# List the flashlights that did not meet your expectations.



## 22hornet (Dec 12, 2006)

Hello,

Over time, most of us collected several (many) flashlights. I'm sure most of these lights made us very happy but there must also be some lights that didn't quite meet our high expectations when we ordered them. This must not necessarily be the fault of the flashlight, as it may have been designed for other purposes than our specific requirements, but nevertheless. No "awe-factor" was there for these lights. 

Personally, the lights I like the least in my collection are the following: (plus the reason why)

- Peak Kilimanjaro 1led HP: no regulation, dims, it is a poor substitute for my ARC AA
- Peak Matterhorn (brass) 3led UB: no regulation, dims
- Led Lenser V9 (micro and regular): no regulation, dims, buying coin cells is a PITA.
- Led Lenser David 15: unspectacular output, not waterproof, no regulation but simple direct drive
- Inova X1 (spot): fun but oversize for it's output

With this I do not want to attack the manufacturers, but it should rather be seen as, maybe useful, user opinions.

Kind regards,
Joris


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## chevrofreak (Dec 12, 2006)

River Rock 2C. It was dim, probably only about 15-18 lumens output, no regulation, and not much useful spillbeam. Beam tint made me sick.


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## Blindasabat (Dec 12, 2006)

I've only bought lights that have had some review to tell me the output was what I wanted (with rare exception) besides the odd luxeon lottery loser (all Fenix for some reason). So my disappointments are mostly due to failures of some sort or the other.

- My SL TL 1AA was fantastic until I found out how it leeches battery juice even when off. At least I salvage that by just unscrewing the tailcap a tiny bit. The TL 2AA I gave to my dad is good too, except the cap needs far more twisting to turn it off. This is probably the only lights I bought without reading a review, but they are Streamlights and they were sooo cheap.

- Nuwai 301X-3. Broke it's resistor loose within two months of buying it. I was able to fix it, but I shouldn't have had to.

- Fauxton coin cells: decent, but the wide ring they project almost sideways is not so good and a waste of tiny expensive battery output. I plan to put tape or paint around them once I figure out where it will work best.

- Several of my Mag upgrades have been less than expected based on the reviews. The TLE-10 was multi-tinted and sort of weak, the SMJLED is decent, but a little too blue. The Diamond 3W was not as bright as I expected based on reviews.


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## atm (Dec 12, 2006)

Pelican L1. I wanted a tiny, tough, long-running backup light I could take anywhere and rely on if necessary. The info on the Pelican site sounded perfect so I got 2. Turns out they're not water resistant (as claimed). Water gets past the lens with so much ease that I wouldn't even feel confident using one in the rain let alone where it's at risk of dropping into a puddle etc...

Otherwise a good little light, but disappointing given all the approvals and certifications it has.

Andrew


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## jayflash (Dec 12, 2006)

Like Chev, I don't find the River Rock useful except for tailstanding it and bouncing the beam off the ceiling. 

The original (1995?) Stream Light 4AA & 3C pro poly with momentary tail switch - ringy beams & lousy switch. Gotta give them credit for improving those lights to really nice ones.


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## GreySave (Dec 12, 2006)

Inova X5 red. I expected a flood type beam similar to the white X5. The red LEDs of course provide more throw than flood, almost to the point of being a spot type beam. Really more of my error and ignorance of the red LED design than a fault with the light, but still disappointing.


I "repaired" it with a small piece of Glad Press n Seal over the LEDs. That gives it an oblong red flood pattern that is a LOT more useful.


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## not2bright (Dec 12, 2006)

New model Streamlight Jr. Lux - awful green tint, low output, worthless holster, so-so construction. I would imagine that LED mini-Mags will have all but replaced this thing.

Before I found CPF I had one of those Garrity 3aaa "Nichia LED" aluminum-red and blue lens things. Completely worthless.

Everything else I have I have been very happy with!


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## elgarak (Dec 12, 2006)

I guess the only one I am disappointed with is the Peak Matterhorn brass. It's probably just the brass, though it looks nice, but produces bad contacts easily. I frequently encountered the light not working and had to take the negative contact out and clean/polish/sand it to make it work again.

Otherwise, in most cases I do my homework before I buy, and am seldom disappointed with the light output or usage issues.


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## cave dave (Dec 12, 2006)

-Surefire U2: Stopped working correctly 4hrs after I recieved it, took SF 12 weeks to repair it.
-Peak CPF special red RCR123 light: small spill, Includued LiIon batteries didn't fit, too big for CR123 light. (sold it) 
-FFIII: Found PWM really annoying (sold it) 
-Stenlight S7: Optics don't produce enough spill, poor connector, exposed batteries, too expensive (would recommend PT Apex w/ reflector mod)
- Any light with a lens.

Anyway this thread is kinda negative. How about lights that exceded expectations:
*Exceeded* (at time of purchase):
- HDS EDC B42XRGT: still great
- CMG Infinity Ultra
- Arc AAA Premium
- Fenix L1T
- Opalec
- UK 4AA eLED


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## matrixshaman (Dec 12, 2006)

Inova X1 - for that matter IMO anything Inova - popular as they are I just don't like them, don't like the feel and the X1 had a worthless underpowered spot with no spill at all. But then I don't care much for the mass produced Target Walmart sort of lights.


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## lightUup (Dec 12, 2006)

1) Maglite 4D: this thing had incredible throw but found it way too heavy and large to lug around so I returned it back to Home Depot.

2) Maglite 4C: not as bright as the 4D but still pretty good. However, I have a lot of flashlights laying around the house, and decided it was a waste of money so I returned it. Plus, I already have a 2D and it doesn't see much usage.

3) Mini Maglite 3AA LED: Bright, but the long body and the odd number of batteries it uses turned me off, so I gave it to my dad for him to use it as a backup flashlight for work.


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## nerdgineer (Dec 12, 2006)

My Peak 1AA 5LED Hi power light has no regulation and isn't very efficient for how much light it produces out of 1AA. 

Ditto on an older Peak 1xCR123 (McKinley?) Hi Power I had with 7 LEDs. I had expected better out of a "premium" light. Peak really needs to design more efficient circuits with actual regulation in them. The Fenixes, Lumapowers, Jetbeams, etc. of the world are making them look like amateurs at circuit design...

I had several older Chinese multi-LED lights running off 3xAAA holders. Most of them had iffy contact issues in the head or tail, but at really low prices, it was more or less what I expected. (Just kept jamming aluminum foil pieces in there...).

My older model Ultrafire 601 (1AA 1W light) was cheap but pretty inefficient - less than 2/3 rd the run time of similar Fenixes off the same battery types, and they had the "won't light up at low voltages" issue.

My 1AA 8 LED Xnovas (later versions holding the AA battery backwards - with positive end at tail) were dimmer than I expected given the reviews and the bright outer ring of their spill was very distracting (even after I bored out the LED holes). They were reliable, though, and cheap so..only a little disapointed.

Overall, I have to give credit to Fenix for outstanding circuit design (and pretty d*** good quality overall) in their lights. It's very hard to find any production light which gets more light out of a battery than Fenix does.


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## waynejitsu (Dec 12, 2006)

matrixshaman said:


> Inova X1 - for that matter IMO anything Inova - popular as they are I just don't like them, don't like the feel and the X1 had a worthless underpowered spot with no spill at all. But then I don't care much for the mass produced Target Walmart sort of lights.


 
I really like the looks and feel, however, the beam is quite disappointing, at least to me.

The new Fenix P1D Cree light, either something is wrong with my light or it is not as bright as it should be, it does not look much brighter than the P1.

All Twin Task lights, except maybe the 3C

River Rock AA light, terrible beam.


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## arewethereyetdad (Dec 12, 2006)

nerdgineer said:


> My Peak 1AA 5LED Hi power light has no regulation and isn't very efficient for how much light it produces out of 1AA.
> 
> Ditto on an older Peak 1xCR123 (McKinley?) Hi Power I had with 7 LEDs. I had expected better out of a "premium" light. Peak really needs to design more efficient circuits with actual regulation in them. The Fenixes, Lumapowers, Jetbeams, etc. of the world are making them look like amateurs at circuit design...



nerdgineer, before continuing your Peak bashing, you might want to check out Peak's newer offerings, such as the Caribbean. Not sure who's calling the McKinley a "premium" light, as you state. That is an older design that I expect Peak will eventually phase out. The newer model Peaks like the Caribbean, Pacific, Baltic, etc. are far better, more efficient, and way more powerful.


