# [Review] DQG 26650 World Smallest Triple CREE XP-G2 R5 LED Flashlight



## JohnnyMac (Nov 15, 2014)

*DQG 26650 World Smallest Triple CREE XP-G2 R5 LED Flashlight*





*Manufacturer's Copy:*

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* World Smallest 26650 Flashlight
* LED: 3* CREE XPG2 R5 1A CW LED / 3* CREE CREE XPG2 R5 4B NW
* Size: 99mm(Length)*38mm(head diameter)*30mm (body)
* Material: 6061-T6 Aluminum
* Military HAIII Anodised finish.
* Reflector: Optics lens;
* Digital Current Regulation;
* Mode: Low 2%>>Mid 30%>Hi 100%; Hidden Turbo (press 2 times to activate); Hold for 1 seconds to turn off the light.
* Brightness: Low (4 lumens) > Mid (150 lumens) > High (500 lumens) > Hidden turbo mode (1250 lumens)
Click twice to activate Turbo mode; Turbo mode will step down to high mode after 180 seconds.
* Stainless Steel Click button Switch ; Stainless Steel bezel
* With Green Glow dot on the button switch, easy to find in darkness
* Battery Type:1*26650 (NOT Included) or 1x18650 (not include) 
The light uses high efficient boost driver with very big driven current; Please use good quality 26650 battery.

NEW UI
1. Mode: 4 (Low>Mid>High>Hidden turbo) Double click to access turbo mode
2. Hold the switch for 1 seconds to turn on; Hold the switch for 1 seconds to turn off.
3. Turbo mode up to 6A, 1250 lumens, It will step down to high mode after 180 seconds.
Price: $45
Web link: CNQualityGoods.com

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*Packaging:*

My DQG Tiny 26650 arrived in the mail in a padded envelope and wrapped in bubble wrap. Unwrapping revealed a nice little tin that at first glance didn't seem possible to have a 26650 cell flashlight inside. It looked more like a AA or 16340 light box. The clear plastic window is covered with a large black sticker, hiding and teasing about what is inside.






Pull off the lid and inside is the gray hard anodised Tiny 26650 and it's stainless switch and bezel sitting in fitted foam. Next to it is an accessory bag with lanyard.






Here are the light and lanyard. The lanyard comes with a quick detach clip and lobster claw latch. One of the nice lanyards I've seen come with a light.






The hidden accessory that you don't see until you open the Tiny 26650 is the 18650 adapter sleeve.






The included 18650 adapter sleeve is about the nicest I've seen yet. O-rings on each end eliminate all rattle that you would usually experience using an adapter sleeve. It's a super nice touch that they created here. 





*Breakdown and Closer Look:*

The Tiny 26650 took any cells I put in it, from flat topped to button topped, and unprotected and protected. Seen below is a King Kong 4200mAh button top cell.







Might not look it but that big cell fits inside with no issues at all. Pretty impressive just how small this light is! 8^)







Looking head on at the DQG Tiny we see its second appealing factor, the triple XP-G2 NW emitters. The green cast that is visible oaround the outer edges of the lens comes from the GITD O-ring between the lens and head.







With the smooth stainless steel bezel it's a damned good looking little light.










A band of nice knurling sits on the head just behind the bezel. The stainless steel switch sits between the knurling and the rear of the head. The switch itself has a GITD insert. It's a nice thought but it doesn't really do much in reality. It has to have been sitting directly under a light source to charge it's glow and doesn't hold it for long.


The battery tube and tail are all one piece with a nice wide band of good knurling and a notched band around the tail section that provides some anti-roll protection.







It just disappears in my hand.







A closer look at the switch and head.







The lanyard cutouts are wide and allow for 550 Paracord to be used in most any configuration you would want. If using a split ring, there is a center cutout to allow for tail standing with a lanyard attached.







The only identifying marking on the light (aside form the entire one of a kind look it has) is the brand and model etched onto the tail.







The stainless bezel unscrews revealing nicely cut threading in it along with anodized threads on the head of the light. The threading in the head for the bezel is only a few threads deep but it works just fine with no chance of skipping or stripping. The bezel and lens design makes for a completely waterproof lens assembly with the O-ring sitting between the lens and head.







With the lens and GITD O-ring removed you can see the Cree XP-G2 emitters mounted on a full copper MCPCB with direct thermal path. The MCPCB is painted black to remove any internal glare or reflections from interfering with the beam pattern.







A center screw secures the copper MCPCB to the face of the head. The entire head is an integrated pill.







In this pic below you can make out the copper exposed edges in the MCPCB. The MCPCB is also secured with a thermal epoxy, not thermal grease.







The TIR optics/lens is AR coated on both sides. Here we see the underside. The most visible thing is the extra width of the lens surface compared to the TIR optics in the center.







