Deluxe High Power Green Laser

Flashlight Fiesta

Deluxe High Power green Laser

Mini gun?

Manufacturer: ? Unknown
Model: ? Unknown
Price: £12.00 with free shipping
Power: 50mW +
Run By: 1 x 18650 Lithium battery
Country of origin: China
Shipped from: Drop shipped into UK

This is the business end

After a long hiatus in flashlight reviews I decided to buy this monster after seeing it crop up here and there on ebay. I wasn't actually planning on buying any more lasers after the last lot of 303's I took possesion of but somehow this thing caught my eye. I guess it stood out due to it's looks and size. - It does look pretty mean!

Although the £12 price tag doesn't sound too expensive it is on average twice as expensive as the popular SD 303 lasers commonly found all over Ebay.
Would this difference in price equate to a more powerful laser? it remained to be seen.

The laser took a few weeks to arrive (despite the listing stating the item was in UK stock) and came wrapped up in a bubble-packet.  No safety warning leaflet, no instruction manual just the laser.

Solid aluminium battery compartment

The body of the laser is one big lump of aluminium - a very attractive lump of aluminium too.
With the look of a mini gun or a star wars light sabre this laser is guaranteed to turn a few heads.
In terms of style it would be hard to imagine a better looking design for a pocket laser. It is exactly what I consider as futuristic and interesting. Top marks for design.

Quality of materials is perhaps one area where this product falls down. Although the aluminium is thick and chunky (especially the end cap) it seems a little low grade. Too soft, too prone to dents and dings. Not quite as robust as it might seem.
Those familiar with the regular 303 laser will recognise the same kind of  18650 battery compartment, the same kind of twist focus head and the same laser aperture.

Don't be fooled by what is printed on these stickers

Operating this laser is a simple as inserting an 18650 battery and switching it on.  Like other lasers of this type it has the ability to not only fire a thin green laser beam but also to shine millions of little stars from the end via a plastic screw on star cap. As fancy as all these little stars are they are not the main event of course. The real function of this device is to fire a high power beam over a very long distance and also to burn things at close range.

The safety of the user and others has to be a priority when using this laser due to its largely unknown power output. Just because the warning sticker says it outputs 5mw means absolutely nothing when it comes to these unregulated Chinese items.
Experience tells you that these lasers are at least 50mW due to the distance the beam will travel and the fact that they can burn certain things including flesh! Sticker power claims should be treated with caution and extra care should be taken when using the laser at all times.

Comparison with the Laser 303 
When it comes to slightly dodgy laser pens none could be more recognisable than the ever popular laser 303 which has been infesting ebay for the past few years. As both of these devices use similar laser hardware and have similar power requirements it would be fitting to test them both side by side.

Remember the original laser 303 from the very first flashlight post?  to see the review again click HERE

When testing these lasers back to back it was hard to tell them apart in terms of power. The same kind of crazy distances were seen when shining them across an open field.
The same kind of burning sensation was experienced on the skin too! (not really recommended)
The only real difference between the two apart from looks was the power switch. The larger silver laser has a permanent 'On' button and not a push 'On' button meaning it is not neccesary to keep you finger on the button to operate it. handy.


 So overall this deluxe laser is a really great product provided it is operated safely. It looks fantastic but whether it is worth the extra money over the standard type is debatable.

  

iMounTEK 8 LED Torch Review

Flashlight Fiesta


iMounTEK 8 LED Inspection Torch - mini review

Price: 99p free shipping

Manufacturer: iMounTEK

Model: Pocket light

Power: 8 x standard 5mm LEDs 4.5V

Run By: 3 X AAA

Burn Time: 11 hours from a fresh set of batteries

Description: Magnetic pocket work lamp

Shipped From: UK

Vendor: ebay seller

First Impressions

Following my last ebay haul I was left with a few quid burning a hole in my pocket so I choose to take a chance on this torch. At 99p it didn't seem to much of a risk.  I wasn't too bothered if it turned out to be crap.

The torch arrived after a couple of days as it was stocked in the UK - no extended delivery time from China for a change.

The pack is as simple as they come. A piece of card with a piece of moulded plastic slid over the top, nothing fancy.

Inside was a lightweight pen style torch.  Made from a low quality plastic and feeling a little cheap to the touch the construction leaves a lot to be desired.

