# A few Ebay budget lights I bought lately



## Lynx_Arc (Jul 19, 2016)

I've had been given some ebay funds awhile back and also have gotten into salvaging laptop battery packs and with all that have gotten into usb powered LED power banks and such on the cheap. With all the free 18650 batteries I first bought one cheap 1AA battery zoomable "3 mode" LED light then a 2AA penlight and then 2 18650 lights and finally last light I got was another 1AA LED light. I have another LED light on order that is a month already in shipping (unusually slow) now that I may add to this thread. I don't have a phone camera just going to give descriptions. My short reviews of this lights their "pros and cons" hopefully will give you an idea if one of them is worth investing in for your needs or not. 

First off the 2 18650 lights I have:
1) A 5 mode "cree" rear clicky switch metal light. I think similar lights are listed as "Vander" but this one is listed as "Cree XML T6 5 mode) and has a flat spot on opposite sides and is aluminum colored. 

Very cheap about $2.50, decent construction and fit and light with battery in it
Has "glo ring" in the front between lens and reflector that stays lit for a few minutes after using the light.
Plenty of throw and 3 modes are spaced pretty well at 100% 50% 25% then flash and SOS. No mode memory.
The beam is a "ball" not pure but a splotchy sort of round circle that only is distracting a little on a wall and it has sort of a corona around the middle with an unnoticeable slight second halo and good spill. Reflector is smooth.
The outside of the light is round with opposing flat spots in the middle 1/3 and several spots of grippable areas along it so even though it feel mostly smooth it is you won't easily drop it. The switch is a green covered reverse clicky that feels 'strong" and works with no problems.
It has a spring on the light engine end inside and a metal cup springed "piston" in the tailcap end for the battery you should be able to use any typoe of 18650 battery in it I'm using flat tops.
I measured the current draw a month ago and if my memory serves me it is about 0.74A/0.37A/0.18A. 
I figure using a ~2000mah 18650 you should get about 2.5/5/10 hours runtime.
The LED in it I'm almost sure is a clone of some sort but tint is decent perhaps a little greenish but hard to notice unless comparing to another light.

Overall this light is a bargain budget light one that if you have some mediocre 18650s around you can toss one in and throw this in a drawer or place it in a strategic location for later use like a toolbox or shelf near an exit. The metal in this light may not be aluminum but doesn't seem to get very hot at all and is thin you can feel it flexing slightly when you squeeze it hard I would say this light may not hold up under heavy beating too well but at the price you can buy 3 of them for under $10 and toss the broken one.

2)Supfire A5 18650 LED light listed as A5sup and is about $5 I think only one dealer sells this one it has 5 modes, a digital lit switch, and a micro usb charge port on the opposite side of the side digitial switch.

This light has the typical 5 modes 100% 50% 25% Strobe SOS. side digital switch that works well and ability to plug a micro usb cable into it to recharge it without removing the battery. It has a deep orange peel reflector about twice as deep as the previous light. 
I like this light it throws like crazy almost a laser beam with its deep reflector at a distance it is equal in output to the previous light but dimmer overall with current draw at 0.35A/0.17A/0.8A with only an 18uA draw when off so the battery will probably self discharge more than the vampiric current affects it. 
I like the switch but it has some rather annoying problems with it in that you can't easily find it when you pick it up it has no bumps and fits too flush with the metal around it. The LED indicator is suppose to glow (brightly) green when power level is good and red when low and also red when charging and green when full but doesn't work very well I think it is set at too high of a voltage as often in use the led turns red when the battery measures over 4v when you take it out and if you turn if off and back on sometimes it goes and stays green and bumping the light sometimes "helps" out this problem (like the battery bouncing helps contact) The charging port has an annoying rubber cover that has the end that stands off you can feel and often you peel it open. It is on the opposite side of the rubber digital switch so I sometimes feel for the cover to find the switch on the other side. There is no tail clicky. The light has a larger reflector end and a larger tail cap end with step down in side to switch and then body tube. The light feels very solid good finish.

I like this light but it does need a little improvement but I'm thinking if they did improve it the price would go from $5 to $20 quickly as I don't think there is any other light with the "features" of this in the price range. 

AA lights- 

1AA zoomable light I have 1 that is typical ~$2.50 with a Cree looking emitter in it. It has a clip and a sliding sleeve with vertical (standing on end looking at it) cuts on the slider, horizontal "fins" below it and a sculpted round body section with 3 small flats and a black clip that slides on the tube end on the outside held in by the tailcap. I like this little light I got the silver one (natural finish) and it works well with only a few problems.
The light has 3 modes low/high/strobe. I measured current draw at 0.65A/0.20A at the tailcap. 
The light modes are useful and it is bright enough but high mode is close to that of low mode on the 18650 variety perhaps half way between as it is hard to compare a zoom light to reflectored one there is no spill to speak of. The zoom works very well but you do need to put a little grease on the O-ring to make it slide easier not too much or it slides too easy and if you set it face down it will "zoom" by itself making it lose the focus you last had it at. The switch works well feels less stiff than the 18650s by a lot it may be flimsier but so far I've had no issues with it and use the light several times a week. This light zooms in to see the LED "elements" in the beam (squarish design) and out to make a "ball of light" that measures about 3' diameter at 4' distance. 