The matte finish surrounding the TIR optics is etched into the outer face and helps diffuse any internal reflections that might get past the black inner coating. You can easily see the AR coating on the inner and outer faces of the lens.







The backside of the head reveals the the anode spring and brass retaining ring with white nylon insulator. The threads here are nicely machined and fully anodised to allow for mechanical lockout.


The photo below and the one after that show the only flaws in the finish. There are small sections on the rear lip of the head where there isn't much anodizing. It's as if the head was sitting on a support during the dying process and the anodizing isn't colored in those spots. It's something that is really hard to see once the light is assembled but if the light reflects just right you can make it out but you have to be looking for it.







The driver itself is a boost driver in order to drive the triple XP-G2 emitters which are wired in series instead of parallel. This boost circuit allows the emitters to run regulated longer using the single 4.2v cell.







A closer look at the retaining ring and insulator disk.







Cleanly cut square threading secures the head and body of the Tiny together. Threads were prelubed and the O-ring seals well.







A look inside the body/battery tube shows the cathode spring all the w2ay at the rear of the light. There is enough travel that all cells I have fit in the Tiny. The spring locks into a groove cut into the bottom of the battery well and this keeps the spring from falling out or rattling.





*User Interface*

The UI on the Tiny 26650 is really simple and fairly intuitive aside from the 1 second delay required to turn it on or off. My only real complaint about the light is the tiny, hard to find switch button. While this helps keep it from being turned on in your pocket accidentally, it also makes it hard to find the button in the dark with your thumb using feel alone. Fortunately if it does happen to turn on in your pocket it will only start in Low mode. Since there is no electronic lockout built into the firmware, the ability to lock it out securely with a quarter turn of the head is an appreciated feature.

One other observation to be made: When in Turbo the light will step down to the previous mode after 3 minutes (180 seconds). The manufacturer's site claims it steps down to high from Turbo which is incorrect. If you are in Low or medium modes when engaging Turbo, the light will step down to that mode after 3 minutes. This is also how it was in the first generation DQG Tiny 26650

From Off:
* Press and hold the switch for 1 second to turn on into Low mode
* The Tiny always starts in low mode.


From On:
* A quick click cycles to the next mode in order: Low > Medium > High > Low....
* To access Turbo mode a quick double-click is needed.
* Once in Turbo mode, a single click will return you to the mode you were in prior to Turbo.
* Automatically steps down from Turbo to previous mode used after 3 minutes.
* To turn Off, press and hold the switch for 1 second 
*
Output and Beamshots:*

The beam profile of the DQG Tiny 26650 is pretty much exactly what you imagined it to be, with a wide center spot and gobs of smooth spill that fades in brightness to the outer edges. This is a pocket yard sweeper and a perfect tail stander indoors during power outages.







My OTF output numbers are measured in my Integrated Sphere that has been calibrated against many known lights. Throw was measured at 3 meters and converted back to 1 meter to the ANSI standard of 0.25 lux to determine throw distance. My sample is one of few lights I've tested to exceed the manufacturer's claim.









PWM isn't visible to me by the naked eye but did show in my digital camera when photographing in the lowest output level. In real life you shouldn't notice it.







Time for some outdoor beam shots. This next gif shows the output in each mode. Distance to the trees is about 70 yards.







This next gif compares the DQG Tiny 26650 against several other lights. All lights are shot at their highest output.





*The Hotness & Notness*

*Hotness*:



Very nice output for a pocket light
Good build quality
Good knurling
Great beam pattern
Output exceeds manufacturer's claim
Tail stands solidly
Long runtime with 26650 cell
Included adapter allows use of 18650 cells
Nice, pre-lubed threads.
Included lanyard is nice quality
Nice tin gift box
*Notness*:



Press and hold to turn off and on
Tiny switch is hard to find by feel.
*Conclusion...Mac Approved!*

The DQG Tiny 26650 is a great little light that gets a solid "Mac Approved" rating. It's great output, tiny overall size and great runtime make this light a real winner. It's not perfect but then I've not seen a perfect light yet. The pros far out weight the cons which, after all, are really minor annoyances more than major negatives. You can find the light at a few sites these days and if you wait long enough or shop around a bit you might get it even cheaper than the $45 list price. It's really worth every penny and is the flashlight that usually ends up in my jacket pocket ever since it's arrived a few weeks ago.






_*Special thanks to CNQualityGoods.com for providing the DQG Tiny 26650 for review_


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## SubLGT (Nov 15, 2014)

Nice job with the review. I just received this flashlight yesterday. It was $39 from Mountain Electronics. I found out that a protected 5200mAh Keepower is too long for this flashlight, by about 1.5mm. 

