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LA Police Gear TBFK Knife Gen 2 Review (S35VN for Under $50)

What if I told you could get S35VN blade steel for under $50? That’s what I have here with the LA Police Gear TBFK. S35VN is considered a premium powdered USA made blade steel and typically found on knives more than 2X the cost. I am going to call this a version 2 model because some changes have been made over the version that was first released a few years ago. So let’s take a look and see if the rest of the knife holds up. Thanks to LA Police Gear for reaching out and seeing if I was interested in taking a look at some of their gear. 

 

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Pick up the LA Police Gear TBFK V2 at https://la-police-gear.pxf.io/AoP56K and save 10% with the code LIQUIDRETRO at checkout.

 

Packaging

Packaging is very simple, it’s your cardboard tray style box that other manufactures use. The knife was wrapped in plastic inside and had a generous coat of oil. It’s a pretty generic box that looks like it could be used for multiple models, but on the back there is a sticker that has all the details telling you the model name and number, finish style, handle color and SKU. 

 

Size & Weight & Comparison

Unopened length I measured at 4.5”, Opened length at 8”. Cutting edge at 3.4”. Blade stock at 0.13”. Overall thickness at 0.58” give or take with the tapered scales. Weight is 5oz so this is definitely on the heavy side. Here are a few comparisons with other common knives.

 

The Good

Let’s talk about materials here because that’s what caught my eye and really is the big value here. As I mentioned in the intro this knife is using S35VN for the blade steel. Through the years a few youtubers have tested it and it does appear to be genuine S35VN. On my knife it came shaving sharp from the factory and has maintained that edge fairly well although I think the heat treat might be a little soft based on my cardboard cutting performance. That said it stopped up nice and sharp again with just a few passes. 

The modified drop point blade here is flat ground about ¾ up the knife blade. The sharpened edge was symmetrical as well. The knife comes in 2 versions, a satin blade and a blackwash blade that I have here. Scales are all the same black G10. The G10 has a little texture to it and is 3D contoured. It fits the steel liners here fairly well but there are few areas on my knife where they are not perfect. Overall the materials to value ratio is outstanding. 

One of the improvements on the version 2 of this knife is that it’s been switched from a tip down carry position to a tip up, The result is a knife thats super deep carry which you know is important to me. The clip here is long and does a good job of being secure in the pocket. It is right hand carry only, sorry lefties. 

In my medium sized hands it’s good, the jimping on the back of the blade spine is in the perfect spot, I do get a small amount of a hot spot by where the clip flares out when using it in my right hand but I don’t think many people will be bothered by that. The 3D contoured scales do take up more room in the pocket but fit nicely in hand.

 

The Bad

Let’s talk about the action here I would label it ok, keep that price point in mind. This is as it came to me, I have been using the knife for about a month, and carried it a few weeks during that time. It started off a bit stiff but has gotten looser over time. It’s a bit gritty and could benefit from being taken apart and cleaned. I did put a drop of oil on it and this improved things a bit. Even with the I was expecting more given this knife is on bearings. As is I couldn’t tell you if it was washers or bearings. 

 

Even thought it has a strong detent, and the flipper is large it flips pretty well and I have not complaints there. The flipper does have some jimping on it which I like on a blade this size. When I do go ahead and open it up to clean I will probably try to drill out the steel liners and reduce the weight here. 

 

My knife has a bit of an early lockup I would say about 40% engagement of the liner lock or so. That’s room for it to wear in 

 

The Ugly

The Thumbstuds

I don’t care for the thumb studs here. While the tip up carry eliminates the issue the first generation had of having them get snagging in the pocket I still think they are unnecessary since this knife flips pretty well. If you are going to have thumb studs anyway, I think they could be smaller. 

 

The Branding

I am not a fan of the branding on this knife, the LAPG logo is kind of large and very visible when the knife is closed. The TBFK name is an acronym for “The Best F***ing Knife, and I think that’s a stretch. V1 of this knife had issues, which they have made some changes, so if it was the best and you changed it to make it better was it ever the best? It also doesn’t roll off the tongue very nicely for me. 

 

Since the knife did change, I really do think LA Police gear needs to update the photos on their website to reflect these changers. While they do make note in the description of the relocated pocket clip and removal of the lanyard tube, that relies on people reading. Updated and accurate pictures are a must for ecommerce.

 

Conclusion

I have mixed feelings on the LA Police Gear TBFK V2 Knife. Admittedly I have become a bit more of a knife snob in recent times but I still see merit and value here. The overall value here is quite good. I can’t think of another knife that offers S35VN blade steel and G10 in this size for under $50. Even if the heat treat here might be a little soft that’s still a fantastic value. 

 

That said the knife has some issues and its action is only ok and it’s fairly heavy. I wouldn’t be surprised if the profit margins here are less than your more typical $50 knife, and I suppose they have room to do that since they are selling it directly not through other dealers. I think the thumb studs are unnecessary and the branding just isn’t for me but those are not deal killers. 

 

The value here is quite high, and the overall knife is decent. Other than being a bit large and heavy there isn’t anything that would prevent me from carrying this knife daily. So if you’re looking to try out a more premium steel or needing a good knife under $50 to try out a super steel, I can recommend this, but don’t expect it to compare to the fit and finish of knives over the $75+ range with lesser steels. 

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Wuben F5 Lantern & Fill Light Review (500 Lumens, 3 Tints, USB-C)

Today I am taking a look at a new Lantern and video fill light from Wuben with the F5. It can produce 3 tints, at 3 different brightness levels each, up to 500 lumens. It has an internal 5200mAh battery that can power the light and also be used to charge your devices. Thanks to Wuben for sending this to me to review and take a look at. 

 

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Packaging & Accessories

The Wuben F5 packaging is a nice box with a photo of the light and it’s lumens and battery size at the front. On the back you get a few more stats about the light and the box seals.

