# SiPiK AA one-mode - Anyone familiar with this model?



## Danielight (Mar 5, 2012)

I saw this light on sale, and recognized the SiPiK name as a popular budget light. This is a Cree Q3, AA, singe-mode light, selling for $8.99. I'm not necessarily planning to order it, but I was curious to know if anyone else here owns (or is familiar) with this model, and if that would be a good price for it.


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## Jroddz (Mar 5, 2012)

I have a sipik clone (Q5 emitter), they are ugly looking in my opinion, but they sure can project a beam quite far. They are bright (approx. 110 lumens on AA's), and zoom from flood to throw. $8.99 seems to be the going rate for these.


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## mccririck (Mar 5, 2012)

Lots of people own them, I have two and they are great.


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## saypat (Mar 6, 2012)

I have many of these, and have gifted many more. Very nice light, run it on a 14500. For less than $8 can't be beat in my opinion. All over E-Bay.


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## vickers214 (Mar 6, 2012)

Had a couple, great for what they are, not a long term light as the switch is a bit naff, but for the price you can't beat em


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## Blitzwing (Mar 6, 2012)

I have one and have been quite pleased - the SK68 model sold by Dealextreme. I just ordered six more for workmates.


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## mccririck (Mar 6, 2012)

vickers214 said:


> Had a couple, great for what they are, not a long term light as the switch is a bit naff, but for the price you can't beat em



Nothing wrong with the switch, I've been using mine at work for a year and it's still going.


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## Danielight (Mar 6, 2012)

This SiPiK model also has a flood-to-throw beam focus feature. Does that work OK?


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## SuLyMaN (Mar 6, 2012)

Danielight said:


> This SiPiK model also has a flood-to-throw beam focus feature. Does that work OK?



I had one and gifted it to a relative. The flood has a pretty nice beam and the throw if not zoomed max is pretty nice too.


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## Ualnosaj (Mar 6, 2012)

There was a recent discussion on this if you search SK68. Overall a budget light, you get what you pay for. Both the zoom and flood are impressive (again for the price), if ugly.


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## Chicken Drumstick (Mar 6, 2012)

I got a couple, paid around £4.90 including shipping each for mine.

Klarus NT20 on the left and SK68 on the right flood/zoom










flood/zoom comarison
















This picture doesn't show it up so well, but it was 189 feet to the wooden trailer. In person it was lighting it up fairly well, although in the picture less so.


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## jondotcom (Mar 6, 2012)

never heard of it HAHAHAAHA


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## mccririck (Mar 6, 2012)

jondotcom said:


> never heard of it HAHAHAAHA



Well you have now.


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## gcbryan (Mar 7, 2012)

The Smallsun ZY-C10-S is also a nice light in this same vein. It's much larger and throws much further. It's better looking and well made (IMO for this type of light) and is only $14. It uses a single 18650. The beam is one of the less ringy ones of those using aspherics.

I've had both the SK68 and the above light and they are both interesting in their own right and are good value in both cases IMO.


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## Tegan's Dad (Mar 7, 2012)

I've got one at home and one more on the way from DX. Beam quality is comparable with a 3xAAA zoom light I picked up for $10 from amazon. I picked it up because I liked the thought of going to a single AA instead of the 3xAAA in an adapter. It is a little ugly, and the fins a little sharp so I don't think I would carry it around with me every day, but it's a good glove-box/drawer or dog-walking light. I picked up the second so I could have one in each car (mine and the Mrs.).

I haven't owned it long enough to talk about durability. So far about a month with no issues.