Do you know if it has a low battery warning feature, and over discharge protection?


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## Capolini (Nov 15, 2014)

Thanks for the review.

I got this light about a month or so ago. It is surprisingly bright and I like the soft diffused light it displays! It is definitely worth the $40 I paid through Mt. Electronics!* *


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## Capolini (Nov 15, 2014)

At approximately 3.6V, the light will step down to the lowest mode, signalling the need for a battery change soon.

I got that info. from Mt. Electronics.

@*SubLGT

*It is a shame you did not notice the info. on Mt. Electronics description of the light. They mention what batteries it will/will NOT take.



Best Value: Supfire 4000mAh 26650 - Unprotected​
Best Protected: King Kong 4000mAh+ 26650 - Protected 
Highest Capacity: 5200mAh 26650 - Flat Top Unprotected - Button Top Unprotected (Protected 5200mAh is too long for the DQG)


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## kj2 (Nov 16, 2014)

Thanks for the review. Nice photos


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## ven (Nov 16, 2014)

Excellent review ,thank you:thumbsup: looks a great little light,edc size too with a very useful flood output


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## carl (Nov 16, 2014)

great review - thank you very much! looks very interesting although it would be a disappointment if the Keepower cell didn't fit.


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## Hoop (Nov 16, 2014)

There's always the 5200mah IMR cell. That would presumably fit.


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## darkknightlight (Nov 16, 2014)

Great review! It's interesting that you say the emitters are wired in series; I'd always thought they were wired in parallel. Is that a change from the first version? Or have they always been wired in series?


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## SubLGT (Nov 16, 2014)

Hoop said:


> There's always the 5200mah IMR cell. That would presumably fit.



I tried it (the Keeppower version), and yes it fits. The battery is 67.1mm long.
I have a Keeppower IMR 4200mAh battery coming soon, that _should_ do better on turbo mode than the IMR 5200, according to HKJ's comparator. It will be interesting to see if I can actually see a difference.


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## Capolini (Nov 16, 2014)

I'm using the EVVA 5200mAh "Unprotected" Button Top,,,,,,,,,,,,One of Richards recommendations.


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## JohnnyMac (Nov 16, 2014)

Capolini said:


> ohh sorry for the misunderstanding!
> 
> Yes, I got a spare O-ring w/ mine.


I didn't get a spare O-ring with mine either.


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## oKtosiTe (Nov 17, 2014)

I know I'm being nitpicky here, but isn't the Lux-RC FL33 smaller?


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## darkknightlight (Nov 17, 2014)

oKtosiTe said:


> I know I'm being nitpicky here, but isn't the Lux-RC FL33 smaller?


Isn't that light based, in its largest configuration, on either 2x 18350 or 1 18650? This dqg is based around a 26650.


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## oKtosiTe (Nov 17, 2014)

darkknightlight said:


> Isn't that light based, in its largest configuration, on either 2x 18350 or 1 18650? This dqg is based around a 26650.


Exactly. The title of this thread says "World Smallest Triple CREE XP-G2 R5 LED Flashlight". The FL33 is also available with 3x XP-G2 R5, but it is smaller. That is all I was pointing out.


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## SubLGT (Dec 2, 2014)

Anyone know if this flashlight has electronic reverse polarity protection?


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## ChrisGarrett (Dec 2, 2014)

I bought one three weeks ago and had it working for about 18 minutes until the black negative wire detached from the LED board. I promptly and carefully soldered it back on and tried the light again with an Efest IMR 26650. After about 20 seconds of hitting the button, it started smoking quite a bit and melted a bunch of stuff inside.

I haven't heard back from Richard at M.E., regarding my plight, so I'm eating this one and they're now sold out.

It seemed to be a nice little light for $39, if not a bit cheaply put together, but I didn't get to play with it for all that long.

Chris


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## Capolini (Dec 2, 2014)

Sorry to hear that Chris! Especially because you had it such a short time.

I have had mine about 6 week and so far so good. I also got mine from Mt. Elec.


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## StandardBattery (Dec 3, 2014)

SubLGT said:


> ... I found out that a protected 5200mAh Keepower is too long for this flashlight, by about 1.5mm. ....



I've got the top of mine dented a bit from the Olight R30 so now my Keeppower 5200mAh fits fine in the Olight and the DQG. It's not even a tight fit anymore in the DQG. Probably future 26650 lights will account for the protected 5200mAh cells, but I'm not bothered by having to make the impression in the cap at this time since I'm just experimenting with these cells hoping that an even large capacity one will be introduced.


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## ChrisGarrett (Jan 15, 2015)

Thanks to whomever forwarded my post about my dead Tiny Triple to Richard at ME, as he was forwarded this thread and contacted me. He will be sending me a new CW TT.

