Suaoki Rotary Headlamp Review

  Flashlight Fiesta

Spelunking Special

Suaoki Rotary Rechargeable Headlamp

Price: £6.00 winning bid
Manufacturer: Suaoki
Model: SB-7309
Power: 1W 2835 LED diode
Run By: Internal Rechargeable lithium battery 290mAh
Max Brightness: 50 lumens
Lowest Brightness: 20 lumens
Burn Time: 4 hours (high)     7 hours (low)
Colour Temperature: 6000-6500K
Weight: 62g
Charge Time: 2-3 hours
Focus Type: Fixed
Modes: 3.  High, low and flashing
Len's: Diffused, Spot and Red filter
Rating: IP46
Vendor: Seller via ebay
Description:Rotary LED Headlamp USB Flashlight Waterproof Rechargable Hunting Ligh
Shipped From: UK
What's in the box?: Headlamp, USB charging cable and instructions.

First Impressions
Suaoki have been making a name for themselves in the rechargeable gadgets industry lately.
Some of the best Solar chargers, battery banks and car jump starters are made by Suaoki so an innovative rechargeable headlamp popping up on ebay was not to be missed!

The Headlamp arrived in a nice looking retail box.  Inside was the lamp, the charging cable and a handy information booklet.
For £6 I think this item is really well presented.

The headlamp itself it very lightweight in the hand, weighing only 62g this device can easily be carried in a bag or in your pocket without you noticing it's there.
The Orange coloured barrel separates from the headband and mount meaning you could use the headlamp as a hand torch and ditch the band. Alternatively separating the band allows you to chuck it in the washer if it gets a little dirty.  I like this feature.
Everything electronic is contained within the barrel and both the power button and USB port are protected by a thick rubber bung.

Diffused Red Filter Lens

Standard Spot - No filter

Diffused white 

USB Port with Rubber bung

Construction of the lamp is cheap plastic I would say. Nothing special but then perhaps that's why it's so good at being lightweight?. The headband is made from the usual elasticated stuff but it's comfortable and holds the lamp to your head perfectly.
Operating the lamp is simple.  Rotate the left end and the lamp moves up and down and rotate the right end and the lens moves into one of the three featured positions.

1) Diffused white light
2) Straight white spot beam
3) Red diffused light

A simple to operate headlamp for people of all ages

Pressing the power switch on the side and you are presented with three modes to choose from.

1) Low
2) High
3) Flash

This is all run-of-the-mill stuff really. The flashing mode is unnecessary I would have thought.

Overall then Im heartily Impressed so far. The simplicity and usual design has won me over.
Time to see how good this thing is doing its one and only job - producing light!

Testing

 High Power Spot

On its highest setting the merger 50 lumens output is actually quite surprising. The beam is a green-white colour which projects a fair distance when using on spot beam. 

 White Diffused

This lens widens the beam and softens the strength. It works really well and can be used as a subtle reading light.

Red Diffused

Well it's not really red. It's more of a subtle pastel orange. It's quite unusual and really nice. I like this lens the best.

Overall performance of this lamp is good for the power it gives out. For most situations this lamp would be fine. Very useable.

Rating: ✅✅✅✅✅ 5 out of 5 

This little Suaoki is terrific value for money.  

Rechargeable, lightweight and innovative in design it's both good-looking and functional.  For those requiring a cheap, reliable headlamp you can't really go wrong with one of these.

SkyWolfEye TLY-A04 Torch Review

Flashlight Fiesta

SkyWolfEye TLY-A04

Price: £1.00 Free shipping
Manufacturer: SkyWolfEye
Model: TLY-A04
Power: Cree XP-E Q5 3W Emitter
Run By: 1 X 18650 lithium cell
Focus Type: Zoom
Modes: 3
Vendor: seller via ebay
Shipped From: Hong Kong
Description:
What's in the Packet?: Just the torch and standard lanyard

First Impressions
I have seen these things floating around ebay for absolutely ages now and on every occasion dismissed them.
Partially because they look a bit crap and also they sell big often ending with a price well over two quid. - I'm not prepared to pay that for a crap looking torch.
I was bored and saw this example in the listings. Decided on bidding but bidding low. Won the lot for £1 with free postage. I don't mind taking a chance at that price.
It took about 2 weeks to arrive and came stuffed between that thin crappy foam sheeting you get with Chinese parcels. The torch arrived in pristine condition so the foam sheets did their job.