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## Mike89 (Mar 7, 2012)

This is a good light. Under $10 makes it an outstanding value. It can complete with lights much more expensive and hold it's own. One guy here said the light was ugly. I don't think it's ugly at all, I think it looks quite cool. The Sipik website shows this light as having 3 modes but I have never seen one or heard of anyone having one with 3 modes. I have two and every other one I've heard of only has 1 mode. You always hear talk of people saying they have clones of this light. I don't believe there are clones. I think Sipik (Ninghai Suofulan Electric Appliance Co., Ltd.) makes this light for whoever wants one and will put any name (or no name) on it as ordered. This light kicks butt in the output department. Bright with AA eneloops and holy crap bright with a 14500. Zoom is quite useful, full flood to full throw. When at full throw the "spot" is not round but in the square shape of the LED.

http://www.sipik.com/html_products/-56.html


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## Danielight (Mar 8, 2012)

Still available from for $8.99. Free shipping from China, so may take a few weeks to arrive. I may be talking myself into ordering one!


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## Newuser01 (Mar 8, 2012)

there are less on ebay... look around for less than 7 shipped.


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## Mike89 (Mar 8, 2012)

You can search for this light on google and see tons of places that sell it. You're going to have to wait a couple of weeks (or more) to receive it though as all the resellers are in China or Hong Kong. I'm not aware of any US distributors. Don't really know why. I think if a US retailer had these lights, they would sell like hotcakes here (US). I'm not aware of any better deal on a flashlight than this one. Anyone who doesn't have one would be quite stoked after they had it in their hands and used it, it's that good. I've probably been as much if not more impressed with this light than all my other lights (price has a lot to do with it along with how it performs) and that's saying something. I am still quite tripped out on what I paid for this light every time I use it.


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## mccririck (Mar 8, 2012)

Mike89 said:


> You can search for this light on google and see tons of places that sell it. You're going to have to wait a couple of weeks (or more) to receive it though as all the resellers are in China or Hong Kong. I'm not aware of any US distributors. Don't really know why. I think if a US retailer had these lights, they would sell like hotcakes here (US). I'm not aware of any better deal on a flashlight than this one. Anyone who doesn't have one would be quite stoked after they had it in their hands and used it, it's that good. I've probably been as much if not more impressed with this light than all my other lights (price has a lot to do with it along with how it performs) and that's saying something. I am still quite tripped out on what I paid for this light every time I use it.



I'll tell you why there's no US distributor - the price would double and everyone would still buy it from China.


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## forte (Mar 8, 2012)

For $7-9, it's a no brainer that runs on AA. If it breaks, just get a new one. Rechargables almost cost more than the lights. They are great for edc. I bought 6 for family and probably will load up on more for gifts. They are bright even shining across the street at sunset. Of course it's always nice to have a high end light as your main source.


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## JerryM (Mar 8, 2012)

Just for fun I ran one of these on an eneloop until exhausted. It took 1.5 hours approx. 
Jerry


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## Jroddz (Mar 9, 2012)

mccririck said:


> I'll tell you why there's no US distributor - the price would double and everyone would still buy it from China.



There are several ebay sellers with this light. I bought mine from a seller in NYC, received it in 3 days.


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## Danielight (Mar 9, 2012)

Jroddz said:


> There are several ebay sellers with this light. I bought mine from a seller in NYC, received it in 3 days.


I Googled this light, looking for e-Bay sellers who had it for less than Meritline.com's price of $8.99 (free shipping). So far I haven't found any US merchants. If you have any specific sellers, I'm interested. Otherwise, I may just order one from Meritline.


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## mccririck (Mar 9, 2012)

Danielight said:


> I Googled this light, looking for e-Bay sellers who had it for less than Meritline.com's price of $8.99 (free shipping). So far I haven't found any US merchants. If you have any specific sellers, I'm interested. Otherwise, I may just order one from Meritline.



I found one for $7.99 when I searched "cree focusable" on ebay. It's from china. Has "7watt" in the title.


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## vēer (Mar 11, 2012)

I got 4 of them, bought off Ebay with best offer price, 6$ per light.
Do your search and youll get yours for cheap, its not that hard to find them, look for "7w 300lm cree", plenty of them around 6$ with free shipping to USA.
For that money cant beat its throw, lasts around hours before getting noticeably dimmer than fully charger, tested on 2000mAh Eneloops.
And I do love its design, sci-fi'ish!
And it feels well built, not waterproof tho!


