Oveready P35 Aluminum Black HA P60 Host Review
I’ve had for a while the new Oveready P35 P60 host in hard anodized aluminum. This is a host that at its base level supports a single 18350 cell, but with the included extension can run a single 18650, or 18350×2 if a drop-in supports that. Read on for some thoughts and photos!
Official Specs and Features of the Oveready P35 Aluminum P60 Host
Here’s a link to the official product page.
Versions
As pictured in most of this review, and as pictured in what you purchase, there’s really just one version. But as a P60 host (we’ll talk about this more later), there are essentially unlimited build options for this host. That includes a cooling head (which is a “matching” part). It includes other parts shown in this review (including the polished bodies, of matching design.)
Price
MSRP is $184, but the price is discounted right off the top to $169.28. Do note that this is for the whole host as pictured here. All of these parts are available individually, but your total for that would be much higher than even the “base price” of $184.
Oveready P35 Aluminum P60 Host Short Review
I can’t say I’m necessarily a sucker for P60 flashlights…. I have a bunch (and since purchasing this set, I have bought even more). But they are extremely fun to LEGO, and they’re a great way to experience a ton of different engines in a flashlight. Regarding this specific Oveready P35 P60 host in hard-anodized aluminum, I can say that it’s absolutely fantastic, and extremely high quality. I love it – Oveready does hard anodization better than anyone (along with Malkoff) and this is no exception.
Long Review
This is a review of the host and so … a lot of typical data I’d provide simply won’t be here in this review. There is no engine included, and I didn’t even actually buy one specifically for this host. (Well I did actually but not from Oveready, and it’s not even here yet.) By and large, this review will just be a bunch of photos of the P35.
What’s Included
- Oveready P35 aluminum P60 Host
- P60 Bezel – HA Black Hex with Stainless Cren
- P60 Body – P35 HA BK
- Tailcap – DPC HA Black with Silver Clip
- Extender – 18350 HA Black
Again, that’s with the package, which affords a great discount. Each of those parts is also available separately.
Package and Manual
There isn’t a package to speak of or a manual at all.
Build Quality and Disassembly
P60 hosts, generally speaking, should be inexpensive. In the cases where they aren’t inexpensive, the difference in cost should afford something else exceptional. In the case of the Oveready P35 Aluminum Black HA, that difference is in build quality.
Below is the way I’ve been opting to use this P35 host. I like the contrast of the polished cooling bezel with the hard anodization. Also I just really really love that cooling bezel.
The build quality is simply outstanding. One thing to note is that this aluminum is 2024, whereas other flashlights (most? some? not sure but 2024 is truly an exception) are 6061 aluminum.
I am no anodizing expert, but I happen to know that Oveready is an anodizing expert. I’m told by Oveready that 2024 anodizing is more durable even at the same thickness than 6061 anodizing. Whatever the case, it’s fantastic. (Also unrelated to this review but seen in many photos here – this 2024 aluminum may help the polish hold up better on the polished version!)
Here’s a shot looking down the barrel. This is without cell and without drop-in.
The switch.
The bezel you see below is a stainless “Cren” or crenelated bezel.
The head has flat spots for easy grip when swapping drop-ins. These also prevent rolling, as they are the widest parts on the host.
The body, actually all the cell tube pieces, has a diamond pattern. I don’t know that Oveready has named this pattern yet, but if you have any ideas, let’s hear them in the comments!
Check out this pocket clip. More on this later, but drink in the awesomeness for now.
In case you’re wondering, yes that’s the switch you can see poking up over the edge of the tailcap. This doesn’t prevent tailstanding, and when the light is full (drop-in + cell) the weight keeps it flat. Also, these switch covers can trap air, so if yours is grossly protruding, you can burp it!
Subtle but you can see here in the stainless crenelated bezel that there are reliefs for loosening and tightening this bezel. Oveready sells a tool specifically for bezel removal, but not this bezel. This is a five-point bezel, and their tool is for six-point (Surefire style) bezels.
Here’s the (nearly) full setup (since I picture it in other ways so often elsewhere). The only thing lacking is the extender tube.
And here are all the parts. Tailcap (which includes a McClicky and pocket clip), extender (which allows 18650 or 18350×2 usage), the main body (18350 and drop-in holder), and the head (with stainless bezel and lens).
The tail end threads are unanodized and very long. I believe this to be a P60 standard thing – all my P60 lights have very long tailcap threads.
The head threads are anodized, and also again, quite long. Again I think this is just how P60 hosts are, and all my others are like this too.
The head is essentially just a cover for the body, which sandwiches the drop-in. I don’t mean to say “it’s pointless” – it’s not – the light wouldn’t work without it. But think about getting heat from the engine to the externals so it can be transferred away from the light. This head not being permanently affixed to the body and having a small air gap between metal parts might not be the best for thermals. As such, I actually consider the cooling bezel to be completely decorative. You can wrap the drop-in in all the aluminum foil you want, but just by design, thermals won’t be perfect.
