7W 1200lm CREE Q5 LED Mini Zoomable Flashlight 14500/AA Torch Red CD5
Dec 30, 2016
Cree 7W LED Zoomable Flashlight
One of, if not the best bargain in an inexpensive flashlight. Available in either single mode or 3 mode (High, Low, Strobe) with focusing zoom. The zoom feature allows perfect, tight focus of the emitter for bright spot work or zoom out for a broad soft usable light. Though it runs comfortably on a single AA on a 14500 Lithium Ion battery it really comes alive. Often available for under $2 via auction, it can always be found near the $3 mark for those that just want to purchase and run. At this price point the construction is remarkably good. The zoom is tight and smooth and not prone to creep, knurling is nice and sharp and machined fins are efficient at wicking away the heat when on high with li-ons. The deep carry pocket clip is sturdy. The slow discharge of lithium cells make this a perfect light for glove boxes, tool boxes and anywhere long storage life is an advantage. At this price point anyone can afford to put one in every room and vehicle and not think twice.
Light comes with a nice neck chain and rechargeable battery in a very nice gift box. Build quality is high. Simply tighten the screw head a little to activate, a little more to go from Low to Hi. And what a HI it is..130 lumens from a micro sized light. Removing the head reveals a standard micro USB charging port; connect to any standard phone charger or to a computer USB port to charge. Nice that it includes its own charging circuit as the battery is so tiny it would not fit to charge in a normal sized battery charger. They didn't skimp on features, either, it displays a red led when charging which switches to green when fully charged! I can't think of anything more you could want in a light this small.
This battery, available in flat top or button top varieties, forms the basis of the best reviewed and most highly regarded generally available 18650 batteries. Olight and Nitecore (and undoubtedly others) rewrap this battery with added protection circuit and sell for a premium price. You can save some money by buying the generic cell and selecting a button top with protection. Rated at 3400mAh they are near the top of available capacity of currently available cells of this size. They are so well regarded they also form the basis of most of the high end OEM laptop batteries. They easily supply more amps than any 1000-1400 lumen flashlight can draw and do it with a consistently long run time. The addition of the protection cell allows use in lights without protection of their own with little to no danger to the equipment or the user. The protection circuit also prevents over charging or discharging which will greatly decrease a cell's life cycle and capacity, thereby insuring a long and useful life. You can pay more for a fancy wrap, but you can't get any better bang for your buck than this battery.