Flashlight deal - 1600 lumen flashlight for $25

[PedroDaGr8]

Just came across this flashlight, as an aside it is sold by a vendor with the MOST porn sounding name ever (BangGood). So this flashlight is a collaboration between the online lighting forum called BudgetLightForum, BangGood and a manufacturer (Manker). Now for the fun part, first and foremost, this thing puts out a whopping 1600 lumens, it is available in cool white (1A), neuatral white (3D) and warm white (5A) and uses a 18650 rechargable battery for power (it does not use alkaline batteries, they can't supply the powerneeded). Suppsedly, the cool white is the brightest while the neutral white has the best CRI (how well it renders colors).

http://www.banggood.com/BLF-A6-CREE-XPL-1600LM-7-4modes-EDC-LED-Flashlight-p-991823.html (Black anodized)
http://www.banggood.com/BLF-A6-CREE-XPL-1600LM-74modes-Non-anodized-EDC-LED-Flashlight-18650-p-998021.html (Silver - non-anodized)

Use Coupon code GBLFA6SE to bring it down to $25 shipped.

The benefit of using the 18650 rechargable is that this flashlight is TINY compared to its output power. An 18650 is only a bit longer and wider than a AA battery. Also, the rechargable ability allows the light to last a while at high output power. Additionally, being rechargable, when it dies you just recharge it.

Recommended 18650 Cell (30Q output ability is important for getting maximum brightness)
http://www.banggood.com/1PCS-NR18650-30Q-3000mah-20A-Power-Li-ion-Battery-for-Samsung-p-981565.html

To give you and idea of the output power, one of your car headlights basically outputs less lumens than this.

Just a heads up incase anyone needs a new light.

Oh yeah, since shipping is free. Do the order in two parts because the coupon code won't take for some reason if you have more than one item in the cart.

Also, if you can sacrifice runtime, they will be coming out with a version soon that uses an 18350 battery. This light will be incredibly short a compact though the battery life will be worse due to the smaller battery used. http://budgetlightforum.com/node/41162 You can see in this thread a pic comparing the current already small size with the downright tiny 18350 model.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, it has 7+ modes of brightness plus several hidden modes. One of the hidden modes is a 10Hz tactical safety mode. It is designed to disorient attackers.

[Doc]

You are correct about the batteries. It what are used in otoscopes (the doo-hickeys doctors and veterinarians look down your ears with) because regular batteries don't have the juice needed. That price on them is great. I might order some for work as well. I think we pay about 3 times that. I'll check tomorrow and if they are the same I'll order several

[Darrell KSR]

Banggood is where I ordered the Mi fit band, IIRC, and/or some cheap flashlights that work fine. Shipping was slow, but everything was as represented.

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[KeithKSR]

I bought a similar light on eBay, it uses two of the 18650 batteries. It is super bright.

[dan_bgblue]

I could not stand the pressure. I am a flashlightaholic and I had to see something this bright in such a small package.

Couple of questions for Pedro. 1st is when I ordered the battery/batteries there were 2 of them shown in the picture on the website, but when I ordered, it said one, not 2. I hope that meant 1 package of 2. Is that how it works for them? 2nd is I did not know I was ordering from a Hong Kong retailer. The order was filled very quickly and shipped just as quickly. Any projection on how fast the free shipping is?

Thanks

[Darrell KSR]

Expect it to take about three weeks. Won't be much sooner, could be a little longer. I'm pretty sure my Xiomai band was right around the three week mark.

Hey, I warned you Shipping was slow. :)

I ordered two replacement chargers for my band because I misplaced the one it came with. Figuring on another three weeks, even though I'm buying from a different supplier there. It's not their fault, they ship right away, but that's just how long it takes.

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[Darrell KSR]

By the way... The reviews are outstanding on it. I have some high powered long throw cree defiant lights that use C and D batteries, and this looks like it would just swamp those.

Let me know if you love it when you get it. If so, and if I can get that kind of a deal, I wouldn't mind picking up half a dozen to give to kids at Christmas to stick in their cars (with my wife and I getting one each, too).

Does that battery have a good storage life?

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[PedroDaGr8]

I could not stand the pressure. I am a flashlightaholic and I had to see something this bright in such a small package.

