eBay Cree XML £20 Torch – out of the box, pics & review

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330566331641

Bought 17-sept, arrived today (23 days), no additional duty costs etc.

Went for this one as I wanted a relatively small form factor, 18650 chargeable 2400mAh (yeah, right 😉 ), and charger/batteries in the bundle. And obviously the T6 LED.

Very unfancy packaging – just a plain cardboard box. First thoughts: good solid feel to torch, some weight but not too heavy.

Dismantled and see there’s good heat sinking contact between the chip/driver module and the reflector body, through to the torch barrel itself. 163g on the kitchen scales.

It looks like, and says, CREE XML on the chip board – will just have to take it for granted as I haven’t the ability to test whether it’s genuine or not.

End cap and reflector body are sealed with a rubber grommet. Nice tight squeaky rubber feel when undoing the caps suggesting that there’s at least enough waterproofing to keep the rain out.

“Assault bezel” unscrews without the lens or the reflector falling out so you could remove if you want to. But then what would I use for mashing ramblers’ faces in?

The barrel has two broad rubber grommets on the outside to help with grip – good idea, and will come in use if I ever helmet mount this one.

5 modes, Hi, mid, lo, flash and SOS. Cycles modes with on/off button. I dont think it’s smart enough to remember to stay on last setting if time between button presses is short etc.

Hi is good. Good sized central spot with no shape or shadow. Bright, natch. Outer spill of light is OK, but not sure in real world how much aid to peripheral vision it will be. Not visible in the pic below. Will update after first ride. Not done burn time test yet, will have a go tonight and update this thread.

Charger is a simple enough affair. Charging LED. Comes with 3pin adaptor. I wont trust it as far as can throw it though, so it will charge in a box on the end of an extension lead outside the house and shed. Two cells, obviously, so easy to take spare with you or have one in the shed charging if it’s just your “ride to the pub light” which it will be for me most of the time as I have a troutie Lumen Liberator for big rides.

These torchs if anything like as good as the original P7, will be ace.
Though as per your test pic, the focus tends to be very narrow IME (great helmet lights).
Only problem is mounting them, I could never get those rubber mounts to stay completely stable on the bars when the going gets rough. Though they are better on the helmet, maybe with a zip-tie to give them extra support.

Why ppl spend more on the Exposure versions (other than for 24hr racing) I struggle to understand… but everyones allowed free choice.

do you have leprosy?

that hotspot isnt too bad – it’s about 600m dia @ 3m, so 11degrees.

eczema. but thanks for the ridicule of my medical condition.
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😉

😳

it just looked like you’d picked a soldering iron up by the hot bit, tbh.

I will remember to use only my photogenic hand in future 🙂

Beadle-esque 😉

Does Stoner do a lot for charity then?

£20, for the whole package is very very good though, hadn’t realised they become quite that cheap.

Those bar mounts are rubbish though! If you’ve got an old quick release light mount, drill a hole in a jubilee clip to bolt to the mount. better directional control and it won’t bounce around coming down the rabbit run!

oh and my xml torch with a p7 on the head was great last night. Short sleeved night riding in October – doesn’t seem right!

bar mount is a twofish lock block rip off I got off ebay separately (i.e. not with the torch). Will mod it to make it robust enough.

Its been positively balmy out there, hasnt it.

Short sleeve merino top…and maybe a gilet to keep the wind out on the descents.

I was hoping for a metal rule – not a plastic one. The weight weenies won’t accept a weight pic without a shot of the torch on the scales. Pot plant needs a trim.

😥

I tried an o-ring in addition to the lockblock, still too bouncy for me, and that was with a p7, i think the hotspot of the xml will be even worse but ymmv.

will have a tinker and see what I can do.

I also have one of these in the shed that works well on a lower power torch which I might be able to use.

£20 seems bonkers for a t6 XML with batteries..
Have a smudge XML already but this might just complete my night kit..

If you want to borrow my xml in clamp for comparison purposes let me know, won’t be using it this week.