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## cbdudley (Dec 12, 2006)

River Rock 1AA, and 3 AAA (combination incan & LED). Both of these really suck. They went back to Target for a refund.

However, I have their 2 AAA model and one of their LED lanterns, and they are both excellent.


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## MarNav1 (Dec 12, 2006)

Fenix E1, the blue ringy beam was a big disappointment compared to the other Fenix's
I have which have very nice beam's IMO. I'll try to mod it next year. I'm not a big fan
of Coast/Led Lenser light's, I wouldn't buy another without checking here first. And I
have to say I'm not all that impressed with my Arc AAA-P either. I like the form factor
of it but I think I may get it modded, I don't like the LED in it. As far as suprise's go 
I'll just list 1, a KL1 reflector mod by grnamin. Those of you that have one know what
I mean.


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## Double_A (Dec 12, 2006)

Lets see

My Streamlight TwinTask 3C sucks, my TT 2L and 1L rock.

My Peak 1AA 5LED Hi-power is...well, not! however my Peak 7led UV rocks!


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## wmirag (Dec 12, 2006)

The Gerber Infinity "M" was too dim for my uses and it had a beam shape that was rather useless to me. I gave it away.


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## Rando (Dec 12, 2006)

Nuwai 3x3 Watt Luxeon. Extremely disappointing output for a 3D light billed as 240 lumens. Couldn't tell much difference in brightness between one LED on and all three on. Different bins on the LEDs so the color changed when going from one to two to three LEDs on. Could have had a much better light for $75.


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## Pwallwin (Dec 12, 2006)

Streamlight BatonLite. It flickers all the time. I've heard lots of similar problems. :thumbsdow It is fixable, but the user should never have to fix a problem like that.


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## arty (Dec 12, 2006)

I like the ARC-P very much. It is convenient and puts out a lot of light for the size.
I also have both the new and old McKinleys - I like the light output and feel - but they do heat up fast.


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## AndyTiedye (Dec 12, 2006)

ALL my old lights look disappointing to me now that I've started buying
lights built by CPF'ers with Cree XR-Es inside.

Of course, I used to think that $25 was a lot to spend on a flashlight.


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## nerdgineer (Dec 12, 2006)

arewethereyetdad said:


> nerdgineer, before continuing your Peak bashing, you might want to check out Peak's newer offerings, such as the Caribbean...


Oops. Sorry. My last comment was uncalled for as I haven't looked at the more recent Peak's..

Also, another ditto to the Nuwai 3D 3x3W 3 level light that was somewhat disappointing in it's output. I just didn't want to fool with getting 4 nimh C cells, chargers, new tail springs, etc.


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## speederino (Dec 12, 2006)

Apparently every light I've bought didn't meet my expectations, or else I wouldn't still be buying lights!

Seriously though, the light that started it all for me is the one that didn't meet my expectations. That's right, it's the venerable 2D mag I bought 10 years ago. I always thought it was great - that is, until the times I would go to actually USE it. I can only recall ONE TIME that it served WELL, that that was on the darkest no-moon night with zero ambient light pollution out in the middle of nowhere on brand new coppertops.

The day it couldn't cut through the light pollution on less-than-brand-new batteries in a parking lot while trying to figure out WTF was wrong with my tire was my breaking point. Turns out the tread had partially separated into a 6" flap - wop-wop-wop-wop down the road - but heck if I could find it. I sure didn't have enought light to change a tire, and it was only a mile left to home so I just let 'er rip - that is, rip most of the paint off the lower rear quarter panel. Pretty sure I joined CPF the next day after dropping the car off at the tire shop, and hunting down some color-matched touch up.


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## Casual Flashlight User (Dec 12, 2006)

None of my small collection has let me down or disapointed me...I like to think that I've made informed choices by researching here and at flashlightrviews before buying.

Several of my lights have exceeded my expectations, namely my HDS lights which are fantastic and Civictor V1 and Huntlight FT-01 which both impressed me with build, quality and performance.


CFU


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## Wetterman (Dec 12, 2006)

lightUup said:


> 2) Maglite 4C: not as bright as the 4D but still pretty good. However, I have a lot of flashlights laying around the house, and decided it was a waste of money so I returned it. Plus, I already have a 2D and it doesn't see much usage.



It should be just as bright as 4D because it has the same bulb and the same reflector. Maybe your mind says it's not as bright or you had old batteries in the 4C.


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## Owen (Dec 12, 2006)

Arc AAA-P. First one had the intermittent problem, plus horrible LED alignment and beam..nothing "P"remium about it. Replacement's beam was a little better, and at least it works. Several years later, it's still on my keys, too. I'd almost swear the beam's gotten better with age, too. Weird.

PT Attitude. Gave two as gifts. One had contact problems from the start, and rarely worked, and the other had some other problem that I only heard about, since both got thrown away within a couple weeks of me giving them. 

I really can't think of any others. Not bad considering the dozens of lights I've tried out(and couple dozen given as gifts) over the last several years. 
Guess there's a lot to be said for factory lights, since I've had more than my share of frustration with aftermarket parts and mods.


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## Cribbage (Dec 12, 2006)

Anything by Inova. 

I've had the X1 (both old and new), X02, X03 and X5.

All of them had really poor output for the given size and weight of the unit.

Quality was outstanding; those things are built like bricks, but they act and feel like one, too.

I sold them all except one old X1, which I use an inspection light on the workbench, due to it's spot beam, and a new X1, only because, although it is a substantial improvement over the old lens system and has a weak output, I am a sucker for a low-powered LED for night-time bedroom use, and the new, reflector X1 is just barely good enough to be useful in this capacity. And the size is nice. And a single AA is nice.

JMHO

Cribbage


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## PhotonWrangler (Dec 12, 2006)

The 2AA LED Lenser was a real disappointment for me. I hate that tightly collimated "moonbeam" with the blue edges around it, and even though it's tightly focused, it's not bright enough to have a very useful throw. It's one lf the last lights I pick up when I need one. Fortunately they're not expensive, and I might be able to mod mine into something better.


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## Cribbage (Dec 12, 2006)

Oh, yeh, and most LED replacements for the [email protected] . Not because of output, but because of one major, fatal flaw...

And that is that most of them are so thick that the head of the light is only on by 3/4 of a turn, and that is when it is on!

The best one I have found though, is the now-discontinued TerraLux Ministar 1. It has 4 LEDs and allows 2 or three turns, at least, of engagement on the head when on. I have 3, and guard them jelously.

All others, Ministar 2, Opalec and others, all are too thick. Fatal, fatal, flaw.


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## BentHeadTX (Dec 12, 2006)

2004 Arc AAA-P Had the flicker problem and would not turn on if the voltage fell below 1.3 volts on the cell. Loaned it out one day and the girl dropped it down an outhouse in Iraq. Problem solved.

The early Peaks were OK since I ran them on lithium or NiMH cells for "regulation". The Baltics, Pacifics and Mediterraneans have regulation so problem solved! My latest 7 UV Kilamanjaro (single AA) absolutely screams on lithium AA cells and is a keeper. 

Streamlight Luxeon Jr. (original version) Great light until it overheated and eventually trashed the tail clickie. 

Aurora 2AA Jupiter LED My son broke the switch in less than 2 minutes....

Streamlight Batonlite Flickered badly, ate three N cells and had no regulation to speak of. It hit the trash bin from total aggrivation. 

Pelican L1 Broke the switch after awhile but it was my first LED light.


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## Brighteyez (Dec 12, 2006)

Biggest disappointments would be the Streamlight TwinTasks series, and just about anything else that that Streamlight imported as a finished good (i.e. packaged) from China. Importing parts is one thing, and probably can't be avoided these days, but they should trust entrust the reputation that they have worked so hard to establish, on rebranded Chinese lights.


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## TorchMan (Dec 12, 2006)

The Coast lights I own. The gooseneck and keychain lights were bright, but the cap would come loose in pocket. Also from Coast, can't remember the exact name of it, the one that uses N cells and has three LEDs recessed in the bezel was a disapointment. Drains the batteries fast, giving moonmode. No lens means dirt and lint get into the LEDs. Holster broke as well. 

Another member mentioned some multi-LED lights that use a three AAA battery carrier, mine have the same intermittent contact issues. 

The good that came out of that is it pushed me to seek better lights (that U2 ad starting looking real good) which lead me to CPF and empty pockets, but full holsters!:laughing:


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## Pumaman (Dec 12, 2006)

Fenix E1-blue, ringy beam


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## BlackDecker (Dec 12, 2006)

Here are my lights that did not meet my expectations:

1) RiverRock 2AA: With absolutely ZERO spill, this light is pretty much worthless unless you want to wave the beam frantically as you move slowly ahead. I'd rather sit in the dark and wait for my eyes to adjust than use this lousy light.