Included accessories is a rubberized lanyard, USB-A to C charging cable, and a metal 2 way S binder. The manual is usable but could use some polish by a native English speaker. 

 

Construction

The F5 is made from plastic all around. The build quality feels solid, with the front diffuser feeling a little hollow. The front panel is domed and acts as a diffuser for the approximately 90 LED’s underneath. The sides and back panel are all one piece and available in a dark green or black color. 

Each side of the light has a feature, with the top having 4 LED power and locator LED’s. On the left hand side when looking straight on you have the port cover for the USB-C input, and USB-A output ports. Opposite that you have the 3 buttons to control the light, on/off, and up/down buttons. On the bottom you have a ¼ 20 brass grommet to connect into for mounting or for use on a camera. On the back you have a raised circle that features a fairly strong magnet inside that easily supports the lights weight to mount on metal surfaces. Around that is a hinged metal ring with a fairly stiff hinge. You can use this as a small kickstand to prop up the light or to put your finger through to hold the light in a more secure way. One corner is drilled to accept the included lanyard. 

 

Retention

As mentioned previously there is the included rubberized wrist strap that attaches at the corner of the light. On the back there is the magnetic ring that supports the weight of the light well in any position on a variety of ferris surfaces. There is also that metal ring and stiff hinge acting like a kickstand or finger hold. 

 

Size & Weight

I measured the size at 78.8mm by 84.6mm by 33.7mm. I measured weight at 206.5 grams without the lanyard. The light is IP64 rated. So it’s dustproof and rated for submersion upto 1 meter. The light does not float. 

 

LED & Beam

There is no mention of exact emitters that are in use here but I can tell you there are 3 tints in this lantern, 3000k, 4500k, and 5700k. I can’t say exactly what CRI is here but my guess is somewhere in the 70-80 CRI, so pretty standard. There are a total of 30 emitters the 3000k and 5700k tints, 60 in total. For the neutral white mode the light actually runs both emitters at the same time. The beam is very even and diffused thanks to the frosted lens/diffuser on the top of the light. 

Exact outputs here vary based on the tint being used but Low ranges from 7-10 lumens, Medium 120-140 lumens, high 430 to 500 lumens with step downs from 230 to 300. 

 

There is some PWM here, especially in the lower output modes. I can’t see it with my eye but I can with my scope. The images here are from the warmer 3000k mode.

 

Runtime & Heat

Runtimes on the F5 are quite good, I did my runtime tests with a full 5200mAh internal battery on each color mode, in the top brightness. All 3 exceeded Wubens runtime numbers with warm white being 11:25:00, Neutral white and cool white both at 10:09:00. 

All 3 tints sustained theirs for about 8 minutes before stepping down to about 65% relative output. Basically this is a great light for long sustained outputs, perfect for that lantern application. Heat was really not worth talking about here, the sides and back stayed at room temp and only the front diffuser slightly heated up to be just warm.

 

UI

To turn the light on or off it’s a quick press on the center on/off/mode button. Wuben mentions stepless dimming here, and I don’t want anyone to get confused, this light does have steps, it’s not a light with ramping. That said the changes between modes are a soft fade. You have a plus minus button to adjust brightness in 3 steps. To change tint’s once on it’s a quick double press. The order it goes is cool white, neutral white, warm white. 

 

The battery indicators on the side also have what Wuben calls a Breathing LIght, I would call this a locator function. The lights fade in and out slowly to help you locate light in the dark. Useful for if your camping or trying to find it in a bag. This can be turned on or off if you triple click the central button with the light off. There is a lockout mode as well if you press that center button 4 times. 

 

Recharging

The Wuben F5 has a 5200mAh lithium ion battery inside. It’s non user serviceable. On one side of the light it as a large port cover that’s covering the USB-C port for charging, and a USB-A port to use it as a powerbank. There are 4 LED’s on the side that give you charge status when charging  and discharging. These values are a little different depending on the mode so make sure you consult the manual for the exact. 

 

For charging the light does support USB-C to C which is great to see, and in my tests took 3:22:24 to charge to full. Max charge rate I saw was 1.7A. 

As a powerbank I ran a discharge test at 2A, 5V which is the maximum it can output and it did this for 1:31:00. Capacity after conversion was measured at 3039mAh. So not the most efficient circuit here. 

 

Pro’s

  • 3 Built in Tint options with every light
  • Long runtimes for a pretty compact package
  • Charges via USB-C to C
  • Can be used as a powerbank
  • Strong Magnet, ¼ 20 grommet, and finger ring retention options

 

Con’s

  • Non user serviceable battery
  • Only 180 degrees of light instead of 360.

 

Conclusion

Lanterns are not the most exciting light in your collection but possibly one of the most useful. The Wuben F5 is up there in my opinion with the BLF LT1 I looked at last year. It’s smaller and doesn’t output in 360 degrees like a true lantern does, but it has a host of other features that make it useful for both the enthusiast and general user. 

The ability to run all 3 tints at 3 brightness levels really is great, for me I will definitely leave it in warm or neutral tints. The light is nice and diffused too.

I feel like the size and weight here are right. As much as I love the BLF LTF, it’s big, and heavy, the Wuben F5 is a reasonable size here and has more output/battery life then lanterns from larger brands and for less overall cost. 

If you don’t have a lantern in your go bag, I would strongly recommend one. This would be a great addition to that tornado, hurricane, earthquake or general power outage situation since you can use it to provide 10 hours of light on high, or 20 hours on medium, and use it as a powerbank to keep your phone topped off. Safe to say I am a fan and I do recommend it.

