RC says:

Amazon seller breakdown, 3-mode vs 1-mode With all the complaints about varying products and 1-mode versus 3-mode switches, I decided to trawl through 100+ comments looking for sellers specifically named, and also directly contacted a few of them myself.—————-Seller names with a * next to them are ones I got a conclusive e-mail response from.2014/Jan/21-MODE:Tosell888*Bellink*AIBOCN*TTT-Mall*711onlinestoreEforcityLucky ElectronicsEternal TechIgozHappyMartMECO*Coutlet*AutoWT*Exciting Co3-MODE:Dealextreme4u* – (Ultrafire)Suyuca* – (clones)Eforyou Inc 8888*lovers2009Blue Top* – (Ultrafire)BestDeal777Silver foxJacobsparts.comMini-MartDIGISEARCHSEggDealebuyedgetdigisales*new goldengulf*Uhope*Sunwise LLC*altitude*ElectronicREPORTEDLY Unreliable (product switching):Coco FedBBQBuy—————-SELLERS:You might prefer a US based seller (may only cost 50¢ more), so that you get the product in a week instead of a month, and fast returns if there are problems. Be sure to take a good look at seller ratings before buying, and post negative seller feedback if you are treated badly… Some of the cheapest sellers have only 50-60% positive rating, while it is normal to see 90% positive.1-MODE VS. 3-MODE:The cheapest sellers are typically offering the 1-mode light, so expect to pay a bit more for a 3-mode. You should also realize that 3-mode isn’t always a good thing… Several reviewers have complained that they don’t like the extra complexity and confusing (memory) behavior, so consider your needs carefully. As bright as this is, I insist on 3-mode so I can dim the light (about 40 lumens), and get several times longer battery life. The combination of high/low and flood/spot very effectively covers the full range of flashlight usage scenarios. I do wish LOW was the first mode in the cycle… you can’t un-blind yourself after the fact. And I’d like an even-lower brightness mode, ~5 lumens.BATTERY/RUN-TIME:It is a waste to buy 14500 Li-Ion batteries… Most of them cost ~$4/each, and have just 10% more power (Volt*Amp/Hours) than a $1.20/each LSD NiMH rechargeable, which withstands much more use and abuse (and Li-Ions are notorious for vastly exaggerated specs). Contrary to some other reviews here, I’ve seen absolutely NO difference in light output whether my lights are driven by 1.5V or 3.6V, so the regulator is doing a superb job. Although a hot-off-the-charger Li-Ion battery, briefly at ~4.2 volts might over-drive the LED for a small increase. If weight was critical, I would prefer disposable Lithium AAs to Li-Ions. Also, a single AA is much cheaper, smaller, and more convenient than 3xAAAs, yet both provide nearly the same amount of power. In a pinch, this flashlight even runs reliably on a single AAA battery without modification. So this unit is superior to most other (18650) small flashlights.On a single , I get 1.5 hours of run-time on HIGH before the light dims. I expect “strobe” mode to get double that. LOW mode lasts about 4.5 hours before the voltage presumably drops too low and the regulator suddenly shuts-off the light entirely. I measured a current of approx 1.7A@1.3V on HIGH, and 0.5A@1.3V on LOW. With a 13¢ “Super Heavy Duty” AA battery, I got about half the run-time, which is decent and useful in emergencies (but starts to dim sooner than NiMH). With a battery extension tube converting this to 2xAAs, on HIGH I get 4 hours of run-time, a 33% improvement.CLONES:Most 3-mode sellers are offering the , which is a very similar clone of the which a few people have also received. You may be interested to know that the Sipik was itself originally a MUCH cheaper clone (using a different battery) of the old The blank/unbranded SK68 clones sold here are a bit different than their cousins… The button protrudes from the tail-cap so they *can’t tail-stand*. The thread diameter is larger so you also can’t swap tail-caps (or extension tubes) between a Sipik/Ultrafire SK68 and these no-name lights. The design and build quality of the clones isn’t quite as good, but they’re decent.SUMMARY:This is nearly the PERFECT small flashlight. I always carry one in my back pocket, next to my wallet… I rarely notice it and I’ve always got a…