Anyone ever used Banggood.com?

[Daehawk]

Ya I know it sounds like a porn site. Its a Chinese site to buy all kinds of goods cheaply. Lots of fake crap too. But its the only place that has the Astrolux C8 flashlight I want where it isn't over $35 I cant afford. Its on sale for under $20 and with me walking my dog in the dark I need a light. The reviews of the light all got theirs at this place .

And if Its a legit safe place I have to get the light by Monday for the sale on Cyber Monday. Thats tomorrow.

[dbt1949]

Good luck.

[Holman]

Never used it. Never heard of it.

The Better Business Bureau rates them "F."

[Blackhawk]

You pays your money and you takes your chances.

[Alefroth]

Sometimes there are hidden costs.

[Lorini]

I kept buying cheap Chinese chargers for my expensive phone and one of them started smoking while charging, ruining my phone. I'll never do it again (got Anker stuff) so you need to really consider what you are buying. What happens when it gives out when you really need it?

[Daehawk]

What I need is a small tactical sized flashlight or slightly larger that uses one of those big rechargable batteries that looks like a big AA is a LED like Cree and puts out around 1000+ lumens and has some throw to it and costs $20. The Astrolux C8 XP-L HI and the Convoy C8 which are basically the same except the Astrolux uses a FET driver for a bright output is what I want / need. I cant find them anywhere else for $20 and under. Really sucks when you find a item you want, gets good reviews online, and can afford but cant find it in a reputable shop. Oh I could pay $40 or more for the same light at Amazon but Amazon is a rip off and a half when it comes to pricing.

EDIT: this is the light. Also can see videos on it on YT.
LINK

[Smoove_B]

I've been told that you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you might find - you get what you need.

[Lorini]

All I'm sayin' is don't rely on it working when you need it to work.

[Daehawk]

Oh I know. Ive bought two other cheap high power lights. One failed in a year the other is barely working after 5. But I figure for $20 its worth it. But them failing is why its time for another one.

I woulda thought Kasey would know what to get as he is always buying stuff off these sketchy sites

Also I never use Alibaba because its a cheap Chinese place too or Wish. I guess I wont use Banggood but I wish I could get that light.

[Rumpy]

Sounds a lot like Wish.com. Personally, I wouldn't do it. There's no idea what they'd do with the info you give them. Plus, I have a friend who bought from Wish.com and the stuff they ended up getting was utterly useless. They had bought clothes, but the sizes ended up being far too small even though they were labeled the right size.

[gilraen]

So get an UltraFire on Amazon for $25 - spend the extra $5, but maybe you won't be shopping for another one in a year because a cheap one broke.

I woulda thought Kasey would know what to get as he is always buying stuff off these sketchy sites

Yeah...Kasey spends a fortune buying cheap crap, where half of it falls apart almost right out of the box

[Daehawk]

So get an UltraFire on Amazon for $25 - spend the extra $5, but maybe you won't be shopping for another one in a year because a cheap one broke.

I woulda thought Kasey would know what to get as he is always buying stuff off these sketchy sites

Yeah...Kasey spends a fortune buying cheap crap, where half of it falls apart almost right out of the box

I have an Ultrafire. Its the one that broke within a year. Looking online shows its one to never buy ..I got it and this other one. Lucky one is still working....barely. The Ultrafire is bright but something is wrong with the switch. It goes off then it will come on if shook then it blinks and flashes then it goes off and wont come on unless you dabble with it.

[Holman]

Also I never use Alibaba because its a cheap Chinese place too or Wish. I guess I wont use Banggood but I wish I could get that light.

You want light, but you don't have to have THAT light.

[Madmarcus]

I've used them for a couple of brushless motors and parts for an electric skateboard. The parts are exactly as I expected and the same as what I would have purchased for slightly more at Amazon or significantly more through a US based hobby store (online or in person). I've also used Aliexpress for small electronics prototyping stuff (knockoff Arduion, small buck/boost converters, bluetooth board and the like). Heck, I'm building a tube amp right now more or less completely off of Aliexpress and Ebay! No problem with any of it although I always assume that they are being somewhat overboard in any claims related to power output. On the other hand I'm only buying things that are sold to hobbyists.