The body of the the torch is a one piece affair with a screw cap battery cover which doubles as the one/off switch. 

The business end of the torch features 8 standard LEDs - no lens or reflector to be seen - this would suggest that the torch is more suited to close work applications than shining any kind of distance.

Along one side of the torch is a clip much like you would find on a pen, handy for strapping to a shirt or trouser pocket.

The iMounTEK  is described as being magnetic and this is evident by two such magnets cunningly placed on the side and on the bottom end cap.

Testing

As this torch is only effective at close quarter it was hardly worth testing outside in the bushes as I normally would.

Instead I stuck it to the fridge to test the magnets. The magnetic strength turned out to be OK but not the strongest by any means.

The light thrown out by this torch is quite bright really. Not at all like what I was expecting. 

I found the brightness to be adequate enough for emergencies.

The literature suggests that a fresh set of batteries will last around 11 hours which I haven't tried yet but I don't doubt it.

In terms of life expectancy then I would say that this torch would probably last a couple of years provided the case doesn't get damaged - this seems to be the weak point of the device. 

Its not the most attractive Flashlight, It's not a torch to get excited about but it does work as advertised and seems reliable at this early stage. Time will be the judge of that.


Rating: ✅✅✅
Hmm it's not too bad for a quid. It works and is bright enough for most things up close.
Cheap and cheerful

GloveLite Torch Review

Flashlight Fiesta


GloveLite - Glove Torch 

Price: £1.95 free shipping
Manufacturer: unknown
Power: 2 X unknown mini LEDs
Run By: 2 X button cells
Shipped From:Dar es Salaam 

First Impressions
After waiting for what seemed like a decade, my new novelty 'Glove Light' torch finally arrived upon the doorstep to my frantic ripping of the crap plastic bag packaging.
This little parcel didn't actually ship from Hong Kong as stated on the auction lot, no this flew in from Dar es Salaam which is near Tanzania or somewhere? Who cares! I opened the package.......

What a confounded pile of tut! The outer box was cheap and crap looking. 
Inside the 'Glove' (if you can call it that) looked like the left overs from a surgical support bandage and the little LED's on the fingers pointless.
That may sound a little harsh but that's how it is. 
Not worth the £1.95 asking price at all. More like 50p fire sale stock to be honest.

It's such a bad piece of kit that I had considered leaving this review unwritten. Sigh...it's bloody awful.


Testing

Hmm, as far as performance goes, this strap on Flashlight bandage is absolutely crap. Yes it does offer some kind of modest illumination but it's only really effective at very close range. The concept of using your fingers as torches is a strange one. It never really feels quite right somehow.
I'm finding it hard to find an everyday application for this glove. It's simply pointless. 

Rating: ✅ 1 out of 5 
Hmm I give it a 1 for novelty value and nothing more.
I won't be daft enough to buy something like this again!
It's utter tat from the devil's toilet bowl - 

Rechargeable USB Mini Torch Review

Flashlight Fiesta


Rechargeable USB Mini Torch Keyring

Price: 85p
Manufacturer: unknown
Model: Unknown
Power: Unknown diode 25 lumens output
Run By: Internal lithium Cell unknown capacity
Lens Type: Fixed Focus
Charge Time: 15mins
Run Time: 2 hours from a 15 minute charge
Vendor: bessky_star on ebay
Shipped From: China
Description: Mini USB Rechargeable Flashlight

 The USB Port Is Hidden Behind The Key Ring

First Impressions
Making its way through my letterbox this week is the rather curious USB keyring torch which seems to be all over ebay at the moment.
The usual 'buy it now' prices tend to be around the £1.20 mark so bagging this one for 85p didnt seem too bad at all.
Delivery from the far East was a lengthy one but it did arrive within the estimated time. Roughly 2-3 weeks.

This tiny little torch weighs absolutely nothing.  Despite the fact that it has a lithium battery built into it.
It's only a couple of inches long and can easily be stowed in any bag, pocket or whatever else.

The main body of the torch is made from cheap yogurt pot plastic. Nothing special.
The LED is mounted behind a diffuser lens of sorts. I can't tell which type of LED it is but it's definitely NOT a Cree offering.
Also contained in the head is a red LED which only comes on when you charge the torch.