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Nitecore MH11 Review (Most Inexpensive 1000 Lumen light from Nitecore)

Today I am taking a look at a preproduction sample of the Nitecore MH11. This is the basic, budget model for Nitecore in their MH series, and they advertise it as the least expensive 1000 lumen Nitecore model available today. That said it still comes with an 18650 battery and has onboard USB-C charging or it can be ran with 2x CR123 or 2X 16340. Thanks to Nitecore for sending this to me to take a look at along with this Nitecore Tiki in blue. I previously reviewed the green glow in the dark models so ill include a link to that below. 

 

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Packaging & Accessories

The light I received didn’t come in a box, since it wasn’t printed yet, but I will include a picture of what it looks like. My light came with a USB A to C cable, 2 extra orings, hand lanyard and a pocket clip. I believe the retail light will also come with a basic holster. 

 

Construction

The MH11 is made from aluminum and anodized in a hard black finish. It appears to be the same finish as the MH12S I reviewed recently. The overall design is simpler than recent Nitecores, a cost cutting measure I would assume to make machining time quicker. At the tail cap you have a single large mechanical on off button on the tail that servers as the on/off switch and mode button. It’s flanked by wings that can protect it but also server as attachment points for the lanyard. It does tail stand either when on or off but isn’t the most stable.

 

Inside there is a dual spring in the tail cap, and threads are anodized, and ACME cut. The clip only attaches at the rear of the light. Knurling on the body is pretty standard diamond shaped, fairly knocked down, so the light isn’t super grippy. It does have 2 flats milled on the sides with the branding and model number laser engraved. 

On my sample the flats don’t line up with the head, but then again the head doesn’t have any buttons on it so is there really a top or bottom? The light does disassemble into 3 pieces. The head itself has a very simple heat diffuser at the front thats shallow. The USB charging port cover runs horizontally across the light. It’s well concealed and didn’t pop loose easily. The front has a crenulated bezel thats shallow. It has a glass lens with a smooth and deep reflector. 

 

Retention

The light comes with a branded lanyard that seems to be standard on most Nitecore lights. It also comes with a pocket clip that attaches at the rear of the light only. It’s reasonably deep carry with about 13.5mm of the light sticking out of pocket. The bad news it has a very large step off the body of the light without a ramp. It will catch a pocket every single time and requires 2 hands to put back in. Not a great design in my opinion.. 

 

Size & Weight

The length is 128mm, max diameter is 24mm, minimum diameter is 22.5mm. Weight with the battery and clip is 110.8g. The light is IPX68 waterproof, and water resistant to 1 meter. Here it is when compared with a few other lights. 

 

LED & Beam

The NItecore MH11 is running a Cree XP-L2 V6 LED in cool white, no exact tint data is given but it’s pretty typical. The beam does have tint shift across it and it’s not a super smooth beam. The center is hot and intense, with a bit of yellow/green as you move into the spill, and some blue on the outer fringes. 

 

Official Outputs are the following. There is quite a jump between high and turbo.

    • Turbo 1000 Lumens
    • High 230 Lumens
    • Mid 50 Lumens
    • Low 3 Lumens

 

My scope didn’t measure any PWM here which was a bit surprising. 

 

Heat & Runtime

I did my testing with the included 2600mAh 18650 battery. The light will also run on 2x CR123a or 2x 16340’s but you loose the ability to recharge the smaller batteries. With the 18650 Turbo is good for 4:20 before the light steps down. It will then run for 1:48:00 at about the 50% relative output. At the 2 hour mark it’s running on it’s low mode of 3 lumens for another 3:10:00 before LVP kicks in at 2.907v. Max temp I saw was 46C at 3:45.

I do wish they would have included a larger capacity battery. 2600mAh is pretty low capacity and larger capacity batteries are minimal additional cost.

UI

The UI here is very simple, the light has one button and it serves as your on/off as well as mode button. It’s a mechanical button that takes a decent amount of force to use. The light has memory that remembers where you left off, so it’s possible to turn it on in turbo if that’s what you last used. It’s a simple 4 mode light and it goes from lowest to highest output and restarts at the top. You can half press the mode button to cycle between modes once the light is on. There are not shortcuts or blinking modes. 

 

Recharging

You can recharge this light via the onboard USB-C if your using the included 18650 battery. The battery itself is a standard button top cell, so other brands will work here, nothing is proprietary. Charging does work via USB-C to C which is nice to see on a budget light. Charging here is a little strange, with it not being a constant current charging algorithm like we see in most other things. Periodically the charging rate here drops to zero every few seconds. My charging graph shows this but it’s not complete since as the cell charges it tirkcs my charger. Real charging time is closer to 3.25 hour. Max charging speed I saw was about 1.2A at the beginning of the charge. The battery measured 4.102v when full.

You do have an LED on the side of the head of the light that glows blue when charging and slowly fades in and out. When the light is full this goes solid. This same side LED acts as a low voltage warning and comes on when the light is needing recharged.

 

Pro’s

  • No proprietary battery
  • Can take CR123a, as well as 16340 batteries.
  • Simple interface, for a basic light.

 

Con’s

  •  Beam has some artifacts.
  • 2600mAh battery is included.
  • Pocket clip has way to large of step, it catches pants every time. 

 

Conclusion

The MH11 is an interesting offering from Nitecore. As a light it’s basic but does everything most people need from a flashlight. The build quality is still good, but it does feel like a more basic design and the anodizing feels the same as Nitecores more premium models. The UI is basic, but functional. While I appreciate the use of USB-C for charging and it’s C to C compatible.

While I don’t always comment on price I kind of have to here, given how this light is being marketed. The MH11 is more affordable than many Nitecore models for it’s output, it’s still more expensive than other well regarded brands that I have reviewed here that offer budget lights. 

