Category: Reviews

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Klarus Mi1C Review

The Klarus Mi1C is a small EDC style light with a great pocket clip. It includes a rechargeable 16340 battery that has an onboard microUSB connector for recharging. Thanks to Bestlight.IO for sending me this light to take a look at. Use the code LIQUID at checkout to save 10% on your order.

Full Image Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/JlKb6
The Video version of this Review:

Size & Construction
This is a very small light https://i.imgur.com/aMdafMR.jpg 54.60mm in length https://i.imgur.com/3z8qTyb.jpg to be exact and 21.8mm in diameter to be exact. Weight came in at 1.55 ounces with battery and clip. It’s made of aluminium that is very nicely anodized a black finish with low gloss. The body has a nice texture on the battery tube and the tail cap has flat spots to help you unscrew it. The tailcap is also magnetic and decently strong. The head is ribbed. If I compare it to my Olight Smini here it’s identical in size.

This light breaks down into 3 major pieces, the bezel can be unscrewed with a lock ring pliers. There are springs on both sides of this light. The magnet in the tail can be easily removed (Just remove the spring) https://i.imgur.com/795TSUE.jpg The clip is removable and fully adjustable anywhere around the light. Overall it’s a fantastic clip for EDC. https://i.imgur.com/dqkBdyo.jpg

LED and modes
The LED in use in this light is a Cree XP-L HI V3 in cool white. https://i.imgur.com/TM2YsLP.jpg I didn’t observe any off colors in the beam. This light features 4 main modes and 2 flashing modes with soft mode changes in between each mode. There is no direct access High or Low mode. Mode spacing could be improved in my opinion. As you can see in the table https://i.imgur.com/FT1LoSl.jpg there is a big difference between high at 600lm and medium at 45lm. Low is listed at 10 lumens and moonlight is thankfully at 1lm. Strobe is at 600 and oddly SOS is only at 45 lumens. These were all with the 16340 battery. I would have liked to see another mode between High and medium, something like 150 or 200lm as I think it would be very useful.

On High mode I noticed the light flickers slightly at the beginning before it stabilizes. I tried to capture this on video but was unable to, it’s not very noticeable. This light also has a blink system used to show the battery capacity.

Lockout
There seems to be an error maybe due to translation in the manual about lockout mode. I found it hard to get the light out of lockout if I followed the manual until I figured it out. To activate lockout press and hold the button when the light is off, hold through moon light mode and the light will flash 3 times. If you push the button again the light flashes twice showing it’s locked. To unlock press the button 3 times quickly and the light is now unlocked.

Lens
This is a very floody light thanks to it’s drop style lens. https://i.imgur.com/7pxIX0F.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/zpM0yY7.jpg It has no reflector https://i.imgur.com/NHQXve8.jpg to keep it as short as possible. I measured the lens at 16mm in diameter and 5mm tall. Personally I would prefer a TIR style reflector like what’s on the Olight Smini because I prefer that beam pattern for EDC uses.

Night Shots https://youtu.be/iVtaloS5hYs?t=4m31s
Beam Shots for the Klarus and then the Olight

Battery
This light does need a moderately high drain cell in order to get the full 600 lumens for more than a few seconds. Included is a Klarus branded USB rechargeable 16340 battery that’s stated at 700mah. It has a microUSB https://i.imgur.com/3v83YXH.jpg connector built into the top of it. When recharging there is a Red LED on top and when it’s full it turns blue. I measured this battery recharging at 0.33A. I had no complaints with this battery. There is not room for an 18350 battery in this light. The light is compatible with standard CR123a cells as well.
Runtime Graph
Here is a graph of runtime I did on the included battery on a full charge.  As you can see temperature regulation played a pretty big roll in the output of this light with the light stepping down as it got hot. I think an additional mode between high and medium would be a nice compromise between more usable light and heat.


EDC
As an EDC this is pretty darn great. I really like the captured pocket clip https://i.imgur.com/dqkBdyo.jpg that allows for very deep bezel up carry. https://i.imgur.com/MXWky4V.jpg It’s fully rotatable on the light and nicely accommodates jeans that have a larger seam at the top.There is a magnet in the tail that is strong enough to hold the light up but not much more than that.

Package
This looks like a perfect little stocking stuffer to me. It’s like it’s already wrapped up and with a bow. It’s a very nice presentation box. Inside you get 2 extra o rigns the manual and that’s it.

Pro
* Good low lumen mode
* Very well constructed light with excellent anodizing
* Great in the pocket EDC ability, no issues with accidentally turning on.

Cons
* I am just not a big fan of the light output of the lens here. It’s too much a super even flood and has very harsh edges. I would have a more hot center allowing the light to be pointed.
* Mode spacing could be better. It needs something between High (600lm) and Medium (45lm)
* No USB cable included for recharging.
* There seems to be some translation issues in the included manual about lockout mode.

I have an Olight Smini in copper and really like it as an EDC light. It has a TIR style lens which makes a very useful wide beam with a hotter center. The Mi1c I thought would be very comparable and have the added features of a magnet in the tail cap, be lighter and a great clip but instead the super floody nature of the lens kind of turned me off. I used the light out one night when I was out photographing the sunset to navigate down some trails and out of Golden Gate park https://i.imgur.com/TSiTgGR.jpg. It did work for this but I wished I would’ve had my Reylight Ti-Lan I also had brought on my trip instead.. It was good for up close but further away the super even floody beam provided long shadows that made it hard to determine the trail. Part of this is due to the big difference in lumens between high (600) and medium (45).