Now here is the issues I have with the light changing the battery take a little effort as the clip and threads sometimes has you not being able to screw it back together easily sometimes it goes back together with no problem other times you have to align things and screw backwards a little then forwards but once you get the threads lined it does go together well. The light pattern on the wall has a halo that I've found comes from reflections off the locking ring and side walls behind the lens I used a large tip black marker to neutralize most of the reflections and the "ball" on the wall looks fine now. The most annoying things about the light I got was the "next mode" memory of the light. This is when you start in High mode turn it off and the light is in low mode when you turn it on and after that strobe so you never start in High or the last mode but always the next mode. I found out the fix for this and it isn't easy to do but can be done with no soldering. You have to take off the lens, unscrew the locking ring (around the LED) and take off the tube and remove the LED to get to the circuit board. You then take a pencil and rub over the capacitors on it to bridge across them with graphite till you find the right one. This will drain the current off the capacitor that holds memory and if you get too much you may have issues not enough it will still have memory. I got mine to where it had memory still but if you leave if off for about 5-10 seconds then it reverts to high mode now. 

With the exception of the annoying memory issue I like these zoom lights. I'm not sure of it is a problem with all of these lights or all of this specific model at all so YMMV.

Last light is a 1AA cheap LED light Skywolfeye TLY320 (not listed like this on ebay)... single mode On/Off with plastic optics (typical design) and rear clicky. These lights come in several colors I believe blue/black/red/green. It has silver cut in "rings" near both ends one near the light output the other cut in the tailcap they accent the solid metallic color and look sort of elegant similar to the same in power bank that are round. The current at the tailcap measures about 0.45A has some spill and a two level fading "beam" color is more bluish but close enough to white to not be annoying. The beam is useful and nice and bright enough for short distances as for throwing the beam gets larger a lot quicker than reflectored or zooming lights for distances under 12ft the light does great at 100 ft it better be pretty dark to be useful. I really like this light and the best part of it all is that I paid less than $1.50 for it including shipping I ordered a second one (I have the blue and have the green color coming) I plan on buying more of these cheap lights and putting in cheap AA batteries (generic alkalines) and giving them away probably cost me $2 total or less. The only issues is the light is very smooth and the switch feels/sounds very cheap so the light may not work forever but you can buy 7 or 8 of them for around $10 and throw them away when they go bad. 

Last light(s) are the same design but 2AA and 2AAA versions of penlight with cut silver striped on the tube and the light engine is smaller than the body. These lights work well the 2AA is pretty bright as it takes a whopping 1.35A off 2 nimh AAs and the 2AAA output is pathetic only drawing 0.09A (90ma) these lights are hyped in the 1000+ lumen range with output of the 2AA perhaps 300 lumens or so and the 2AAA maybe 15 lumens or so. I like the 2AA I got the red one for around $1 I think they run around that up to $2 online mine is black with silver ends. These lights are one mode.

This ends my cheap light reviews if you have questions go ahead and ask I'll try and answer them. I bought these lights from probably a different dealer for each light almost all of them are available from multiple vendors but he supfire one.


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## Fireclaw18 (Jul 19, 2016)

I really like budget zoomies.

The tiny little CREE zoomies with the vertical slats on the head and fluted body are really nice. Super-small for a zoomie. Basically an SK68 in half the size.

I wish the 18650 version of it was more common though. The 18650 version of it is 107 mm long ... the smallest 18650 zoomie ever made. Unfortunately, it's also very rare. I've only ever seen it on Ebay from 1 seller, and the last one I saw for sale was about a year ago.


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## Lynx_Arc (Jul 19, 2016)

Fireclaw18 said:


> I really like budget zoomies.
> 
> The tiny little CREE zoomies with the vertical slats on the head and fluted body are really nice. Super-small for a zoomie. Basically an SK68 in half the size.
> 
> I wish the 18650 version of it was more common though. The 18650 version of it is 107 mm long ... the smallest 18650 zoomie ever made. Unfortunately, it's also very rare. I've only ever seen it on Ebay from 1 seller, and the last one I saw for sale was about a year ago.



I have an 18650 zoomie on the way should be here any day (but not today, got the mail already) I paid about $4 for it. If I had $25 or more in my budget for a light I would probably stray away from these cheap chinese lights just on principle but I am surprised that for the most part they are a bargain if you don't expect more than your money's worth based upon comparing them to store based light options as the cheap store lights I put often in throwaway (disposable) status when I buy them I don't expect them to last for years and years (5-10).


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## Fireclaw18 (Jul 20, 2016)

I like to buy the cheap lights and then mod them. 

For instance, my current EDC is a Sipik 58 clone. The Sipik 58 is a budget zoomie very similar to the Sipik 68. Main differences are external styling. The 58 is thinner, sleeker and fully knurled. Until the Cree #3 zoomies came out, it was the smallest AA zoomie commonly available.

