Mini 400 Lumens CREE Q5 LED Zoomable Adjustable Focus Flashlight Reviews

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List Price: $20.00
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This appears to be exactly the same product as the BBQbuy@7W "300 lumen" version, but at a higher price. Both products are exaggerating the specs and description, and this item's claims about lumens and waterproofing appear to be blatantly false. It's not 400 lumens, and it's not waterproof.

The "Q5" LED in these lights is a Cree XR-E Q5, a 2006 model rated by the manufacturer at a maximum output of 251 lumens at 4 watts. With a AA battery, you can get up to about 3.5 watts at most. And some of the output will be absorbed before the light leaves the aluminum body of the torch. So, you can expect something in the range of 150 to 240 lumens. To get 400 lumens as promised, the light would need a Cree XP-G or XM-L emitter (~500 and ~1000 lumens, respectively), but it has an old XR-E instead.

With a 14500 Li-Ion battery, you can drive the emitter at up to 7.5 watts. It may even be able to reach 300 lumens at that power. However, this is way beyond the maximum rated power level of 4W, and is likely to burn the light out far sooner than normal.

The exact product you get seems to depend on a combination of timing and vendor choice. I made three separate orders and got three different products... and other customers have reported even more variation. It may have high/medium/strobe modes, or it may have only on/off. It may have anywhere from zero to three O-rings inside. It may have branding inked on the side, or not. It can have at least two different types of optics. It may have a cheaper or broken emitter inside, giving far less than 200 lumens of light. It may cost anywhere from $5 to $20.

This light is not waterproof. Splash-resistant, yes, but don't try to dunk it underwater. Even if you were lucky enough to get one with all the O-rings, the lens and zoom mechanism aren't really sealed. In many cases, the lens is simply loose inside the body with no glue or other attempts to seal it. The clip screw holes also go all the way through the body, which is another way for water to get in. Many units aren't even fully screwed together unless you tighten them.

However, all that aside, this is still probably the brightest and most versatile torch you can get for under $6. It can throw a long way at its narrow beam setting, it projects a nice, even circle of bright light on the wide setting, and the front-most piece can unscrew to remove the lens for a true flood mode. And as far as batteries go, it's an omnivore. It can use practically any type of battery in any condition, drawing whatever power the battery can muster. But the other product listing is cheaper and seems to have some more reliable vendors listed.

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This is a well made aluminum flashlight. I like the focus for flood or spot light.

I like that it uses a single AA battery and small enough to fit the whole flashlight

In the palm of my hand. I don't know if this is normal or if I got some cheaper

Version by mistake (or on purpose). The one I received has only Off/On no bright

Or dim setting. When compared to a 220 lm flashlight I bought from a well known

Sporting goods store a couple years ago and set to approximately the same spot size,

This flashlight is dimmer. I tried both the 14500 and AA battery. There is no

Noticeable difference in the light output. If I compare what they are advertising to

The flashlight I received I would have to conclude that The Meter the manufacturer uses

To measure the light output is broke. Mine came from FanLuLu

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This review is for the Mini 400 Lumens CREE Q5 LED Zoomable flashlight.

First off, this thing is superbright! I mean "burn your eyes out of your skull" bright! And from only one AA battery...I couldn't hardly believe it when I saw it.

The metal housing around the lens actually slides up and down. This is how you "zoom" the flashlight and it changes from a very wide flood to a square shape of concentrated light on the wall. The zoom action feels fairly solid so I'm hoping that it won't malfunction anytime soon.

The push botton on the back of the flashlight is an orange-red color. Push once, it turns on high. Push again and its off. Push again, it turns on low. Push again and its off. Push again, it turns on a flashing strobe setting that is pretty neat. Push again and its off.

EDIT: I found that this is not true about having to cycle through all settings. As the commenter stated, if you push the on/off button 1/2 way...it will cycle through all settings without having to turn on/off each time.

The housing and clip seem solidly built but I have not put this light through any use that would test its durability or toughness. For now, I'll just assume that it's tough enough for normal, daily use activities around the house or at work.

Overall: The flashlight looks very cool/expensive, seems to function very well and only uses one AA battery. And did I mention that this thing is super, ultra, MEGA bright!!!??!?!?

Well worth the price if it turns out to be relatively durable.

SECOND EDIT: I used this a few times so far it has worked great! I took it out with me on Halloween night and it shined super bright. The strobe feature worked great when cars were coming...really got their attention so they would slow down. Overall, I love this flashlight. It's been very good so far.

Honest reviews on Mini 400 Lumens CREE Q5 LED Zoomable Adjustable Focus Flashlight

Since they look alike , it is easy for venders to send 300lm lights that cost $5.00 less than 400lm and some venders do! FAN LULU sent me 2 300lm lights. The 400lm have BRIGHT, MEDIUM, and Strobe modes and on/off and use the AA and Lithium 14500 Battery and are brighter Sometime you need to use 14500 only as AA may not work. the 300lm are 2 modes {on/off} and run on AA Bateries and 14650 FanLulu's were fulfilled by Amazon.com.

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I ordered 4 of these flashlights and received them in a timely manner. Problem was that not a single one of them worked. I tried several new batteries and it was still a no go. I ordered these as gifts, so I'm glad that I tried them before passing them on to my friends. I will be returning them for credit. I'm positive that Amazon will take care of it. I love Amazon.com.