The torch is powered on by twisting the head a quarter turn. Dead simple. No stupid strobe or SOS modes to have to cycle through. A straight 'on' and 'off' will do.
One slight concern with the head section is its sloppy fitting to the main body. It's a little loose.

At the rear of the torch is the end cap and keyring.
Twisting the cap reveals the USB port necessary for charging it up.
The cap is actually quite good in protecting the port and fits snuggly to the torch. The keyring is cheap crap to be honest.
Charging the torch is a little strange.. apparently the torch has to be charged for 15 mins for a 2 hours burn time.  Fair enough. But the little red led indicator does not go off after 15 mins and remains on constant. Does this torch have over charge protection? As you don't get any instructions it's a little difficult to gage the charging time. hmm

Testing
As expected it's not very bright. The 25 lumens quoted by the seller is in this case very accurate.
There is nothing wrong with a low brightness torch, on the contrary it could be very handy for close up work, map reading or covert applications.
However, for some reason the crisp white light on the torch is spoiled by yellowy artifacts in the lens. It looks like piss stains for want of a better phrase!. Very off putting it has to be said.

Horrible yellow tinge in the beam circle

Despite the yellow artifacts, the diffused light is plenty bright enough for most close work applications. It works well.

Rating: ✅✅✅ 3 out of 5 
Hmmm it's a little crap to be honest. The design is good but the materials leave a lot to be desired. I just can't ignore those yellow marks within the beam. Questionable battery protection too.
It's possible to bag a SkyWolfEye 320 for the same price so this doesn't seem such a bargain.

Electrek 7 LED Head Lamp Review

Flashlight Fiesta

Spelunking Special

Electrek 7 LED Head Lamp

Price: £1
Manufacturer: Electrek
Model: unknown
Power: 7x 5mm LED's
Run By: 3x AAA
Focus Type: fixed
Modes: 2  High and strobe
Vendor: Poundland

First Impressions
I can't believe it, I'm hunting ebay day and night looking for the best headlamp/Flashlight bargains and Poundland have one just down the street!
I came across this item quite by accident. Originally I had gone in to the Poundland store to buy some more AAA batteries. Nestled within the camping gear was this Electrek headlamp begging to be plucked from the shelf.  It only cost £1 of course so it went in the basket without any thought.

This particular design of headlamp is very common. 7/12/20 LED variants have been seen for sale over the years.
With only 7 of these old school LED'S on board this headlamp is never going to set the world on fire but you can't grumble paying a quid for it.

The lamp is made from cheap yogurt pot plastic with a rather nasty silver paint job.  This headlamp has never seen aircraft grade aluminium so you can forget tough rugged metalwork!
The LED Head is all plastic with a shiny shallow reflector. I'm expecting this lamp to throw a beam as far as the end of my arm and no further.
The Lens is a non-convex plastic affair, probably quite easy to scratch and cloud up.
Underneath the reflector is the LED and circuitry. It's very cheap and basic but works well none-the-less.

An important feature of any headlamp is the headband.  And how good was a £1 headband going to be? I wasn't expecting any kind of quality that's for sure.
Instead the band turned out to alright. It's made from the same stuff they use in jogging bottoms to stop them fallen down round your ankles. It's very stretchy and very thin in places.  This band has a third center strap which goes over the head preventing the weight of the lamp from pulling the band down over your ears. Despite the mediocre quality the band fits OK and doesn't move that much when it's on the head.
You get what you pay for and overall it's still a good product for £1.


Testing
This headlamp produces a short throw diffused beam of light. Not that overly bright to be honest but certainly useful for close work.
Reading things up close in the dark is easy and with very little glare - something the more poweful headlamps often fail to do.
For general camp side activities this lamp is plenty good enough.

On full power the brightness output is no more than 80-100 lumens at the very most. Its bright but not eye scrunching. That's not a bad thing necessarily.
What is bad is the lack of a half power mode meaning that you have to run this lamp at full power the whole time. It's nice to have the option of dimmer beam and less power consumption.
For a basic lamp it's good enough.