I made the following modifications to mine:



*Optic upgrade*. Replaced aspheric lens with LED Lenser style optic. Aspheric lenses found in cheap zoomies can lose 50% of their lumens when cycled to spot mode. This is because the light comes out of the emitter in a wide cone, and in spot mode much of that light hits the sides of the bezel instead of the lens. LED Lenser optics are superior in that they wrap around the LED and surround it in all modes. There is no loss of lumens in spot mode. This was a complex mod since I had to mount the LED on a pillar so it could extend into the pocket in the optic.
*LED upgrade*. Upgraded LED to XPL HI 5000K 3D tint neutral white.
*Heatsink added*. Added copper heatsink behind star
Added screws to hold in star and thermal grease under star.
*Driver upgrade*. Replaced single mode boost driver with 15mm FET driver with moppydrv e-switch firmware.
*New tailcap e-switch internals*. Built from scratch new tailcap internals to accommodate electronic switch.
*Bored out battery tube* to accomdate conductive sleeve needed for e-switch connection.
Replaced battery with Efest purple IMR 14500.

With all mods complete, the light looks almost the same as stock on the outside. However, inside, it's basically a whole different light. Output and user interface are both enormously improved and it now outperforms many premium lights.

The modded light is enormously brighter than any comparable LED Lenser such as the P5 or M1R, and is brighter than many premium reflector lights. Biggest downside is the battery-life: FET driver and tiny 14500 cell results in short runtimes at max power. My attempts so far to fit in a larger capacity 16500 together with the e-switch sleeves failed... just not enough room in the tube. I might try boring the interior wider but I'm worried about cutting through the tube at the o-ring slot in the head..


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## Lynx_Arc (Jul 20, 2016)

Fireclaw18 said:


> I like to buy the cheap lights and then mod them.
> 
> For instance, my current EDC is a Sipik 58 clone. The Sipik 58 is a budget zoomie very similar to the Sipik 68. Main differences are external styling. The 58 is thinner, sleeker and fully knurled. Until the Cree #3 zoomies came out, it was the smallest AA zoomie commonly available.
> 
> ...



sounds like a lot of work on a cheap light but probably fun to do at that.


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## Fireclaw18 (Jul 22, 2016)

Lynx_Arc said:


> sounds like a lot of work on a cheap light but probably fun to do at that.



Yup. Quite a lot of work - but fun too! I have a couple build threads with pictures of this light on BLF (do a search on BLF for "Sipik 58").

Modding flashlights is one of my hobbies. Since it's a hobby, it's more about the journey than the destination. As such, I don't consider spending 15 or 20 hours modding a $10 light a waste of time. I like to have fun with my mods and see how far I can push them. Sometimes I make structural changes to internal and external portions of the light that very few modders would ever attempt. It's fun to spend the time, solve the inevitable problems and end up with a light that's truly unique that nobody else has.

The time and effort to hand-make custom components and modifications like these usually goes well beyond anything you could buy from a professional modder. It's not cost-effective for Vinh or Richard to spend 15 or 20 hours on one light.


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## Lynx_Arc (Jul 22, 2016)

Fireclaw18 said:


> Yup. Quite a lot of work - but fun too! I have a couple build threads with pictures of this light on BLF (do a search on BLF for "Sipik 58").
> 
> Modding flashlights is one of my hobbies. Since it's a hobby, it's more about the journey than the destination. As such, I don't consider spending 15 or 20 hours modding a $10 light a waste of time. I like to have fun with my mods and see how far I can push them. Sometimes I make structural changes to internal and external portions of the light that very few modders would ever attempt. It's fun to spend the time, solve the inevitable problems and end up with a light that's truly unique that nobody else has.
> 
> The time and effort to hand-make custom components and modifications like these usually goes well beyond anything you could buy from a professional modder. It's not cost-effective for Vinh or Richard to spend 15 or 20 hours on one light.


I've spent a lot of time modding this and that myself but mainly because of lack of funds or no products available at a reasonable cost to satisfy me. These days the choices are a lot more than they were 10 years ago so modding is needed a lot less you can buy something that "will do" for pretty cheap half the time.


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## bykfixer (Jul 23, 2016)

Fireclaw18 said:


> Yup. Quite a lot of work - but fun too! I have a couple build threads with pictures of this light on BLF (do a search on BLF for "Sipik 58").
> 
> Modding flashlights is one of my hobbies. Since it's a hobby, it's more about the journey than the destination. As such, I don't consider spending 15 or 20 hours modding a $10 light a waste of time. I like to have fun with my mods and see how far I can push them. Sometimes I make structural changes to internal and external portions of the light that very few modders would ever attempt. It's fun to spend the time, solve the inevitable problems and end up with a light that's truly unique that nobody else has.
> 
> The time and effort to hand-make custom components and modifications like these usually goes well beyond anything you could buy from a professional modder. It's not cost-effective for Vinh or Richard to spend 15 or 20 hours on one light.



Sure is fun to take something like that and diy it into something custom. 
There is a reward involved that cannot be understood by folks who hire custom builders or from off the shelf. 

Is it blazing a new trail? Eh, probably not. But when you activate the circuit and see that electric candle go, there is a warm feeling only understood by the diy-er. 

When I first arrived here fireclaw I saw your Coast HP1 mods and thought "man that is pretty cool". 
Bravo.