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## shelm (Mar 11, 2012)

vēer;3896856 said:


> look for "*7w 300lm cree*", plenty of them around 6$ with free shipping t


wow thanks!!

what a great way to find all those sub 6$ sipik clones with a single search 
does the seller matter or is it lottery anyway (even with the same ebay seller) whether you receive a really nice production sample or a lousy copy with cheapish quality? i mean, are there big differences in built quality among the sipik clones* within the same seller*?


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## Jayman (Mar 11, 2012)

I just received 2 of them from DX. It took about a month to get, but it was definitely worth the wait. I purchased this light based on all the positive reviews I'd read, and I also wanted a cheapie light to give away to friends and family. After seeing this light in person I'll be keeping one for myself as well I figured for a Q3 led it wouldn't be able to keep up with the more current lights using the latest in led technology; such as my Sunwayman V10a and other xm-l based lights. I was wrong...this light does not embarrass itself at all. I've been using it with a 14500, and that is the key to making this a pocket rocket, as others before have already stated. The zoom feature is very handy, especially outside as it can throw a pencil beam hundreds of feet(very entertaining). Design wise I like the looks of it, kind of reminds me of my Shadow JM07 pro. Here are a few pictures of the light and a video I took inside to show how bright it is and the zoom feature.


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## Danielight (Mar 11, 2012)

Nice pictures, Jayman. Just curious, if you don't mind telling, how much did you pay for these at DX? Does it start to get hot when running on a 14500?


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## Jayman (Mar 11, 2012)

I paid $9.11 Canadian from the site. I guess I could have found them for less somewhere else, but I've dealt with this site before and I knew what to expect. I also wanted to have a Sipik branded light as opposed to a clone, no real reason just something I wanted. The light does warm up faster with a 14500 then an eneloop, but I can still hand hold it no problem.


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## hank (Mar 11, 2012)

search "which sipik" for the thread that seems to have the most varied info in it. 
You can buy them for $5.50 if you can be patient
(Pick one of the lesser-attended seller names, look at what else they have, watch the patterns)

Pity we can't collaborate and not bid one another up (grin) but do "dibs" and take turns buying individual lights.
But that wouldn't be fair to the sellers.

I hope some smart seller recognizes this as the ideal light to offer deep discounts for buying 5 or 10 at a time.
Problem is I doubt any sellers can be sure they could put together a bag of five or ten identical lights, as they can vary so much.

Where are the modders? These ought to be moddable.


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## Mike89 (Mar 11, 2012)

> Does it start to get hot when running on a 14500?



What single AA light doesn't get hot running a 14500? I have a cheap Duramax with a 14500 in it and it gets way hotter than the SK68 I have. The SK68 sheds heat pretty well IMO but I don't have it on for a half hour at a time either.


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## mccririck (Mar 12, 2012)

The SK68 has a thick metal body with fins so it will dissipate heat better than most single AA lights.


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## Danielight (May 10, 2012)

Well, I ended up ordering a three-pack (one red, one blue, one green) from Meritline for about $22. They took about three weeks to arrive from China, and arrived thru the mail today. I popped an Energizer Ultimate Lithium in each one and tried them out. Admittedly, the beam is a little ringy, and when zoomed out to max, the hotspot is square rather than round, but still fairly bright. Just for the heck of it, I tried one with a 14500, and it was even brighter; don't think I would run one on a 14500 all the time. All-in-all, a pretty cool light for $7.


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## DP Hunter (May 20, 2012)

there is a 400lm 3Way version of this light now - and it handles the 3.7v lithium rechargeable battery well - you can't beat it even at twice the price


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## nykon1969 (May 23, 2012)

DP Hunter said:


> there is a 400lm 3Way version of this light now - and it handles the 3.7v lithium rechargeable battery well - you can't beat it even at twice the price



Where did you find that one?


