LE 9 LED Ultra Violet Torch Review

Flashlight Fiesta

LE Ultra Violet 9 LED Torch

This is a quality package

Price: 99p
Manufacturer: LE
Model: 1100007 (stock)
Power: 395nm UV LEDs (9)
Run By: 3x AAA
Vendor: Seller via ebay
Shipped From: UK
What's in the Packet?: Retail box, torch, AAA batteries

You get quite a lot for your 99p !

First Impressions

I was rather happy when this arrived through the door the other day. Not only did it come in a nice retail box but also came with a set of standard AAA batteries. A nice little extra.

The build quality of this thing is fantastic. Finished nicely with good end cap and spring. The business end is high grade aluminium comprising of 9 nicely set black light LEDs. From first Impressions this torch looks rugged and waterproof. The push button switch is a different style to what is usually on offer. Seemingly designed to be impervious to water. The only draw back to this is that the torch cannot be stood on it end. Not a deal breaker.

Overall a great package for a pound.

Testing
As far a little 9 led black lights go this is probably the best so far.
The spread of light is consistent. And although not a 365mn torch  it is good at spotting illuminated things. Battery life is pretty good.

No problem with waterproofing. Passed with flying colours

Rating: ✅✅✅✅✅  5 out of 5
A very nicely put together torch for the money. The box, the free batteries and the company support make this a must buy. when it comes to a handy pocket black light then this is much better than the generic 9UV torch's often seen around ebay.
Waterproof and durable this should last for years.
I have no hesitation recommending one of these.

Unbranded LED Zoom Focus Torch Review

Flashlight Fiesta

Mysterious unknown LED Torch

 Cheap as chips!

Price: 71p winning bid free posting
Manufacturer: ???
Model: ???
Power: ???
Run By: 3x AAA
Focus Type: Zoom
Description: Cree Q5 1200 lumens output - hahaha!
Shipped From: China

First Impressions
What the dickens is this? It looks like the generic Cree Q5 offering but it's not. the description said it was a Cree Q5 but this is a lie. In fact the Emitter shares no characteristics with any Cree chip past or present. My feeling is at this stage that it's a lattice bright chip or random Chinese copy.
Despite the suspicious chip the actual torch feels alright. Not the best build quality but not the worst. It runs on three AAA inside the usual Carousel adapter. The screw fittings are a little dry and but there are some rubber o-rings in there to help with waterproofing.
The main body is passable grade aluminium. nicely finished and anodised. no complaints there.
The end cap is good quality and looks to be a clone of the ultrafire 501B cap. Reliable.
The zoom feature on this torch is silky smooth. It swings from flood to spot with ease. Definitely better than expected.

It's not a Cree or Osram LED so what the hell is this?

Testing
This torch performs really well considering we don't know how much power is on tap and who's chip is in here. It's bright on full power and subtle on low. Almost firefly style. In terms of throw this torch is as good as some of the Q5 zoomers. The spot is clear with just enough spill. Flood is wide and crisp.

Passed the half hour soak test. No problem

Rating: ✅✅✅✅✅ 5 out of 5

It's hard not to give this torch the highest award considering its price and performance. You can tell it's not a Cree chip, it's not quite as bright as a Q5 equivalent but it's still useable.
 It may well be a total unknown but it's worth looking out for again. Another sub quid quality torch!

SkyWolfEye TLY-A03 Mini Q5 Torch Review

Flashlight Fiesta

SkyWolfEye TLY-A03 Q5 Mini Flashlight

Price: 55p winning bid

Manufacturer: Sky Wolf Eye

Model: TLY-A03

Power: Cree XP-E Q5 5W

Run By: 1X AA

Focus Type: Fixed

Vendor: Seller via ebay

Shipped From: Hong Kong

First Impressions
I'm used to taking a few chances with these ridiculous priced torches now.  I wasn't pinning much hope on this to be honest but how wrong I was once I opened the Packet.
Inside I found a beautifully fashioned torch in a green gun metal finish. The markings on the head were very eye catching. The body is made from a good quality aluminium with sturdy end cap and spring. This torch promises to be both durable and waterproof judging by the rubber seals and toughness of build.
Overall a very nice looking piece.