Rating ✅✅✅✅ 4 out of 5
Headlamps costing as little as £1 are a rarity on ebay. And for mooching around the camp site after dark it will serve you well.
For those who are on a tight budget then it's a no-brainer. Well done Poundland

SkyWolfEye A8 Rechargeable Torch Review

Flashlight Fiesta

SkyWolfEye A8  (Compass Tail Cap)

Price; £1.80 free shipping

Manufacturer: SkyWolfEye

Model: A8

Power: Cree XP-E diode 

Run By: 1x 18650 lithium battery

Focus Type: Fixed

Modes: 3

Shipped From: Hong Kong

Features:

• Compass Tail Cap
• Rechargeable
• Decent lanyard

First Impressions
SkyWolfEye torches are on the whole very good. Definitely on a par with Ultrafire in terms of quality and value so I had no hesitation in bidding for one of these.
The A8 is not a regular in the daily listings, perhaps popping up once or twice a week so bagging one when I had the chance was a good move.
The torch arrived by Kowloon airmail in the usual white bin bag packet. No cardboard box but nevermind.

The main body of the torch is the usual aluminium anodised with a scratch resistant coating.
The LED Head features a Cree XP-E diode set within a half orange peel reflector. It looks well constructed.
The crown or bezel is red in colour and has a smooth edge. This makes a nice change from the strike/attack bezel which seem to come with most torches these days. I don't think they serve much purpose really.
Moving down the torch and we find a recharging port. Really useful if you don't want to drag your battery charger around with you.
To aid waterproofing a rubber bung is provided to cover the port when you're not using it. Just how effective this bung is remains to be seen.
The bung is tethered to a rubber ring which runs around the torch. Although it stops you loosing the bung it also gets in the way. It's very easy to accidentally catch the ring with your hand and roll it backwards, of course ripping the bung from out of the hole. Annoying somewhat.

Recharging Ports Are Always Welcome

Further down the torch is the power switch. Thankfully it doesn't rattle about like many of the other torches with this design. It has a positive click and can switch modes using half-click.

The tail cap on this torch happens to be rather interesting.
Housed in the end is a little compass. One of those liquid floating compasses you find on survival bracelets and the like.  It's seems quite accurate when measured along side a regular compass.
A bonus feature for the hiker or Outdoors type.

What a handy little feature.... 

Another thing to mention about the tail cap is the Lanyard.

Most of my other torches ship with the standard cheap black straps which have a tendency to fall apart and split. This grey offering is made from much better materials and feels much tougher and more reliable.  I like it anyway.

The overall feel of the torch is well made and strong. 

Howver, one thing to mention is the grip..... or lack of. 

As this torch has no knurling or grip rings to speak of it has a tendency to slip from the hand sometimes. 

The handle part is also slim in design which doesn't help the situation.

Perhaps this is why they supplied an upgraded lanyard?! 

I'm not loving this aspect much so far. I'll get used to it.

Testing:
Much like the other fixed focus throwing torches this A8 projects a very bright spot beam within a circle of spill.  I'm not sure what the actual brightness is in lumens but at a guess I would say about 200 lumems around the hot spot. Probably not the best thing for close map reading.

 The A8 at full power

Half the power and the A8 is still very bright.

Personally I prefer a good zoom lens torch. I like having the option of changing the angle of the beam so another fixed lens torch was never going to excite me.
That said, it's very good at what it does do. The deep set reflector really throws the beam over a good distance. The distant trees are easily hit.
For a torch which is small in size it's big and bold in terms of output.


Rating: ✅✅✅✅ 4 out of 5
This is a great little torch especially with the added Compass. A rather unusual addition it has to be said.
Not too keen on the grip hence the almost perfect score.
It's not bad though for money.

Floureon S3 Emergency Flashlight Review

Flashlight Fiesta

Floureon S3 Emergency Torch

 Regular Flashlight mode

Price: £1.31 free shipping

Manufacturer: Floureon

Model: S3

Power: 1x Cree XP-E @ 3W / 30 X red and white LED's

Run By: 3x AAA

Modes: 3

Vendor: UK seller global_egrow via ebay

Description: 3-in-1 emergency/inspection torch

Shipped From: UK

What's in the box?: Retail box, S3 torch with lanyard

Features:

• 3W Cree XP-E main beam
• 18 White LED inspection/work lamp
• 12 Red LED Emergency flashing beacon
• Magnetic Tail cap

First Impressions
To compliment my recent multi-function torch purchase  See Review Here , I bought myself one of these.
It's made by Floureon, a name that keeps cropping up more and more in the cheap electronics world.