Couple of questions for Pedro. 1st is when I ordered the battery/batteries there were 2 of them shown in the picture on the website, but when I ordered, it said one, not 2. I hope that meant 1 package of 2. Is that how it works for them? 2nd is I did not know I was ordering from a Hong Kong retailer. The order was filled very quickly and shipped just as quickly. Any projection on how fast the free shipping is?

Thanks

Should be only one cell. $5 for a new high capacity 30Q (high current ouput) li-ion batteries is actually a good price. They are usually around $7-8/cell or more from what I have seen. Most of the cheaper stuff you see on ebay are not brand new cells. They are salvaged from laptop batteries and given a new outer wrapper, this is why they seldom meet their listed storage, because they are used pulls not actually brand new.

As for shipping times, in my experience HK Post (7-10 days), China Post (2-3 weeks). So depending on which postal service they used, you can have some pretty heavy differences in times.



By the way... The reviews are outstanding on it. I have some high powered long throw cree defiant lights that use C and D batteries, and this looks like it would just swamp those.

Let me know if you love it when you get it. If so, and if I can get that kind of a deal, I wouldn't mind picking up half a dozen to give to kids at Christmas to stick in their cars (with my wife and I getting one each, too).

Does that battery have a good storage life?

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In general, Li-Ion batteries are OK with storage life but they can get damaged by the heat of cars in the summertime. The heat while fully charged kills the battery itself, so you end up having to purchase a new battery after a while. In general, I think a handheld using eneloops will be better suited for the situation. It won't be nearly as bright, but at the same time it can last for years without worry. These would be good for the wife and daughter to stash in their purse though.

[dan_bgblue]

Thanks Pedro. Wish I had known that before I ordered. The price of another battery is not a deal breaker at all, but when I do get the order at my house, I will be one battery short of having a working light.

[Darrell KSR]

It only needs one battery to operate, correct?

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[Darrell KSR]

In general, Li-Ion batteries are OK with storage life but they can get damaged by the heat of cars in the summertime. The heat while fully charged kills the battery itself, so you end up having to purchase a new battery after a while. In general, I think a handheld using enerloops will be better suited for the situation. It won't be nearly as bright, but at the same time it can last for years without worry. These would be good for the wife and daughter to stash in their purse though.
Thanks. I may still get them for that. Plus my son likes them as I do.


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[dan_bgblue]

It only needs one battery to operate, correct?

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Well maybe. ;-) I will let you know when the boat arrives

[dan_bgblue]

Thanks. I may still get them for that. Plus my son likes them as I do.


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In general, I think a handheld using enerloops will be better suited for the situation.

+10,000. I have a camera that lives in my truck and it is powered with 4 AA eneloops plus the hot shoe flash needs 4 as well. I do not use it a lot but I needed it a couple of weeks ago and the batteries still showed half charge. Last time I charged them was over a year ago.

[PedroDaGr8]

It only needs one battery to operate, correct?

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Thanks Pedro. Wish I had known that before I ordered. The price of another battery is not a deal breaker at all, but when I do get the order at my house, I will be one battery short of having a working light.

The flashlight only requires a single 18650 battery, which is part of the reason it is so impressive. It is also part of the reason that it needs the higher current batteries because all of the power is coming from a single cell.

[dan_bgblue]

Thanks again Pedro. It is amazing that it will operate on only one battery and producing light that intense.

[PedroDaGr8]

Thanks again Pedro. It is amazing that it will operate on only one battery and producing light that intense.

They are making tubes that work for a 18350 battery (tube being the center part of the light).


This is the WHOLE DAMN LIGHT! That is not my thumb it is from this thread (http://budgetlightforum.com/node/41162) but use that for scale!

4929

[dan_bgblue]

I got the specs for the dimensions before I ordered it. I think overall length is 4.75 inches

[PedroDaGr8]

To prevent polluting the forum with another deal thread. This is tangentially related

A friend just mentioned to me that Costco has their Eneloop kit on sale again. You get 8x AA, 4x AAA, 2x C adapters and 2x D adapters and a high quality smart charger for $23.99. It is a DAMN good price for eneloop rechargables. This would be great for parents of kids to stock up on high quality rechargables before the holidays. For those that don't know, these have the lowest self-discharge rate of almost any battery period! Better than most alkaline batteries even! These are great for emergency flashlights, remote controls and things of that nature where you don't want to turn it on to a dead battery.

Feel free to split this off mods, if you want to make it a separate thread.