2) Huntlight ft-02x: Great light, but the O-Rings will disintegrate after opening the battery tube more than 2-3 times.

3) MagLED 2AA: Nice try, Mag, but you've got a long way to go to even match the cheapie Chinese lights. This light will leave you in the dark when it simply goes *blink* as the batteries get low.


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## tron3 (Dec 12, 2006)

Can I start with every plastic incandescent light ever made? :touche:


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## lednut (Dec 12, 2006)

Two Streamlights worth mentioning are the Jr. Luxeon as mentioned earlier. Just a crappy beam does it for me.Too floody from the colluminator lens.I would expect more for 40 bucks.The other Streamlight would be the Twintask 1L. Horrible incan beam and runtime and the 3 leds have such a purple tint. Overall,I am still a big fan of Streamlight because of all the others I own. By the way all 3 of the MXDL lights have crapped out for whatever reason and have not found the time to fix them.What do you expect for the price?


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## etc (Dec 12, 2006)

* 
Biggest disappointments would be the Streamlight TwinTasks series, and just about anything else that that Streamlight imported as a finished good (i.e. packaged) from China
*

+1

Cheap pot metal, I cross threaded a TwinTask and it took me days to get the tail cap off. I write StreamLight and it took them weeks to reply, but remains to be seen.


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## ViReN (Dec 12, 2006)

Please note these are my personal expectations, YMMV

*Exceeded:* listed in order
1) Fenix Civictor V1 a workaholic, WOW with 3V Lithiums
2) LRI Photon Freedom Max, intutive UI
3) LRI Photon X-Light Micro .. never expected a Nichia CS LED, it was a pleasent surprise
4) Fenix L0P: Small & Beau
5) MiniMag 2AA: Cheapest, High Performance, High Quality, Brand Recognition
6) Peak Snow Lights are best in its class
7) Fenix L2P Solid Construction, Thick walls, good regulation, the newer LXT's and LXS's are some what ugly as compared to L2P


*Did not meet your expectations:*
1) my personal expectations were very high for *Fenix P1D CE* (this one didn't buy as it's costly, has ringy beam, Gets Hot, sort of less runtime than what I expected, heavy current draw and battery drain on primary, perhaps designed around RCR123) however for others this one would be a real good deal.
2) Peak LED Solution's: Non Snow version of lights (older generation) ... especially when i got the Peak Snow LED lights.


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## Strategic light Command (Dec 12, 2006)

A 3 c-cell LED flashlight from RadioShack, looked kinda cool with its mettalic blue body - have to really jam batteries in to make them fit though (seems like casing diameter is not large enough) - should have returned it right after I bought it.

One of my first flashlights was a Brookstone Legend 2-C cell flashlight, it looked really professional but switch started to work intermittantly recently - could be because I played with it so much over the years though.


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## nzgunnie (Dec 12, 2006)

SF A2, the LEDs are way too blue, what's up with that? It's supposed to be 'white', for a light that expensive I don't expect to end up with a colour tint so strong it could be sold as blue if they wanted to!


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## adirondackdestroyer (Dec 12, 2006)

Well I tend to be pretty realistic with my expectations of any new light, so only a couple have really let me down. 

ARC AAAP. I think the reason I was let down is because of how everyone on this site put it on such a high pedistal that there was no way I wasn't going to be disapointed. The beam was ugly and I expected it to be brighter. 
FF III. I liked the light but was disapointed by how obvious the PWM was and most settings. I also didn't like how it was only able to run for mere seconds on the burst setting.


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## asdalton (Dec 12, 2006)

*River Rock 2C*: I like the 2C form factor, but this light puts out too little light for its size.

*SL Twin-Task 2D*: The incandescent beam is dim and poorly focused. I quickly sent this back for a 3C version.

*UK Zoom 4AA*: The quality is good, but the performance is lame. Forget about the focusing feature; the "wide" beam is still quite narrow, while the narrow beam has less throw than a KL1. The bright and dim levels are too close together (dim should be dimmer).

*Nightbuster Luxia*: Does anyone else remember this one? It had way too little output for 5 LEDs. Sent back.


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## tsask (Dec 12, 2006)

LED Lenser lights IMHO do not hold up under EDC use, some of them are even worse. it's disappointing that these lights, with their reliability problems are available to the general public at retail stores, yet other, better brands like Nuwai and Fenix are not.

my TerraLux Chrome Star AA is a solid piece of work, yet it is not as bright as I expected for $50 (I bought mine when they were first available)

yes I too experienced problems with a couple switches on the SL 4AAProPolyLux, but they were exchanged and all's well. IIRC that tailcap switch problem was fixed over a year ago. I think the SL PP 4AA is an incredible light and a MUST have around the house.

I have an ultra fire AA that was DOA. (and another that works great)
I have had problems with a couple X1s, yet my T2, T4 are fine.
my green micro light IMHO stinks. not reliable, bad switch?


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## FrogsInWinter (Dec 13, 2006)

+1 on mentioning the Inova Micro Lights. For the most part they are good key chain lights. But what kills me about them is how easily they can turn on and waste their batteries. Without a doubt these are the weakest of Inova's offerings. The Photon key chain lights are much better in just about every way.

Hopefully some, if not all, of the flashlight manufacturers see this thread, especially regarding lights that get mentioned more than once. Even more so if a light gets mentioned more than once for the same problem.


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## Lobo (Dec 13, 2006)

ViReN said:


> 1) Fenix Civictor V1 a workaholic, WOW with 3V Lithiums


 
Just wondering which 3V AA lithiums you're refering too? Rechargable???


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## ViReN (Dec 13, 2006)

Lobo said:


> Just wondering which 3V AA lithiums you're refering too? Rechargable???


the ones that are split from CRV3 (non rechargables)


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## Lobo (Dec 13, 2006)

ViReN said:


> the ones that are split from CRV3 (non rechargables)


 
Ah, I have to try that!


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## PAB (Dec 13, 2006)

oops: too many windows open.

2AA MagLED didn't meet my expectations. While an improvement over what the maglite AA I don't like lights that suddenly stop working. Very frustrating under a variety of circumstances. I also found a number of the dorcy lights didn't meet my expectations. Not being as bright as expected. The maglite C & D LED lights were a disappointment too. They could have made the new lights will some proper heat sinking to make the lights say bright longer. Heck, they could have made the LED modules brighter than they are if they had wanted to. I know that they had their reasons, but they were too conservative in my opinion. I have been disappointed by those little LR44 battery powered lights. When reading the advertising they would say "lasts 100 hours". I was too naive to realize that it was bright for only a few hours before going into moon mode. Very frustrating.


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## RedLED (Dec 13, 2006)

Arc AAA. Don't like the Foam, color of the LED or the reflector. I bought a few, and just gave them all away.

Had problems with Inova models too. Same thing, gave them away.

I Don't sell things, too much of a hassle. I just hand them out to people I know.

I now just buy and use Surefire's. 

Best,

RedLed


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## PeLu (Dec 13, 2006)

I also did not have good luck with the ArcAAAs 

About half of them failed for different reasons. Quite a disappointment as they were intended as backup lights for caving. 
Besides that it collected dirt in the reflector.


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## Nyctophiliac (Dec 13, 2006)

Mmmmm...dodgy lights...

Well, Gerber Inferno - badly made and designed plastic pap that broke putting batteries in first time!!!

Both my CMG sonics had a multitude of bad contact problems.

Princeton tec Surge - very difficult battery change and the bulb keeps popping out.

Maglite solitaire (Better now with the led upgrade).

That's it for now, I'll come up with some more later.




Be lucky...


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## teststrips (Dec 13, 2006)

My Arc AAA was one of my first 10 lights, and my very first disappointment. I did EDC it for 6 months, and just didn't fall in love with it. 

1- The beam was horrible blue in center and yellow spill - gives me a headache when using it for longer than a few seconds
2- The anodizing did not stand up to keychain carry - granted nothing has done perfectly here, but my arc wore more quickly than other lower priced lights. (my modded solitaire looked better after 6 months than my arc, and now my l0p which is ~3 months old looks like its going to be better too)

Fenix L1T - I bought this because of the 2-stage function... why did they even bother making 2 stages - I can hardly tell the diffrence between the 2 levels. This one is going to be gifted to a non-flashaholic.