I appreciate it, as there seemed to be an issue with his website email server and he never got my original email.

Thanks again, Chris


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## zebraa (Jan 16, 2015)

Chris, no, thank you! It was me --I just ordered one and had the same issue (up in smoke). I found your post and picture, and I contacted Richard. Mine burned a hole in itself like yours. He is sending me a new one too.


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## ChrisGarrett (Jan 17, 2015)

zebraa said:


> Chris, no, thank you! It was me --I just ordered one and had the same issue (up in smoke). I found your post and picture, and I contacted Richard. Mine burned a hole in itself like yours. He is sending me a new one too.



Thanks zebraa,

If you ever visit Miami, give me a holler and I'll buy you a beer, or three.

It looks like a promising light and I'm not expecting top notch quality out of it, but we're probably bound to have some failures?

This is the first time I've had a light go literally 'up in smoke,' but I had soldered my black LED board wire back on and I thought that maybe I was part of the problem, so I didn't pursue things until Richard contacted me the other day.

Here's to hoping our new lights work well!

Thanks again, Chris


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## zebraa (Jan 18, 2015)

Thanks!! 

I just got the replacement in the mail. Used it a little in the afternoon and then some more after dark for a few hours. No problem with any modes. No smoke so far! I like the light.


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## ChrisGarrett (Jan 21, 2015)

Well...after hearing from Richard last week, I got my replacement TinyTriple in and it's working fine with the two Efest IMR 3500s that I got with my first light. 

I will be sending the original smoked light back to him. The first light was the neutral white XP-G2 R5 4B and he told me that all he had left was the XP-G2 R5 1A cool white version, which I said was fine.

It came today and the box top is marked NW with a check sign and it's definitely a nice neutral/creamy white, which is cool with me. 

I briefly ran 4 turbo modes (2:55) for each cell and while it gets warm to hot after a few cycles, everything stayed in tact and no smoke, or detached wires.

Also, on this version and unlike the first sample, the bezel was screwed down tightly and in no way affected the ON/OFF switch like the first one.

It comes with a plastic tube for running 18650s, an OK but flexible lanyard and 2 spare, but thin, o-rings. No instruction sheet, but a few moments of fiddling and ME's website description, makes learning how to operate the light, not too hard.

It's pretty floody, as one would expect from a 'tiny triple' emitter, even moreso than my ZL SC-600 CW light.

I haven't had it out on the condo grounds....shining it across the lake and up in the tall trees, so that will be tomorrow.

For ~$66 shipped with two Efest 26650 IMR 3500s, it doesn't really break the bank and it's small enough to drop into one's pocket, although it doesn't come with a clip. 

I'm a happy camper and zebraa and Richard came through for me.

Thanks.


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## Batch (Dec 7, 2015)

Do you still like it ?
I cannot find it for sale, nobody has it in stock, may be it is discontinued

Robert


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## JohnnyMac (Dec 7, 2015)

Batch said:


> Do you still like it ?
> I cannot find it for sale, nobody has it in stock, may be it is discontinued
> 
> Robert


I do indeed. 

I'm not aware of it being discontinued but that doesn't mean it's not. I'll do some poking around and see if I can find it anywhere.

Well, I did some searching and it appears to be sold out most places but it looks like it is still available from Banggood for $43.99


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## Batch (Dec 7, 2015)

I checked at banggood but they are out of stock
If you have a link...

Thanks any way
Robert


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## sidecross (Dec 7, 2015)

Thank you for the review, and I thank too the last two people who posted who brought this review to the 'New Posts' section.

I have recently purchased the two Fenix PD40 & FD40 lights which certainly are not in the 'Budget' category, but they do feature the 26650 battery and accommodate even a Keeppower protected 26650 battery at 71.1mm. I have also been using Soshine 5500mAh protected batteries with good results so far.

I hope to see more lights and batteries using a 26650 single cell battery. :thumbsup:


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## JohnnyMac (Dec 8, 2015)

Batch said:


> I checked at banggood but they are out of stock
> If you have a link...
> 
> Thanks any way
> Robert


That's odd, I found a working link to banggood when I googled for it. It appears to be in stock. Can't hurt to try it. link


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## Batch (Dec 8, 2015)

Out of stock

Looks like a v3 model is comming : http://www.duqingang.com/

Robert


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## JohnnyMac (Dec 8, 2015)

Batch said:


> Out of stock
> 
> Looks like a v3 model is comming : http://www.duqingang.com/
> 
> Robert


Sorry to hear they aren't available any longer but if that "V3" comes to fruition it sounds like it'll be worth the wait!

"A supper brightest Flashlight with as Small as Possible in size up to 3000 + lumens output in High *(Maybe Will this project be REPLACED by upgrade Tiny 26650 V3.0) ."*


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