It’s hard for me to recommend it for that reason if budget is one of your top priorities. That said if you were looking for a solid, basic light, from a company that’s been in the LED flashlight industry since the beginning this would be a decent place to start. It also has a very simple interface that anyone could understand which is a big selling point sometimes. 

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RovyVon Aurora A33 Review (180 Lumens, Nichia 219C, 90CRI, USB-C)

Today I have a new penlight from Royvon, It’s available in a variety of exterior colors, and comes with an optional high CRI LED as well, and even has USB-C to charge it’s internal lithium ion battery. Thanks to Royvon for sending this to me to review. Link to where you can find it as well as my social media channels are down below in the description.

 

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Packaging & Accessories

Packaging is a simple black box with a line drawing of the light on the outside. The box has a black and orange theme, it is printed to reflect the LED that’s in this light with a sticker on the back telling you which version and body color you have here. 

Accessories are limited and include the light, pocket clip thats preinstalled but removable, and a 6” USB-A to USB-C cable along with a manual and warranty card.

 

Construction

The Aurora A33 is made of aluminum and in my example is anodized in green. Several other body colors are available including Black, Gunmetal, Red, and Desert Tan. Starting at the rear it has a flat metal button with a nice machined circular pattern in it for a bit of texture for the eswitch. There is a ring around the button that makes it sit slightly recessed, this also helps protect the button too. It feels a little odd but does help you locate it and helps keep from turning on in the pocket. The button is does have a bit of a vague feeling to it that I am not a huge fan of but does has a nice click. 

 

To access the charging port the  rear tail section unscrews slightly. This is easier shown then described but it’s best to grab the tail section itself not the clip since the clip rotates more easily. Once unscrewed the USB-C port is exposed as well as a LED indicator when recharging. There is an oring to keep everything sealed

 

The body tube has some spirals milled into it for texture and style. These are better then normal knurling visually but could be a little more aggressive in my taste. The body tube and head are one piece with the front bezel being glued in place it looks like. The front features a glass lens and TIR style optic. Internally there is a 600mAh LiPo battery sealed inside the light. This is non user replaceable battery. 

 

Retention

The primary method of retention is the included deep carry pocket clip on the A33. It’s a clip on style clip and can be removed if you want. The unfortunate thing is here that it does spin around the light with a little bit for effort, I wish it was a bit tighter fit. It’s a fairly wide and substantial clip, and the steel is springy. It’s reasonably secure in the pocket but I wish it was a little stiffer so it was more secure. There is a small step in the clip that your pocket can snag on. That said I am a fan here, the clip overall is better then 85% of flashlights I review. 

 

Size and Weight 

I measured the length of the Aurora A33 at 119mm, maximum diameter tail at 16.5mm, minimum diameter at the body at 14.6mm. Weight with the clip installed is 42.2g. The light is IPX8 rated which I did test overnight in a glass of water.

 

LED & Beam Shots

The Aurora A33 is available with 2 LED’s I have the Nichia 219C at 5000k and 90 CRI, but a Cree XP-G2 with cool white, and about 20 more lumens (200 lumens total) on it’s highest output if you prefer. The light is using a TIR reflector and produces a medium sized hot center and a medium amount of spill. It’s good for this style of light where your mostly going to be using at short and medium distances.

 

Aurora A33 on Left, Nitecore MT06MD

 

There is some PWM that my scope noticed here, it’s fast and not noticeable to my eye or camera. But the scope does catch it. 

Output modes on the Nichia model are officially rated at 0.5 Lumens, 15 lumens, 60 lumens, and 180 lumens

 

Heat and Runtime

The light has 4 modes, and I did runtime graphs for the two highest modes. On high, the light lasts for a total of 88 minus, the first 12 minutes are above 90% relative output and you see a slight step down in output. At the 45 minute mark your still producing 80% of relative output. After this though you see a sharp decline for the remaining amount of time. Highest temp I observed was around 36C at the 40 minute mark.

 

In medium the light lasts an impressive 5:48:00. It an long S curve making me think there might not be much regulation on this mode. That said it was running at 60% relative output out to the 2:50:0) mark. 

 

UI

UI here is mostly simple as long as you remember you have to long press to turn on the light. Once on single presses will allow you to go up in the 4 modes. Long press to turn off. There is no memory modes and you always start at the bottom of the mode range. Which changing modes I did notice that I had to give it some time to go up the range, I couldn’t click fast or double press to go up the range faster. That’s a little annoying, I would love a double or triple click to turbo here. 

 

This is a revised UI than this light originally shipped with, and Royvon has yet to update their website to reflect this but I confirmed this with the company. 

 

When the power does get low you do get a red LED indicator that comes on, however this LED is normally covered with the top of the cap that covers the USB-C port. 

 

Recharging

Recharging is accomplished via USB-C onboard the light. It will charge via USB-C to C. To get to the charging port the tail cap must be unscrewed a bit. This is a little hard to do due the oring seal and the facto the pocket clip rotates fairly easily. Once open this will expose the port and charge status LED. When low on power (10% remaining) this light will remain red. When charging it a slow fading blue LED and when charged it’s solid blue. Total charge time on the internal 600mAh LiPo battery was 1:02:00. Max charge rate was .52A.

The light will work through all modes while charging but the button to turn the light on is hard to press, especially if you have larger fingers. 

 

Pro’s

  • Neutral white, high CRI emitter option is available. Nice choice with the Nicahia 219C LED.
  • Good deep carry pocket clip, I wish it didn’t rotate as easily and was a bit stiffer.
  • Affordable and available in a good variety of colors.

 

Con’s

  • Built in battery is non user replaceable. 
  • Takes slightly longer to turn on with the long press to on then I would like but it won’t come on accidentally this way.
  • The instructions talk about 2 modes on the later models like I have this has been eliminated for simplicity.

