SammysHP @feddit.de Software developer from Germany with interests in programming, electronics, flashlights, calculators, writing instruments and various outdoor activities.
Visit my website for more info and updates.
See also: /u/[email protected]
Hmm… seltsamer Effekt: Mein Beitrag ist auf anderen Instanzen vorhanden, aber hier – von wo er ursprünglich stammt – ist er verschwunden: https://lemmy.world/post/10106501
This proprietary battery that Nitecore uses for all their latest generation tactical flashlights is the reason why I don't buy or recommend them. It would have been easy to avoid these batteries.
Put your hand in front of a 120 W bulb. Does it get warm?
Question is: What do you want to achieve by using a black body radiator? It won't give you any fancy colors, just a pretty smooth spectrum.
[Review] Skilhunt/ESKTE MiX-7 – multicolor EDC flashlight with UV
The full review is available here
English review at BLF German review at my website
Summary
Seven LEDs in five colors, in a very compact flashlight. The Nichia 519A LEDs are just beautiful with their high CRI and lovely tint. Red, green and blue are less interesting to me, but the UV light comes in very handy. This paired with the great driver and magnetic charging make the MiX-7 almost perfect.
It’s hard to say anything negative about it. I’d like to see more brightness levels for the color channels and maybe the possibility to mix them. Sometimes it can be annoying that the colors were integrated together with the white channel into the low group.
Overall I’m very satisfied with the MiX-7, even at my high expectations I had for this flashlight. If you want a flashlight with multiple colors, you should definitely try the MiX-7.
Seven levels of brightness for the white channel, two for R/G/B/UV. Only one color at a time. Next to the RGB disco mode there's also a red SOS, a read beacon and a white strobe.
You can order the dual channel D4v2 with a deep red channel (660nm) and UV channel. ;)
Get it with the additional 18350 tube and optionally magnet in the tailcap. Costs more or less the same as the MiX-7, but only comes with two channels and has no internal charging. On the other hand it will have Anduril.
It will look like this: https://www.reddit.com/r/Hanklights/comments/16ans11/dual_channel_uv_d4kd4v2kr4/
Indeed, if you want RGB with more power than just aux LEDs, it might be a good choice (althout RGB has just two brightness levels). It's also a great high CRI + UV candidate (alternatively you could consider a dual channel Emisar D4v2 with 519A and UV).
I don’t really like the input lag on the switch which is unusual for a “tactical” light
Which input lag do you mean? When it press the switch, my light turns on immediately.
[Review] Acebeam TAC AA – Let's EDC a tactical flashlight!
This review was sponsored by flashlightgo from where I got the flashlight for free in return for this review. Thank you very much!
The full review is available here
English review at BLF German review at my website
Summary
As long as you ignore the term "tactical" in the product description, the Acebeam TAC AA is a nice EDC flashlight. On the larger side for a AA flashlight, but just the right size for a comfortable grip. The Nichia 519A with its lovely tint and high CRI will make you happy. The universal beam is great for EDC use and comes with good throw for a light of this size. Build quality is superb and it feels very robust.
Unfortunately the driver is on a different level: Simple brightness regulation using PWM and the modes are messed up when using a NiMH battery. A real shame, because the TAC AA would have been a very nice, simple AA flashlight for family and friends. I wonder why Acebeam didn't use a better driver.
Overall the Acebeam TAC AA struggles to stand out against other less expensive flashlights. Yet it is a good option if you need support for Li-ion and NiMH batteries, as long as you don't miss the medium mode with NiMH. There aren't many other candidates with similar features.
Wurkkos TS10 TiCu (shiny!)
I couldn't resist. Disassembled the first prototype of the Wurkkos TiTS10 / TS10 TI and mixed it with my copper EDC. The combination of shiny titanium and copper with 3000 K is awesome. Also gave it a nice ZebraLight clip.
Don't compare the flashlights you'll find here in c/flashlight with these cheap flashlights with fake lumen ratings. 😉
Huh? That never happened with any of my flashlights. Mechanical tail switches are pretty reliable.
It performs OK, a little hard to press completely, though. Momentary mode works great, but it requires some force to press the switch completely. Apart from that it is reliable and relatively pocket-safe.
