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Prometheus Beta-QRv2 Quick-Release AAA Flashlight

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Prometheus Beta-QRv2 Quick-Release AAA Flashlight

Oct 15, 2018

Are people buying this primarily as a self defence weapon? Everybody has a torch on their cell phone so I doubt there is a great need for a torch taking up space on your keyring. Or you can get a tiny torch keyring that takes up a fraction of the space at a fraction of the weight. If it is designed for self defence is the torch sufficiently weighty and strongly made for that purpose?

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jhinrichsen

Oct 16, 2018

Realmac26this has got to be a joke, its a small keychain light. no sd intentions.

Realmac26

Oct 16, 2018

jhinrichsenIt’s shaped like a self defence kubotan which is banned in a lot of countries. They get around the laws by turning them into torches or pens. Given the outrageous cost for a key chain light and it’s kubotan like construction I presumed people would be buying this for self defence and not so they can put their key in their lock.

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Cyphre

2708

Oct 16, 2018

Realmac26The semi-circular grooves are there for grip, instead of traditional knurling. Seeing as its barely larger than a AAA battery, you're nowhere near kubotan size.
If you're asking why someone would use a portable flashlight instead of a smartphone, that's a bit of a loaded question. There are entire forums dedicated to the flashlight trade, and not from some sense of nostalgia. I can say from a practical standpoint, smartphone flashes fall short on a few factors: fixed output and their abysmal throw.

Realmac26

Oct 17, 2018

CyphreOk point taken but $45 US for this outrageous. If you can’t buy a AAA sized torch for less than $10 your not really trying.

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Cyphre

2708

Oct 17, 2018

Realmac26The only part of the price I don't agree with is that they are only offering aluminum, when previously there were other options available. Otherwise, this price falls in line with a decent AAA flashlight plus the quick detach (which is its own product, per the images). You're hardly going to find a quality metal flashlight under $10 unfortunately. The Massdrop AAA lights here are about as cheap as they get, which are just lumintop lights anyway.

Icehawk

Oct 17, 2018

Realmac26Would that $10 be made of machined metal and made in the USA? The light is much better than on my phone, I use either depending on the situation. Happy owner for 2+ years here but it’s not for everyone - my wife gets those cheap $10 coin lights :D

YabosMcGee

338

Oct 19, 2018

IcehawkTo be fair, the flashlight is not made in the USA, only the quick release. The flashlight is simply a Lumintop Worm, which is made in China:
http://www.lumintop.com/flashlight/custom-made-lumintop-worm-flashlight-suppliers
Prometheus charges a "made in USA tax".

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glennac

1363

Jan 2, 2019

YabosMcGeeUh, Yabos, not hardly. Jason makes these in his shop in Mountain View, CA. Ever since he Kickstarted them several years ago. They are not made in China. https://youtu.be/ybrfCGLGtAk

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YabosMcGee

338

Jan 2, 2019

glennachttps://bladereviews.com/prometheus-lights-beta-qr-v2/ "If Jason wasn’t very clear that he has this manufactured in China, I’m not sure I would have been able to figure it out on my own." http://everydaycarry.com/posts/5932/prometheus-brass-beta-qrv2-review "Despite being mass-produced at a specialist flashlight factory in China, Jason's supervision and the factory's sole production focus shines through in the light." Hell, from his own Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/darksucks/the-worlds-first-quick-release-aaa-keychain-flashl

"I've been working with a well established flashlight company in China for the last 11 months, and they will handle the volume manufacturing of my design. This relationship enables me to bring this light to a large audience like Kickstarter, which would be entirely impossible to accomplish on my own. "

(Edited)

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glennac

1363

Jan 2, 2019

YabosMcGeeOk, I stand corrected. But it’s still not the same light as the Worm. Body is not identical. And the electronics are of his own design. 👍🏼

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Icehawk

Jan 2, 2019

YabosMcGeeThanks Yabos, either way I think it's a great light and while the Worm might be very similar I am happy with my purchase - the QR is just about worth it alone for me tbh. Have had this for what like 2 years now and still on first battery too.