 

Conclusion

I like the Royvon Aurora A33 as a pen format sized light. It’s got the enthusiast in mind with a number of body colors and a neutral high CRI LED option. The Nichia 219C in 5000k is a great choice here for a number of tasks.

I like that it has onboard USB-C charging as well, it makes it convenient to charge and fairly quick. The UI here is good, not great, and I would say the same with the pocket clip, I would just like it to be a tad more secure.

Overall as long as you don’t mind the sealed battery I think this the best pen light I have reviewed in a few years. It’s affordable, has a choice of LED, and body color, good clip and just an overall well rounded package that I can recommend. 

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Olight Freyr Review (1750 Lumens + RGB LEDs, 21700)

Today I have a newer light from Olight, the Freyr, a do it all light with RGB LED’s from Olight. It comes with a traffic wand diffuser to help utilize that RGB LED feature. Thanks to Skyben for sending this to me, I will have a link to where you can pick it up from them in the description below. Now let’s get into the review.

 

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Packaging & Accessories

No surprises here, Olight again has one of best high quality packaging jobs in the production flashlight world. Here you have a nice magnetic closure box, with a detailed picture and stats on the back as well. 

 

Accessories include the Freyr, Customized Olight 21700 battery, MCC3A (Red inside) charger, Dual Direction pocket clip, Traffic cone, Belt Holster, and manual.

 

Construction

The Freyr take the rear tail cap and body tube from the Olight M2R Pro, and sticks a new larger head to allow for RGB LED’s and proximity sensor. The tail cap is magnetic with the tri-lug design and the tactical 2 stage button. This also servers as your attachment point for the MCC charger. The body features the rectangular shaped pyramids for a good amount of aggressive texture. It feels good in the bare hand or with gloves. The clip will attach at either end if you wish, although with the larger diameter head I am not sure you will want to use the clip much here.

The head is glued to the body tube here, and features the typical Olight electronic switch. It has a raised point in the center with a power level indicator in the middle. It has some very attractive twisted milling for style and heat dissipation too. There is a ring milled in to lock in the diffuser too which is nice. The blue anodized bezel is crenulated allowing light to leak out the front if on it’s face and turned on. The front optic/lens is one piece and plastic. More on the proxy sensor up front here later on. 

 

Retention

The light comes with a holster thats more rigid then what you typically see with most flashlights. It’s designed so  that the silicone diffuser/traffic wand sits point down in the holster and then the light inside it. If the light is put in the holster without the diffuser then it rattles and is not secure. The holster itself has a belt loop and dring behind. 

 

Size and Weight

I measured the length at 136.5mm, minimum diameter 26.72mm. Maximum diameter at 40.30mm. Weight of the light, and battery is 190.8g, and the traffic cone adds another 34.9g and 124mm in length. 

 

LED & Beam

Olight doesn’t specify exactly which LED is in this light, only that it’s 6500k. My guess by looking at it, that it’s a SST-40. Mine has a bit of green tinge on the lower outputs which isn’t uncommon. The white beam profile is a bit compromised by the 3 color emitters on the outside edge and the proximity sensor. The result for the white beam is a spill that’s more square then round. It’s noticeable at distances closer then 20ft. 

 

The RGB LED’s also produce beam profiles that are far from round, the bezel of the light shows in the beams as a hard cut off edge. I found this a bit annoying as it doesn’t point light where you expect it to, and that point of impact changes as you switch color. This is common with all lights that put colored LED’s around the edges. With the traffic cone diffuser installed you don’t notice it. In it’s default configuration the proximity sensor will trigger with the traffic wand installed in any of the white modes. Make sure to read my UI section for how to disable it since it’s pretty aggressive.

Official outputs for the white modes are 1750, 850, 300, 5  lumens. Red is rated for 30 lumens, Green for 60 lumens, 25 lumens for blue. In my opinion red is quite bright, it works great for the traffic wand but is too bright to preserve your night vision on it’s own. 

Heat & Runtime

I did my white runtime tests with the proximity sensor disabled. Turbo lasted for 2:30 seconds and the step down is to about 58% relative output. It maintains this fairly evenly for 2 hours before stepping down a few more times for a total output of 2:30:00. Max heat I saw during this was 50C and the light does appear to have active thermal regulation. I also tested the outputs of the 3 colored LED’s Blue ran for 12:06:00, Green for 13:35:00, and Red for an impressive 20:02:00. 

 

UI 

UI here is similar to other Olights but different with the addition of the RGB element of this light and the proximity sensor. First, the proximity sensor can be disabled via software, which I think you will want to do ASAP if you get this light.  If the light is on, click the front button 15 times quickly until the light shuts off. Don’t worry you can basically click away till it shuts off. This will disable the proxy sensor until you remove the battery. It’s just too active to use the light in it’s highest output.

You have the 2 stage tail switch from the M2R Pro, and other tactical Olights in this form factor. Quick press either in full or half will leave the light on, where as a long press in either mode will lock the light on in momentary. While the pressures switch from Other models of Olight fit and work here, this isn’t rated to mount on a weapon.

The front switch is used for the RGB modes and moonlight in for white. It has memory mode, if you long press from off you get moonlight mode, a quick press gives you the RGB options and if used recently it will start in the last color mode you used, if not it starts in red. Once on it will cycle through Red, Green, Blue stop on the one you want and begin using the light. 

 

Recharging

Recharging is other Olights with the MCC3A charging system, it’s very simple just plug the USB end into a 2A power source, and the other end will magnetically attach to the light to charge the 5000mAh 21700 customized Olight battery. Total charge time was 4:75:00. My graph isn’t complete due to the drops to zero that it does so I time these manually too. Max charge rate is 1.85A. 

 

Pro’s

  • I like the twist milling on the back of the head.
  • For me it’s a good size in the hand
  • Easy UI but a little different from Olights typical
  • You can disable the Proxy sensor via Software.