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## Sharpdogs (Dec 13, 2006)

Inova 2xAAA Radiant. The clickie switch is extremely tempermental. Only time I purchased an Inova product that I did not like.


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## Burgess (Dec 13, 2006)

Black & Decker Snake light. 

Piece Of Shine-ola.







Purchased in March, 1996. Not cheap, either.

It's *incredibly difficult* to remove the batteries. (2 C-cells)

The battery compartment is *too small* for them.

Even with the C-cells included in their package !


Not at ALL resistant to water. Or even dust & dirt.

Expected "Black & Decker" to be "heavy-duty".

Quite un-impressive, actually. Big disappointment.


I got fooled by their fancy advertisements, both in print

and even on TELEVISION ! (how unusual, eh ?)


After several years, ended up just giving it away.

My parents have it mounted on their wall.


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## Dan_GSR (Dec 14, 2006)

surefire L1
thought it would round out my collection, as i needed a good 1 cell light
didn't like the TIR lens, too spotty, output wasn't all that impressive
light was too long for a 1 cell

sold that, and have a fenix p1 for my 1 cell....and its a much better light


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## fishx65 (Dec 14, 2006)

Any led that was to blue went right back to the store! Mostly the Inovas and the River Rocks. Thanks to this site, I have not purchased many dissapointing lights!


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## Rowrbazzle (Dec 14, 2006)

teststripsFenix L1T - I bought this because of the 2-stage function... why did they even bother making 2 stages - I can hardly tell the diffrence between the 2 levels. This one is going to be gifted to a non-flashaholic.[/QUOTE said:


> Oooh, ooooh, I'll take it. And I'll stick a CR123 tube on it, and have 40 lumens on high and 10 on low, and 2 hours of runtime on high.
> 
> And now, back on topic:
> 
> ...


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## TORCH_BOY (Dec 14, 2006)

MagLed 3D, not nearly as good as expected


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## Buffalohump (Dec 14, 2006)

arewethereyetdad said:


> nerdgineer, before continuing your Peak bashing, you might want to check out Peak's newer offerings, such as the Caribbean. Not sure who's calling the McKinley a "premium" light, as you state. That is an older design that I expect Peak will eventually phase out. The newer model Peaks like the Caribbean, Pacific, Baltic, etc. are far better, more efficient, and way more powerful.



I can second that. Just got a Caribbean brass and it's got a great beam, lovely white tint, big hot spot, plenty of spill. And its smaller than my HDS 42XR. Don't know about runtime, but I have other options on hand for that


----------



## wacbzz (Dec 14, 2006)

I gotta say that after reading all the wonderful propaganda about the Arc AAA P, I spent the $$ and was seriously disappointed. I carried a Photon Freedom that was purchased for half the price and got the same output (visually, to my eyes anyways, and that's what counts). Yeah, the body is strong as hell on the Arc, but like previous posts, the reflector is a dust/other crap collector and the light is not as bright as the above mentioned propaganda would lead one to believe. 

In fact, it speaks volumes about the light that there is a mod for it(by MillerMods) to make it much brighter. (See, as another example, how many people want to modify their maglites. It's always that the body is as strong as death but the light output sucks. This is exact situation with the Arc AAA P, only in smaller form.)


----------



## [email protected] Messenger (Dec 14, 2006)

Streamlight keymate and Inova x1-dim, too big or strange batteries, horrible beam


----------



## Benjammin22250 (Dec 15, 2006)

I was really dissapointed with my rechargable twin-task. 95 lumens my foot. Though I still use it to walk around my house at night.


----------



## gadgetnerd (Dec 15, 2006)

Fenix L0P: I might have a dodgy one, because it's barely 10 lumens. L0D in the mail to replace it.

Terralux TLE-5 ministar for AA minimag: atrocious artifact-ridden beam from side emitting lux. Given away.

Terralux TLE-10 microstar for AA minimag: horrendous blue/yellow ringy beam. Given away.

Most of my other torches exceeded my expectations in one way or another, and have been permitted to live on in my collection!


----------



## RedLED (Dec 15, 2006)

WACBZZ,

I agree with you completely on the Arc. Gave all of mine away.


----------



## amanichen (Dec 15, 2006)

1. Led Lenser/Coast/Eddie Bauer 3xWhite, 3xNcell - very flaky switch which I had to take apart and repair, dim output, LEDs degrading, expensive batteries. I counted no less than 5 times when the thing accidentally activated in glovebox/backpack due to its momentary/forward clickie. I came back to find the light either on, or almost drained. Sent to he-double-hockey sticks because it's nearly worthless.

2. Led Lenser/Coast/Eddie Bauer 5xWhite 1xRed, 3xAAA cell - Same switch problems as #1, bargain basement threads. Decent output and runtime were about the only redeeming quality. It now sits in my glovebox, with the batteries and flashlight stored in a bag -- some assembly required. L2P has subsequently replaced it (I <3 reverse clicky and lockout tailcap.)

3. Pelican super Mitylite 2xAAA - my first real flashlight. Very short runtime, short bulb life, expensive bulbs. It's rugged, and waterproof to being diveable, but wouldn't be what I'd want for illumination 60 feet down. Maybe I'll use it for an emergency someday, or maybe I'll just trash it when my remaining spare bulb is used up. It was amazing at the time, but my L0PSE just destroys it.

4. Non-microprocesser Inova Microlight - Something about a switch that operates in buckling stress, made from metal that's only a few mils thicker than foil didn't seem to sit right with me, especially when said switch breaks and isn't repairable. Expensive batteries for not very much light. I ripped out the LED and gave my computer the world's brightest hard drive indicator light. My 1xAAA clone (and subsequently L0PSE) replaced it.


----------



## wquiles (Dec 15, 2006)

Did not meet my expectations:
- SF U2: Versatile light, but it does not do anything "well" enough for me to keep it
- SF M4: Too long and not versatile enough - limited energy storage. 



Exceeded my expectations:
- VB-16 - Super practical when my children were babies as I could dial-in the exact amount of brightness needed to check on them at night without waking them up
- SF A2 (absolutely love the regulated incandecent light!)
- SF M6 (my current favorite light and most used outdoors)
- SF G2 with BOG 3W LED - the only light that has so far survived my 3-year old !!!


Will


----------



## JimmyME (Dec 15, 2006)

Streamlight PP 3C (10 LED model)

Was disappointed in the output of this light. My 4A Streamlight PP Luxeon puts it to shame.


----------



## waynejitsu (Dec 15, 2006)

Electrolumens lights.
Look and feel heavy duty, however, in my experience, they are not at all durable and way overpricedfor what you get.
Very, Very Disappointed!!


----------



## whippoorwill (Dec 15, 2006)

I guess I am guilty of heresy, but the ARC-AAA P was really disappointing to me. Also the Inova X1(new) and X5 have really disappointed me with their blue beam. The SF L1's low beam is pretty worthless with its throw and no flood.

Almost forgot the Nite Ize led drop in for the maglite. What a POS!


----------



## etc (Dec 15, 2006)

StreamLight Twin TAsks - very annoying to have to cycle through modes to turn it off. Don't like the non-led krypton bulb mode. Not a fan of dual/triple mode idea. The pot metal is soft and I accidently crossthreaded the 2D, took me weeks to get it apart.

Gerber Infinity. It's not that it didn't meet my expectations. It is a nice light in a way and tough but have not used it in 5 years of ownership. So dim as to be utterly useless when you can always use a better lite. (Meaning almost anything else) So what if it can run 999 hours.

Marginally - the light which I thought was "cool" but no longer meets my expectations - StreamLight Jr. Lux original version. Basically, the run time is pitiful, I seem to get about 1 hour with Alkalines.


----------



## woodrow (Dec 15, 2006)

My most dissapointing ever...duracell or energizer - whoever made it - "widebeam" put a paper bag on a mag light and you get the same output and spill. Surefire M3...hated the oval beam. Inova t4 & t5 for their trios optics. 

The main lights I have been happy with are my lc100 (My first "bright" light...I love it for its color temp and incredible spill and smooth beam..also the inova xo (reflector) it is just a nice decently bright light for the money...I am pretty happy with my gl4 550 as well.


----------



## Bror Jace (Dec 16, 2006)

The most disappointing light for me was the 19LED Dancer light from DAE. On paper, it looked a lot like the 21 LED Ice Cream II which is a tremendous light, especially for the price.

I got 3 19LED Dancers: 1 did not work, 1 insta-flashed and 1 worked very weakly, flickering badly. Back they went.