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## Lynx_Arc (Aug 27, 2016)

I just picked up an 18650 3 mode zoom light for $2.31 and it suffered from the "next mode memory" issue, that is regardless of how long you wait it will never come in in any but the next mode. I managed to take it apart rather easily unscrewing the lens assembly and sliding back the zoom sleeve and unscrewing the pill. I pried the board out and put an 18650 in a cheap plastic 1 cell power bank so I could have something to clip test leads on and I proceeded to use the pencil trick on the capacitor and it didn't work the first time I didn't get enough pencil lead on it but finally it works good now. It is a decent light for the price It looks like it has a generic cree XPE type LED in it (I can't tell if it is a real cree or not). The brand is a Skywolfeye TLY-8801. I got the gold colored one as it was cheapest and wanted a different color than silver or black so I don't have to think to grab it.

I don't have any more cheap LED flashlights in mind to get now. I do reiterate that I like the 1AA Skywolfeye optical lights that come in 4 colors for about 1.50 each although I dropped my blue one and it quit working and I had to press the plastic optic to shove the pill back in so it would make contact it works good now but be warned these 1.50 lights aren't bombproof so buy extras if you have people that treat them rough.


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## bykfixer (Aug 31, 2016)

I like this thread. Praise for the cheapies instead of another one of those "everything I hate about those junky eBay lights.

Reading how folks enjoy the stoke of the battery operated candle, regardless of cost or stature is what it's all about. 

Good thread Lynx.


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## Lynx_Arc (Sep 1, 2016)

bykfixer said:


> I like this thread. Praise for the cheapies instead of another one of those "everything I hate about those junky eBay lights.
> 
> Reading how folks enjoy the stoke of the battery operated candle, regardless of cost or stature is what it's all about.
> 
> Good thread Lynx.


Thanks for the kudos, I hope to find more cheapies to add to my collection. I will add one light (in the next post) that I forgot about.


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## Lynx_Arc (Sep 1, 2016)

I'm adding a light I bought before those I've talked about. It is a 2AA penlight I got for about $1.99 and it is black with chrome ends (clicky switch and light engine) and has a black metal tube with "engraved" lines cut into it in opposing screw-like patterns that look sort of elegant I suppose. The head of the light is tapered such that the LED output area is about 3/5 as wide as the diameter of the light. It was listed as something like 1200 lumens on ebay (or some outrageous nonsense) and probably comes in at 200-300 lumens off fresh nimh batteries. It draws about an amp if I remember correctly and the clicky switch is pretty solid it is one mode only (no versions with more than 1 mode) and bright enough for a lot of tasks with no regulation. The beam is that of a reflectored light and tint is decent with the middle of the beam sort of hollow that is because of the small reflector I assume..
The threads on the tailcap are very smooth working and solid and the light doesn't feel like a tin tube but solid and with batteries in it has a solid weight to it (not light). For a penlight it is well worth the $2 I spent. It reminds me a LOT of the Eveready (or Energizer?) 2AA incan penlights I had when I was a kid that were silver with a #222 bulb and a black plastic clicky with a red button in it but this is IMO a LOT better light as the clicky "feels" more solid and the output is very useful but I expect where the two meet in similarity is runtime as far as "normal" output as the high current of this light has batteries dropping after a few hours like the incan it ran for about 2 hours before it started dimming noticeably.

They make a 2AAA version similar to this light I got one for 99 cents and IMO it is no bargain as it is about as dim as a 5mm LED penlight even though it feels solid the clicky feels cheap and the LED/driver doesn't have any power to it I think I measured it draws about 90ma and with a boost circuit that means probably about 50ma to whatever LED it has a less than most efficient generic LED I estimate it puts out about 35-50 lumens of rather unimpressive quality of light. IMO the 1AA zoomie on low puts out more and better light than this one did for me. 


I will also add in I bought a 2AA LED light that is metal "colored" with knurling and grooves cut into it (a red one) it has a reflector and clicky switch and was listed at 1000 or so lumens if I remember correctly and I got a refund on it because it also was way underpowered drawing about 30ma from 2AA batteries and putting out about 15-30 lumens of mediocre quality light. The output to me suggested the driver was bad and actually impeding direct drive current (limiting it). I have it by my bed in an emergency it should run for days even a week at that low output level.

To close this up, IMO 2AA lights that don't exceed the output of an average 1AA light either need to be CHEAPER than them and still be useable or... they are worthless as runtime on most of these cheapies is already pretty decent even on the 1AA models so having an extra battery in a light to only extend runtime is IMO... unneeded.


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## Lynx_Arc (Sep 2, 2016)

Another pair of lights (same model) I got that I have come to like are 3AAA magnetic base COB/LED lights. These are "penlights" in that they are long and skinny with a pocket type plastic clip built in to them. They have two modes in this order:
Optic LED light ON / COB LED light ON / OFF and back to start.
The Optic LED light is decent not as bright as the 1AA light in the OP but still decent enough and useful perhaps 40-50 lumens or so.
the COB LED is a GEM as it is perhaps 200 lumens lighting up about a 180 degree swath with a yellowish tint to it that is not hard on the eyes. The lights have a strong enough magnet in the base opposite end of the optic LED light to hold the light horizontal to a metal surface well. I have both a red and a blue one of these lights (also comes in black). Current draw is about 200ma for the COB light and I think about the same for the Optic LED. The switch is on the side just below the COB array.
These lights I got on ebay for under $3 each. If I had a bunch of cheap lithium AAAs (L92s) I would buy 2 or 3 more of these and toss them in tool and glove boxes. 
A lot of people have been googly eyed about Nebo COB lights, I've seen them and they are nice and there are a lot of cheap 3AAA "inspection" lights like this of various varieties with many having only flood output, some using 5mm LEDs, some using several SMD LEDs and IMO this combination and price I think is the best value and performance for the size (3AAA). 
Personally I wish they made a 2AA COB/LED light instead of a 3AA or 4AAA COB "Nebo" type light that are either lousy battery choice or too long.