 

Con’s

  • RGB compromises the beam profile a bit
  • Proxy sensor is aggressive if left on.
  • No glass lens on top of the plastic
  • You must use the traffic cone in the holster if you want a secure fit.

 

Conclusion

The Olight Freyr was advertised as a do it all light, but I am not sure I agree. The RGB LED’s in the reflector kind of spoils the white beam’s profile for short range work, and it really compromises the colored outputs. You also don’t have many white modes here. For me it’s a bit of a compromised light in those regrades. While the traffic cone works well here, it’s an expensive light to get just for traffic use. If you were in law enforcement and needed that traffic cone, or a bright white light that  you didn’t need at lower powers this might fit that bill. 

 

But for general use, hunting/camping there are better options for a general purpose light. Red here is too bright to preserve night vision, green and blue could be useful for blood tracking though. White is cool white, not really surprising but overall the package is a little hard for me to recommend fully except for special use applications. That said I do like the look especially the milling on the head and I am thankful that proximity sensor can be disabled, and that is remembered as long as you leave the battery in the light. 

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Cyansky M3 Review (700 Lumens, Titanium, 16340, EDC)

Today I have Cyanskys Titanium M3 light. This is a new manufacture to the flashlight world and new to me. Thanks to them for sending this to me and being patient with how long it took me to review it. 

 

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Packaging & Accessories

Packaging here is a very small retail hanging box. It’s made of plastic and has a few stats on the outside and a clear window to see the light inside. Accessories include a 700mAh 16340 battery with microUSB charging on the cell, a microUSB charging cable, extra oring, and clip. Outside the box came a fairly traditional lanyard with some leather straps at the joints.

 

Construction

The light is made from titanium, the exact alloy is unknown, but it looks and feels of it. The finish is a fine bead blast and almost semi gloss as a result. The tail is flat, non magnetic and there are additional “required” laser engravings here. You have a spot for a small diameter through the lanyard here, which might be a good idea due to the size of the light. 

 

The clip on the light is designed to fit at the rear, for a head down carry. It’s the clip on type and is a pretty tight fit. The body section has different linear millings on it to add some texture and style. Thread on the body are square cut and have the slight grittyness/galling of titanium. The tight threads, and strong spring at the rear mean with the battery in it’s a little hard to get the threads started sometimes. 

 

The head looks like you could reverse the clip here but in practice it doesn’t work very well, due to the wrong angle of the clip. The head grows in size slightly with some very shallow fins and anti roll “rings”. The button here is nearly flush fitting and also titanium. It’s hard to find and makes no noise when pressed which makes it even harder to locate. The front bezel is thin in depth but thick in diameter. It spins freely but doesn’t seem to unscrew. 

 

Size & Weight

I measured the length at 50.85g, max diameter at 22mm, minimum diameter at 20.5mm. I measured the weight with the battery and clip installed at 49.1g. The light is rated for IP68 so not completely waterproof but good for 30 min of water at 1.5m. 

 

Retention

The light has 2 retention options, first is the push on clip, it’s designed to fit at the rear of the light. While it can rotate it’s a tight fit and will scratch the light. The clip allows for a very deep carry but amount of space at the top of the loop is too small for any material that I tried. 

 

The other option is to use the included lanyard at the rear of the light. This lanyard is a little more fancy than normal with a bit of leather on it and it didn’t fit in the box. 

 

LED & Beam

The M3 uses Cree XP-G3 LED with the S4 bin. It’s very cool white, and fairly harsh to my eyes. I would guess it’s about 6500-7000k. The orange peel reflector under the anti reflective coated lens, is actually pretty small, at about 9mm in diameter, and it’s decently deep. That said the beam is mostly flood, it has a semi large hot spot but it’s not very defined. Personally I prefer a TIR style optic in a light like this. 

 

As far as output Chansky claims 700 lumens, but comparing it to other lights I have I have my doubts about this. That’s confirmed by a few others reviewers. Mode spacing is decent but it lacks a firefly mode. Modes spacing is 5, 30, 150, 700.

 

I noticed no PWM to my eye or camera. On my oscilloscope there was a bit of sawtooths to the lower modes. Nothing to worry about. 

 

Heat & Runtime

I did all my runtime tests with the included 700mAh 16340 battery. When I tested the battery itself in my Vapcell S4 Plus charger that I reviewed last year it came in right at 704mAh which is great. The light will also run off a CR123A if you want, but expect less runtime. 

 

Overall effective runtime on this light in my tests was 1:05:00. LVP kicked in at the 2:15:00 mark at 3.13V. Turbo on this light steps down very quickly, at the 30 second mark, It’s able to maintain this after step down for most of it’s runtime thought. Max temp I saw was 54C at the 1hr mark. 

 

UI

The UI on this light is simple but a little different from many others. From off, to on you have to press and hold the button, and the light comes on in low. If you keep holding the light will go to strobe. Once on you have 4 modes, and at any time you can do a single press to go up modes. Long press will turn the light off. There is no memory modes or shortcuts. The biggest issue I have with the UI is finding the button, it is almost flush, and the same color when looking at it so it’s hard to feel and hard to see. 

 

Recharging

Recharging is accomplished on the included 700mAh battery via a built in MicroUSB port on the battery. The charging time here is pretty long at 2:09:00, and on the slow side at 0.34A. This is certainly on the safe and conservative side for a battery this size. The battery itself has LED’s on top like many cells with onboard charging, red when charging, green when charged. 