----------



## pete7226 (Dec 16, 2006)

Kroma is kinda weak.


----------



## EsthetiX (Dec 16, 2006)

Fenix P1 its no brighter than my l0P SE on high. Im exchanging it though, hopefully the next one is as powerful as everyone makes it sound.


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## bjn70 (Dec 16, 2006)

Only 1 that didn't meet my expectations- the Streamlight TL-2 LED (1st gen.). It wasn't as bright as I expected for a Luxeon. I have since bought the 2nd gen. and it is very much better.

Another that wasn't quite what I expected- the Nuwai QIII. It is still a good light but has a bit wider beam than I would have liked. Other people might like it the way it is though.


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## parnass (Dec 17, 2006)

This thread is similar to the old thread: If you could start over again, what lights would you *not* have purchased?

Disappointments:

*Inova X1* (newest version) -- intermittant flicker, tint too blue, tailswitch almost unusable

*Mag Solitaire* -- intermittant flicker, too dim. I converted it to a keychain pill carrier.

*River Rock 2C 1.5W* -- Too narrow beam for this size light. (Didn't mind the 2AA version as much because it is easier to carry.)


Delighted with these flashlights:

HDS EDC Basic 42XRGT, Inova T1, T4, X5 (newest version), Streamlight 4AA Polypro Luxeon, Dorcy 1 watt CR123A, older Mini Maglite 2AA with TerraLux TLE-5 drop-in


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## h_nu (Dec 17, 2006)

Inova X1 - too dim (I like the X0, even with Tiros)

Peak Kilimanjaro with 5 LEDs. It's older and may be improved but this was too dim and too blue. I like their Pacific, Baltic, and Ranier.


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## Mike 208 (Dec 17, 2006)

1) Streamlight PP 3-C (10-LED model) - output too dim. Now if I leave batteries in it, the LEDs will glow when the switch is not activated (I have no idea why it does that).

2) Streamlight Stylus (2 and 3 battery models) - switch sometimes hard to activate, and (like the PP 3-C above) will glow when not activated. I've bought 5 of them over the last 6 years, only one (a blue 3 battery model - the 2nd Stylus I bought) works as it should. I'm happier with the Pelican "L4," but I wish the head wasn't flared (makes it difficult to put in uniform pen/pencil holders).

3) River Rock 2-C model - lousy beam.

That's all I can think of at the moment.

Mike 208


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## Aaron1100us (Dec 18, 2006)

Just kidding, its what my mother-in-law calls a flashlight. 

For me, I guess it would be my X5. Great light, don't get me wrong, I just don't think it should be as dim as it is for a $35 flashlight. It is more of a flood type beam. The quality is great, just wish it was brighter. Another one would be my mini mag, pretty darn dull too. Maybe I use my Mag 85, M3 and AE powerlight, and thor too often. I do have several other dim lights but those were all pretty cheap and I didn't expect them to be bright.


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## carbine15 (Dec 18, 2006)

Aaron1100us said:


> Just kidding, its what my mother-in-law calls a flashlight.....



My mom had one of these. I just dropped a pr SMJLED bulb into it and it was her favorite light durring the power outages last year. I wonder where it is now? For lights that let me down (i know i'm about to get some flack for this) but the CR2 Ion let me down for reliability issues and the fact that a multi level light shouldn't cost so much. 




just my two cents.


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## wmirag (Dec 18, 2006)

> Carbine15: For lights that let me down (i know i'm about to get some flack for this) but the CR2 Ion let me down for reliability issues and the fact that a multi level light shouldn't cost so much. 

At that price, it should be 100% reliable. Mine is. I have used mine several times a day, every day, for over a year and I've never had a problem with it. You should send it back for repair. 

W.


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## carbine15 (Dec 18, 2006)

wmirag said:


> .... You should send it back for repair.
> 
> W.


It's not mine. I was part of the US CR2Ion passaround. It had traded hands a few times by the time I got it. It must have gotten gummed up somehow. I dunno. If I had that kind of money I recon I'd start a Fenix collection cause those lights have really impressed me so far.


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## lukevsdarth (Dec 19, 2006)

The black & decker snake light a few years back & that 12 led "POLICE" w/cr123a flashlight from China it burned out unregulated leds. 

I was impressed with the Inova microlight my wife washed it in my pants found it at the bottom of the washer still on WOW. I dryed it out and put new batts. GEEZ 
 FRED


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## carbine15 (Dec 19, 2006)

those snake lights were complete trash.


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## Nereus (Dec 19, 2006)

Standard Maglite Solitaire was a great disappointment. I guess I don't need to tell you why.

-N


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## analogguy (Dec 19, 2006)

FFII. Horrible on/off action and a pea green beam.


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## flashlightpoor (Dec 19, 2006)

My surefire A2 and M3. The A2 gets insanely hot if the bulb is left on, and only runs for 40 minutes (60 claimed). But I mostly use it in LED mode, and being able to burst up to 50 lumens is nice. The M3 is a disaster. With the high output lamp it only gets 13 minutes (20 claimed) and it gets so hot you can't handle it without gloves. I measured it at 144 degrees F. What the hell good is a flashlight that lasts 13 minutes? I run the lower output lamp in it and get 37 minutes-- which is only mostly useless, but it still gets too hot to hold.


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## Cydonia (Dec 19, 2006)

First Gen Inova X5. Way too blue, shorter run time that I had hoped. Gets slightly warm when on for more than 5 minutes. 6 hours to 50%? And it costs $7 up here in Canada for 2 Surefire CR123A cells. That's $1 an hour for light. No thanks.

The T2 was beautiful in every way. But Battery life isn't quite 5 hours. More like 3 I thought. Maybe I'm wrong somehow but...
And again, $7 to change the batteries for 3 or 4 hours of light? I don't know why I ever bought these lights, it was during a moment of insanity I guess. The battery price is the killer for us in Canada. Shipping, taxes, hassles... $3 each for a CR123A no matter how you slice it. 

Inova X1: really does go 10 hours on 1AA. And 1AA costs what, 30cents? So that works out to what, 3 cents an hour? YES. That is my idea of effiiciency and frugality!!! Now to try and trade my T2 and X5 for old X1's...


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## Wetterman (Dec 19, 2006)

I have to somehow join you Streamlight bashers. I bought the new SL-20XLED and although it's very nice light the finish on it really sucks. It looks like it's some glossy paint and it is as durable as would be if it was painted with an aerosol can. The diamond knurling isn't deep enough to get a good grip. The serial number looks like it was stamped by some 9-year old Chinese girl with a little hammer and cheap stamp punches. 
Other than it looks like a Chinese light and actually is, it is a great light.


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## mudman cj (Dec 19, 2006)

F-62AA 1 Watt AA LED: It is so bad that I am embarrassed to admit that I bought one. I tried to swap in a TXOJ and learned that the circuit only provides a pittance of a drive voltage, so it was a complete waste of time. I am debating whether to give it away or not; if I do I think I will feel like I owe that person a decent light at a later date.

Update: I DID feel like I owed the recipient of this light - so I gave him a Jetbeam C-LE. Much better!


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## jnj1033 (Dec 19, 2006)

PAB said:


> 2AA MagLED didn't meet my expectations. While an improvement over what the maglite AA I don't like lights that suddenly stop working. Very frustrating under a variety of circumstances.



I hear you there:

My dad always takes an old minimag when he walks his dogs. I almost bought him a 2AA Mag LED for his birthday, but as he is not a nerd like us, and is hence unlikely to carry more than one, the "sudden death" regulation could be a problem. Also, my Mag LED occasionally requires percussive maintainence to keep it from flickering.

Flashlights that have exceeded my expectations

1. Fenix P1
2. Brinkman Maxfire: That one got me home one night when my alternator failed, leaving me without headlights.
3. Fenix E1
4. Nite-Ize 2AA: the one that got me started.
5. Dorcy 1AAA. Yes, even the newer ones with the optics. When I wake up at night, anything brighter than the collimating Dorcy is too bright for me, and the tight beam means I don't have spill waking my wife up.

Flashlights that have disappointed me:

1. Tektite LT-3. That's Tektite's LED Solitaire upgrade. My first one produced beautiful, bright, white light, but the LED came off the circuit board. I sent it back under warranty, and they sent me one with a nasty mixture of blue and yellow. I kept that one because I was tired of the hassle, and just last month (nine months old, but out of warranty), it started flickering and squealing. I've pampered it too; ever since I got my E1, the Soli has been my night-stand light.

