Generic Cree Q5 Generic Light
  • 240 claimed lumens
  • 110 measured lumens
  • 5h 00min reported battery life
  • 6h 00min measured battery life
  • Spot
  • CN Made in CN
  • flashing mode
  • no pulse mode
  • 2 brightness levels
  • internal AAA batteries
  • removable battery
  • Included mounts: Slide-on
$7

Review: Cheap, and you get what you pay for

Review by , Sept. 12, 2013, midnight

Pros:

  • Very cheap.
  • Also doubles as a flashlight.
  • Flashing mode is decent (similar to Planet Bike’s Super Flash mode).
  • Adjustable lens zoom changes beam from a small spot to an even smaller spot.

Cons:

  • Mount is absurdly large and not very stable.
  • Uses 3 AAA batteries in a little canister with small contact area. Sometimes while riding the light flashes off for a moment when riding over bumps, because the battery holder loses contact.
  • The adjustable lens is almost pointless, because the beam is too tight even at the widest setting.
  • Overall build quality is mediocre at best.
  • No voltage regulation, so the beam gets significantly dimmer as the batteries drain.
  • Actual lumen output is less than half of claimed output.

This is another off-brand light from China with a high brightness claim and a low build quality. Although the price makes it tempting, the overall cost of ownership will be higher when you factor in how quickly it goes through AAA batteries, and I don’t trust this light to last very long.

$7