In amongst the torch listings on ebay was this red torch/inspection lamp. The UK seller had started the lot at 99p with free postage.
Grabbing it for £1.31 seemed like a pretty good deal to me in the end. Hopefully its quality would outweigh the cost.

The torch arrived within 48hours using royal mail tracked delivery. I'm rather impressed by this level of service especially considering the low price. Im wondering if this guy has made any money at all on this deal?
Just for good measure I bought myself another 5 of these Floureons before the guy realised and adjusted his prices.
Bagging the other 5 for between £1.30 - £1.50 I felt like I had got myself a really good deal on them all.
It wasn't long before the seller relisted and started charging £4.99 postage! lol

The first Torch came well packaged.  The torch was contained with a Floureon branded white cardboard box. Not like the thin crappy cardboard boxes I normally recieve from China but a much thicker walled box which had no dents or looked like someone had sat on it. Some would say that this is not a big deal.
Ordinarily that would be true but I had intended flogging the other 5 to other people. A crappy flattened outer box doesn't look good to prospective punters!
Inside the box was a carefully wrapped Flashlight. Extra padding and bubble wrap were placed at either end to help with protection during transit.
Thumbs up to the lads in the warehouse at Floureon for the attention to detail.

 Work inspection lamp mode

Made from lightweight aluminium the S3 features a red metallic anodised finish which is both scratch resistant and eye catching.
At the foot of the torch we have a good quality tail cap and contact plunger. The cap also features a magnetic disc so you can stick it to the side of your car or something. The magnetic isn't that stronger however. It's quite fussy when it comes to adhering itself but I'm not too bothered about that really.

Red Flashing Mode

The torch head features a Cree XP-E diode and a half orange peel reflector.
Running around the outside of the head are 4 tiny red LEDs which become active when in the flashing beacon mode. (See above photo) they are quite effective despite being so tiny.
As the tail cap is taken up with the magnet, the power switch is moved near to the head. It's covered by a black rubber piece. Waterproof? maybe.

Overall a nicely made and nicely presented torch.

 Nice half Orange peel reflector

Magnetic tail cap

Testing

All 3 modes were tested. Some more effective than others.

Main torch full power

As the photo suggests, this torch projects a beam with a hot spot in the middle within a much dimmer spill circle. This is similar to other fixed focus torches.  The Floureon manages to hit a bunch of trees around 60 feet away

Although not the brightest of lights, it's good enough for most applications. 

White LED strip light

The photo above illustrates how bright the light strip is in comparison to the main torch head.  It's really impressive for the money spent. Plenty bright enough for changing a tyre or working under the bonnet at the road side. 

This is by far the most effective feature of this torch.

Red LED strip 

The photo doesn't really show how good the red strip is.  It's not as bright as the white strip due to having less diodes but it's still effective as a flashing beacon. Sticking this to the rear wing of your car and a road side break down could be a much safer experience. It's not bad all 

Check out the white side lights

As an Emergency Multifunctional torch this Floureon S3 doesn't do a bad job of it.  It's certainly better than having no torch at all! 

Rating: ✅✅✅✅✅ 5 out of 5
For a cheap torch to shove down the door pocket of your car you can't beat this S3. All 3 features work well and the battery life isn't too bad either.
The quality of this item more than outweighs the silly price - that's why I bought 6 of them!

Fake 18650 Li-ion Torch Batteries

Flashlight Fiesta Special


Rechargeable 18650 Torch Batteries 

Which Batteries Are Genuine And Which Are Fake?

Shedding Some Light On Torch Batteries
Yes the pun was intended and I apologise.
If you own a modern high powered Flashlight or high powered E-Cigarette you may have already seen something of these batteries.  Looking like a normal AA battery on steroids it's hard to miss them as they are big and bulky.

They typically hold a charge of between 3.7V and 4.2V and come with a large capacity ensuring a high hold of charge over a longer length of time compared to alkalines.

As with everything these days 18650 batteries are open to counterfeiting out in China. These dodgy fakes offer nothing more than poor performance and in some cases an fire hazard.