[Review] Dulotec Guardian – a surprisingly nice tactical flashlight from Bulgaria
Dulotec did a lot of things right with their first self-designed flashlight. Beam, handling and operation, the Guardian can impress in many practical situations of tactical use. Care was taken to keep the costs down, while keeping attention to details such as the integrated tactical ring or the magnetic charging port.
The full review is available here:
English review of the Guardian at BLF German review of the Guardian at my website
There is also an image showing the laser engraving:
If you want to go professional, there isn't much choice. Either The Sofirn/BLF LT1 or the smaller Sofirn LT1S Pro. Both have the Anduril operating system with a very complex, but also very powerful UI, they have adjustable color temperature and brightness – both either stepped or smooth – and the LT1S Pro even has a red channel!
Can this actually do a sustained 800lm for 6 hours per the manufacturer spec?
I don't think so. If you ignore the stepdowns in my runtime measurement and assume that it can maintain high level all the time, I'd say the total runtime at 800 lm will be more like 3 hours. Which is more or less what you get from the flood channel after the initial stepdown. Turn it on at turbo, wait 30 seconds for the stepdown and then you'll get almost 3 hours at roughly 750 lm.
Wann geht es denn hier weiter? Durch die Deföderation ist ein großer Teil meines Netzwerks weggebrochen, sodass ich mir dort jetzt einen weiteren Account angelegt habe. Das kann eigentlich nicht der Sinn eines dezentralen Netzwerks sein. Klar, ich könnte mir eine eigene Instanz aufsetzen, auf die nur ich Zugriff habe, aber das erscheint mir etwas übertrieben. Lemmy bräuchte für so einen Fall eine Single-User Version. Vielleicht gibt es sogar schon irgendein System mit ActivityPub, das so funktioniert... Mal schauen.
ESKTE/Skilhunt H150 – Dome or dedome: That is the question!
As expected, the dedoming lowers CCT and duv. The beam got narrower and now has snowflake-like artifacts around the beam (not visible in the photo).
Here’s a tool I made to unscrew the bezel, if you need one: H150 Bezel Removal Tool
Awesome! I think c/flashlight is a really great alternative to r/flashlight, especially if more people would post here.
And thanks for the giveaway!
Wurkkos TS12, compact 14500 thrower:
Yes, you could (theoretically) use an emulator for the microcontroller. I tried it a few times. And it isn't fun. It takes a lot of effort to simulate all inputs, outputs are hard to interpret and all kind of effects of the real light aren't reproduced.
In reality we flash the build onto a flashlight and try it. Sometimes it's only a prototype, disassembled. And rarely it's an actual devboard which has all relevant parts of the flashlight nicely accessible (basically the microcontroller with required electronics, regulated power supply, low power LED to see the output, several LEDs for aux and button and the switch itself).
[Review] ESKTE (Skilhunt) H150 – awesome 14500/AA headlamp with 519A
Summary
Whether it says Skilhunt or ESKTE – the H150 is an awesome headlamp! Small, supports Li-ion and NiMH batteries, can be charged via a magnetic adapter and the Nichia version gives you a beautiful, neutral light with high CRI. The beam is floody enough for a headlamp, but still achieves some usable throw. The comfortable and well thought-out head mount makes this a perfect set.
Is there anything bad to say about the H150? Not much. The magnetic charging port could become a problem if you have a lot of metal shavings around. The mechanical reverse polarity protection prevents the use of flat-top batteries. But otherwise? I can’t think of anything.
I can, without hesitation, recommend the ESKTE H150 to anyone looking for a small headlamp. But it also works good as a universal hand lamp.
Links to reviews
The UI of the Manker E02 II is very similar to the Skilhunt UI. Low group with 6 (?) levels of very low light, medium level and turbo. Not sure how it could be much shorter. Same for the ZebraLight, it can't be any shorter to fit a AA (except for the H50 which doesn't have a reflector).
I noticed this usability issue of lemmy as well. The photo is the one you can set as the URL for the post and a thumbnail of it should be shown at the top. Here's an embedded version of it:
ESKTE (Skilhunt) H150 – size comparison and runtime test
From left to right:
- Manker E02 II
- Skilhunt H04 RC Mini
- ZebraLight H52Fw
- ESKTE (Skilhunt) H150
- Cyansky HS6R
- Skilhunt H04
- Cyansky HS7R
- Sofirn SP40
- Armytek Wizard C2 Pro Nichia
- Wurkkos HD20
[Review] Cyansky H3 v2 – a thrower with white, red and green light!