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YabosMcGee

338

Jan 2, 2019

glennacIt's manufactured by Lumintop, with a slightly longer body to accomodate the Quick Release. The driver is likely the same as the older Lumintop Worms (which includes PWM). They both use a Nichia 219b, and both don't support li-ion. No offense, but where are you getting your information from? Considering you were wrong about the origin of manufacture, I'd personally want to be sure before I made more claims. I know I'm verifying what I'm saying prior to responding. I'm not saying that this is a shit light just because it's made in China. In fact, my two EDC lights are the Reylight Pineapple and Reylight Ti Lan (both made in China). I'm just saying that you're paying for the QR attachment, and the pedigree of that being "made in the USA". There are flashlights out there with more features, battery support, and newer drivers for less money - Reylight Pineapple AAA for one. I haven't kept up on what's being released these days, so I'm sure there's even more flashlights available that offer a better value than the Beta (unless you value the QR attachment more than other features). Information sources: http://budgetlightforum.com/comment/469953#comment-469953
https://www.reddit.com/r/flashlight/comments/4xo95r/prometheus_betaqrv2/
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?390386-Beta-QR-quick-release-V2&p=4980719&viewfull=1#post4980719

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glennac

1363

Jan 2, 2019

YabosMcGeeWatch Jason's video (and all of them on his channel). He does his own manufacturing and assembly in Mountain view, California. This light in particular came about in 2013 as a Kickstarter project. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/darksucks/the-worlds-first-quick-release-aaa-keychain-flashl

I understand Lumintop's product came out after Jason's did. So apparently they were each out at the same time. According to your forum links the two lights UIs behave differently? Everyone in the forums acknowledges a similar appearance. Who is stating that it is Lumintop hardware? Jason? Lumintop?

(Edited)

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YabosMcGee

338

Jan 2, 2019

glennacI'm not sure where you're going with this. Again, the Beta flashlight is not made in-house by Prometheus, it's well documented. Prometheus doesn't make the electronics either. Here's more information: https://darksucks.com/pages/where-its-made "Every product I sell has a small flag icon in the "Specifications" tab. If you see a flag with the Prometheus logo on it, that means I make the product in my own shop. A Prometheus flag combined with a country flag means that I combine parts made in-house with parts from an outside vendor to complete the product. " Go look at all the Beta flashlights on the Prometheus site. All of them list the only country of origin as China. If you just watch marketing wank (the vid you keep using as a "source"), you only get what a company wants you to hear. His own site shows origin of manufacture, and there is a plethora of information out there about anything not included on that site.

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glennac

1363

Jan 2, 2019

YabosMcGee

So I’m looking at the page featuring his BETA QRV2 SOLID COPPER

I see no reference to flags or origin of the product. Do you? https://darksucks.com/collections/beta-flashlights/products/beta-qrv2-quick-release-keychain-flashlight-4

(Edited)

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YabosMcGee

338

Jan 2, 2019

glennacNo, but considering every single other Beta he has listed shows country of origin as China, his own Kickstarter indicates they're produced in China, and all other reviews out there of the flashlight indicate they're made in China, I think it's safe to assume that one is also made in China. It's likely an oversight on the page. But, if you'd like to contact him and verify, and you find out that the only Beta completely made in-house by Prometheus happens to be the copper one, I'll eat a hat. I really don't understand why you're so desperate to find some information that these flashlights aren't made in China. Either way, this drop is for the electroless nickel and HAIII Black versions, which are shown on his site to be....wait for it....made in China. To reiterate, I'm not saying "made in China" is a bad thing. I'm saying this is a mediocre flashlight for the money, and there are better options out there (unless you REALLY love the Quick Release mechanism). I think some brands like to put out slick-looking marketing wank - and, while not explicitly stated - try to get the viewer to assume their product is the product of one guy hunched over his tools in "good ole' USA". What's great about Massdrop as a purchasing platform is you can be sure someone will call you out on your BS, and even get into discussions about supply chain, manufacturing, logistics, etc. Especially in today's media-saturated society, where it's easy to pump out good looking PR.

(Edited)

glennac

1363

Jan 2, 2019

YabosMcGee"I really don't understand why you're so desperate to find some information that these flashlights aren't made in China." No. Apparently my understanding of Jason's arrangement was incorrect. Still, I hate it when others trash makers here in the forums when it is not necessary or they pass on unsubstantiated rumors to discourage interest in a product (I note your disclaimer above about China-made products and agree with it). If one has a beef with a maker, then take it up with them. Don't litter the forums with diatribes about a maker or his product just because you had one bad purchasing experience (again, not referring to you). I stand corrected. :-) BTW. I have one of his "China-Made" Preon P2 MKIII in Copper coming this month.

(Edited)

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