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## Lynx_Arc (Oct 19, 2016)

I picked up another Ebay light today. This light is a combination light with LED emitter zoom and a COB LED accessible by sliding the handle open. I paid under $10 for the light it takes 1x18650 and I have mixed emotions about it. The beam part is nothing to brag about but the COB is pretty decent. It has 4 modes: Beam(High), Beam(Low), Beam(Strobe), and COB(On). I measured the output using a recently charged 18650 battery and got about 550m/170ma/560ma (Strobe current draw omitted). The light has a dial type zoom you "click" it by turning it right or left to zoom in/out. The end cap screws off to expose another battery cap to access the battery compartment. The end cap itself has a pretty strong magnet such that on decent steel with a fair amount of iron on it you can actually open the COB part (extend the light) and it will hold there but on thinner metal with less iron you may not be able to extend and use the COB part. I have the light stuck to the side of my computer tower case right now awaiting the darkness of night to try it out better. I bought the light primarily for the COB part AND 18650 use. I can see that on low mode (170ma) tailstanding or stuck on something it should run about 15-20 hours off the 3000mah battery I have in it and I should get 5-6 hours on the COB mode as a sort of lantern. 

This light I think is somewhat similar to the "Slyde" COB lights out there but instead of taking 3-4AAAs or 3AAs it takes 1x18650 battery. I wish the light had a higher high mode 800ma or so. Another thing is changing the battery is not as easy as I would have liked you have to unscrew two caps and the cap on the battery tube part requires more care to get it on right as the threads are fine and the tube is not totally round due to the addition of the COB LED one side is "flat". 

This light can be bought on ebay for $10 or so, if you are considering such make sure of the battery type as there is a cheaper 4AAA light that looks similar in the pictures and is $3-$4 or so cheaper.


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## Cekid (Oct 19, 2016)

*pics or it didn't happen *


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## Lynx_Arc (Oct 19, 2016)

Cekid said:


> *pics or it didn't happen *


no picture (yet) but here is the item on Ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/High-Qualit...334886?hash=item2815e9c9a6:g:VNoAAOSwhDdXDih4

NOTE: The Red trim/button is not accurate mine is orange and it throws a somewhat squarish beam till you turn it most of the way to flood. I just played with it in the dark and it is considerably brighter than a 3AAA cheap COB light and has a decent zoom light on it. The light is bigger than my other chinese lights with a larger head and body and has a little heft to it. For just a zoom light I wouldn't buy it as I have $3 zoomies that after I fixed the "next mode" memory on them are a lot smaller and lighter and brighter. For a COB light..... I recommend it a bargain for the price compared to the "Larry" lights which none can use 18650 batteries.


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## Lynx_Arc (Nov 14, 2016)

Here is another neat item I purchased on a whim.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/152128685241?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&var=451326289888&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

This is the cheapest price I found but it can be found for under $5 if this one sells out.

It looks like a bulb and comes with a 3AAA adapter and a clear plastic sleeve for using an 18650 battery. 
I haven't tried it with AAAs but I did put an 18650 in with no problems.
It has two sets of LEDS in it an opical beam LED and 6 or 7 other LEDs behind diffused plastic around it.
4 Modes: Flashlight beam/High Flood/Low Flood/Strobe Flood. The current draw is about 280ma for beam, 250ma High flood, and 70ma for low flood. Off a ~2000mah 18650 I estimate runtime of about 8 hours on high flood, 25-30 hour or more on Low flood. I also tested the standby current it is approx 0.1uA so it is a non issue. It has a folding plastic clip on the top and a small magnet that is barely strong enough to keep it positioned on some vertical metal surfaces (on some it will slide, I used sandpaper to rough up the magnet to help with sliding) It will hold it a horizontal surface well and tail stands for a sort of upright lantern.

I think it is a winner for a lower output general purpose area light, and the flashlight part is bright enough to be useful. As a flashlight the odd shape and side switch is actually not uncomfortable to use.
The light comes in green and orange trim and the switch cover is lit up when on to make it easier to turn off. 
Measurements are about 4.25 inches long by 2.5 inches in diameter one end and 1.25 in diameter on the battery/magnet end. 
As it uses either 3AAA or 1x18650 (flat top) battery. One note is the threads on the battery compartment are different from what you normally expect I actually like it as it screws on easier and faster and smoother than other thread designs. 

I plan on getting a few more of these for myself in a power outage as hanging lamps


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## Grijon (Nov 15, 2016)

Fun thread, Lynx_Arc!


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## Lynx_Arc (Nov 15, 2016)

Grijon said:


> Fun thread, Lynx_Arc!



Thanks 

I have a COB keychain light in the mail (if it arrives from China) that I will comment on when I get it. 

I would buy more but my budget has grown almost non existent now for more purchases.