Of course I also use the cheapo flashlights that I've been given as promotional stuff ("free" at Harbor Freight, from my gas company, and so on). I have a really nice tactical flashlight (rechargable) that I was given as a gift. If it wasn't half way around the world I'd send it to you as I have yet to find a need for it.

[Jeff V]

If an item is made in China anyway, you can probably find a cheaper Chinese vendor. From what I understand, shipping is subsidized so its cheaper than most domestic shipping options.

[Blackhawk]

I still miss the Stinger I used to carry for work. It saw me through three jobs before the battery finally quit taking a charge. You could blind someone from two blocks away with that sucker, then turn around an pound nails with it, and it still fit in a belt holder without looking like a club.

[pr0ner]

Clicked on thread expecting this to be about a porn tube site, leaving disappointed.

[coopasonic]

I still miss the Stinger I used to carry for work. It saw me through three jobs before the battery finally quit taking a charge. You could blind someone from two blocks away with that sucker, then turn around an pound nails with it, and it still fit in a belt holder without looking like a club.

Googled and those look like the ones I used when working security. They were great, both for light and self defense.

[Jeff V]

Clicked on thread expecting this to be about a porn tube site, leaving disappointed.

That would be "SheBangGood." Unfortunately, it's only women who will sleep with William Hung, who appears in every video.

[Sudy]

I was considering starting a parallel "Anyone used Cactusfucker.biz?" thread and trying to pass it off as a home furnishings site....

[LawBeefaroni]

Save up a bit longer and get a Surefire. Then you won't have to buy a new light in 12 months.

I have several and they stand up to a ton of abuse. I also have Surefires and while they do live up to their reputation, Streamlights are right up there with them, IMO, at half the price. Fenix headlamps are also fantastic lights.


Don't chase lumens, you'll end up with trash spec'd out purely lumens.



If you really want to find a cheap light, though, try the Candlepower forums. They have some seriously hardcore torch heads and lots of value threads IIRC.

[pr0ner]

Clicked on thread expecting this to be about a porn tube site, leaving disappointed.

That would be "SheBangGood." Unfortunately, it's only women who will sleep with William Hung, who appears in every video.

[LawBeefaroni]

C8 review at CPF.


Looks favorable but still looks like a toy. A fun toy to be sure but the max output setting has a 45 second stepdown. And it has like 8 settings.

[Kasey Chang]

It's actually registered in the UK, IIRC.

Basically, a slightly fancier version of Aliexpress. When I was looking for mechanical keyboards, I was on there a lot, as they are the first ones to offer the Obins Anne Pro keyboard for a decent price... Bluetooth Mechanical Keyboard for like, $60, which is like HALF the price of the closest competitor, the Filco Minila Air. But that was a couple years back. Since then the keyboard is easily available on eBay and other places.

I've heard Banggood mentioned a few times on LockPickingLawyer's YT channel that the prices are pretty good for lockpicking starter kits and practice locks. Other than that, no clue.

[Kasey Chang]

I woulda thought Kasey would know what to get as he is always buying stuff off these sketchy sites

Yeah...Kasey spends a fortune buying cheap crap, where half of it falls apart almost right out of the box

Surprisingly, the stuff I broke are mainly namebrand stuff. I broke at least 3 pairs of LG Tones BT neckband headset, that I stopped buying name brand and went with the cheap one like the MPOW Jaws. I tried the Sennheiser one and, a refurb, and it's literally falling apart on me. Whatever they replaced the plastic with, it's warping like mad, and I just found a piece of trim had broken off.

With flashlights, I must have like 5-6 "decent" ones around the house, including THREE I carried when I was a delivery driver. A big headlamp for night, a handheld for manual work, and an emergency one on my keychain. All but one are still working fine. The first one, one of those Ultrafire type, I think the circuit is failing, because I had to shake it to get light, even with freshly charged batteries. Others are still chugging along strong.