[dan_bgblue]

Apparently they are not available online, or if they are, I can not find them. Unfortunately we do not have a Costco near by

[PedroDaGr8]

Yep, they never list the Eneloops on their website. It looks like the closest to you is in Nashville. Not surpising since Lexington just got a Costco a couple years back.

[dan_bgblue]

Well the light arrived yesterday sans battery. I did not expect both to arrive at the same time as I followed the advice and ordered them separately to make the coupon work, but I did have a bit of hope that they would.

I will be pleasantly surprised and amazed if this very small light does what I hope it will, and that is throw out light that I have never seen before from a small handheld flashlight. Unless you are fond of wearing tight fitting pants, you can put this in your front pocket and hardly notice that it is there. I will definitely let everyone know if it does when the battery arrives.

[Darrell KSR]

Quick!

By the way--and I should've mentioned this--I tried the coupon with both the light and the battery, and it worked, at least to the point where I had to pay. I stopped there, as I did not order, waiting on Dan to try it out first :).

[PedroDaGr8]

By the way D, check the Eneloop deal above. Those batteries would be ideal for the situation you mentioned. Get a solid AA cell high output light (100 lumens should be enough, anything higher is just icing on the cake) and throw one of the eneloop batteries in there. Those would be perfect for storing in cars. Maybe dan_bgblue has some AA powered lights that would work here.

[Darrell KSR]

Find it at Sam's Club. I'm not a Costco member!

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[dan_bgblue]

Battery arrived and needs charging. I do not have a suitable charger. Suggestions?

[PedroDaGr8]

Battery arrived and needs charging. I do not have a suitable charger. Suggestions?

You just missed the Nitecore D2 on Amazon for $12.99 with amazon prime shipping. If I had known you needed a charger I would have posted it. You can pick it up for $15 on ebay from the usa or $12 on ebay from China.

[dan_bgblue]

I have chargers for everything from a 12 volt auto battery down thru triple A batteries, but this battery is a rare bird. Thanks for the help they

[dan_bgblue]

Pedro, my head is hurting again.

If anyone is interested, I pasted the design features for this flashlight. I just hope I can get it to turn on and figure out how to make it shine it's brightest.

BLF EE A6 firmware (Click HERE for more detail)

==================

The interface is as follows:

(see blf-a6-ui.png for a quick start)

While off:

- Fully click and release to turn the light on. It will go to the first mode or the last-used mode, depending on whether you enabled mode memory.

While on:

- Short tap: Do a short (less than 0.5s) half-press to go forward to the next mode.

- Med tap: Do a medium (0.5s to 1.5s) half-press to go backward to the previous mode.

- Long tap: Do a long (longer than 1.5s) half-press to reset to the first mode (if mode memory is turned off).

- Or fully click and release to turn the light off.

Hidden modes:

- Go backward from moon to access the hidden modes. They are, in order:

- Turbo (just like the regular turbo)

- Tactical strobe (10 Hz)

(or 2-level stutter beacon, if compiled with that option)

- Battery check / beacon mode

(each blink represents about 25% of a full charge)

Configuration options:

- Ground pin 3 of the MCU to enable mode memory. This can often be done by soldering a star on the spring side of the

driver, if your driver supports that. Otherwise, it's pretty easy to make a solder bridge from pin 3 (mode mem toggle) to pin 4

(ground). Or even just wedge a piece of metal between the two pins.

- Short tap rapidly a bunch of times (15+ taps, or until the light stops turning on) to enter soft config mode.



With the default build, this only has one option (mode group), and it will toggle that option each time config mode is entered. It will then

blink, pause, and return to regular operation with the new settings.

Or if you rebuild the source and enable more than one soft config option, the way it works is the light will blink twice for each

option. Turn the light off between the two blinks to toggle that option. The options are whichever ones you enable.

The available options are:

- Mode group: 7 modes or 4 modes:



Group 1: moon, low, med1, med2, high1, high2, turbo Group 2: low, med, high, turbo

- Mode memory toggle (disabled in default build, use pin 3 instead)



Other details to note:

- Low-voltage protection will progressively step down the output at

about 2.8V, and the light will shut itself off when it gets below 2.7V.


- The default turbo step-down is 30 seconds.



- When turbo steps down to high, a short tap will push it back up to turbo or a medium tap will step down further, *even if you got to turbo

by going backward from moon*. The step-down effectively moves it from the "hidden" turbo back to the non-hidden turbo.