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## Lynx_Arc (Nov 15, 2016)

Another light I got awhile back I forgot to add.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hanging-LED-Camping-Tent-Light-Bulb-Fishing-Lantern-Lamp-Outdoor-Accessories-/291866054917?hash=item43f4929105:g:z7YAAOSwIgNXsYpZ

I paid 99 cents but they typically run $2 and under there is 4 colors out there I have the red one.
The light is a 2 part design you unscrew the black tail hook section and remove and load the 3AAA adapter. The adapter is a 2-spring type design so adapting the light for an 18500 is not easily possible and 18650 use is out of the question.
The light has a black electronic click type switch on the side the sequence is High/Low/Slow Strobe. 
I estimate the output at about 10-15 lumens on low and 25-35 on high as it is hard to rate diffused light output.

I like this cheap light but probably won't be buying any more of them due to the 3AAA only design and the hook design limits its use somewhat without modding it. If this light could use an 18650 cell and be $2 or less it would be in contention with the other bulb type light I got for a bit over $3 that is over twice as much output. For someone going camping you could buy a few of these and put throwaway batteries in them and hang them all over the camp site to mark out an area.


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## Lynx_Arc (Dec 7, 2016)

I had another cut LED light from Ebay arrive today.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/291903261752?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&var=590900447582&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
I bought from this dealer but the light can now be had cheaper at other dealers.

The light came in the mail with the 2x2032 batteries installed but a plastic clear strip had to be removed from between the batteries before you could use it. The back has a small magnet and a typical battery lid that it easy to get to the batteries.
The magnet doesn't work too well as they embedded it too deep it has enough strength to hold it to metal surfaces but the back is too slippery on some surfaces to keep it in place vertically it holds fine upside down.

The light has a small COB LED with a push button clicky switch (I'm not sure if it is electronic or not but it works fine. 
There is 3 modes: High/Low/Flash. I estimate 15-25 lumens on high 4-10 lumens on low. It also has a connection point on the opposite end of the switch with a ring and comes with a caribiner of decent (but cheap) quality. I'm not sure of the runtime as I haven't tested it. The light output is pretty decent but is about 90-120 degrees angle an oval like flood. The construction is decent for the price but I wouldn't count on it holding up to a hard drop on concrete as the plastic feels a little loose and hard (maybe brittle). In a pinch you could use this as a necklace type light in the dark. I have the red model it comes in 4 cheery colors: Red, Blue, Lt Green, and Yellow all with black base/trim the switch is rubberlike plastic I think that the light is water resistant but no way is it waterproof you could do ok with a splash or rain on it but not dunking it. 

For less than $2 if you are ok with lithium coin cells it is a winner a good stocking stuffer (but probably too late to get it in time most likely). For people into projects the COB LED and batteries are probably worth the price alone and the free caribiner is decent too. I may buy a few more of these one day to pass around. BTW the 2 batteries are in series 

I just did an interesting test and conclude the switch is indeed electronic. I removed one battery and use a piece of metal to connect the back of the remaining battery to the side tab and it doesn't come on when connected you have to click and it comes on high mode. On one battery it isn't as bright as 1/2-2/3rd as bright but still works so I'm thinking this light will drain the 2 batteries down to nothing (less than 1.5v each).


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## Thorfire Flashlights (Dec 14, 2016)

How much will the stuff be titled "budget" ? How you define this word?


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## Lynx_Arc (Dec 14, 2016)

Thorfire Flashlights said:


> How much will the stuff be titled "budget" ? How you define this word?


I define it with the site "Ebay" in that most of the lights I've listed can be bought for $4 or less. Basically the cheapest that can do the job well with less emphasis on perfection and quality and more on price and value. Most of the lights I've mentioned are so cheap you can buy several of them and if you get a bad one you still come out ahead.


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## sealover1 (Dec 22, 2016)

Lynx_Arc said:


> I had another cut LED light from Ebay arrive today.
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/29190326175...49&var=590900447582&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
> I bought from this dealer but the light can now be had cheaper at other dealers.
> 
> ...



Not seen these lights before would be great for my boat cabin


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## Lynx_Arc (Dec 22, 2016)

sealover1 said:


> Not seen these lights before would be great for my boat cabin


They are pretty small for a boat cabin and I doubt they can maintain brightness for a long period of time.


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## TinderBox (UK) (Dec 23, 2016)

I would have loved to have seen a single photo of your ebay lights lined up.

John.


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## sealover1 (Dec 23, 2016)

Lynx_Arc said:


> They are pretty small for a boat cabin and I doubt they can maintain brightness for a long period of time.



I,m only talking about a really small cabin a few feet across, 4ft by 5ft


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## sealover1 (Dec 23, 2016)

Lynx_Arc said:


> They are pretty small for a boat cabin and I doubt they can maintain brightness for a long period of time.



I,m only talking about a really small cabin a few feet across, 4ft by 5ft and for short amounts of time


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## Lynx_Arc (Dec 23, 2016)

TinderBox (UK) said:


> I would have loved to have seen a single photo of your ebay lights lined up.
> 
> John.


I should do that, I just haven't got around to finding an image hosting site I don't have to sign up for an account and do the password thing.