2. Nite-Ize D cell: I don't mind the lack of brightness; I always thought of this one as an emergency light anyway, but I was disappointed that it would not focus in anything but a Maglite. Would it really have been that hard to mount the emitter just a few millimeters higher for crying out loud? Maglite even figured that one out.


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## Strategic light Command (Mar 24, 2007)

Although I did play with the cool silent-push-on feature a fair bit!!


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## FrogsInWinter (Mar 24, 2007)

I have to add the:

*TerraLUX TLE-5K2 MiniStar2 EXTREME 5W LED for Mini Maglite® 2AA Flashlights*

to this list. When I first got it I compared it to the MiniMag LED and immediately I could see that it wasn't as bright as the MiniMag LED. It was fairly close but quite as bright. I figured it wasn't a big problem as long as the runtime was at least as long as the MiniMag LED. But Quickbeam's review of the TLE-5K2 showed that it:

1.) Puts out less light than the MiniMag LED

2.) Has a noticeably shorter runtime than the MiniMag LED

Usually lower output means more runtime and vice versa. But with the TLE-5K2 you get less light *AND* less runtime than the MiniMag LED? *BOO!* In addition to that the TLE-5K2 drop-in by itself costs as much as or more than the MiniMag LED (depending on where you buy either one from). In the future TerraLux should compare any MiniMag drop-ins to the MiniMag LED.


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## GeorgePaul (Mar 24, 2007)

jnj1033 said:


> ...Nite-Ize D cell: I don't mind the lack of brightness; I always thought of this one as an emergency light anyway, ....


I agree that this LED upgrade is bad, but because it isn't bright enough for me, not even for an emergency light.


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## MikeSalt (Mar 24, 2007)

Maglite Solitaire. I was disappointed how quickly the output falls off. Whilst just acceptabley bright to start with, 10 minutes of use and it's fairly impotent.


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## Patriot (Mar 24, 2007)

Rock River AA with optic

X1, green, with optic 

X1 with reflector and LED bent over to one side causing an egg shaped and color fringed beam.

Mag Solitare as mentioned above. What a piece of junk.

Streamlight Stylus's all seem to have poor battery contact issues that cause them to run at less than full output about 50% of the time.


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## Nomad (Mar 24, 2007)

Every single UNMODDED maglite I've ever owned. Even the new MAD LEDs. However the 2 cell MAG LED works great in a buckalite! And I've really liked the SMJ LED + circuit board upgrades for the solitaires. I REALLY like those quite a bit and I gave one to my girlfriend to carry. 

Almost any storebought LED light seems to suck. It's like they're just using what they can get cheap because it was obsolete 5 years ago. Super lame. I've returned the brinkman ones.


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## Bozzlite (Mar 24, 2007)

The Nuwai Q3 was a disappointement to me. The first one I received had a defective tail switch and a purplish colored beam. I returned it and the replacement was mechanically fine, but still has the purplish colored beam. The tail switch is too firm. Takes a lot of finger pressure to turn on and off. It's a cool looking light, but I like the Fenix L1D Cree much more. 

Another disappointment is the TLE-100 LED conversion for the MagCharger. It is just not as bright as I was expecting it to be. Again, the Fenix L1D Cree edition outshines it on high.

Another disappointing light (for me) was the Fenix L1T. (The first one I bought) It had a bad head on it and would only work in the low mode. I guess I should have returned it, but....instead I ordered a new head. This new one works fine. Especially with the CR123 tube. Almost awesome I would say. 

Another disappointment is the Tektite LED up grade for the MAG Solitaire. At about $23.00 it was much brighter than the OEM bulb, but that ain't saying much. 

Gosh, I should mention that the OEM Mag solitaire itself was a disappointment. But I new it would be because of all the posts here on CPF. I just had to buy one because I couldn't believe it could possibly be as dim as everyone says it is. But it is. That really has to be the dimmest flashlight ever made. 

So I just continue buying new flashlights until I find the ones I really like.

Those I like would be (so far):

Fenix L1P
Fenix L2P
Fenix L1D Cree
Fenix L2p with CR123 tube
Fenix L2P with CR2 tube and tritium vials
Professional"s Favorite 2 C cell LED (from Advance Auto)
Streamlight Twin Task 3 C cell (UV and Xenon combo)
MiniMagLED 2AA
Even better MinimagLED 3AA
Maglight 3D LED Upgrade
Many Minimags with the TLE-5 LED up grade
Dorcy Super 1 watt (3 AAA battery pack) (The Metal Gear version was another disappointment)
Dorcy 1 AAA LED 
Brinkman LX incandescent (2CR123)

Oh geez. I'll stop now


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## MaxKnight (Mar 25, 2007)

1. Innova X5 - I bought it after reading many "awe" reviews. It did not "flood" as people claimed and the LED tint was terrible. Good build quality, though, maybe I had an unlucky bad one.

2. The first generation, non-overdriven multi-LED PeakLED lights - I bought a few varieties and wasn't impressed. The later generations were good though.


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## Raptor# (Mar 25, 2007)

Xnova 2xAA. Too blue, too dim. I did not expect much, and it managed to be even less. Not moddingfriendly either. Bleh.


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## 021411 (Mar 25, 2007)

2007 Inova T4: Nicely built light, very rugged. Li-Ion is a plus. I am disappointed at the output of the light even though it's a K2. I guess I was expecting way too much.


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## matrixshaman (Mar 25, 2007)

Inova X0? X1? - sitting in pieces after I tore it apart to try making it useful. MDXL AAA light - didn't expect much but it was really poor quality.


----------



## Toohotruk (Apr 12, 2007)

River Rock 2AA because of it's weird "moon" beam...too bad, the fit and finish are excellent on this light. And it's a very good looking light as well, love the color.

The Streamlight TwinTask 1L I just bought today...dimmer than expected Xenon with a blob for a hot spot, less than impressive throw and a dim spill...LEDs are too purple with a sick looking greenish corona and having to click it through it's modes to shut it off...one click for Xenon, two for LED, then three gets you back to Xenon and four finally shuts it off. I'm actually more impressed with the 1AA Cree I got from Kai Domain for $10!

Maybe it's due to my getting used to my SF 6P...the SL TT 1L has nowhere near the output of the 6P.


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## IMSabbel (Apr 12, 2007)

arewethereyetdad said:


> nerdgineer, before continuing your Peak bashing, you might want to check out Peak's newer offerings, such as the Caribbean. Not sure who's calling the McKinley a "premium" light, as you state. That is an older design that I expect Peak will eventually phase out. The newer model Peaks like the Caribbean, Pacific, Baltic, etc. are far better, more efficient, and way more powerful.


When i bought one, it cost $50, for a 5mm light. Thats premium from my POV.

erdit: Ugh. I should take a look at the date of the post i reply to...


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## CLHC (Apr 12, 2007)

The following flashlights listed below, did I find to be unsatisfactory for my personal lighting uses, probably due to being spoiled by my other flashlights that—in my opinion—produced a better overall light output, color, etc. That's all.

Gerber CMG Infinity Ultra

Inova XO, X1, X5


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## Russianesq (Apr 12, 2007)

Streamlight 3C-XP - the LED is so low that it is useless. The xenon has no throw. The clickie is low quality.

UK 4AA ZOOM eLED - the 2 stage function is totally useless. The light is blue/purple. Promises to be adjustable but simply is not.


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## Gordov2 (Apr 12, 2007)

Can I list a Holster?

My Surefire V71 holster puts scratches in the head of the HAIII finish of my M3-CB. However, after removing the metal springs inside the holster, problem fixed and the light is still held fairly tight. Further, Surefire stepped-up by sending me a new head for the light. Thank-you Howard @ Surefire!


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## Pokerstud (Apr 12, 2007)

PentagonLight Molle Lights


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## peskyphotons (Apr 12, 2007)

CMG, now Gerber:
Reactor 2
Reactor 3
Sonic
All had very poor contact/switch issues and stopped working.

Photon Proton
They just did not have it all worked out and poor output.

Alex


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## jph (Apr 12, 2007)

Fake shake light!


----------



## ringzero (Apr 13, 2007)

Russianesq said:


> UK 4AA ZOOM eLED - the 2 stage function is totally useless. The light is blue/purple. Promises to be adjustable but simply is not.



Sorry to hear you don't like your UK 4AA ZOOM eLED. Maybe you got a sample with a bad emitter, or possibly with bad electronics. If possible, I'd exchange it for a new one.

Almost every CPFer I've seen comment on this light mentions its unusually warm, white tint. Personally, I find the two output levels to be very useful and like its adjustable beam width.

