Anker LC90 LED Flashlight, IP65 Water-Resistant, Zoomable, Rechargeable, Pocket-Sized Torch (for Camping, Hiking and Emergency Use) with 900 Lumens CREE LED, 5 Light Modes

So, I went through the top 10 flashlights of 2018 and I found this one. The article said "quality and price" so I said to myself why not.1. The LC90 comes in a nice convenient and well made package. Great price too!2. The LC90 is really well made and looks good! You can feel that you are holding a tool in your hand rather than a flimsy/cheap flashlight.3. The light beam it emits is really strong and long. Also the 5 modes + zoom add to its overall usefulness.4. The battery seems to be of solid quality but It will have to pass the test of time/charges. It comes fully charged and ready for first use.5. The strap is well made and strong. The cap hook is metal and can take other straps or para-cords of your liking for stronger securing.Overall 5/5. Excellent product and excellent seller.Some ideas:1. An LC90 belt pouch would we awesome. There are many different torchlight pouches out there but a product specific would be great.2. The LED bulb and overall front could use protection when tucked away, in the form of a clip-on-cap (plastic or rubber) like professional targeting scopes have. This product deserves that extra protection.3. A simple, product specific interface for PC/laptop/tablet to monitor charge rate. Not that it is necessary, it just would be cool to monitor the progress while you do other stuff on the computer.

This is a review of the Anker LC90, I have bought this with my own money. I've been looking for a USB rechargeable LED torch for a while, steering clear of the cheaper end of the market with dubious Chinese lithium batteries of unknown quality and associated fire hazards. I cannot justify the prices at higher end of the market for what is just a torch. I stumbled upon this torch from Anker when I received an email from them for a one day sale, showing this torch with £5 off, making it £20, and very affordable so I ordered it. I have bought a few Anker powerbanks over the years so I had a reasonably high expectation of what the torch would be like, and I wasn't disappointed.It came well presented in a sturdy box containing the torch, battery (with a manufacturing date of only the previous month), micro USB charging cable, a lanyard, and a easy to understand manual.The battery is a Anker branded, protected 3350 mah, lithium ion battery. It is inserted into the torch by removing the tail cap, and then a secondary cap, and following the polarity sticker on the inside of the casing, and refitting the secondary cap. This is something you only need to do when new, and I suppose when the battery is worn out. You charge the torch by removing the waterproof tail cap and plugging the supplied micro USB cable into the port. A red led changes to green once charged. This took about 4 hours from first charge with a 1.5 amp sony charger from my phone. The Tail cap is retained to the torch with a little lanyard, which is a nifty feature to save you losing it.A button on the tail cap turns it on, and wow, a very bright white, light with the slightest blue tinge. Comparing it to other led torches I have, I've no reason to believe it's not the 900 Lumens as quoted. Switching between modes is not quite as intuitive as you would expect, with half presses and full clicks means you need to cycle through the full range of modes more than you should, to arrive at the setting you want. Medium setting is slightly dimmer than full, and low slightly less again. In my opinion the low could ideally be lower still, (and a moonlight setting would be fantastic) but you do need to remember the price point of this torch.I doubt you ever realistically need a brighter torch.I've not fully tested the runtime yet, but a few hours use on full whilst camping at the weekend would suggest again that the 6 hours stated is about right.The torch itself is very well finished, with high quality anodising with a good knurled grip, the zoom action is smooth easy to operate one handed. The zoom from spot to flood is well implemented, being similar to anyone used to a led lenser torch.In summary a bargain at the price, rechargeable, and very bright with Anker 18 month guarantee. You won't be disappointed. I just hope that the bigger lc130 makes it to Amazon UK.

Just received it and it's DOA!I inserted the battery as illustrated and all I got was excessive heat from the charging port area and smell of burning.Revomed the charger, (which BTW both the charger and the cable are by Anker) and the battery and reinserted it, connectd the charger, light shows green, heating again and torch is stuck permanently on SOS mode even with rear cap detached.After several e-mails back and forth, they sent me a replacement torch, which, despite the fact that it's often stuck in either strobe or SOS modes while going through all the modes, for the most part, works.Now as a torch it's not the best I've owned, as when it's zoomed out it has virtually the same spotlight effect as the LC40 only brighter, but, to my disappointment, when zoomed in a bit more than half way, there's a big grey area right in the middle, which makes it unusable for walking in dark areas, as you can see around you, but not right in front of you and as far as I can observe, the lens is to fault here, due to its raised middle part shape, if it was flat, I think the beam would be much more evenly distributed.In conclusion, for: very good after sales service and support (hence the increase to 3*), good overall build quality and powerful light with good distribution (when zoomed in up to about 30%-40%, so as to avoid the big grey centre spot), good battery life, good packaging.Against: Awkward way to switch between modes, especially when mine trends to get stuck on the two useless ones (strobe & SOS), a separate mode switch would do the job better, on the big and heavy side, awkward way of recharging, a side mounted (covered) USB port would be much more convenient.Now I'll take my chances with the LC130, hoping it'll be the best of both worlds with a wide, full flooded beam and decent centre brightness.Update: Anker aftersales support was kind and interested enough to send me another LC90, which, this time works as it should.After the second one, which had a sticky On/Off/Mode switch, that tended to like the Strobe and SOS mode more than anything else, it seems that Anker modified the switch, making it more of a distinct two stage one, that it's now easier to select the mode you want, before the full press to enable it, Kudos to Anker!What I like about it: bright, sturdy, zoomable with a decently firm zoom mechanism, so as to prevent accidental zoom variations, has a built in USB charger, comes with a battery, very well packed and presented, with informative instructions, something most companies don't bother much and most reviewers even dismiss and wrongly "urge" users not to bother with, which, I personally, always read.What I don't like: The hunch in the middle of the lense tends to give a grey spot in the middle of the beam, which appears at about 30%-40% and gets bigger as more zoom is used and a separate On/Off and Mode switch, would be welcomed, unable to change mode while on one setting, unless you switch off and on again, which falls in the inconvenience side.Lastly, as I aforementioned in the beginning of this updated review, I'd like to thank Anker for standing by their products and supporting customers, who happen to get a faulty item, as they went a long way, redeeming themselves, by making dissatisfied customers, trust both their products and support team.5* for standing by your product, especially in after sales support services.