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## TinderBox (UK) (Dec 23, 2016)

Lynx_Arc said:


> I should do that, I just haven't got around to finding an image hosting site I don't have to sign up for an account and do the password thing.




You have to sign up, but IMGUR has amazing funny and interesting story's, and you can upload your photo`s and then you can link them to any forum.

http://imgur.com/

John.

EDIT: My favourite light at the moment, the Ultratac K18 Stainless Steel version.


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## Lynx_Arc (Dec 23, 2016)

TinderBox (UK) said:


> You have to sign up, but IMGUR has amazing funny and interesting story's, and you can upload your photo`s and then you can link them to any forum.
> 
> http://imgur.com/
> 
> John.


Yes I've looked into imgur and other sites, and came up undecided for now (procrastinating). I'm entertaining adding pictures to everything in this thread and starting a cheap ebay usb lighting, power banks, and gadgets thread with pictures. One thing I need is a small tripod for my camera so I can take closeups of the leds and circuit boards on things as I'm often a little shaky.


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## Mr Baz (Dec 24, 2016)

Tried a few budget zoom LED lights they're not bad some of them for basic use. I don't find the zoom that useful being honest but they're OK for a quick/cheap option


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## Lynx_Arc (Dec 24, 2016)

Mr Baz said:


> Tried a few budget zoom LED lights they're not bad some of them for basic use. I don't find the zoom that useful being honest but they're OK for a quick/cheap option



I've had one zoom light before it is a magnetic clamp light with rotatable head and it is nice but heavy and clunky not a daily use and carry light more of a working on something light. I had mixed emotions about zoom lights till I got used to one and now I like them half the time for the utilitarian use of them I find the flood mode a lot nicer than lights with an intense spot that saturates your vision having you either to drop down a mode or two in output or use indirect (bounce) light to more evenly flood an area. The disadvantage of a zoom is lack of decent spill for navigating so you end up having to compromise with sacrificing some throw for flood making quick navigating some areas a little more of a task than a reflectored light. 
To put it simply a zoom is a slow moving light and a reflector is a quicker moving light.


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## Take_em (Jan 2, 2017)

Wow. I am new to the site and I have to say my mind is blown. I had no idea you could modify a light like some of you guys do. This is awesome. I can't wait to wrap my head around some of this so I can try my hand .


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## Lynx_Arc (Jan 3, 2017)

Take_em said:


> Wow. I am new to the site and I have to say my mind is blown. I had no idea you could modify a light like some of you guys do. This is awesome. I can't wait to wrap my head around some of this so I can try my hand .


My mind has been blown by some of the modders here also who design circuit boards for lights and take chunks of metal and turn them on a lathe making them into flashlight bodies there are a few in the forum that are IMO flashageniuses (is that a word?).


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## Lynx_Arc (Apr 12, 2017)

I just found out my 18650 COB/Zooming light has a built in charging port but I got no instructions on it at all nor did I get a charging adapter for it. The light is essentially the same design as the Ultrafire CB01 except mine is orange trim and the charging port cover is small orange and round on the opposite side of the power switch.


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## Lynx_Arc (Jun 24, 2017)

A new purchase for under $2. A COB keychain light that runs off 1AAA battery. It is somewhat similar to the 2x2032 keychain light but the COB LED is about 3-4 times as large I think they are about equally bright but since it is not dark enough to test nor I don't have new 2032s in my light and running a rayovac hybrid in the 1AAA the comparison is hard to make. The one issue with the 1AAA light is the vampiric current drain is about 1.25ma which means an 800mah AAA nimh would be drained in about a month sitting idly.... not a good thing IMO. But the good thing about it is the ease of changing the battery just slide the back off and "bump" the light to eject the battery. It also has no magnet on it and costs on average about 50 cents more. 
I think this could be a good light to keep in a bugout bag (with no battery in it) 
Oh, I forgot to mention I also measured the current draw using a nimh.... High is about 125ma and low is about 85ma so about 6 hours on high and 9 hours on low I estimate it should run at least probably more since it drops in current as batteries deplete.

Search for the phrase Portable Mini COB LED Flashlight Keychain Handy Light Lamp Carabiner Camping
on ebay. It comes in 4 colors but you can't specify a color. I was lucky and got a red one with a red carbiner.


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## ClimbToGlory (Aug 30, 2017)

Hey! New here! I was just thinking of picking up maybe one or 2 of those cheap little ebay china rip off lights, so when you're on a super tight budget is it a good idea or not? I was thinking that some of those "3w Swat rechargeable ten million lumens!" or whatever lumens lie they push lol. would it be worth spending money thats hard to come by right now on. I was thinking if all else fails I could use the bodies or the rechargeable bits and replace everything else. My budget sucks right now so 2-10 bucks is a god send and you never know, one of them might be worth a damn! I live in the deep country with an orchard behind me and its as dark as a my ex wives soul out there at night! Even darker when you're chasing a tresspasser or thief threw that orchard and every corner is a kill zone and you wanna have that sucker throwing as many lumens as possible as far as possible! hahah!