In all fairness this isn’t a light to take on a hike. In more normal urban EDC use this light did better. It’s worked well to find the screw the went under a piece of furniture, to make sure the mailbox was empty at night, and to avoid spiders in the backyard. It’s clip is fantastic and it’s fantastic as an EDC. It’s lightweight and well built and rechargeable nearly anywhere. With the attractive box it would make a nice stocking stuffer too. Take a look at it on Bestlight.IO.

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Reylight Ti-LAN Review

Today I have the Reylight Ti Lan on my review table. Thanks to Rey at Reylight for sending me this light at a discount so that I could review it.

Photo Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/vtqan
YouTube Review:

The Ti Lan shares many of it’s features and design characteristics with the Reylight Pineapple so if you like it you will like the Ti Lan and save a few ounces.

Construction
The Ti Lan is made from beautiful titanium alloy that has been bead blasted as it’s finish. I like this because I think it shows fewer scratches because it’s bead blasted. This can be debated but the Ti LAN is also offered in a polished titanium.
The machining is good and the finish is uniform. The TI LAN differs from the Pineapple the most in the design of the head https://i.imgur.com/T1DHpD6.jpg , battery tube and tail piece with space for 6 tritium vials. https://i.imgur.com/CyKY2js.jpg This one has 3 round side panels and on one there is a light surface level etch of the logo. Threads are nicely cut and plenty of them. When installing the battery, instead of unscrewing the back of the light I would recommend unscrewing the head and installing the threads that way. https://i.imgur.com/fB6N0M0.jpg My Ti Lan kind of disassembled itself when I unscrewed the rear cap. I will put a little locktight on the threads to solve the problem. The lens has a very light orange peel, and the glass is hardened with antireflective coating. The rear piece of titanium does unscrew to remove the clip or to aid in Tritium install.

This light has really been designed for Tritium inserts all over. There are a total of 10 cutouts on the light. 3 are on the body of the head https://i.imgur.com/T1DHpD6.jpg , you have 6 through holes in the bezel https://i.imgur.com/0d3YMbn.jpg of the tail cap, and 1 in the on/off switch cover itself. If you are unfamiliar with Tritium, it’s a radioactive form of Hydrogen gas. It’s used in Flashlights, high end watches, and firearm sights enclosed in small glass tubes that are lined in phosphorus.

While the titanium saves some weight, this isn’t a super light weight flashlight for it’s size though. All measurements are without batteries.

Pineapple V2 in brass is – 3.2 oz
Ti LAN in titanium – 2.31 oz

Length = 96.15mm
Diameter of the head 21mm

LED & Modes
This light is a tail click, that tailstands https://i.imgur.com/4JJnsqM.jpg. I have not had any issues with it turning on accidentally in my pocket. The LED in use is the Nichia 219C in neutral white. This isn’t the highest output LED but the light quality makes up for that in my opinion. It’s probably a high CRI but this isn’t specifically stated. Light color is similar to my BLF 348 which is high CRI. Neutral white is just really nice and high CRI provides more accurate colors. I will trade these over more lumens anyday for every day practical use.

Modes
I like that this light starts on moonlight, however moonlight is so low at 0.02 lumen that you have to be in nearly pitch black for it to be useful. That said the 3 remaining higher modes are pretty useful especially when running a 14500 lithium battery. On screen now is a table of the light’s performance with both types of batteries. As you can see there is a big performance difference between AA NiHM batteries and 14500 LIthium batteries. Max of 110 lumens with a AA isn’t class leading, however with a 14500 it’s a lot better. I use the lithium batteries in it as my EDC to get that extra boost in performance. On High with a 14500 this light gets hot, really hot when ran for 5+ minutes. It does not step down due to temp. On my standard temp test (1 minute high it got to 101F At 5 minutes this was up to 135F. I have parts for a new rig to measure temp and lumens on the way in the next month or so. I don’t hear any buzzing in the lower modes with the Ti Lan like my first generation Pineapple had.https://i.imgur.com/dSTCT2o.jpg

I don’t have any major issues with the pocket clip. https://i.imgur.com/khtWeXJ.jpg It fits pretty well on my pants pocket and stays in place. It’s a capture clip, and non reversible. If you were to remove it, it would leave a visible ring on the light. I do wish it was slightly deeper carry as I do with most knives and flashlights but it’s not too bad. I don’t care for the nib opposite the clip for a lanyard but this can be fiiled down. No lanyard is included and it’s a very small hole. The light is IPX-4 water resistant but i did not test that. I did bend the clip once during carry but this was my own fault. I was able to take it off and bend it back on the table pretty easily.

The Ti-LAN has a new box that I like quite a bit. https://i.imgur.com/YcP7dTm.jpg It has your lumen and runtime chart and basic operating instructions. Considering Reylight is a very small company its’ very nice and does the job well.

Conclusion
This is a really nice EDC light in my option. It’s not tactical, but instead super practical and definitely attractive looking. It sits well in my pocket and is comfortable to EDC, and a lot of that I attribute to being a nice diameter. I am a Titanium fanboy and I really like how the bead blasted finish looks. With a AA battery or NiHM battery the performance is behind the curve, and about what you would expect out of a smaller non neutral white AAA light. However with a 14500 the performance is pretty good, combine that with the neutral white high CRI LED and a tail switch this becomes a great EDC in my opinion.

The Ti LAN is now available available on Amazon with Prime shipping. It makes it fast and easy to get a great elegant EDC light.

Coupon
Use the code J6PSMOWA on Amazon to get the Reylight Ti-Lan for $59
Sandblasted http://amzn.to/2fTPIn0
Polished http://amzn.to/2y416mJ

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AstroLux MF01 Review

The Astrolux MF01 the newest light from Astrolux and Banggood. Thanks to Bangood for sending this to me to show my subscribers and Reddit. The MF01 is a numbers light. It has 4x 18650 batteries, 18 Nichia 219 LED’s in neutral white, 12,000 Lumens at peak, all in a light slightly larger than a pop can.