- A short tap from any hidden mode will return to the lowest mode.



Compared to other commercially-available lights (especially budget lights), this light is unique or groundbreaking in several ways:



- First BLF light with our own custom driver.



- First BLF light with our own custom firmware.



- First special-edition with a direct-drive FET, so it has the brightest turbo mode you can get.



- First special-edition with a regulated lower-power second channel for stable and efficient low modes.



- True moon mode.



- Up to 1600 lumens from a single emitter in a small tube light (with the right battery, and a spring bypass mod). Closer to 1200-1300



lumens with no mods and lower-amp batteries.



- User-toggle-able mode memory.



- User-toggle-able mode groups.



- Well-spaced visually-linear output modes.



- Includes some hidden modes for those who want them.



- Battery check mode!



- First clicky-switch stock light with both forward and backward mode navigation in a single tap (short/medium press).



- With mode memory off, the user can access 4 different modes (including the highest and lowest) within 1 second.



- Fast PWM so the pulsing won't be visible.



- The firmware and the driver designs are available for anyone who wants to modify them.

[dan_bgblue]

When I turned it on earlier today in the daylight the light emitted was so dim I concluded that the battery was drained. After sorting thru the info pasted above, I discovered that the battery I got last night was not dead after all. I just had not figured out by myself that to increase output from the default moon mode to a higher output. I needed to tap the on off button lightly. I found out that at about 5 taps it will literally blind you if you are looking right at it. That was 5 minutes or so ago, and I still have retinal images of the light.

Be careful with this sucker.

Pedro, is there a way I can get to the hidden mode without modifications to activate the tactical strobe?

[PedroDaGr8]

When I turned it on earlier today in the daylight the light emitted was so dim I concluded that the battery was drained. After sorting thru the info pasted above, I discovered that the battery I got last night was not dead after all. I just had not figured out by myself that to increase output from the default moon mode to a higher output. I needed to tap the on off button lightly. I found out that at about 5 taps it will literally blind you if you are looking right at it. That was 5 minutes or so ago, and I still have retinal images of the light.

Be careful with this sucker.
Haha, I did that this weekend with a light. I was trying to remove the lens section to see what LED it used and of course looking right at the LED. As I was trying to unscrew it, I hit the button on the back basically blinded myself.


Pedro, is there a way I can get to the hidden mode without modifications to activate the tactical strobe?

Yes, you need to do the half-presses for a longer duration to get it to step backwards:

Med tap: Do a medium (0.5s to 1.5s) half-press to go backward to the previous mode.


Basically, moon light mode is the zero point while turbo (even brighter than the brightest regular mode i.e. the one that blinded you)) is point -1 and tactical 10Hz is -2. The rest of the points are +1, +2, +3, etc.

[dan_bgblue]

Thanks again. I had not gotten to turbo mode when trying it out before, and once again the retinal patterns will go away soon. Dude this thing is insanely bright and being the guinea pig that I am, I just had to see what the tactical strobe would do to my vision. In full daylight, albeit a cloudy day, not only is it blinding, the strobe really messes with one's vision.

My name is Dan and I am a flashlightaholic.

[dan_bgblue]

My last post about the flashlight


I stopped there, as I did not order, waiting on Dan to try it out first .

Go ahead and order it.

[PedroDaGr8]

Thanks again. I had not gotten to turbo mode when trying it out before, and once again the retinal patterns will go away soon. Dude this thing is insanely bright and being the guinea pig that I am, I just had to see what the tactical strobe would do to my vision. In full daylight, albeit a cloudy day, not only is it blinding, the strobe really messes with one's vision.

My name is Dan and I am a flashlightaholic.

Haha, Dan join the club. I am getting this for a flashlightaholic BIL of mine for x-mas. I think he will very much enjoy it.

[dan_bgblue]

I lied about it being my last post.

Darrell, just a couple of more observations about the light. It is somewhat of a power hog, but you do get a lot during the battery life. I played with it in all different modes I could get to for a little over 2 hours and 15 minutes before the battery died. The power source is like most lithium ion sources in that it goes full bore and then just dies with no warning. I recharged the battery to 100% and it took a little over 4 hours. Wondering how I got the charger so fast? We have a Batteries Plus brick and mortar store in town, and I visited them yesterday. I bought a charger and 2 more batteries for a good price. The charger is not the D2 that Pedro recommended, but it fit the need and was a good deal.