Good quality Cree LED

Testing
I'm absolutely staggered by what this little thing throws out! How they can squeeze so much light from a single AA is beyond me. Although it runs a fixed focus head it's beam is clear and true. More of a spot beam than anything else, it's as good as any mini I have seen so far. The spill is enough to see things in your peripheral vision when walking at night.
Not quite as flexible as the mini Cree of ultrafire and Sipik it still packs a punch for such a small torch.
The Garden bush test went rather well.

Low Power Mode

High Power Mode

Fully Waterproof. Half hour jug test passed

Rating: ✅✅✅✅✅ 5 out of 5

Why do people buy torches from the high street and pay silly high prices when you can get this kind of quality for 55p? SkyWolfEye torches seem to be great value so far. Who cares if you drop this down a grid? Just buy another....

Another top quality torch for under £1. It beggars believe.

Jiqing Kids LED Flashlight Review

Flashlight Fiesta


Jiqing Kids LED Flashlight

Price: 15p - 20p
Manufacturer: Jiqing
Model: JQ-9968
Power: ? Led of some kind
Run By: 2 AA
Focus Type: Fixed
Vendor: Sellers via by
Description: Kids LED Flashlight For camping
Shipped From: Hong Kong

First Impressions
I wasn't expecting much for 20p I have to be honest. But I was completely shocked when I first opened one of these little boxes.
The  torch itself is made from a soft but durable plastic. They come in a range of colours which arrive at random. available are blue, green, yellow and black varieties. Batteries are placed in the rear of the unit behind a little plastic cover.
The business end of the torch is a fixed focus reflector with an LED chip of undetermined origin but good quality none-the-less.
Despite the incredibly low price tag this little torch is actually very good indeed. Quite surprising.
This item wins point straight off for arriving in some kind of retail box...a rarity.!

Testing
This torch is absolutely fantastic for what it actually cost.
It's bright, clear and capable. It's sad to say that these 20p bargains can out shine a few of my more expensive torches! Shocking.
The Garden bush test was surprisingly. I'm not sure what emmiter is used here but it's not bad at all.
For camping purposes this would be ideal for children to operate. Battery life is great.
You can't really go wrong with one of these. Reliable and functional. What more do you want?

Rating: ✅✅✅✅✅ 5 out of 5
I can't get over just how good these dinky little things are.
Simple and no nonsense.....and stupidly cheap.
I already own 12 of these and every single one is in good working order and the same quality.
Superb value for money. I'm on the look out for more!

My Entire Flashlight Collection Part 1

Flashlight Collection 1 ( July 2016 )


Here before you on the blue tatty table is my first table full of torches.

From this first table I have only encountered a couple of dud torches. The entire haul has been arriving on time and in good working order. My confidence in the cheap Chinese manufacturers has been affirmed!

This Oriental flashlight odyssey continues...

 A nice brace of green 303 there!

These few photos represent 90% of my current collection. The last 10% would not fit on the table so these will be added to part 2 as and when my little table gets full again!
Absent are the laser pens x6 and various others torches.

I shall let the pictures do the talking.

Arrow LED Watch Review

Unbranded Arrow Design LED Watch

This watch features a reverse LCD display. Wooo! 

Price: £1.00
Manufacturer: Unknown
Model: Unknown
Modes: Tim, Date, Stop Watch - Basic functions
Vendor: seller via ebay
Shipped From: China
Description: Fashion LED Men's Watch. Colour changing

First Impressions and Operating
When I first opened the air mail packet I was a little disappointed. Instead of a nice metal bezel I find a cheap as crap plastic flimsy mess. The four push buttons are over sensitive and rattle whenever you move your wrist. The overall build quality of this item is shockingly poor. Expect it to break within 6 months.
This watch never came with any instructions so setting this thing up is a frustrating challenge.
A feature on this watch is a multicoloured backlight. With a touch of a button you can summon up green, red, blue, orange, shitty brown and finally a whole medley of them all.
This could be regarded as a nice little bonus and it would be if it wasnt so crap!
The problem is that the LED which provides the light is set centrally under the glass and so when the light comes on it only really lights up the middle of the display?! crap.