Well my expectations were certainly right, it does look cheap and crappy in real life.
The main body is an aluminium alloy construction. This itself is fine. It's nicely milled and anodised to a good standard. Moving on to the head and it's a different story.
The majority of the business end is made from aluminium alloy however near to the top of the head slotted into the aluminium is a red plastic ring just under a centimetre roughly. Its purpose is not known at this time, although I bet it's some kind of emergency light of some sort? Whatever it is, its very poorly made especially the cheap plastic screw threads which don't have any rubber o-rings or anything.
Another strange feature of the head is the strange gouges that are found all the way around. These are simple cuts in the aluminium to make a pattern but I'm afraid it looks shit.
The tail cap is silver in colour and is quite well made. The clicky button seems to work every time and there doesn't seem to be any contact issues with the plunger and the battery. It should be reliable if nothing else.

Not the nicest looking LED bed

What the hell is this? Why do we have a red filter?

Testing

Performance-wise it's as good as all the regular cheap chinese offerings. The beam is bright and clear with little to complain about. One thing that really annoys is the stupid red ring which is incredibly bright. It's off putting and is a waste of useable light in my opinion. Just plain unnecessary.

Rating: ✅✅✅ 3 out of 5

Even though it only cost a quid, I'm still not excited over this torch. The stupid red warning ring and over inflated prices makes this torch a little unappealing. Quite why there is such interest for these on ebay is beyond me! 

It's not waterproof and looks like a kids torch. Avoid

Survival Bear Claw Review

Aphoristic Does Bushcraft

5x Survival Bear Claw Pack

Price: £3.98 for 5 bear claws free shipping
Manufacturer: Unknown
Design: Hawk Bill neck Knife/Bear claw
Description: Survival Finger Knife/ Neck knife / Bear claw x5
Shipped From: China
What's in the Packet?: 5x Stainless steel Bear claws each with leatherette pouche and paracord lanyard
Vendor: Seller via ebay

First Impressions
I came across these things purely by accident by way of a YouTube video about survival. A guy in the US was raving on about how good these were for a wide range of practical uses - including as a last line self defence weapon!. At the end of the review the guy recommended these finger knives for EDC (every day carry) use. You can forget that! The 'Points' and 'blades' law here in the UK is very strict when it comes to carrying a knife in a public place without good reason concealed or not. (even your car is considered a public place!) So perhaps it's not advisable to wear one of these everyday depending where you live. - But that's a side issue of ownership and not a deal breaker for me at least.
I ordered these in a bundle of 5 for just under £4 including postage. That's less than a pound each so if these turned out to be crap it wouldn't be the end of the world in financial terms.

In little over two weeks the package arrived. Inside we the 5 claws each in their own faux leather sheath. Attached to each little knife was a small loop of black paracord.  On first glance this tiny lanyard seems a little pointless but it soon becomes obvious that its real purpose is for allowing the knife to be drawn by finger at a moments notice - the self defence aspect.

Each finger claw is made from a thick piece of stainless steel.
A thicker gage of metal that I had expected. It's really tough and not likely to bend under pressure.
Placed along the top and bottom edges of the knife are grip cuts in the steel. These add grip once a finger has been placed through the hole.

The faux leather sheath is pretty crap to be honest, it's not the best quality but it does house the blade adequately. Each sheath has two holes pre-drilled which are intended for threading paracord to make a neck lanyard if desired.
All in all, great quality knives

Hawk bill design with grip cuts top and bottom

Testing
Using this tool is really easy. by inserting your first, second or third finger through the large hole on the side your hand becomes a potent cutting tool.  You can of course put one on every finger if you feel the urge.
This Knife only has a small one inch blade. That doesn't sound very exciting. However, due to the Hawk Bill design and blade thickness this knife manages to perform very well across a number of applications regardless of having a short cutting surface.
Starting with the easy tasks like box opening, fruit peeling and cloth cutting posed no resistance. Moving on to thicker materials like bark stripping, leather and wood carving and again the knife didn't break a sweat. I can see the potential of this item in a survival situation. I totally get it.
Simple but impressive

Rating: ✅✅✅✅  5 out of 5
Practical, good looking and best of all CHEAP! - despite the 1 inch blade it's good enough for most applications and it won't buckle or bend.  Better than a Swiss army blade.

SupFire M1 Torch Review

Flashlight Fiesta

SupFire M1 Superthrow Tactical Flashlight

Price: £1.80 free shipping
Manufacturer: SupFire
Model: M1 superthrow
Power: Cree XP-E Q5 3W
Run By: 1x 18650 li-ion or 3x AAA
Focus Type: Fixed
Modes: 5
Vendor: Seller via ebay
Description:
Shipped From: China
What's in the Packet?: M1, Lanyard, 18650 sleeve

First Impressions
What a first impression! I was half expecting a lesser quality Ultrafire C8 clone when I paid £1.80 for this on ebay.  - Although the past couple of SupFire's have been really good I didn't think I'd get lucky a third time.
What a beast! It's big, bold and feels like a £20 torch. The main body of the torch is wider than the Ultrafire C8's to accommodate a AAA adapter giving this torch dual power flexible over the standard C8 which is lithium 18650 only.
The tail cap, rubber seals. contact plunger and screw threads are of a very high quality. The glass lens is made from polished ground glass and has no residual artifacts. It's hard to find good quality glass lens at these low prices so I'm really happy they threw one on this thing. The deep set reflector is divided into an orange peel lower section with a nicely polished smooth section up top. Like the ultrafire C8 we have the same glow in the dark green o-ring to keep water out.
Overall then this torch is fantastic quality for under 2 quid!