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## Lynx_Arc (Aug 31, 2017)

ClimbToGlory said:


> Hey! New here! I was just thinking of picking up maybe one or 2 of those cheap little ebay china rip off lights, so when you're on a super tight budget is it a good idea or not? I was thinking that some of those "3w Swat rechargeable ten million lumens!" or whatever lumens lie they push lol. would it be worth spending money thats hard to come by right now on. I was thinking if all else fails I could use the bodies or the rechargeable bits and replace everything else. My budget sucks right now so 2-10 bucks is a god send and you never know, one of them might be worth a damn! I live in the deep country with an orchard behind me and its as dark as a my ex wives soul out there at night! Even darker when you're chasing a tresspasser or thief threw that orchard and every corner is a kill zone and you wanna have that sucker throwing as many lumens as possible as far as possible! hahah!


I have one rechargeable light and for the cost it really isn't worth the trouble and the extra cost for the convenience I could buy an extra light for the difference in price. I would rather buy a decent cheap charger and a cheap light myself. My favorite lights for cheap is the 1x18650 zoom lights I have 2 of them and most often that is what I grab when I need a splash of light.


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## zorobabel (Sep 29, 2017)

Lynx_Arc said:


> ...
> Last light is a 1AA cheap LED light Skywolfeye TLY320 (not listed like this on ebay)... single mode On/Off with plastic optics (typical design) and rear clicky. These lights come in several colors I believe blue/black/red/green. It has silver cut in "rings" near both ends one near the light output the other cut in the tailcap they accent the solid metallic color and look sort of elegant similar to the same in power bank that are round. The current at the tailcap measures about 0.45A has some spill and a two level fading "beam" color is more bluish but close enough to white to not be annoying. The beam is useful and nice and bright enough for short distances as for throwing the beam gets larger a lot quicker than reflectored or zooming lights for distances under 12ft the light does great at 100 ft it better be pretty dark to be useful. I really like this light and the best part of it all is that I paid less than $1.50 for it including shipping I ordered a second one (I have the blue and have the green color coming) I plan on buying more of these cheap lights and putting in cheap AA batteries (generic alkalines) and giving them away probably cost me $2 total or less. The only issues is the light is very smooth and the switch feels/sounds very cheap so the light may not work forever but you can buy 7 or 8 of them for around $10 and throw them away when they go bad.
> ...



I believe I found this cheapie on e-bay.




Fingerprint on dirty relector, and blemish on side of the lens:




Single mode on/off switch (which I like, no modes):




AA battery fit is of the very loose type:


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## Lynx_Arc (Sep 30, 2017)

zorobabel said:


> I believe I found this cheapie on e-bay.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That is the cheap 1AA I'm talking about...loose battery fit and cheap feeling clicky but when you get a one that works they are decent lights for the price.


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## Lynx_Arc (Jul 19, 2019)

I just refound this thread of mine and noticed someone posted in it but I didn't get a notice. I have several of those 1AA skywolfeye lights and for the price they are a nice find but the tint of the LEDs and quality differs so it is best to buy several of them at a time.
I've found a few more ebay lights several 1AA COB lights one is a zoomie the other has an optic like the last light pictured here. I also got an 18650 lantern that has white/red LED lights that the red didn't work but I couldn't get the vendor to refund me or anything but a year later I finally took it apart and fixed it. The light has High/Medium/Low on the white light and On/Flash on the red after cycling through the white lights. Here is a link to a similar product https://www.ebay.com/itm/Portable-L...hash=item4d8f6c00b0:m:miwFyIP8G-LzOdaoCjFEzww
I think there may be 2 varieties of these lanterns one with 2 white modes (High/Low) and another with 3 white modes. It has a magnet on the bottom on the plug you screw/unscrew to insert an 18650 battery and works with flat top cells plus has a micro USB charging port on top. I think I paid about $8.50 for mine. I estimate it puts out about 250 lumens/125 lumens/60 lumens. Not a bad little lantern that replaces my 3AA and 4AA LED lanterns. I'm still mostly using my cheap 18650 zoomies these days.
I did lose my keys and a LD01SS light that cost me a bunch and replaced it with a lumintop EDC that fell apart (too lose of threads) and got that replaced with a lumintop tool AAA that suffers occasionally with clicking on in my pocket due to all the keys in it and being bunched up in a harness often. I ordered an 18650 LED/COB headlamp for cheap off Ebay but haven't received it yet. I wonder if I am going to get it now as the seller vanished after shipping it and it isn't going to arrive till the end of the month..... oh well only $5 risked I've saved 10 times that buying stuff on ebay this year already.


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## Lynx_Arc (Aug 14, 2019)

Just got another headlamp from Ebay...... interesting design has a rectangular COB LED with a reflectored LED on top of it. It uses an 18650 that is included I thought it was easily replaceable but you have to pry open one end to get to the battery and the built in charger not sure if it works or not the red charging LED came on and I checked it and 9 hours later it still didn't go off. 
The light has very useful output perhaps 300 lumens on the beam and 200 or so on the COB. It only has one switch and goes spot LED/COB LED/OFF no flashing or high/low modes. It comes with a headband and you can snap it in/out of the clip easily plus it has a decent magnet on one end that strong enough to hold the light well. I find myself using the light without the headband 
https://www.ebay.com/itm/COB-XPE-LE...sh=item42039d015c:g:rlEAAOSwc95dE1FH&LH_BIN=1
I bought it from another dealer for some reason left Ebay but I did get the light in the mail a few weeks later.


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