren't many other candidates with similar features.

$16 flashlights make flat runtime graphs now. I am impressed.

This is a Convoy S21E with Nichia 719A in 3000K. It's not setting any brightness records at ~850lm, but that's top-tier regulation. It's CRI is in the 90s, and it's kind of throwy too.

#flashlight #flashlights #EDC #EveryDayCarry @flashlight

I know there was an issue a while back with counterfeit batteries on places like Amazon. Is there a good place to buy 18650's?

Sort of a cross-post from reddit, but more like an effort for me to try get more active on lemmy :)

This is not a review. This is first thoughts.

I saw a couple of threads by Aplos on BLF but I didn't pay it much mind because it was an unknown brand to me and the designs looked a bit basic if I'm being honest. Then I saw Flashlight Enthusiast's video on it and I was very intrigued by the runtime graphs he posted. I ran the tests myself after getting the light in and it corroborated.

Turbo runtime, stepdown around 1.5 minutes at which point it holds at around 800-ish lumens for over an hour.

High runtime, holds at around 800 lumens for 80 minutes before a gradual decline until empty, cutting off at 2.89v.

I must say the regulation performance at this price point is really quite amazing. Bought from GeForest on AliEx, original price is $22, I paid $16.50 shipped by using discount coupons. That's with a cell included (generic rewrap without even a brand on it, but still). It's a bit unbelievable of a deal even at $22. MSRP on Aplos's website is USD29.99, $39.99 on Amazon (I wouldn't buy it at that price when you can get it basically half-off on AliEx. You wait a couple weeks, so what?).

Now, some more thoughts on the light itself.

According to u/Funtastic28 on reddit (I'm not sure if he's on here or how to tag him if he is), Aplos are another Jinba Tech brand. If you're unaware, Jinba Tech is the OEM of Sofirn, Wurkkos, and a number of other flashlight brands. And it definitely feels/looks like it.

Build-quality-wise it's right there in the same ballpark as offerings from Sofirn/Wurkkos. It's pretty much exactly the kind of build you expect from them. That is to say - good for the money. No sharp edges, everything's rounded off where it's supposed to be (no hotspots), no play/creaks/flex. Satin finish will probably last a good while. The rear forward clicky has nice tactility, works well.

The included two way clip is the same one Sofirn/Wurkkos use on some of their lights. Curiously, however, the tubes and tail-cap do not lego with parts from Sofirn/Wurkkos.

I find this surprising. I would have assumed they'd have used the same threads etc, but I guess not. I'm a little disappointed that lego-ing isn't a possibility, but it's by no means a dealbreaker.

The aesthetics of a flashlight will always be a subjective thing. I'm a fan of the Sofirn/Wurkkos aesthetic, and the T02 is obviously cut from the same cloth. The branding is a little basic. Nothing wrong with that. Even Sofirn with their lowercase font logo had a certain charm to it I guess, but then they updated it. Not much else to say about it.

UI is nothing wildly different from a 'standard' UI we might expect from a dual-switch light like this.

• From off, half-press tailswitch for momentary on. Momentary level is memorized.
• Double half press tailswitch shortcuts to turbo.
• 1C tailswitch for on/off.
• While on, 1C side-switch to cycle modes ~ 'eco'/low/medium/high
• While on, 2C for turbo, 1C to return
• While on, 3C for strobe, 3C again for SOS. 1C to return
• No shortcut to moonlight
• Clicking sideswitch from off does nothing.

Totally acceptable UI for me. Some may want quicker access to strobe but I don't find a problem with it.

The 'eco' mode really isn't a proper moonlight, but it's not a dealbreaker to me for this sort of light.

Aplos advised me not to attempt to remove the bezel but I usually pay no heed to warnings like that and used wrenches and inner tube (my usual nitrile dipped gloves were not sufficient in this instance).

Here is the reflector side-by-side with a Convoy S6 'deep' reflector. The Aplos is 3mm wider but depth seems to be identical. So, a good throw for the size.

Apologies for sub-par beamshots. My phone camera doesn't do well in low-light.

At 100m,

...and at 50m. Quite a good beamshape for mid-range duty-type applications, like on a large property.

This is already even longer then the reddit post so I'll cut it off here.

I was looking for a very budget but well-regulated 18650 'tactical' light for duty around the property. Previously the options I boiled down to were either the Sofirn SP31 V2.0 (regulated but unimpressive emitter options for my use-case), or the Wurkkos FC12 (better emitter but unregulated driver). In my eyes this is the better option compared to the other two. For $22, with those flat runtimes, it's a bargain.

Thanks for reading if you've reached the end. Let me know if y'all have any questions.

I've misplaced my BLF Q8 (it still exists), but I'm looking for a floody replacement that gets silly bright and takes 4x18650's (or better) .