Cree Kill Lights and Flashlights

[FrankT]

I know some of you can afford night vision and some of us cannot. I have gone through many lights so to save you money/time and to get the right light first I offer the following experience.

All cree components come from China, most rechargeable batteries do also. ALL my lights use the 18650 batteries and the standard is a 2400MaH, I use the 3000 and 5000MaH because they double the run time. So you can buy an American labeled light or not, you will just pay 75%less getting them direct which you can find all over Ebay. These Chinese Companies live and die by their Ebay rating and I have never been screwed by any of them. My primary Flashlights are 1200-3800 Lumen, my head lamps are the 1700 lumen. When you can see this brightly at night it is a real advantage.

The difference between a kill light and flashlight is the depth of the cree element in the reflective surface. The deeper the element the longer and narrower the throw making them excellent for gun mounted kill lights.

I ordered the lightmalls kill light. Got in it today and it is the very same light as my Elusive Wildlife XL250 Kill light and for $26 instead of $149 or more you cannot beat the deal. The extra inserts for red and white which I got along w the green in my light are $10 more ea and blue for blood tracking is available. This IS the best deal I have found, Attach a QD 30mm ring to it and put on any rail...Thank you CJ.http://www.lightmalls.com/uniquefire...hlight-1-18650

http://www.lightmalls.com/uniquefire-hs-802-cree-green-light-long-range-led-flashlight-1-18650

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10x-18650-3...ight-Torch-Rechargeable-Battery-/160754954312

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2PCS-18650-...US_Rechargeable_Batteries&hash=item3f1c9d7917

http://www.ebay.com/itm/8pcs-18650-...US_Rechargeable_Batteries&hash=item416b2c520c

head lamp
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1800Lm-Zoom...314?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27cea414fa

non zoom
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1800Lm-CREE...263?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d3d3a3c6f

 

[Soonlobo]

I bought the EWT light a couple of years ago and it's a great light.

Then DaveABQ showed me these lights FrankT provides links to and bought three of these lights off EBay.

Frank is right, these lights work great and are a good value. I hate buying from China but the price is right.

 

[FrankT]

I was the same way till I found out no matter who you buy from most of the parts come from the same factories in China and the major companies we all know the names of have admitted this. The only difference are the price points as pointed out in paragraph 4 of the original post and the name on the side of the light. I am sorry $26.90 for the Exact same thing I had paid $149 for is a significant and excessive markup.

 

[hdfireman]

Great info Frank!!

 

[Afalex1]

The first year I started night time hog hunting I used a Elusive wildlife XLR 250. I thought it was a little over priced, but did not have a clue about the china stuff. I didn't have a forum or group of people to help guide me in the right direction. I was just going it alone and coming up with things as I thought of them. FrankT you just helped a lot of people save some money and have great time hunting.

 

[DaveABQ]

Be careful about 3000mah and 5000mah 18650 batteries because they are mis-represented. When these batteries are tested they rarely gave over 2000mah. Batteries from Ultrafire are usually always exxagerated on capacity.

I do agree that Cree is the way to go, even though Cree mostly comes from china, they were developed and owned here in the USA. They have an agreement with a Chinese company on producing them.

 

[FrankT]

Dave, I agree you can never tell the real power but I am getting double the run time w the 5000MaH batteries, maybe the standard are 1000 instead of 2400 or the 5000 are giving 3000 the run time is still affected. Can I test that w my handheld tester? Can't ever trust the Chinese...lol but then we can't trust the IRS or this Administration either...

Afalex, I have bought and tried many lights trying to find the Source of the Elusive WildLife lights, finally did, even if used as a red, green or white flashlight it has a great throw downrange. Also, These new headlamps at 1700 Lumens turn the night into day time...I love them!

 

[dhwave]

I have the Elusive wildlife xlr 250 maybe I paid to much... but I like the light and at least their sales force is Texas based

 

[FrankT]

dwave, yes they are TX based, but all crees are made in China. I have one too and love it and the EW service, great guys. But given $26 or $149 for the same light, that is no choice now I have them both and tested them side by side. At least you can get the different color cree modules cheaply if you did not get them at first! Being a buy America guy it makes me torn buying directly, but too much money is at stake and I have to do what is best for me.

 

[pruhdlr]

It's the stuff from China for me also. Had a EWT light and sold it. It was a good light,kinda bright,and small enough. BUT......can you really ever have too much light. NOW......I buy the lights that have a 5 position switch. High,med,and low,then strobe,and S.O.S. The last two are unneeded and unused.

Most of my lights are 700L to 1400L. I have two that are 4800L. I have two head lamps that are about 800L IIRC. One has been turned into a red lens. I also get all my batteries and chargers from China. I also buy all my CR123 batts that are used in my thermal form China for $.87 each.