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## jamesmyname (Oct 2, 2012)

I liked mine (single mode branded Sipik) so much I got a 3-mode unbranded version from Amazon. It seemed identical to the SK68 in terms of build; however, there was one deal breaker for me... The mode selection had no memory so every time you turn it on it advances to the next mode! This was incredibly frustrating to use. I loved the low mode (14500s don't last very long in the single mode version) and didn't care for the strobe. The high mode seemed identical to the single-mode version. I ended up giving it away to a friend.

Also, in my experience 14500s made the light a little hot, but I don't think it's anything to worry about. All in all, a fantastic light for the price.


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## KirthGersen (Oct 3, 2012)

jamesmyname said:


> I liked mine (single mode branded Sipik) so much I got a 3-mode unbranded version from Amazon. It seemed identical to the SK68 in terms of build; however, there was one deal breaker for me... The mode selection had no memory so every time you turn it on it advances to the next mode! This was incredibly frustrating to use. I loved the low mode (14500s don't last very long in the single mode version) and didn't care for the strobe. The high mode seemed identical to the single-mode version.


I've bought seven of "[email protected] 300lm Mini Cree Led Flashlight Torch Adjustable Focus Zoom Light Lamp" on Amazon, which are three-mode lights. I agree, didn't care for the strobe. On mine, after a while the first mode defaults to high (i.e. there is no lasting mode memory and high always comes up first).


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## Brian10962001 (Oct 3, 2012)

Sipik SK 68 is right at the top of my must buy budget light list. Followed closely by a Solarforce L2P


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## Korgath (Oct 4, 2012)

Its definetely a set and forget flashlight for a car booth with an energizer lithium  (Not in the flashlight tho!)


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## jamesmyname (Oct 4, 2012)

KirthGersen said:


> I've bought seven of "[email protected] 300lm Mini Cree Led Flashlight Torch Adjustable Focus Zoom Light Lamp" on Amazon, which are three-mode lights. I agree, didn't care for the strobe. On mine, after a while the first mode defaults to high (i.e. there is no lasting mode memory and high always comes up first).



Hmm, maybe I got a lemon. Mine always came on in the next mode in the sequence, regardless of how long you wait. I thought it was very odd that it did that because it seems like it would be a blatantly, obviously stupid feature. Now I'm tempted to get another and try my luck again...


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## KirthGersen (Oct 9, 2012)

jamesmyname said:


> Hmm, maybe I got a lemon. Mine always came on in the next mode in the sequence, regardless of how long you wait. I thought it was very odd that it did that because it seems like it would be a blatantly, obviously stupid feature. Now I'm tempted to get another and try my luck again...


Interestingly enough, I noticed this weekend that if on in medium/"low" for a while and I soft-press the switch, mine will start again on high. This is actually nice because it side-steps the near-useless strobe mode.

Honestly, if they simply replaced the strobe with a decent low mode, they'd solve the main drawback of this light, short runtime, and probably sell twice as many. And if they could find some cost-effective way of making it modestly waterproof, they would sell zillions of them at twice the price IMHO. I imagine that the zoom mechanism would be the sticking point on engineering in waterproofing at a low cost. I'd be fine with a non-zoomable waterproof version with a balance between throw and flood for a couple of bucks more, though, especially if it had three useful modes and a long-lasting low of 3-10 lumens.


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## mccririck (Oct 10, 2012)

A low of 10 lumens would be good. I cannot stand strobe modes.


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## El Camino (Oct 10, 2012)

I bought one of the clones a while back. It's supposedly 300 lumens (yeah, right) and has High, low, and strobe modes. It's a pretty good light. When focused it throws well, but the spot is shaped like the emitter. The machining could be a bit better, and I'm sure it's not waterproof, but the price is hard to beat.


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