Image Album: https://imgur.com/a/vTp72
Youtube Video:

Physical Appearance
This light has a satin black finish with mild hash grips on about 50% of it’s body. https://i.imgur.com/ovhRVGX.jpg It provides some added grip but I would recommend using the included lanyard. I like that they choose OD green for the lanyard color as it goes well with the glow under the button and who doesn’t like OD green. The bezel is a polished stainless steel I believe. https://i.imgur.com/Xi2U6lu.jpg It’s screwed on very tight but should be removable with a strap wrench. This light is IPX-7 rated for moisture.

The head of the light is larger than the body 72mm vs 49.5mm.
Length comes in at a measured 128mm at its longest points.
Weight with batteries is a hefty 726.6 grams.

This light does tailstand well and is stable when doing so. https://i.imgur.com/4Gj4VVY.jpg This light does come into 3 distinct pieces, the head, the battery tube, and tail cap. https://i.imgur.com/vz2yHDn.jpg The battery carrier itself is two tick pieces of brass with circuit boards on each end. https://i.imgur.com/lHYWpOd.jpgThere are 4 metal tubes that are rubber lined that are the structure. https://i.imgur.com/dv3737F.jpg Each is screwed in. More on battery configuration and what works later.

Threads a triangularly cut and close together. https://i.imgur.com/P7N92qX.jpg They were well greased from the factory. You can mechanically lock out the light by unscrewing the rear cap to break the electrical connection. Build quality is on par with other lights in this price range and I can’t find any glaring flaws.

I really like that this light has a tripod adapter both in ? and ¼ dimensions. https://i.imgur.com/AgX7JTV.jpg I think this is a must on one of these coke can style lights. They tend to be so floody and work well but if you are using it to light a large area the tripod mount makes it easy to mount and hold in the position you need. https://i.imgur.com/eJZLXqS.jpg The adapter to convert between sizes is nice too. It mounts pretty flat. https://i.imgur.com/mEiVKgo.jpg

Performance
Heat is a bit of an issue on this light. It’s no surprise that when in turbo and making nearly 12,000 lumens with the Nichia LED option that this light gets quite hot. When the light gets to 60C (140F) degrees it will reduce the output to around 2500 lumens to maintain temperature and prevent damage. During my standard 1 minute turbo test the light got to 109F. https://i.imgur.com/Anx18E6.jpg I didn’t get it to the 60C it states step down occurs at.

The Nichia 219 LED’s produce a whiter neutral white output and only sacrifice a small amount of output in doing so. The human eye can’t tell the difference between the 12000 lumens that this light produces with the XPG3 LED and the 11526 lumens it produces with the 219C LED’s. What a little strange is On low and turbo the XPG3 LED’s produce more lumens but on Medium, Medium1 and high the 219C LED’s produce more lumens. Throw distance is the same.

Nichia 219C
Low – 70 Lumens – 214 hours
Medium – 700 Lumens – 14 hours https://i.imgur.com/P5pAjLw.jpg
Medium1 – 1100 Lumens – 4.7 Hours https://i.imgur.com/rWD3qnF.jpg
High – 6800 Lumens – 4 Hours https://i.imgur.com/5GKFMic.jpg
Turbo – 11,526 Lumens – 3.5 Hours https://i.imgur.com/pRtyWs5.jpg

A little comparison between the Emisar D4 (Nichia), Astrolux MF01 (Nichia), Nitecore TM06s https://i.imgur.com/2l81G3Z.jpg

Batteries play a big part in the performance of this light. Astrolux recommends Samsung 30Q batteries. For my tests I used KeepPower batteries based on LG HG2 and are button tops. These are similar specced batteries but sag a little. This light is designed for use with button top cells cells in a 2S2P configuration. The 2s means two cells in series doubling voltage, and 2p means two cells in parallel adding capacity. Doing this gives you the best of both worlds but means you have to put the cells in the carrier correctly or there could be devastating results. You can run flat top cells in this light if you pry the white plastic rings off of an empty carrier. https://i.imgur.com/dv3737F.jpg They are held in place with a small amount of adhesive. While I don’t recommend this it’s possible.

UI
The UI of this light is pretty simple and well explained in the manual with a diagram. From Off clicking the button once enters normal mode in low. Clicking again increases each mode spacing (5 in total) all the way to turbo. If you double click you have a shortcut to turbo. Triple click when off or on gets you to the special modes which include Tactical strobe, SOS, and location beacon. When the light is on just long press to shut it off. This light does have memory modes. When the light is off you can Long Press the button to go into lockout and the breathing LED will stop. Long press again to deactivate it.

Low Voltage protection is shown with the glowing LED under the main button. Astrolux calls it a breathing light as it fades in and out slowly. Green is above 6.8V, Red is 6.1V, red flashing is below 6.1V and at 5.8V the light turns off.

Table Top + Rest of Outdoor https://youtu.be/X5YeLTnUrWU?t=7m42s

Airport Security
I brought the Astrolux MF01 with me on a recent business trip and I can comment that the TSA will take an interest in this light if it’s in your carry on luggage. I watched the guy running the Xray machine stop, inspect my bag, turn his head to the side and frown and immediately pull my bag out for manual inspection. The nice TSA agent grabbed my bag and knew immediately I had a flashlight and we actually started talking about it as she was pretty interested. She was really impressed that it was capable of 12,000 lumens and mentioned it was a lot more then her MagLite. Once things were inspected and a sample was put into the mass spectrometer, I was cleared for my flight. On the way home I took the light out of the bag and put in in a bin like it was a laptop and it passed through without issue.