After getting my first one, I liked it so much I got two more. The UK 4AA ZOOM eLED is my favorite light for walking and general outdoors use.

.


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## Mike Iver (Apr 13, 2007)

4D mag. I bought this one a while back. Too damn heavy and not much, if any brighter than the 3D mag I got rid off when I bought it.


----------



## Gordov2 (May 7, 2007)

How about HAIII coating in general? It doesn't live up to the hype. I have found that every light I have WITHOUT HAIII seems to wear BETTER than those with HAIII.


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## GeorgePaul (May 7, 2007)

Pokerstud said:


> PentagonLight Molle Lights


Interesting. What was wrong with them?


----------



## mossyoak (May 7, 2007)

streamlight TL-3 led
horrible output and purple as can be. 
it was so disapointting that a 3 X cr123 light could be so dim.


----------



## mdocod (May 7, 2007)

Disapointments:

1. (agreeing with others on this one)The RiverRock 2AA with the lousy optical ball. weak bluish nasty output, useless beam. It's really too bad because the quality of the construction is astounding for the price, build quality far exceeds a 2AA mag IMO.
2. The taskforce 3AAA 1W. horrendous beam pattern that made the amount of light less useful than it could have been, no regulation, was able to fix beam with a modified D26 reflector, but then the switch busted right after that. So it's in the "pieces/parts" box for now.
3. The "100 LED" 4AA light. (CHINA AT IT'S FINEST,, lol)... I knew it was going to be a piece of crap, but I didn't realize that it would totally fall apart so quickly, I've spent more time trying to repair it than I have using it. With the resistor removed, and a set of NIMH, it's pretty bright though.
4. LEDBEAMS: I used to recommend these left and right, at the time, they were about the best throwing LED on the market, on NIMH they had awesome runtime, They were actually overdriven pretty hard, but plenty of good heatsinking to deal, the price was unbeatable bang-for-buck. But Most of the ones I bought for myself and as gifts have all busted. The switches literally disintegrated on the first drop. I have heard that they have since improved the switch design, but I'd like to see a Seoul P4 on there before buying any more.
5. almost any 3xAAA LED light I've bought has bothered me simple because of the lousy battery setup, poor runtime, easy to bust carrier.


----------



## powernoodle (May 7, 2007)

Photon Proton. Threads on tail make it too difficult to get the tail back on. Clip and shape of tail contribute.


----------



## Geologist (May 7, 2007)

Great idea for a thread! 

Gonna think on this one a bit - some stuff I've had issues with - but a lot of the China stuff is "get what ya pay for" - 

hmmmm


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## :)> (May 7, 2007)

Inova X1 Generation 3. What a shame that this beautiful little light does not come with a Seoul or a Cree; it doesn't even come with a Luxeon. 

I am not happy with it at all. 

Streamlights in general have not made me very happy. 

-Goatee


----------



## fieldops (May 7, 2007)

river rock 2C. nothing good about it. No regulation, poor beam. Just wasn't good.


----------



## MarNav1 (May 7, 2007)

Arc AAA-P, Fenix E1, Mag Solitare. The first two were just not for me, although I bought a modded E1 from EngrPaul and it's like night and day difference. I might try
a modded Arc someday. The Mag was just junk, even with the $12.00 LED drop-in
it just didn't cut it. Stock Maglites never did do that much for me, but the modded
ones I've seen here are very nice. I gave the Mag away and sold the others not too
long after I got them.


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## mdocod (May 7, 2007)

Noticing that a ton of people are unimpressed by the RR 2AA and 2C 1.5W jobs.


----------



## chevrofreak (May 7, 2007)

:)> said:


> Inova X1 Generation 3. What a shame that this beautiful little light does not come with a Seoul or a Cree; *it doesn't even come with a Luxeon*.
> 
> I am not happy with it at all.
> 
> ...




Actually, it does. It uses the Luxeon Flash. I bought one of these today for runtime testing purposes.


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## Illum (May 8, 2007)

Inova X1, XO2, XO3
X1: kinda cute...a bit bulky for its proformance
XO2: My first LED light, slightly big and heavy with only moderately good output
XO3: very cumbersome EDC....as much as I love its spot effect, I bought two....gave away one...both the poorest of tint, the YA margin....should've kept the other one so I can mod it
Minimag, solitaire, MinimagLED, MagLED...alright fine....*the entire Mag instrument assembly!* [stock performance only]
Nightstar that cost $40, good light yes...but way less than I expected from performance....they need to find a way to eliminate the string magnetic field
Dorcy Super 1 watt [3AAA version] [a little tail in the beam, no regulation, bad tint. bought one and that was the last, bought two cr123A versions instead]
Dorcy 3D 1 watt [pure throw...Y0 tint, aside from the parabolic reflector it would've been a good light, :sigh:]
_ANY 2D OFF-THE-SHELF KRYPTON_

Streamlight jr. Luxeon..[huge improvement from the minimag, but compared to Fenix L2P's proformance and price difference...I think its time to put it on my dislikes list]
Streamlight Trident [headlamp][old-old version with the smooth reflector, a gift from someone who knows about me and my likeing with lights...the LED was okay but the krypton was :sick2:, I think I tossed it because there was a battery leak....I did salvage 3 white LEDs though...but they were made into another project]

I want to say the surefire A2...but....it has given me more good and bad....I almost got a girlfriend helping a girl find her keys in a football field after the game....somehow that ended me knee deep in mud

 retrofits:
nite-ize single LED for the 2D-6D [pretty self-explanatory]
everLED [side emitter] sure it was bright...but capable of melting any plastic light you shove it into
Tektite LPR-3 [ugh] Im surprised...mine didnt come out that beautiful as quickbeam's review had depicted...not with my mag at least


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## WNG (May 8, 2007)

CMG/Gerber Reactor 3:
Most already know why, sh!tty design, yellowy tint, poor switch mechanism which breaks eventually, and can't be disassembled. Costly early Lux-1 flashlight. $35

Black & Decker 2C Snake Lite:
Fortunately I only paid $5 to find out it was dim and pretty useless as a work light due to the lack of output. Adding a PR-SMJLED significantly increased its utility as a long running area light.

MAG 4D:
Expected more output for its size. Too clumsy as a usable flashlight. Basically a club that allows to you see what you're swinging at.


Inova X1:
Impressive initially by the feel and 'quality', but the switch problems, and others' lens problems, plus the bluish Nichia LED...it didn't have what it takes to be considered a great flashlight. Outshined by River Rock's 'peanut' light purchased for 1.88 ea. at Target clearance! I still EDC the RR 'peanut', not the X1.

Harbor Freight 3D 15-LED array aluminum flashlight:
POS! Head/lens/reflector can't be disassembled, LEDs are dim as crap!

Many early 3AA and 3AAA multi-LED flashlights:
4/6/12/17-LED models which were too dim or poor construction. ie. switches.
Not a shot against multi-arrayed LEDs, some I own are great, bright and nicely tinted.
Just those that use sub-par LEDs. 
One being a 12-LED Black & Decker 3AAA. Nicely constructed, but the chosen LEDs are so dim. My 8-LED 3AAA 'Bolt' light outshines it.

Electrolumens XM-3:
A lot of hype boosted expectation. Quality control caused many to be shipped with stripped threads and screws actually 'crazy-glued' on. Mine being one of them. Paid for return shipping 2x (1 for shipping me the wrong product). 
Although the body was well-made. The light wasn't as bright as expected for Lux-III. Underdriven driver, shallow reflector, produced a poor beam. 
1 month later, a 3W-2AA HK light outshown, out threw the XM-3, for only 12 bucks!

Stanley 369 Tripod work light:
Very cool looking light! Neat industrial design.
But 6-LEDs of dim output makes it useless as its intended purpose. A mod candidate for sure. Not worth the $30 MSRP. Most of us managed to get one for $12 or $6.24 luckily.

Stock, it's ok as an area bounce light for power outage emergencies. 

Sylvania DOTs:
Osram's high-tech LED 'tap' light. Nicely made, but turn it on and its 3 LEDs are too dim and narrow focused. Needs to flood more to be useful. 

River Rock 1.5W Jupiter 2C:
Repeating those who selected this one as well. Nice construction, but output no better than the 2AA. The output is 'different' and limited in use and lumens. I found only one niche for it, in a darkened theater, bright enough to find you way, but restricted to not disturb others. If you really must have the funky beam, just buy the 2AA, the 2C really isn't necessary. The Nuwai construction is evident, nice quality. Maybe a good mod candidate. Shame, because I love the look and feel of the 2C. But as a light, it fails to impress.