I was showing my new toy to Judy last night in the den and she said that it is bright, (click) that is really bright, (click) Wow that is really bright, (click) would you turn that thing off? ;-) I did, then turned the strobe feature on and she said turn that damn thing off, that is insane and it is messing with my eyes. I apologized, turned it off and went back to the shop knowing that I had a dangerous toy in my hand.

[Darrell KSR]

Thanks, Dan. I appreciate you guinea pigging it for me. I'll probably join soon.

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[bigsky]

Soon I'll be reading about one bright enough to start fires.

My SOP is to buy four " One AA battery" size lights at black friday and give each family member one each year. And if there is a sale in the spring a couple more for me. I got about ten now, almost enough to be able to find one if I need one.

[dan_bgblue]

Check out the pre Christmas deals at your local Home Depot, if there is one near by. They generally have some great deals in store on their Defiant (Cree) brand lights. I have not counted lately, but I think I have 5 of them now.

[bigsky]

Check out the pre Christmas deals at your local Home Depot, if there is one near by. They generally have some great deals in store on their Defiant (Cree) brand lights. I have not counted lately, but I think I have 5 of them now. That is the kind I buy, mostly. My truck has a couple of higher end ones. My idea is I always have some AAs and "one battery" allows a spare in the tackle box or fishing creel or truck jockey box. Triple A a devices take too many batteries.

So another consequence of LEDs is that my Coleman gas lantern with mantles whose light and smell I've loved-- taking me back to the cabin long drowned by Lake Barkley-is left behind in favor of a D-cell powered LED lantern. On low those lanterns burn forever, night after night.

[dan_bgblue]

Do you use AA rechargables? If you do not, I really recommend the Sanyo Eneloop batteries. Duracel rechargeables are supposed to be the same battery just with a different label on them. You can put them in a light and never worry about leakage, and they stay charged a long, long, long, long time between charges if the light does not get much use.

I am like you, I absolutely love my Coleman twin mantle lantern. A gallon of gas and some mantles will last a long long time

[PedroDaGr8]

Do you use AA rechargables? If you do not, I really recommend the Sanyo Eneloop batteries. Duracel rechargeables are supposed to be the same battery just with a different label on them. You can put them in a light and never worry about leakage, and they stay charged a long, long, long, long time between charges if the light does not get much use.

I am like you, I absolutely love my Coleman twin mantle lantern. A gallon of gas and some mantles will last a long long time

Only some Duracells are, you have to pay attention to the COA. Additionally, it is specifically they pre-charged rechargables that are possibly eneloops. If it is Made In China it is another brand of rechargeable (I think Ray O Vac) and not nearly as good, if it is Made in Japan then it is rebadged eneloops. Honestly, the Costco deal I posted is a killer deal if you are in the market for rechargables. Since I go to Costco regularly, I can pick up a pack for anyone that wants one.

[dan_bgblue]

I read recently that Panasonic had bought the Eneloop brand. Sure hope they do not screw it up. Report I read said manufacturing would remain in Japan in same factory, but I do not know how long that will last.

btw Pedro, thanks for adding the tid bit about the China vs Japan Duracells, as I forgot to mention that detail.

[PedroDaGr8]

I read recently that Panasonic had bought the Eneloop brand. Sure hope they do not screw it up. Report I read said manufacturing would remain in Japan in same factory, but I do not know how long that will last.

btw Pedro, thanks for adding the tid bit about the China vs Japan Duracells, as I forgot to mention that detail.
Panasonic has owned Sanyo for a long time, Sanyo became a fully owned subsidiary in 2010. They are just changing the branding.

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[dan_bgblue]

Well, I will be darned. Had no idea that was the case. Article I read, and yes it had a current Oct. 2015 publish date on it, talked like it had just happened.

Thanks

[PedroDaGr8]

Saw this comic today and had to laugh:
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/flashlights.png


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[PedroDaGr8]

Just a heads up for the MAG Light Fans:

3-D Cell "Skullbuster-style" maglights on sale $20
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IXAJVY?tag=slicinc-20&ascsubtag=d8243adea84b11e59b5bc299a8f008280000

Not near the lumens of the Defiant flashlights from HD but the solid build that some people love.

[dan_bgblue]

Sale ends in 6 hours. That is a great deal for a rugged beast of a light. I have had one for years and it has never let me down. With the batteries loaded, it is a formidable club style weapon.