Packaging and extras
The package is a nice heavy white box with a line drawing of the light. Nowhere on it mentions the brand or the model. Inside the light is held in place with white foam. https://i.imgur.com/UAN9SEE.jpg It’s easiest to take the first layer of foam out to get to the light. The light comes with 2 extra orings, a tripod mount adapter, and a lanyard. The directions are pretty good explaining the modes, parameters, and low voltage protection.

Pro’s
* Great output with a more neutral white color and HIGH CRI.
* Lanyard + tripod options
* Fits in the hand pretty well

Con’s
* No Direct access to low modes.
* Mode spacing could be improved.
* My batteries are a little looser then I would like but this hasn’t cause issues. Be careful about cells that are too long as they can deform a spring.
* No included belt pouch

Summary
What surprised me about this light it’s more than just a flood like many in this format. This actually throws a decent amount given how short the optics are. The optics in front of each of the LED’s really make a difference in the beam pattern. Given the cost of this light I think it’s a good value. Many high output lights are pretty expensive and this is one of the lowest cost per lumens out there right now. In the lower modes the runtimes are impressive. I would like to see a mode lower than 70, and something between 1100 and 6800. I could see someone using this for light hiking or out in very rural areas. If you are looking for a really high output light thats in between a flood and a throw, check this one out.

Astrolux MF01 is available from Bangood at: https://goo.gl/Lvx5oT
Use the coupon code: e04bc8 to get the MF01 for $85.95 updated price
Samsung 30Q Batteries https://goo.gl/7cr1QT

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Anker SoundBuds Curve Wireless Headphone Review

I did a review video a few months ago on the Anker SoundBud Sport and since then they have been my most used wireless headphones. I really like them and have been using them when I mow, around the house cleaning, and more. Today’s review is on the new Anker Soundbuds Curve. Thanks for Anker for sending these

Check them out at Amazon http://amzn.to/2wxH2VM

The Soundbuds Curve take what’s great from the Soundbud Sports and changes how they stay in the ear with a hoop that goes behind the ear. This helps them stay in place when being active like our running.

 

Sound is just a little bit better then the Soundbuds sport in my opinion. The bass is fuller and more robust definitely. I think this is due to the slightly larger size and how they fit into the ear.  I didn’t have any trouble with bluetooth range while I had my phone in my shorts pocket while wearing the headphones. Pairing was easy too by just holding the center button on the remote. The remote has volume up and down as well as the ability to skip tracks.

 

These headphones have CVC Noise Cancellation technology, an important thing to note about this is it’s for phone calls only. These are not a replacement for your Bose noise cancelling headphones for use on mass transit. It only works for phone calls, not music playback.

 

I have found them comfortable to wear for hours at a time  during normal uses. However the larger size does have a drawback. While traveling sometimes like to rest my head against the wall of the plane, my hand, etc. These stick out of your ear a bit more making that not as comfortable. During normal uses though they are very comfortable. There are 3 different ear wing sizes and 3 tips so make sure you get the right size for you. For the best sound quality you want the tightest fit.

 

Battery life is claimed at 12.5 hours at I assume a 50% volume. I found this to be pretty accurate. It is more runtime then the Anker Soundbud Sports, and I would expect that due to the larger size there is more space for a battery. These charge pretty quickly, a 10 minute charge will give you about 30 minutes of run time. Charging is easy over microUSB on the remote.

 

No IPX Water rating is given but instead Anker says they are water resistant and nano coated. In my experience with the Soundbuds Sport, sweat and light mist will be fine but take them off before a major rain storm or taking a shower.

 

What’s in the Box?

In the box you have a round zipper case which contains the headphones themselves and a with a small carabiner to clip onto your bag, . Other accessories include a short flat microUSB cable for charging and a total of 3 different ear wings, and 3 tip sizes. Oddly enough for me these fit well in my ear the first time and I didn’t have to adjust anything. You also get a small clip

 

Summary

For the price, especially when they go on sale, I can definitely recommend the Anker Soundbuds Curve because they sound good, have great battery life for their size and are comfortable to use. Check them at Amazon while they are on sale for a limited time http://amzn.to/2wxH2VM

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Anker HS2 Runners Headlamp Review

2017 has seems to have been the year of the headlamp. Today I have the Olight HS2 which is a bit of a break from the usual design of using a right angle light found in many headlamps. Thanks to Olight for sending me the HS2 so that I could take a look and review it.

Full Photo Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/URvhR

Youtube Review:

For more details and purchase check out the links below.
http://bit.ly/HS2eBayUS
https://www.olightstore.com/led-flashlights/headlamps/headlamp-olight-hs2

The HS2 is primarily designed to be used for runners. Olight’s CEO is an avid runner and wanted something small and lightweight but with runtime to use for early morning or late evening runs. While it should work good for that it also will work for other headlight tasks decently well. However it’s lack of a very low (Moon light mode) does limit very up close work or hiking where you want to preserve your night vision.

 

Physical appearance

The HS2 takes a different approach to their other headlamps by using 2 drivers and two different optics to give you both flood and a bit of throw at the same time. Each emitter can be used independently or together and I will go over UI in a bit. The small emitter up front is removable from the strap but not the plastic holder. This detached piece allows you to power the light via microUSB if you want. When on the headband it’s attached via a coiled wire to the head strap. The battery pack is a small rectangle that when worn goes on the back of your head. The switch is a large blue button on the left hand side of the headstrap. The connector between the two pieces was very stiff to plug in the first time. You really need to force it until there is no gap. If you purchase an HS2 and it’s not working make sure you check this out.