I feel that it is sad that I have to buy from China because the Americans either can't compete,or it's political. However....I personally will not pay more because our government is so damned stoooopid. --- pruhdlr

 

[TEXASLAWMAN]

Wow 123's for $.87!!! Share the link!!!

 

[pruhdlr]

I don't have it stored...however ...get on e-bay and search the 123 lights(they go by CR123 and others) and look for the Tenergy brand. I buy them in the 100 pack(my ThOR uses three)to split with a buddy, but I do believe that you can get them in the 40(or less)packs also. The box that mine came is is marked Tenergy Lithium CR123A batts. The more you by..the cheaper they are.

Remember...the NiCad batts will have a slow drain if not used. The Li batts are basically good forever until you use them. --- pruhdlr

 

[Ratdog68]

A fairly good "what's what" concerning batteries and the lights we use nowadays.

 

[DaveABQ]

dwave, yes they are TX based, but all crees are made in China. I have one too and love it and the EW service, great guys. But given $26 or $149 for the same light, that is no choice now I have them both and tested them side by side. At least you can get the different color cree modules cheaply if you did not get them at first! Being a buy America guy it makes me torn buying directly, but too much money is at stake and I have to do what is best for me.

actually cree is owned by a company in North Carolina I believe, it was a group of scientists at North Carolina that developed the Cree. I'm not positive, but I believe the Cree LED itself is made here in the USA, the electronic board it mounts on as well as the rest of the unit are made in China.

yes the Kill Light and others are Chinese, I got the no-name version over a year and a half ago and had posted on several sites...

the Ultrafires are some of the worst mis-labeling of capacity, depending what brand you got, if they were all the same, then most likely what you said as an example, 1000 and then 2000, may be correct, let me give you a for instance, AA Rechargeable batteries from China. I have two high end chargers for AA's, both can measure total capacity and the way you do this is charge completely, and then discharge, which will measure how much charge they had. I bought some 2000 mah batteries from china, the average capacity measured 350mah...so beware, I will guarantee you there isn't such thing as a 5000mah battery and most likely not a 3000mah, think about it, that's 3.0 amp hours...if you know much about batteries, that's hard to get in something the size of these batteries, unless somehow they have their own standard

its just like 14500 batteries, I run them in these small crew XML T7 flashlights I have, I can run AAs, but AAs are 1.2 volts, the 14500's are 3.7 volts and probably around 3-5 times brighter, measuring the 2000mah batteries that are out there, the do just over 1000mah....Chinese not only have no copyright laws, they can also lie besides stealing

 

[FrankT]

Correct Dave but then there is this, it explains even more
"Cree LEDs are vertically manufactured in house. This means that Cree is responsible for every step in the manufacture of the XRE. If you break it down the Basic steps are:

SiC Wafer production (Substrate Production)
Epitaxy (LED Chip Production)
LED Packaging (Putting the Chip into the LED Housing)

currently all of this is done in Durham, SC, USA. But by the End of 2008 at least one part will be done in China (Shenzhen near HK), the LED Packaging. Cree will not be outsourcing this, they bought a Chinese packager (COTCO) and they are Qualifying the production line now. But it is not clear to me, beyond packaging, how many of the other steps will be in China. This is not insider information, as it in their 2007 annual report.

So by the end of 2008 many Cree LEDs will be at least partly manufactured in China by Cree." Now I am betting in 2012 they are 100% made in China.

The batteries I have no clue...all I know is the 18650 labeled 3000 and 5000MaH run longer than the standard 2400's, a lot longer, maybe i will find a way to test mine. Yes the Chinese LIE, Steal and I hate doing business with them.

 

[Harris hawker]

Frank,
What is the diameter of the body?
I need a 1 inch body for my holder.
And the rechargeable, are they the size of two 123 batteries?
Thanx

 

[FrankT]

yes the 18650 is, I think, the same thing as 2 123's(dont know if you can power it that way) depends on the light you bought but the lightmall one takes a 30mm ring, I use the UTG QD one.

 

[pruhdlr]

I have seen some advertisements for certain equipment that states that you can use one 18650 ... OR ... two(2) CR123's. I really don't know the power requirements either. Mainly,if it would over power or under power.

I have compared the OAL of the one 18650 as compaired to two CR123's. They are different,as is the diameter. --- pruhdlr

 

[Harris hawker]

Hey guys,
Just went to academy and found this. It's a green Cree light with barrel mount, pressure switch, 170 lumens, aluminum and glass construction.
$39.99
Looks very good.

 

[Harris hawker]