 Super high quality half orange peel reflector

 Quality Rubber o-rings and screw fittings

An Improved C8?

Absolutely! The SupFire M1 seems like a restyled and upgraded version of the ultrafire. Look closely and we find the upgraded reflector, wider main body to accommodate AAA adapters and a much improved tail cap and glass lens. The material build of the M1 seems much more tough and substantial. Thicker aluminium alloy and precision cut threads adds an extra feel of quality to this torch over the standard C8. I love the Ultrafire don't get me wrong but this incarnation is the best example of the classic C8 design yet imo.

Ultrafire C8 and the SupFire M1 - virtually Identical

Testing

Much like the Ultrafire C8, the M1's performance is that of a good quality spot thrower. A performance that vastly outweighs it's silly price tag. The reflector throws the beam a good 150-200 yards at least. Its quite remarkable.

Operating this torch is simple. Just click the button in the tail cap ( like every other Chinese Flashlight) and away you go. The Button clicks are clean and mode transitions seemless.  The feel of the torch seems solid and balanced. Impressive stuff!

Unfortunately these pics don't really show the full extent of M1's beam.  As with most throwers a highly concentrated spot of bright light is projected down the middle followed by spill which covers a wider area albeit much Dimmer. The M1 manages to cast a wide circle of spill beyond the center spot which is enough to see stuff in your periphery. It's the C8 all over again but this time finely tuned

Another crap pic but the outer spill circle can be seen a little better here. Like the C8 this torch would be ideal for strapping to a rifle.

Rating ✅✅✅✅✅ 5 out of 5 "Best Cheap Super thrower" 

I liked the C8 and I love this version even more! It's better made and more flexible by offering the option of using AAA batteries as well as an 18650. Its definitely one of the best budget superthrowers.

Another SupFire plagiarised masterpiece! Recommended.

SkyWolfEye TLY-8501 Torch Review

Flashlight Fiesta

SkyWolfEye TLY-8501 Gold Edition

Price: 95p free shipping
Manufacturer: SkyWolfEye
Model: TLY-8501
Power: Cree XP-E Q5 3W Emitter
Run By: 1x 18650 lithium cell
Focus Type: Zoom
Modes: 5
Vendor: seller via ebay
Description:
Shipped From: Hong Kong
What's in the Packet?: Just the torch and standard lanyard

First Impressions
Wow! What is this? A torch made from Gold available on eBay for a silly price? Seriously though, this little torch looks like it could be worth a lot more than 95p! Expectations are high with this one.
The packaged arrived in a little over a fortnight. The packaging was adequate. After a quick inspection it seems to have made a smooth voyage from HK without damage.

What a beautiful looking torch! I'm sure I have seen the all-silver version of this in the listings but it doesn't look as good as this one does in the photos.
The first thing that hits you is the brilliant Gold Anodised finish. The shade of gold used here really reflects well in the light. It doesn't look cheap by any means.
The second thing that surprises is the actual size of this thing. It's tiny and small enough to fit in your hand. In terms of practicality this item could be ideal for hikers and outdoors people who don't want to carry loads of heavy gear around with them.

The main body is constructed from good grade aluminium alloy. The main section, tail cap and head are produced to a good standard. Everything screws together nicely thanks to the lubricated threads but the lack of a rubber o-ring around the lens makes the question of waterproofing an interesting one.
The tail cap clicky switch is the usual 'glow-in-the-dark' green type. It makes a good seal around the switch and is set dead center in the middle. (Some are not!)

In the head end a genuine Cree XP-E diode is present. The Lens is a standard plastic fisheye capable of a reasonable amount of magnification, certainly for a torch of this size.

In conclusion the overall presentation and build of this torch is stunning for something that costs so little. It has a feel of quality
as well as looking expensive.

Testing

Testing on high power and it's evident straight away that this tiny thing is a power house.  When the zoom is set to wide the flood beam is clear and well defined. Set to narrow beam and the torch becomes a mini superthrower. Hitting trees and buildings well over 150 yards away this device can compete with the best.

The colour temperature of the diode is a cool white, when projected across the lawn it illuminates everything ahead of you. Moving into medium and low modes reduces the overall brightness and highlights just how good this torch could be for close campsite work and map reading without the worry of close-up glare.