Summary
Why have most flashlights only white light? In different situations you might want different colors. Red light should help with dark adaptation, while green light is often used for hunting. All three colors in one flashlight? And a thrower? The Cyansky H3 v2 is such a flashlight.
Flashlights with more than one color of light are rather rare, especially when you are looking for a thrower. The Cyansky H3 v2 is way ahead in this area. I have never seen a flashlight with an integrated color filter revolver anywhere else. There is nothing to complain about in terms of manufacturing quality, performance and beam. Really great!
However, you should be aware that the brightness and range of the colors are limited by the use of filters. Therefore the H3 cannot replace dedicated flashlights with a single color. If you only need white, I would prefer the Cyansky K3 v2 because of its more compact dimensions and better throw.
Links to reviews
My H150 has arrived and I like it!
Well, except that a flat-top battery will cause a short circuit...
[Review] Wurkkos TS11 – the budget pocket thrower
Summary
You are looking for an inexpensive and small thrower for your pocket? With Anduril and fancy aux LEDs? Then try out the Wurkkos TS11!
The Wurkkos TS11 is a fantastic, small pocket thrower that can easily keep up with larger flashlights such as the Sofirn IF22A in terms of range and brightness. Anduril offers many functions and can be updated and extended with some experience. On the other hand, this complexity can easily be overwhelming. (Wurkkos has just released the TS11S, which is the same flashlight, but with a simper user interface.)
There's a small issue with some orange in the spill, but you can either use the black version or apply my modification with aluminum tape. Apart from that the TS11 is exactly what I expected.
Links to reviews
New pictures of the Skilhunt... uhm, I mean ESKTE H150
Introduce new brand “ESKTE”
Clips – What a mess!
I don't use clips. Who would have guessed. How are you organizing clips that you don't use?
Aluminum tape to fix orange beam
The Wurkkos TS11 in orange has one big problem: The inside of the head is orange as well. This causes an orange spill, as you can see in this image:
Today I noticed that the bezel isn't glued. So I quickly disassembled it, cut a piece of aluminum tape into the right shape and covered the inside of the head with it.
There's still some orange from the outside of the bezel, but that can be fixed with a black marker or a 3D printed insert.
[Review] Cyansky P25 v2 – pocket flooder with XHP70.3
Summary
The Cyansky P25 v2 is definitely a good complement to a thrower. Floody beam, high brightness, simple UI.
Turbo uses the full potential of the flashlight. The brightness is maintained for more than a minute and by then the flashlight has heated up to 55°C. It’s just a pity that the turbo has to be reactivated via the side switch every time you turn the flashlight on.
Links to reviews
[Review] Convoy S21E XHP50.3 HI
Introduction
The review is already a few days old, but I want to try out the federation between lemmy and kbin. :)
I’d like to show you the Convoy S21E with XHP50.3 HI 5000K R9050 which I got for free from flashlightgo for a review.
Summary
I’m pretty amazed by the Convoy S21E with the XHP50.3 HI R9050! Considering the low price there’s nothing to go wrong with it. A reasonable performance for a light of this size, very nice light with good color rendition and the universal beam are properties hard to find even for much more expensive lights.
The UI has some rough edges, but is still absolutely usable in most situations. For example the ramping could be improved or a way to increase the brightness from moon.
Links to Reviews
[Review] Convoy S21E XHP50.3 HI
Introduction
The review is already a few days old, but I started using Lemmy just today. :)
I’d like to show you the Convoy S21E with XHP50.3 HI 5000K R9050 which I got for free from flashlightgo for a review.
Summary
I’m pretty amazed by the Convoy S21E with the XHP50.3 HI R9050! Considering the low price there’s nothing to go wrong with it. A reasonable performance for a light of this size, very nice light with good color rendition and the universal beam are properties hard to find even for much more expensive lights.
The UI has some rough edges, but is still absolutely usable in most situations. For example the ramping could be improved or a way to increase the brightness from moon.