 

The head of the light is removeable from the band. It looks like the nut would allow you to do this but instead it disassembles the light itself. To get it off, you can slip it off the strap itself but not off it’s holder. Similarly the battery is sewn into the strap making removal or replacement not possible. The biggest problem I see with this is if I wear this out running and get it all sweaty I would like to wash the headband. With this setup and the IPX4 water rating you can’t just throw it in a machine. You can rinse it in the sink but that’s about it. IPX4 means it’s water resistant to splashes and light rain and normal dirt. That’s a little disappointing because it limits washing, but from a practical use for runners it should be ok. Weight is right at 4 ounces ready to run. Overall build quality is good and what I have come to expect from Olight.  

 

Since this was designed as a runner’s light to be worn on the head, I think at a minimum it would have been nice to include a piece of reflective tape on the battery pack, and if you took it a step further maybe 1 LED on the battery pack itself to act as a “tail light” for other runners, bikers, cars while out running.

 

Performance

This light uses a Cree XP-G2 LED in cool white. One LED is behind a lens to focus the beam and the other is behind a frosted piece of plastic to diffuse it. The result is one floody light and one more spot. I didn’t notice any abnormal tint shift in the output of the cool white but would like it more if they offered a neutral white version. All modes have PWM but it’s not something that I noticed.

 

Olights runtimes have been proven to be accurately published and the HS2 is no different.

  • Mixed Beam High – 400lm – 2hr 12 min
  • Mixed Beam Low – 100lm – 9hr
  • Throw Beam High – 200lm – 4hr 30 min
  • Throw Beam Low – 50lm – 18hr
  • Flood Beam High – 200lm – 4 hr 30 min
  • Flood Beam Low 0 50lm – 18hr

 

There is no step down due to temperature or time and I really like this. In my testing the head of the light got up to 117F after 10 minutes of run time. That is HOT but it doesn’t touch your skin so I think this is acceptable. This light normally runs at the LiPo backs nominal voltage of 3.7V but if you choose to run if off a USB battery bank it will also run on 5V. This gives you a bit more performance because of the increased voltage. The UI and operation remains the same no matter what power source you use.

 

UI

The UI of this light is pretty easy. For startup, between modes, and at shutdown there is a nice fade in/out ramp. The light has two brightness modes on each LED and on both combined. You can run it on Flood, or Spot, or Both at the same time. To switch between them, just double click after the light is already on. Triple click to activate an SOS mode (Both LED’s at the same time). This light does not have a memory mode and always starts in high with both LED’s burning. I ended up running both LED’s at the same time during most of my testing. I think for most running applications people will use both as it lets you see what’s around you and directly in front the best. To turn off just long press and the light will gradually power down.

 

The lack of a mode lower than 50 lumens limit’s this lights use for some traditional headlamp activities as 50 lumens is more then you need in many cases at short range or while trying to preserve night vision.

 

Charging

Charging of the onboard 2000mah lithium polymer cell, is accomplished via micro USB on the battery pack itself. Using the included cable plug it into your favorite USB power source. The 4 small blue LED’s will come on to let you know it’s charging. When all 4 are lit and solid you know it’s ready to go. These also serve as a battery indicator just press the button to get an idea of the available charge. This setup allows you to run longer if by hooking up to a larger mobile powerbank via a wire if you would like. This light will work while charging too.

 

This light does have a low power indicator, while using it. When the battery reaches 10% those LED indicators will begin to blink. You will also get an audible tone for 10 minutes. If on high combined and you switch a lower mode you will get more runtime. To stop this just press the blue button. Since the battery is mounted on the back of your head hopefully you will be able to hear the beeping even with headphones in. I do wish they had a visual indicator at maybe 20% (Fast short strobe) that gave you a little extra time to get home before things went dark.

 

Packaging

Packaging is typical Olight. It’s high quality printed cardboard. Inside you got a micro USB cable to charge that’s olight branded but not proprietary. On the outside of the box you have the typical relevant information to learn about the light in a retail setting. I really like that Olight included a zippered carrying case to keep everything together. I wish more headlights on the market did this.

 

Pro

  • Nice light profile (Flood + Throw) with smooth ramping up and down.
  • Great runtimes on low and good on high, No stepdowns in output due to temp or time.
  • Really easy to use UI and charging system
  • Comfortable and balanced head band & light weight operation
  • Can run from a USB Powerbank at 5V to increase runtime and performance.
  • No assembly of the headband itself is required

 

Cons

  • I would like an additional low lumen mode which would make the light more versatile.
  • I wish the light started in Low mode not high.
  • The light and battery should come off the strap to allow you to wash the headband or improve the IPX rating.
  • Currently no high CRI or NW options

 

Summary

I was at my local runners shoe store over the weekend and they were selling headlamps for runners for nearly $40 that ran on AAA batteries. The Olight HS2 is clearly better than those for a price that matches its performance. This is a specialized headlamp for runners and it makes some design compromises that would make it a little better for hiking or camping uses like lack of a moon light mode. It’s arriving on the market at a good time as the days are getting shorter and the runners are still out in force. I think this would make a decent hiking or camping headlamp too given it’s nice mix of flood and throw though still. I have enjoyed using it around the house and in my yard because of it’s light weight and split beam characteristics and can recommend it, especially if you are a runner

For more details and purchase check out the links below.
http://bit.ly/HS2eBayUS
https://www.olightstore.com/led-flashlights/headlamps/headlamp-olight-hs2

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Eufy Genie Review

Today I have a brand new product from Eufy, the Eufy Genie. This Genie is like the Amazon Echo Dot which I also have. A special thanks to Eufy for sending me the Genie to feature on my channel and compare it to my Echo Dot. My feeling is that this is going to be a little  longer review but I will try and keep it short.