Waterproofing wasn't quite up to scratch unfortunately. Zoom lens torches can never really be watertight due to how they work but most manufacturers have made an effort to upgrade the rubber seals etc.
SkyWolfEye in this case have added some good waterproofing around the tail cap and head but failed to add an o-ring between the lens and the crown - funnily enough this was where the water breeched when I threw the torch in a sink full of water.
A few bubbles..... A number of seconds apart....  oh dear!
Thankfully only a small amount of water had got into the head unit. The main body and tail were completely dry.

This torch is definitely splashproof

Some water was able to penetrate the seals.

Rating: ✅✅✅✅✅ 5 out of 5
Who wouldn't want a Gold torch?! I can't believe this quality device cost me less than a lottery ticket. As far as mini power torches goes this has to be the most stylish.

Night Searcher HT191 Head Torch Review

Flashlight Fiesta

Spelunking Special

NightSearchers HT191 Head Torch

Price: £10. including shipping. RRP £45 

Manufacturer: NightSearcher

Model: HT191

Power: Cree XR-E  191 lumens / 5mm R/G/B  

Run By: Rechargeable battery pack Ni-Mh cell

Burn Time: 4 hours (high) 30+ hours R/G/B

Water Resistance: IPX6

Charge Time: 6 hours

Focus Type: Fixed

Modes: 7  High, low, Red, Green, Blue, Red blinker, Rear red blinker

Vendor: Private seller via ebay

Shipped From: UK

Description: NightSearcher HT191 Ni-MH 191lm 6-mode Rechargeable LED Headtorch

What's in the box?: HT191, Straps, chargers, instructions

Quite a substantial piece of kit

First Impressions

NightSearcher stuff is not usually known for being cheap gear so when I saw a couple these on ebay the other week going for a low price I thought I might have to get one. Unlike the usual headlamp configuration with a single LED beam up front, this item features a separate R/G/B night vision module too. 

The item came from a very nice gentleman in Scotland. He took a great deal of care in packing the item and also left a hand written thank you note inside the box which is a rare nice touch.  

The headlamp comes in a large retail box, much larger than many other head lamps of this size. Inside was the lamp, a changing wall plug, a 12V car charger, an intermediate charging adapter, instructions and the head band to hold everything against your head. As the head band was in three separate pieces it took a few minutes to work out how it went together and how to actually get it to stay on the lamp. Nothing too dramatic though.

The headlamp is constructed from good quality plastics front and back with a metal heatsink behind the head unit.

From the front the head unit is split between the white Cree XP-E on one side and the Tri colour LED's on the other. In between the two lens is a rather nifty diffuser which can be switched over between the two sections quickly and easily.  

Both the left and right light modules have a separate function switch situated on the top of the head.  So switching on the white LED gives you two options, high and low power. Switching the Colour button gives you Red/Green/Blue LED'S and Red flashing then cycles round again.

The rear mounted battery pack features the direct charging port and a power switch which activates a flashing red "follow me" light for using in poor visibility. 

Protection-wise this lamp has a rugged build and should be reasonably shockproof. 

Waterproofing is rated at IPX6 which should make it splashproof but not submersible.

Features

•Cree XP-E High, Low  white light

• Red, Green and Blue night vision LED's + Red flashing

•Rear charging port

•Rear "Follow Me" light on battery pack.

Diffused Red LED 

Diffused Green LED

Diffused Blue/U.V LED

Testing

On a freshly charged battery pack performance is really good. On the highest setting the spot beam is clear and concentrated. Flip over the diffuser and this lamp transforms into a flood light of sorts. Spreading the light to form a wideish circle. Clicking the power button twice and low mode kicks in - Roughly a 50% reduction in lumens which is ideal for lower light requirements. 

 High Power 

High Power with diffuser

 Low power

 Red LED

 Red Diffused

 Green LED

Blue LED

Flicking the colour switch once and the lamp enters a low light night vision mode. Not true night vision of course. Not Infrared but tactical low light night vision preserving colours. The first click of the button fires up the red LED. This is perhaps the most effective colour to work under at night. Red seems harder to detect from distance so this option could be useful for covert stuff.

Hit the switch a second time and a subtle green led comes on. This mode is best suited for map reading and the like. A third press of the button activates the blue led. It's somewhere between blue and Ultra violet on the light spectrum. This is claimed to be useful for differentiating liquids. Hardly. it does pick up some things in UV though. The final mode in the colour module is the red led flashing. Could be useful for alerting someone's attention.

I'm impressed with the flexibility of this lamp. Seems like there is something for every scenario. 

Rating: ✅✅✅✅✅ 5 out of 5

Although not the brightest head lamp on the market it certainly wipes the floor with the competition when it comes to features. The flip-over diffuser is a neat idea - unique? It's not something I've seen before. In terms of how much it cost and value for money this item is outstanding.