One nice touch is the reverse LCD display which shows white numbers on a black background. This looks nice in the daylight but a pain to see at night with the crappy LED backlight coverage. So this watch is really no good at night.! ha ha

 You can have a green backlight

Or a red backlight

Or a blue backlight

And there are more colours to choose from including a rather strange multicoloured flash which is somewhat distracting. It's good that you have so many choices. Shame about the LED.

Rating: ✅✅ 2 out of 5
This watch could be so much better. it's a nice design with some nice ideas but it's been cobbled together by amateurs.
It only cost a quid so you really can't be too harsh on it I suppose.
Probably a nice little stocking filler for a 7 year old

Manky Matchmakers

Manky Nestlé Matchmakers - Taste like Crap
Unfortunately for me, I bought a packet of Matchmakers for a pound and was horrified by what I discovered. Not only was the chocolate a very off putting shade of brown but the normally regular straight minty sticks were deformed! They were either broken or bent. Not very appetising. I tried one and spat it straight out. It tastet awful! A mouthful of manky minty chocolate.
I didn't bother eating them and couldn't even give them away.
A rogue box perhaps? A dud?
I should send them back to Nestlé really but I don't think I can be bothered. I won't be buying any more of these from quality save again.

Look at the state of these!

Price: 99p

Manufacturer: Nestle

Vendor: Quality Save 

Matchmakers are supposed to be straight

Well within their best before date

Do not accept bent matchmakers! lol

100mW Red Laser Pointer Review

Flashlight Fiesta

100mW Red Laser Pen 

 Is this laser pointer really 100mW's? Hmm...

Price: £1.20
Manufacturer: Unknown
Model: Unknown
Power: 650nm Red Laser Diode 100mW (label claim)
Run By: 2x AAA
Vendor: seller via ebay
Shipped From: Hong Kong
Description:'.   1mW Red pointer with Star Cap (label says otherwise)

Standard Laser Pen design but this time with a Star Cap

First Impressions

What can I say? I bought this for a little over a pound off ebay. described as a 1mW red laser pen.
It shows up today and it says it a 100mW laser on the label
?! Is this more kidology on the part of the Chinese manufacturers? Are these being listed as 1mW to fool ebay? or is it really 100mW? If it is really 100mW then it's illegal here in the UK.

Like all the other generic pen lasers this specimen is no different. Quite well made with good screw fittings and hit and miss button contact. But thats fine with me.
The added star cap makes for a nice addition to the normal spot only pens.
Like the others in this style, it take two AA batteries.

Wow! 100mW this is awesome!

 More of the label. It's a class 3 laser according to this

Testing
It works like you would expect. Although brighter than my other red pen laser. It's equally if not brighter than my 5mW green which calls into question this products true power output one again. If it's not really 100mW then it has to be at least 5mW. I'm sure I will never know the answer to that.
The star cap thing is really good and bright considering its cheap and crude plastic construction. No where near as effective as the stars offered up by the green 303 laser, they are good enough to entertain the kids or the cat.
Take the cap off and the main spot beam is brighter than you would expect. Well worth the asking price.

 Nice little star cap provides hours of amusement (for kids)

The red dot is actually really bright 

Rating: ✅✅✅✅✅ 5 out of 5
It's not really 100mW - that's blatantly obvious. It is bright though and the additional star cap is a really nice feature. This laser pen can put a spot out over quite a distance. This thing can easily hit a building over 100ft away with some to spare.  It really is the luck of the draw when you get these from China.  Some suspicious 1mW listed lasers are better than others! lol
For under £1.50 it's worth a punt!