For a limited time you can get the Eufy Genie under $30 on Amazon by using this link http://amzn.to/2wk2wXP

The Eufy Genie is black glossy plastic around the edges with flat black plastic on top. It’s round in shape and it’s profile tapers in. On top there is a small LED ring of multiple RGB LED’s that light up when in use and give a status indicator.

I really like how when the Genie is not active the lights shut off. It seems like my Dot likes to come awake all the time. I didn’t like it in my bedroom for this reason. However the Genie so far is great in my bedroom as it doesn’t produce extra light when not actively being used.

The speaker is downward firing and is even from all angles. There is a Micro USB power input in the rear and a ?” audio connector for audio out. Both the power supply and audio cable are included in the packaging.

Setup is slightly more complicated with the Eufy Genie then the Amazon Dot. After powering on I launched the Eufy Home app. You have to create a login, and it’s not shared with the Eufy website. I do wish they added SSO signin options which would make signing in with your Google or Facebook account. Once logged in the app guides you through joining the wifi network the Genie creates, once joined you pick your real wifi network, input your password. You can stop there but you shouldn’t you want to signin to your amazon account to allow the Genie to get access to Alexa services and skills. Once logged into Amazon basic setup is done and you can start asking your Genie to do stuff like ask it the weather.

 

Sound Quality & Voice Responsiveness

The speaker is much louder on the Genie then on my Dot. Anker seems to be doing some EQ processing on it on to prevent distortion when loud which is good but has the side effect of removing the lower tones. When listening to Local radio, podcasts, etc. It leaves something to be desired when listening to the latest top 40 hits.

The synthesized voice is good, it’s a little different then the Dot but sounds similar. I found voice responsiveness to be equally as good as my Echo Dot.

Pros

  • Price point is lower. This makes it great for a second device or someone just wanting to try the technology.
  • Louder & better quality speaker (Although less low end) then the Amazon Echo Dot for a lower price
  • Has most of Amazon Echo Dot’s feature set built in including all the skills.
  • Will control Eufy other smart home devices like the upcoming robovac or lightbulbs.

This is a brand new product and Eufy is making firmware upgrades to address some of these issues. As of August 2017 here are a few of the limitations.

  • The Genie can’t be used to voice command Spotify or Pandora (This is expected to be fixed soon)
  • The Genie can’t use the call Echo feature yet but this is expected to be fixed soon.
  • The Genie can’t do voice ordering from Amazon at the moment
  • There isn’t a bluetooth radio but there is an aux cable to attach a larger speaker system if you wanted to. I don’t’ think this is as big of deal given the improved sound quality.
  • As of right now you can’t rename the command key phrase
  • Setup is slightly longer due to having to set it up in the Eufy app and the Amazon Echo app.

 

Value Proposition and Summary

As of late August 2017 the Eufy Genie has a few limitations when compared to the Amazon Echo Dot. Most of these will be fixed with software updates soon according to Eufy within 2 weeks. Once the firmware is updated and many of these fixes are in place,  I feel like the two devices will compare closely enough that I can with confidence recommend the Eufy Genie. I like that the speaker is louder than the Dot. In my bedroom it’s easily loud enough to read me the news, stream a local radio station in the morning while getting ready, or listen to a podcast. It won’t be my main music device in my bedroom due to lack of low end tones but it’s great for something that’s easy and voice controlled. I like how the Genie builds on an already established platform and nearly all the Amazon Echo skills are available and compatible. Best of all is the price. At normal prices you can save about $10-15 over a Dot and get a louder speaker.

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Nitecore SRT9 Revew

The Nitecore SRT9 is the latest light in the Smart Ring series of lights from Nitecore. It offers 8 different modes of light, including Red, Blue, Green, and UV led’s in addition to the main cool white Cree XHP50 LED. The [Nitecore SRT9]-https://goo.gl/qSmr7B was provided by https://bestlight.io Use code LIQUID and save 10% off your orders at https://bestlight.io/ including the Nitecore SRT9

Video Review https://youtu.be/BAJyr8pWEQg

Image Gallery Full – http://imgur.com/a/7F7gO

This entire light feels super solid, like it’s built like a tank. The walls where the cells are is pretty thick machined aluminum. The exterior design feels rugged and with all the cutouts it holds well in the hand. The body design isn’t too aggressive to tear up a hand or pocket. The head is more aggressive. I like how the labeling is minimal on this light too. The anodizing is good and even. It has a bit of a gloss to it.

This isn’t a small or lightweight flashlight. The side by side battery design I really like. It help keeps the light from getting too long and fits nicely in my hand. That said with batteries it’s pretty heavy at 11.4oz.

The head has some nice cooling fins on it as well as a warning to warn that it gets hot. The very front is steel bezel and finished with a silver paint/anodizing. The lense is recessed a bit for protection. The reflector itself has a light orange peel and then but outs for the 4 colored LED’s. I will go over beam pattern a bit later.

The tail cap is also very solid feeling. The latching mechanism takes some getting used to. https://youtu.be/BAJyr8pWEQg?t=2m21s You have to push both buttons/pins in at the same time to get the tail out while pulling. Even with practice it takes me a little bit. I find pushing them back in produces a very satisfying click and is easier. Don’t worry about this coming off accidentally, I just don’t see that happening. The bad is that there are no polarity markings on the tail cap, exterior, or interior of the flashlight. You can put batteries in backwards in this light. While there is reverse polarity protection it would be good if Nitecore would have put markings or keyed the tail cap in a way so it only goes in one direction.

This light is listed as having a beam distance of 246M, impact resistant to 1.5M, IPX8 water resistant.