Due to my recent exploits in the ebay auctions quite a few of my torches and headlamps come with these 18650 batteries in the deal. As the branded lithium ion batteries cost a few quid to buy, the unscrupulous sellers bundle crappy fake 18650's in with the torch to make the deal look better.

Genuine batteries are made by 4 or 5 manufacturers in the far East. Notably Samsung, LG, Panasonic and Sanyo
These batteries typical have a rating of up to 3500mAh or so.
In devices such as laptops, cordless drills and portable power banks 18650 batteries are often connected together to improve performance.

Fake 18650 batteries often claim to have a much higher mAh (milliamp hours) life than the main 4 manufacturers batteries.
Typically expect to see figures like 4200mAh capacity all the way up to 9000mAh.
Those who are paying attention will realise that if the main players like Panasonic and Samsung can't make batteries of that capacity then surely something here whiffs of bullshit.
Currently the highest capacity commercial 18650 is rated between 3000mAh and 3500mAh.

Clever counterfeiting should be about copying something that actually exists? Surely?

Fake or exaggerated 18650 batteries have a tendency to fade after a short space of time. That will be proof enough fot any who are in doubt.

Personally, I have learned the hard way. Unwittingly purchasing a couple here and getting lumbered with a couple of free ones there. They haven't been that easy to avoid.

Finding a good supplier on ebay is easier said than done.
Some may state that their stocks are all real but do they really know the truth about where they came from? Fake Chinese copies turn up everywhere these days, it's rife.

Tips

• Any mAh rating over 3500mAh is crap
• Avoid batteries featuring the word 'Fire' in its title - more crap
• Check the weight of the battery -  anything below 33g is crap
• Avoid package deals (headlamp + batteries etc) 

My 18650 Collection
I have quite a mixture of 18650 batteries in my battery box.
As I don't currently own a proper li-ion balance charger I can't accurately measure the exact charging capacity of each battery therefore my testing has been mostly observational and a bit of guess work.
In no particular order we start with these yellow things

Brand: Shixe
Rating: 3.7V 4200mAh
XM-L T6 Torch Test:  1.5 hours full power

The battery should be called 'Shite' not 'Shixe' for this is clearly what this is. It's not the worst of the crap batteries but it's not far from the top of the list.
Hard to avoid these batteries as they often come bundled with Cree tactical torch boxes and some headlamps.
Dont check them out......Chuck them out!

Brand: Unbranded
Rating: 3.7V 2500mAh
XM-L T6 Torch Test:  45 mins full power

These purple pieces of crap should be discarded at the earliest opportunity. They are truly shite in every sense of the word.
Don't be fooled by the somewhat modest milliamp hours rating on the side.  Knocking two 0's off the figure would be closer to the truth.
It says "High drain rechargeable Battery" on the side - That's an understatement!
A piddling 45 minutes burn time in the power efficient T6? Poor
These batteries sell for around £1 each - hmm


Brand: Beeway
Rating: 3.7V 2600mAh
XM-L T6 Torch Test:  3-4 hours full power

I believe this battery to be genuine or at least close to its stated rating.  The battery weight is comparable to genuine 18650's  and doesn't feel hollow like some others in this investigations.
Run time was good.
Nothing to see here



Brand: Ultrafire
Rating: 3.7V  4200mAh
XM-L T6 Torch Test: 1.5 hours full power

These so called Ultrafire batteries are crap.
Lasting for a short amount of time before falling abruptly off a cliff.
I'm not expecting much life expectancy out of these batteries. And as these are unprotected cells, one bad over- discharge incident could kill these off for good.
Dispose of these batteries responsibly


Brand: Samsung
Rating: 3.7V 2250mAh
XM-L T6 Torch Test: 3-4 hours on high

Here is a genuine Samsung protected cell.  It performs as expected. It feels heavier than all of the other suspicious cells. They do cost considerably more than the fakes

Brand: Sanyo
Rating: 3.7V 1500mAh and 2250mAh
XM-L T6 Torch Test: 2-3 hours and 3-4 hours at full power

Last in the list are two packs of genuine Sanyo cells rated 1500mAh and 2250mAh respectively. Both sets seem reliable and true to their ratings judging by the running times.
Not bad at all.

Very unscientific testing but a good indication of quality for me at least.