 

Pro’s

  • Titanium body with a nice fit and finish
  • Very small, and short size
  • Standard Battery

 

Con’s

  • Very cool white, floody beam
  • Button is hard to find, has no tactical feel, impossible to use with gloves.
  • Expensive list price

 

Conclusion

The Cyansky M3 is a good first attempt by the new company of an EDC style flashlight. While it’s expensive because of its titanium construction that also what caught my eye and why I wanted to take a look. The front lens assembly is a little different construction from what’s more commonly seen, and the result is a very floody beam. I personally prefer a TIR optic in this type small EDC light.

In a future light I do hope they improve the button locatability with maybe a button with some texture on it, add some additional space on the clip so that it fits better over more materials, and offer an LED that more neutral, maybe even high CRI even if it sacrifices overall output. 

 

Because of the well thought out UI, activation in the pocket isn’t an issue, it just takes a second to remember you have to press and hold to turn on, making it different from most other flashlight UI’s. 

 

Let me know in the comments below on your thoughts on ths Cyansky M3.

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Olight S1R Baton 3 Review (EDC Flashlight, Wireless Charging Case, Premium Edition)

Olight is launching an updated version of their popular Baton II with the launch of the Baton 3. While it’s the same size as before it’s slightly brighter in turbo mode, but the big difference is the inclusion of the portable Wireless charger. Olight did send this to me to help promote their flash sale on this new light and other goodies mentioned later that starts on March 18th at 8pm EST and runs through March 19th at 8pm EST. Do know that your support does help out my channel in the process. I will have details on the sale at the end of my review.

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Check out that Flash Sale on March 18 2021 starting at 8PM EST until March 19 at 8PM EST. https://bit.ly/OlightLiquidRetro

 

Get 10% off on non sale items with the code “LQ10”

 

Packaging & Accessories

It’s a mid to upper tier Olight product so the packaging is quite nice with a magnetic side closure box. Glossy photo (Fingerprint alert) of the light in the charging case instead of the light itself. The rear has a full description, feature list and spec chart. Inside it’s incased in a soft touch silicone/plastic bag, with the light being shipped inside it’s wireless charging box. Do note you have 2 plastic isolators that need removed before everything will work here, between the charging case and the light, and then inside the light between the battery and light. 

Accessories include the Baton 3 with a 550mAh Olight branded proprietary battery, Baton 3 Wireless Charger box, Color Coordinated USB-A to USB-C charging cable, Microfiber cleaning cloth, manual and other paperwork.

 

Construction

Let’s start with the new wireless charging case first, it’s made of a high quality plastic but the finish on the outside is special. It’s like a metalized two tone finish that in my case is red but with some gray undertones. It doesn’t photograph like it shows to the eye. On the outside you have the USB-C port without a cover, and a small LED to tell you the charging status that comes on when the lid is opened. Inside the there is a chamber for the Baton 3 to charge. At the bottom there is what looks to be the MCC charging system. Both the S1R Baton II and S1R Baton 3 fit and charge in this case with the clip on, but larger lights with 18650’s don’t fit due to the diameter.. More about performance in the charging section below. On the bottom of the case you have the specs listed and it says there is a 3500mAh 18650 inside but it will charge the Baton 3 3.7 times. Hmmm.

The light itself is the same size as the previous Baton 2, and similar in design. The biggest visual difference is the texture on the body has been changed from the pyramids to rectangles that are pyramid shaped. It’s the same texture that the Warrior Mini has. I like it, it’s on the aggressive side. My light here is aluminium and the red anodizing is really nice, and bright. The light has what I will call copper like accents on the bezel, around the switch and the clip finish. The bezel has engraved very lightly “1200 Lumens, CCT 6000-7000k”.

 

The tail is magnetic as before, but there is no longer a lanyard hole milled into the side of the light, and one isn’t included in the package as the previous model. The lens look to be the same TIR reflector as used in many Olights and made of plastic. 

Branding is a bit different between the two lights as well, mainly on the side that shows the model name. Gone is the stylish branding and instead it’s been replaced with a minimal branding that larger model name. I’m not a huge fan of this change.

 

Size & Weight

I measured the length of the light at 63mm, and the diameter of the body at 21mm. Weight with the body was 52.4g. The light is IPX8 water rated. Here are few pictures showing the light with the S1R Baton II so you can get an idea of the size. 

 

The case measured at 84mm high, 62mm wide, and 30mm thick. Weight with the light inside is 166.7g.

 

Retention

The S1R Baton 3 is designed with pocket EDC use in mind. The Clip has been updated a bit from the previous model. It’s still dual direction, but they have added a small additional contact patch along the body so that it makes more contact with your pocket material which I think is nice to help it lock into your pocket. The other difference I noticed is it only has one hole in the front and not in the top as well for a lanyard. 

The wireless charging case does fit into a front jeans pocket ok, but it’s very noticeable and larger than I want to carry that way. I think it’s a much better fit as something to put in a bag, coat pocket or purse. 

LED & Beamshots

Olight doesn’t say which LED is being used here, and it’s hard to see with the TIR reflector. The previous light used a Cree XPL-2 and this looks similar I think it’s an SST-20. Olight only gives a range on the tint, here between 6000-7000k and no CRI data but it’s safe to say it’s not higher then 70 CRI. The tint is slightly warmer then my S1R2 that says it’s 6500k so maybe I got lucky and have something more along 6000k. Mine has an ever so slight green tinge to it at lower powers, at higher powers it’s more cool white. It’s not my favorite tint but works for general use.

 

The beam is very similar to the S1R2 but on my S1R Baton 3 it’s a little tighter and more intense. You can see this in the candela rating that increased from 5250 to 6889 candea. In the real world that means it throws a little further, about 26 meters further according to the data.