Anyone got a good way of helmet mounting one of these?

joystick mount works well for my p7, not sure on the diameter of the xml, would assume it to be about the same, my p7 is just ok weightwise but my xml is a bit too much for comfort, stoners looks like it might be lighter though? haven’t checked the weight of mine.

600m dia @ 3m, so 11degrees.

Heck of a spread going by those figures, how big is your house?? 😯

Nice one Stoner – looks like it’ll do a job for my commute so I’ve taken the plunge.

Any recomendations for a cheap bar mount? Loads on ebay for 4 or 5 quid.

Thats lighter than my p7 by a fair bit, nice find.

stoner – can you try repeatedly hitting it off a wall hard to see if you can make it change mode like the old P7 torches do when barmounted if you ride proper rough trails/jumps or drops ? Ta.

I’m serious BTW?

GW mine was doing that, use a pair of circlip pliers to tighten the light head and switch, fixed mine 🙂

inigomontoya, lot of ppl whine about it with these torches, but seemingly won’t take the time (2 minutes) to screw up the internal fittings…

Yeah, I’ve done that to my two too (but one can still change mode), they also change mode if the battery rattles inside so to try and reduce that I wrap mine are in gaffer tape so they’re only just loose enough to get back out the torch.

This is the only mount i buy/sell for bar mounting, you can also get them on ebay for £1 each.

To make the battery snugglier in the tube, i just use a post-it, trim a bit of the end and it fits perfect.Just curl it up and make the sticky bit go against the tube.
Always make sure the switch and the pill are tight as that’s the other reasons why they change modes while going over bumps.
By the way, UltraFire batterys tend to have really high internal resistance, compared to Blue TrustFires (nonprotected, always use in single cell lights) they have around 40% more resistance!

Would it be too heavy as a helmet light, or indeed for running?

Are there any headtorch type systems that it could be attached to?

Thanks, Lightman but what does this mean

UltraFire batterys tend to have really high internal resistance, compared to Blue TrustFires (nonprotected, always use in single cell lights) they have around 40% more resistance!

😕 😳

Ps. I have 2 of the bar mounts stoner posted a pic of and find them much more solid and faff free than the one you’ve linked to (and cost around the same).

dunc – yeah, I think so.

The exposure joystick is 103g, this is 163g with battery in.

There’s a lot of metal in the body of the torch which neednt be there.
There’s bound to be one knocked out by another chinese outfit that’s lighter somewhere…

EDIT- having said that Ive just taped it to my helmet and giving it a waggle* and it’s not that noticeable. That’s on a mid-weight MET lid.

* fnar.

Mine were definitely noticable on your head, but weighed a bit more than the one above. Though after a season of night riding, I’d gotten used to it (or my neck muscles “man’d up”).

I justed used a twofish lock block on the back end of my helmet (Xen) and it was stable enough & would move if I hit a branch.
I tried one of lightmans type fitting, and broke it whilst trying to tighten it up… maybe we got a bad un but…

EDIT- having said that Ive just taped it to my helmet and giving it a waggle* and it’s not that noticeable. That’s on a mid-weight MET lid.

the lower you mount it (ie. not using a block etc.) the less you’ll notice the weight. (I’ll let TJ explain why 😉 )

GW

Some battery’s are good for high power (quick drain appliances) flashlights and some are not.
I have those UF battery’s and when i compare them with Blue TF battery’s in my XM-L flashlights this is the current draw on high ~
UF = 1.6amps
TF = 2.6amps

What can happen also, is that the UF battery’s heat up quicker due to the internal resistance, which reduces lifespan. They are still usable though.

TJ just gaffer tapes them straight to his head, I think?

tj just tells the dark that it’s actually daylight and proceeds regardless of what the dark is doing.

fits in the more robust mount fine, once you’ve taken the external grommets off.

Ive never had a problem with that mount rattling or shaking and have ridden with it across the common a few times.

if you put the torcvh in the other way around the weight would be more ‘centred’ (i.e. but thumb wheel at back of the bars, not front)?

this is the current draw on high ~
UF = 1.6amps
TF = 2.6amps

Sorry, still don’t understand.

I use blue trustfire protected batteries in my P7s, is this good or bad? 😕