This light uses a Cree XHP50 LED. It’s a quad package and pretty large die size.

It’s only available in a cool white tint for this light. Nitecore lists its range in this light as 0.1 lumens to 2150 lumens. In my testing and comparison to other lights 0.1 lumens isn’t accurate, I would put it more at 4-5 lumens. The UV LED is listed as having a 365nm light output. It’s not the brightest UV available. I am used to my Convoy S2+ UV being so strong. I think the best use for the UV is to check documents and money and also spot scorpions in your general vicinity while hiking. Red is listed at 13 lumens, green at 19, and blue at 3 lumens. When I tested the UV LED on money I got some interesting results.

On the US $20 bill both the SRT9 and Convoy S2+ UV lit up the security strip without a problem. However on the $100 bill the SRT9 didn’t show the strip, and the Convoy did. Not sure why, maybe the wavelength isn’t complete?



The Selector ring is how you change modes in this light. First you have an on off click button in the rear of the light which can be used for momentary operation. When on there is a blue LED on the side of the light that illuminates to let you know it’s on. It lights up about every 3 seconds. The reason this is there is because the light can be in on mode but you can have the selector ring in the “off position”. This also serves as a low voltage indicator when the light is on. The main selector ring is near the head of the light in a natural position when holding it in your hand. When in this off position if you move the ring to the right you feel a detent and then it starts ramping up the light. This allows you to dial in the exact amount of light you want or need. It’s a cool system. There is a detent at the top of this mode to let you know it’s reached the highest amount. Beyond this there is a fast strobe. Now if you turn the selector right to the left from the center position you get UV, followed by Red, green, blue, strobing Red/Blue, then White beacon mode. Color modes are not adjustable in brightness.

One thing I wish Nitecore would improve on the SRT9 is add some markings on the selector ring to index it. I plan to add a dot of white paint on the ring and body of the flashlight in the middle of the modes. That way I know if I turn to the left I get the colored modes, and if I turn to the right I have the ramping of the main flashlight.

Beam Patterns of this light are a little different. In white mode I was expecting distortion due to the cut outs for the color LED’s however it doesn’t really have one. https://youtu.be/BAJyr8pWEQg?t=8m39s The center is hot with plenty of spill. Nitecore claims this will go 245m and I could easily get it go 200. The color modes however each have significant distortion. You notice it the least on the UV color but Blue, Green, and red all have a lot of distortion and don’t always shine to the center. Run times vary due to all the different configurations available. On 18650 batteries nitecore quote the color modes as lasting for 48 hours, and white, on ultra low 250hrs, turbo for 1 hour.

This light can run on 4x CR123A or 2x 18650 batteries which is my preference for cost and runtime. I only had luck getting this light to run on button top cells. The unprotected flat tops I tried didn’t work. You can’t use magnets to create button tops for flat tops on this light due to the magnetic interference with selector ring.

This light does have a constantly running processor according to the manual. I measured the drain at 12.2mA. When I put this light through my standard 1 minute on Turbo it got to 90F degreese. When I was using it this weekend I found heat to be pretty well controlled and it didn’t feel too hot to hold especially for it’s output.

Packaging is standard Nitecore black and yellow box. Outside has a very retail look to it. Inside you get a plastic tray with the light, lanyard, holster, manual and an extra tail cap rubber piece. The holster is a nice heavy nylon thats shaped to fit this exact light. On the back it has a pretty heavy duty plastic D ring and a velcro belt strap. The front attaches with velcro. It’s decent quality.

The clip is a bit of an afterthought on this light. It’s nearly in the middle, and mounted so the head is up always. and at least on mine it’s not tight to the body. Given this light’s size I don’t see this as an EDC light. I don’t think I will remove mine because I do see some value in being able to clip it onto a pocket temporarily but I think I will use the lanyard for a more secure hand hold.

Summary
Over the weekend I took the SRT9 with me to a Milky Way photography class I went to. It turns out this isn’t the best light for that because it ended up being a bit too bright in red mode, and moon light was brighter than I was hoping for. However after everyone was done I played with it more and found it great to move between sites, and pack up the car etc. People including myself were impressed at how far it could throw. To me the best feature on this light is the selector ring. It works really well and makes it super intuitive to use. The colors and modes make this a very versatile light. I think it’s my favorite light in July.

Pro’s

  •  I really like the selector ring interface
  • This light feels like it’s built like a tank.
  • White beam pattern is good considering the cuts in the reflector. It throws pretty well.
  • It’s nice to have a light with some color options and a great interface to access them.

Cons

  • No polarity markings in the battery compartment. Read the springs on the bottom. Spring = Negative
  • I wish there was an external visual indicator for the beginning of the ramp.
  • Ultra low doesn’t seem to be the 0.1 lumens advertised.

 

Use code LIQUID and save 10% off your orders at https://bestlight.io/ including the Nitecore SRT9

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Nitecore Concept 1 Full Review

This light was provided by Nitecore Store for review and my opinions have not been influenced.

For this review I decided to write a script that could serve two purposes, to provide me with notes during the recording and then for a written review for those who wanted to read it instead. Video is still my main thing but let me know what you think of this Hybrid format. It does end up taking a good deal more time.

Video Review

Entire Photo Gallery – http://imgur.com/a/luddn

 

Construction

Nitecore Stepped up their construction with this light. The fit and finish of the aluminum and anodizing is really nice. The body tube is as thin as it can be, and thinner than most lights I have. I don’t think it’s overly thin.The knurling is a little more for aesthetics then functional use because they are not very aggressive. The light is IPX-8 rated, drop resistant to 1.5 meters. I did notice that the button rattles when shaken. I contacted Nitecore store about this and their response was this was consistent with all of the Concept 1 they have. This is disappointing to me. To me it looks like a bit of a design error. The recessed part of the button is too big for the screw that was used. I tried tightening the screw and it was already tight. From a practical standpoint I didn’t notice a problem with this though. Concept 1 does have a magnetic tail cap, It could be removed if you wanted, as it’s visible and held in with glue or epoxy.