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## StefanFS (May 8, 2007)

On a side note to this, since so many seem to be disappointed by by them. The River Rock/Aurora 2AA and 2C are pretty easy to upgrade with an new led of your choice. With CREE or SSC P4 they are quite impressive throwers.


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## defusion (May 8, 2007)

surefire g2; i bought two today, and one of them is dead already.
The bulb works fine in the other G2, the tailcap works on the other light aswell. It appears the malfunction is in the body. It appears to me the tailcap can't make proper contact.
Gonna send it back tomorrow, the shop said they'll get me a replacement ASAP.


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## bwm (May 14, 2007)

Jetbeam C-LE: PWM frequency too low and hot spot too bright and tight (attempted to use to change headlight on car).

Photon Freedom: Light dims too quicklly then high is no longer high enough. (Not all negative - the UI is the best I've used).

Gerber Infinity Ultra: too blue.

Minimag 2AA - too dim, beam was not smooth when set to flood, kept needing new bulbs.

mag Solitaire - too dim, kept having to replace bulbs.


Lights which exceeded my expectations:

CR2 Ion with XRE - my current edc.

Arc AAA-P - my edc if wearing dress pants.

HDS EDC U-60GT - great tint, multiple levels, runs forever on Primary using a Duracell.


Brian


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## BigusLightus (May 14, 2007)

Gerber Infinity - way too short of a runtime. Only two or three hours.

Everything I bought from Fifth Unit - most of it never worked and the few that did either flickered or were very dim. Don't be fooled be low prices! You only get what you paid for. In my case I got a lot less than I paid for.

Added: Lights that exceeded my expectations:
- MiniMag 2aa with E^2 lithiums and a WahWang 4 die led. My favorite.
- Fenix Civictor. My second favorite.
- Task Force 3aa one watt from the wild $2.50 sale at lowes. I must have bought twenty of them to give away. Third favorite.


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## George M (May 14, 2007)

WNG said:


> Black & Decker 2C Snake Lite:
> Fortunately I only paid $5 to find out it was dim and pretty useless as a work light due to the lack of output. Adding a PR-SMJLED significantly increased its utility as a long running area light.


LOL, I see I'm not the only one to put an LED in one of those things. I actually combined two disappointments into something useful. I bought a Nite-Ize PR LED replacement bulb for a 2C Mag, but it was just too dim for a handheld light that big. I stuck it in the SnakeLight and, as you said, it makes a good area light. Should be nice to have in a power outage.


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## jumpstat (May 14, 2007)

Maglite solitaire - Bulb life and tungsten deposit, gets lousy output after a few hours.
Maglite Minimag 2AA - Bulb life and the tailcap gets easily undone.
Maglite 3AAA - Loose bezel could be made to better tolerances.
Inova X1 Gen 2 - Dodgy tailcap thread, too fine and might reverse thread if not careful.
The abova are all that I have bought and used.


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## CM (May 14, 2007)

It would have to be the Surefire Kroma for me. I think it has more to do with the rate of inflation of Surefire pricing. IMO, the Kroma is low on bang for the buck.


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## outlaw918692000 (May 15, 2007)

For me it was the ARC LS The build was great (Better looks then anything I have seen since), but I can't believe I paid over $100.00 for an under driven 1 watt lux. Back then it was state of the art and the only 1 watt lux. EDC light available. Now I carry my Fenix P1 (what a long way we have come in a few years) in 4 years I will be saying The P1 sucked now that I have the turbo sun rechargeable 300 lum led the same size that runs for 6 hours on a 30 min. charge.


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## popeye (May 15, 2007)

I deffinately dont have a big collection of very expensive or modded lights but the one i bought and returned was the inova x1 3rd gen. Nice build and feel but i had to light a match to find it(while it was ON).:candle: Itraded for the river rock 1aa 1watt(not the funky round lens one) and i think it is very nice for what i paid and also bought the 2aa RR in the camo and it does an excellent job too. I have many 4D,3D mags and upgraded with the MAG branded led drop ins ,bright to me however still have the MAG "rings" on flood. I have a poly stinger incan. and stinger HP with a 3w drop in led. Have the 3w "blimp" 3aa from kaidomain and is bright but can see a litle flicker form contact issues of the batt. holder i guess. Inova 2aa bolt seems good but the RR 2AA seems to have just as much light for a little less money. 

I know this was for light not liked but the inova x1 is the only one I consider not worthy of being called a flashlight. 
Forgot i also have fenix L2D-CE which is very nice light:wave:


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## Bror Jace (May 16, 2007)

I like it when one person's big disappointment is another's fave. 

I love my Lowe's "Task Force" 3AAA 1W Luxeon light ... terrific beam, nice warm tint, etc ... for the less than $10 I spent on mine, I couldn't be happier. I'll admit it was less than impressive out of the package (threads were bone dry) but once greased was a slick bit of kit. One small complaint, it doesn't work in weather less than 20F. I assume it's shrinkage is preventing electrical contact ... as it is fine again once warmed up.

I also like the River Rock 2AA a bit more than others here ... a bit. It's not totally useless ... but I just can't help but wonder how much better it would be without that fish eye. They should have patterned it as an up-sized 2AAA light ... a favorite among many here (with good reason).


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## Tempora (May 17, 2007)

Surefire Beast did not meet my expectations.
Magilte Solitaire exceeded them.


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## swxb12 (May 17, 2007)

Another vote for the Inova microlight. I thought that I got a good deal on it for $6 at an REI shop since it also came bundled with a bonus translucent plastic flare tube and lanyard, but it turns out the output is pretty terrible.

Inova on the far left, Garrity on the far right. Middle is first gen CMG Infinity 1xAA.


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## kosPap (Jun 5, 2007)

There are 2 lights I regreted spending my money for:

MiniMag LED 2AA (arrived this morning) STUPID design, loss of light when bezel moves forward, and RINGY Beam.

And the OSRAM Dulux Pocket fluorescent light See here.
Bought it as a porch reading light, and has neitehr the brigtness nor the runtime for any serious use.

Funny thing, I baught both while CPF was down!


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## mattchase (Jun 5, 2007)

Coast 3 led (3 N cell model - probably 8 years old) - This was the first LED light I bought and I was just never happy with it.

Smith & Wesson Luxeon I (3 pack from Costco) - I did a review on these a bit ago, not a bad light in general but I had hoped for much more. For the price a good deal, and the S&W headlamp I got with it is great. Not sure I would buy the kit again though.

Mag 2D ROP mod - Ok, on this one I'm very happy with the light, but from everything I had read about it I expected much more wow out of it. I'm running it on a 6AA - 2D adapter, so it is slightly underpowered and that may be why I'm not getting my wow from it. I'm going to experiment more with it.

And to end on a positive note:

Fenix L0D CE rocks!


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## planex (Jun 5, 2007)

Peak Kilminjaro
Peak Matterhorn

They have good build quality, but I think value for the money I paid for them is low. Fenix EO and Infinity Ultra offer much more value for the money.


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## orionlion82 (Jun 6, 2007)

Them chineese "showerhead" multiLED lights with the 3xAA carriers. 

awful runtime, and complete junk. 

that being said, they ARE the PERFECT beater light.
initially bright, and floody, but dim quickly and then runs for a few hours while it tapers off. 

great to loan out, drop it, loose it, a few LEDs stop working - whatever - who cares. 

their only value -is that they are pretty trashy-, and incredibly cheap, but still do the job.
if it gets lost, it wont keep you awake at night. 
if it really gets bad you can chuck it and get a new one cheap with no tears shed for the old one. 
they are so bad they are good. i like them, but only in the right situations.


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## PhantomPhoton (Jun 7, 2007)

_Ultra Compact MX Power 1W AA Nichia Jupiter LED Flashlight 35 lumens 1W_ - from Battery Junction... actually it's a cheap Nichia Rigel light with a toxic-smelling switch boot.

Rexlight - mostly due to pwm (as many of us were led to beleive it wasn't going to be pwm), no extension tube, poor fitting 'o' rings and terrible performance with NiMh AAs... hence I no longer shop at Kai's.

Jetbeam C-LE from DX - horrendously difficult to change modes because I can't twist the thing fast enough (.25 seconds or something like that), especially because foam doughnuts were not supplied.

_Almost_ every LED drop in for MiniMags and standard Mags.

Inova X1 v3 - Terrible runtime and output; luckily Target is a cool store and will usually take un-molested merchandise back no questions asked.


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