 

S1R Baton II 

 

S1R Baton 3

 

S1R Baton 3 S1R Baton II
Moon 0.5 Lumens 0.5 Lumens
Low 12 Lumens 12 Lumens
Medium 60 Lumens 60 Lumens
High 300 Lumens 600 Lumens
Turbo 1200 Lumens 1000 Lumens

 

Heat & Runtime

One of the changes on the Baton 3 in terms of output is that while Turbo has increased by 200 lumens to 1200, high mode has been decreased from 600 to 300. My guess is this was done to increase the effective runtime on the same size battery. Mode spacing between all 3 modes are good, here and you always have Turbo’s 1200 lumens for more light if needed. 

 

Turbo runtime seems to be timed on this light with turbo stepping down at the 1:30 mark to about 22% relative output. Thats 1200 lumens to 300 lumens. It holds this for 1:22:00 though which is pretty good, with total runtime being just shy of 1:30:00. Max heat I saw during this was 36C, so just warm to the touch. I will insert some graphs that show this and compare between lights. LVP kicked in at 2.97V.

 

UI

The S1R Baton 3 has the standard Olight UI many of us have come to know, and I like with the slower fades from off/on and between modes. From off, long press to activate moonlight mode at 0.5 lumens. To turn on in normal modes single click the switch, to change brightness level hold the button and the light will cycle through the 4 available modes lowest to highest. Double click to access turbo. Triple click to access strobe. The light also features memory mode for normal modes. 

 

Lockout can be accomplished when the light is off by pressing and holding the switch for 2 seconds until moonlight mode comes on and immediately shuts off. If you then press the button the red LED under the power button will come on to let you know your in lockout mode. To exit lockout press the button for about 1 second until moonlight mode stays on. Personally I will just give the body of the light a ¼ turn to mechanically lock it out.

 

Recharging

The big difference here with the Baton 3 is the portable wireless charger that this light in the premium configuration comes with. Olights official stats list it has having a 3500mAh 18650 battery inside, allowing you to recharge the 550mAh battery 3.7 times. 

Now I tested this and it’s accuratish, which leads me to believe the internal charging circuit isn’t the most efficient thing. The case charges via USB-C and it includes a nice USB-A to C cable with colored ends to match your case and light. It will charge via USB-C to C or via USB-C PD but you won’t see a speed increase here. Maximum charge rate was 2A, and total charge time is 1:50:00. Total energy capacity was measured with the charge at 2.86Ah. Unfortunately you can’t use the case to charge your phone which I think was a bit short sighted in it’s design. This would be a killer feature on a future version. When fully charged the cell measured 4.19V.

The wireless charging case takes about 45 minutes to charge the S1R Baton 3, and can charge the S1R Baton II as well. The premium edition of the light bundle doesn’t include a MCC charging cable that we are used to seeing on other Olights, but the standard version does. It has no problem charging either version of the light. 

 

Pro’s

  • Color options from the launch! (Red, Blue, Black)
  • Wireless Recharging box uses USB-C
  • Improved pocket retention on the clip.
  • Slightly brighter, more intense beam.

 

Con’s

  • Limited edition Blue color costs extra
  • Cool white tint only, with a bit of green in lower powers. 
  • MCC charging cable is only available with the standard version.
  • Blue costs extra and is a more limited edition, lame. 

 

Sale Details

 

Here are the sale details I mentioned I would say  https://bit.ly/OlightLiquidRetro

  1. Baton 3 Standard Edition Black/Red, 25% OFF, $48.71 (MSRP: $64.95)

    Bundle: Baton 3 Standard Edition Black + Baton 3 Standard Edition Red, 35% OFF,$84.44?MSRP: $129.90?

   

  1. Baton 3 Premium Edition Black/Red, 35% OFF, $64.97 (MSRP: $99.95)

    Bundle: Baton 3 Premium Edition Black/Red + i3T EOS Brass, 35% OFF, $84.44 (MSRP: $129.90)

 

  1. Baton3 Premium Edition Blue(Limited Edition), 35% OFF, $71.47 (MSRP: $109.95)

    Bundle: Baton 3 Premium Edition Blue + i3T EOS Brass, 35% OFF,$90.94 (MSRP: $139.90)

 

  1. Free Tiers: https://bit.ly/OlightLiquidRetro

1) Over $129 get a FREE i3T Desert Tan (MAP: $21.95) 

2) Over $229 get a FREE M1T Plus DT (MAP: $59.95) 

3) Over $329 get a FREE Seeker 2 (MAP: $109.95) 

 

Conclusion

So what are my thoughts on the new S1R Baton 3 Premium edition. First the light is a pretty small set of changes, many of which boil down to personal preferences like the body texture, and output spacing between the S1R Baton II and S1R Baton 3. I do think the new clip is a small upgrade, and I don’t miss the lack of lanyard attachment point on the base of the light. I do think the change in battery direction is a little strange. 

The LED change is ok, by my book I think the tin on might is slightly warmer than my Baton II. The beam differences are noticeable and I think an improvement. Both are a good beam pattern for EDC and overly useful. I will say it again, Olight does TIR right in my opinion on a light this size.

Now let’s talk about that wireless charging case on the premium edition. It’s a little larger and bulkier than I would have hoped for only 3.7 charges. I like that it’s USB-C input but wish they would have allowed it to charge a smartphone too. Maybe we will see that on a future version that’s larger for the S2R Baton 3? 

Case charging isn’t going to be for everyone, in every application but when you want simplicity, not another wire, or just to store in a bag , or purse and always have it ready to go, this does it well. Imagine only taking 1 light on a carry on bag on a short business trip, and not needing a charger, power adapter, additional wires etc, that you might have with a light using a conventional 18650 and a light without onboard charging. I like the wireless charger here but realize it’s not for everyone. Thankfully Olight recognizes this and sells the bundle with the light or just the light and normal MCC charging cable for those that want it too. 

If you think the Baton 3 is for you don’t forget to check out the sale links below. I do have a discount code good for 10% off any non sale items too.

Get 10% off on non sale items with the code “LQ10”