Measurements
4.39” Long

0.96” Head Diameter

0.94” Tail Diameter

2.18oz Empty Weight

 

Size Comparisons

The Concept 1 isn’t the smallest 18650 light on the market but it’s pretty close. Here is a a photo of 5 lights to show the size differences. Olight S2R, Nitecore Concept 1, ArmyTek Wizard Pro, Lumintop Prince, AceBeam EC35.

 

Outputs – Beam – UI

Turbo – 1800LM – 30 min (Heat dependent)

High – 810LM – 90 min

Medium – 300LM – 4hr

Low – 80LM – 15hr

Moon – 1LM – 300hr

This light uses a Cree XHP HD E2 LED in cool white. I don’t notice any contrasting colors in the LED. The reflector is smooth, and it’s backed by an anti reflective coated glass lens. The beam has a hot and focused center with a ring of less intense light followed by a large ring of flood. This light surprised me at how well it threw light, I will show that in my night shots. Nitecore advertises this as a no flicker light and I could not detect any on my camera or by eye.

 

UI

The UI of this light takes (Seperate video showing this https://www.reddit.com/r/flashlight/comments/6iyegp/nitecore_concept_1_ui_demo) some learning and getting used to. It’s a little different from others I have. The light has 2 main groups called General and Tactical. They are largely the same but in General you have a shortcut to Turbo by using a triple click from the off position, in Tactical a triple click gives you strobe and SOS. To switch between these two mode groups you unscrew the tailcap ¼ turn and then while holding the button down screw on the tail cap. The light will quickly flash 1 for general, or twice for Tactical.

Inside each group this part is the same. From Off click and hold the side switch and it will slowly begin to cycle between the 5 power levels starting off from the last memorized position. Stop on the one you want and this will become the memorized mode. While on if you click the button again you get a momentary turbo. If you want to select a new memory mode unfortunately you must turn the light off and then go through this process again. I found this part of the UI a bit frustrating but it gets easier the more you use it. I think if you have a lot of lights like I do and you change what you’re using frequently the Concept 1 will always take a second to relearn before you feel comfortable again with it. I feel like in future models Nitecore should simplify the UI.

This light has a manual lockout mode by unscrewing the tailcap ¼ turn. Nitecore recommends this to prevent accidental activation and to prolong battery life. I measured the parasitic drain at a rough average of 1ma. This light is pretty active when not in use as you can see in the video, it was bouncing between 1.8 and 0.5ma and did not stabilize. This is quite a bit higher then I would expect to see out of a modern flashlight and would drain the battery in about 4 months. I measured 3 other 18650 lights I had with electronic switches and they were all under 0.05ma.

The active heat controls in this light work well, instead of a timed mode for turbo this light measures its temperature and makes small steps down in output if it gets too warm. If I concentrated I was able to see these steps. I ran the light under cold water to cool it down and I could not tell if it got brighter again, I am pretty sure it didn’t. During my usual 1 minute turbo test the light got to 109F degrees.

 

Indoor and Outdoor Beam Shots

 

Power

Nitecore recommends the TM28 battery for use in the light. It’s a new protected button top cell with a max continuous discharge of 10A. It’s rated at 3100mAh and 11.47Wh. I was also able to use a high discharge flat top cell (Sony VCT6) in this light without rattle, due to the raised button in the flashlight and strong tail spring. This is a welcome change from other Nitecore Lights as you usually have to use button tops in most Nitecore products.

 

Pocket Clip

Here is a photo of the light clipped onto the pocket of my shorts. As you can see it rides head up, and unfortunately sticks up out of the pocket a decent amount, nearly ? of the light. Now in these shorts the pockets are low cut and it’s not a huge deal. But in pants that have more straight cut pockets like jeans this does stick up and is uncomfortable when sitting down. I like that the pocket clip uses 2 screws to attach and is in a fixed position. I took the screws off with a T6 Torx bit and the holes are not clear through the body.I would prefer Nitecore come up with a clip that allows for deeper carry or move the location of the existing clip further up.

 

Bundled in the box

You get a nice Nitecore branded nylon holster with DRing. You also get lanyard, product guide, extra orings, and manual. The box itself is a classier version of Nitecore’s black and yellow boxes with a few stats on the back.

 

My take away points are:

Pro’s

  • Attractive Design + Magnetic tail cap
  • Good output and little to no color contrast in the LED
  • Good low lumen mode with quick access as well as Turbo.
  • Active temperature controls vs timed controls we see on some lights.

Con’s

  • Clip positioning isn’t good for EDC because it sticks up quite a bit.
  • UI has a learning curve and is a little clunky until you get use to it.
  • The metal button rattles around the screw. A tiny O ring might fix this or tighter machining
  • Parasitic Drain is higher than expected. Using manual lockout is a must.

Nitecore has a good physical design on it’s hands here but it needs a bit more revision to be a great overall light in my opinion. I like the instant access to turbo on this light and I think it would be pretty good choice for a walk with the dog or neighborhood walker at night with that quick access to turbo if needed. The light has an attractive physical design but the clip position is not great for EDC in the front pocket of pants. If you were going to EDC it in the included holster I think it would work pretty well.

If you are interested in this light check it out on the Nitecore Store https://goo.gl/GrZE4P