Smiling Shark SS-C102 Bat Light Review

Flashlight Fiesta

Smiling Shark Mini Baseball Bat light

Price: £4 winning bid
Manufacturer: Smiling Shark
Model:. SS-C102
Power: Cree Q5
Run By: 3x AA
Focus Type: Fixed focus
Length: 310mm
Modes: 3
Weight: 240g without batteries
Vendor: seller via ebay
Description: Mini Baseball Bat Flashlight
What's in the Packet?:  just the Bat

First Impressions
Arriving in brown paper and a white box this item felt quite heavy.
Although small the bat looks strong and durable, not much point having a defensive tool if it's thin and weedy. It's extremely portable meaning it won't be too long to carry with you and is small enough to fit in a bag or something similar.
For taking down the garden or walking at night this torch has some potential.
The handle is knurled for grip and the end cap is fitted with a lanyard for around your wrist to prevent you throwing it by accident.
The end cap, contact spring and clicky button are made from good quality materials. No worries about the button packing up after a few weeks or whatever.
Waterproofing is covered by the good quality o-rings which sit on both the screw fitting points.

 Well finished screw threadds and O-rings

It's like a little police truncheon or something

Testing
On the flashlight side of things this device does it's job quite well. It's not the brightest of lights but it's adequate enough to get you by. As a torch it doesn't provide much of a flood beam rather a very bright spot with some overspill. Cycling through the modes we find a high, low and defensive strobe effect. Half clicking the button will toggle through the modes with ease.
In terms of serving as a defense tool it's not bad either. Smacking this thing against am old ironing board is effective and satisfying. With the torch switched on the constant impact against an object doesnt cause the light to flicker or cause any kind off connection problem. This was quite surprising.
I was expecting the batteries to rattle inside the tube when striking something but they seemed to stay in place.
Combine the strobe mode with a swing from this and you can image just what this device is capable of should you ever need to use it.
It's both a novelty and a functioning tool. It's much better than I imagined.
 

Nice quality optics 

Rating: ✅✅✅✅✅ 5 out of 5
Late night dog walkers and home owners will find this bat light very handy. It's not too big to draw attention to itself so it's easy to hide on your person. This three mode torch is good and bright and features a disabling strobe function which could be of benefit should you be faced with an assailant 😣
Piece of mind perhaps for the security conscious....and it doubles as a torch!
A durable well made instrument for under a fiver!  Recommended

Retevis RHD-771 Dual Band Antenna Review

Retevis RHD-771 Dual Band Antenna

Price: Free - a replacement normally £8.99
Manufacturer: Retevis
Model: RHD-771
Gain: 2.15dBi
Fitting: SMAP
Max Power: 20W
Length:
Vendor: seller via Amazon
Description: 144/430 MHz Hand Held Antenna.

First Impressions
This antenna arrived yesterday to wonder and surprise. I had been expecting a cheapo replacement antenna from the amazon seller but I got this. It looks fantastic!
The design of this antenna is loosely based on the Nagoya NA-771, a much celebrated item.
This Retevis improves on the Nagoya in a few ways making it feel more robust and steady.
The main whip part of the antenna is thicker and heavier than most. If it's still swaying when you put your radio down it will pull the radio over.
The base of the antenna is strong and well made. The screw fitting is smooth and trouble free.
Overall it feels substantial. You certainly seem to get what you paid for with this.

This Retevis 771 has a good solid base and screw fitting.

 It sits nice on the Baofeng but is heavy and lollops about 

Comparison To The Nagoya NA-771

 Different lengths and different antenna bases

 Compassion To My Other Long Antennas

Left to right we have the Sainsonic INF-661, Nagoya NA-771, Retevis RHD-771 and Retevis R-773

This antenna sits right behind the Telescopic 773 in terms of overall length. Slightly longer than the Nagoya 771.

Left to right: Inf-661, NA-771, RHD-771, RHD-773

Testing:
After some not-so-scentific testing it would appear that this antenna is only marginally better than the 771 and 773. Being equal to the Sainsonic in terms of TX/Rx capabilities.
It's very durable and does the job.

Update: further recent testing has highlighted a greater performance when transmitting compared to my next longest antenna - The NA-771 .
Definitely a better choice for those wanting a good value after market antenna.


Rating: ✅✅✅✅✅5 out of 5
If price, performance and size are important you then this could be just the ticket. It's imperative you buy at least one after market antenna with your new radio. (The stock antennas are crap) so instead of filling a drawer with hit and hope twigs off the net, just buy one of these and be done with it!
Great quality and great value