One of the nice touches that Oveready does is … well it’s “branding” but it’s in places you might not really look for it. Like on the brass retaining ring within the tailcap. This has both the Oveready symbol (three sized circles) and “USA” which is where these parts are made.
As I’ve said, here’s my favorite way to run the P35 host. 18350 format, with the polished cooling head.
Size and Comps
Oveready doesn’t list the dimensions, so these are my measurements of the Oveready P35 aluminum P60 host.
Diameter: 25.22mm (body), 31.75mm (head), 34.8mm (widest possible diameter, the “wrench” area of the head).
Length as 18350 host: 98.36mm
Length as 18650 (or 18350×2) host: 131.35mm
Weights:
Head: 20g (without lens)
Body: 35g
Extension: 17g
Tail: 27g
If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo). If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll show that here, too (usually the fourth photo).
Like I said above, I bought the polished set (which is why I have the cooling head seen in this post).
One finer point about these two items is that there’s a “P35” that can run a single 18350. This can be seen on the right and includes an extension.
Also, there’s a “P70” that can’t run a single 18350. This is for a single 18650 or 18350×2. Why would you pick the P35 or the P70? Hard to say! I’m of the opinion that just a single offering would be good – a P35 with one extension. If you had the need to run 18650×2, then you could buy that many extenders. This doesn’t solve any problems except that there would be no choice that couldn’t also run a single 18350.
The P35 is nearly the same as my Oveready Lava host (which I also love).
Here’s a bunch of other P60 hosts. Solarforce L2M, Oveready Polished P70, Oveready Acrylic (Lava), Oveready Slime (custom by Mickey Horstman), Oveready Acrylic Patriot, Oveready P35 hard anodized (with extension), Solarforce L2C.
Since purchasing these Oveready hosts recently, bought a bunch of other P60 stuff, too. I may have a problem now.
Retention and Carry
The tailcap supplied with this kit includes a collar-style clip. This is held in place by a screwed-down retaining ring. The retaining ring is hand tight only, but snug.
This placement of the collar clip allows for deep carry. The clip can also support a lanyard securely since the clip is screwed down.
The clip just touches the body, but I didn’t fret over it and didn’t scratch the body when unscrewing the parts. If this concerns you, slip a business card under the clip before removing parts.
Power and Runtime
As a “P35” host, the P35 runs a single 18350 cell. Much past that really will depend upon the drop-in you use.
With the (or “a single”) extension added, this light is more like a “P70” (but not actually the P70, since the P70 body is one piece with no extension). In this format (below), the light fits a single 18650 cell or 18350×2. Usage of the “x2” cell setup will depend on your drop-in, as this puts the cells in series, and thus doubles the voltage applied to the drop-in.
Modes and Currents
This is a host review only, so all this information will depend completely on your drop-in!
Pulse Width Modulation
This is a host review only, so all this information will depend completely on your drop-in!
For reference, here’s a baseline shot, with all the room lights off and almost nothing hitting the sensor. Also, here’s the light with the worst PWM I could find. I’m adding multiple timescales, so it’ll be easier to compare to the test light. Unfortunately, the PWM on this light is so bad that it doesn’t even work with my normal scale, which is 50 microseconds (50us). 10ms. 5ms. 2ms. 1ms. 0.5ms. 0.2ms. In a display faster than 0.2ms or so, the on/off cycle is more than one screen, so it’d just (very incorrectly) look like a flat line. I wrote more about this Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight and explained a little about PWM too.
User Interface and Operation
A single switch operates this host. It’s a McClicky, and you can choose your level of press-hardness in the purchase menu. Soft, Medium and Hardpress are all available. Also, there are some boot color options, too.
The tailcap as a whole warrants special discussion, actually. The tailcap supports a whole host of other lights (get it, “whole host”…..) Here’s the information from Oveready’s site:
- Z41 Thread compatibility
- Z41 Switch compatibility, including McClicky and ZeroRez
- Z41 Boot compatibility, including our complete line of hardpress and softpress
- TorchLAB Moddoolar Flashlight System
- SureFire® 3P, 6P, 9P
- SureFire® C2, C3, Z2, Z3
- SureFire® M2, M3, and M4
- SureFire® U2, D2, D3
- Malkoff Devices MD3 and MD4
- Leef bodies (C tail)
- AW Soft Start version B
If you wished to run a ZeroRez, just unscrew the McClicky with this brass retaining ring seen below. The ZeroRez makes this a twisty light and is also a fantastic product by Oveready (My Patriot Acrylic P60 seen above has one, and is a 18500 cell light!)
LED and Beam
This is a host review only, so all this information will depend completely on your drop-in! But for your reference, here’s what a P60 drop-in looks like. This one is a TorchLAB triple and has the Lux-RC programmable driver inside. My searches on oveready.com indicate the one you see below is the only one Oveready stocks at the moment. You can find it here.
You might opt for a drop-in like this one, or you might run something by Malkoff, or any number of other brands. For example, there’s the kdomain by KDLITKER that I reviewed a while back.
The point is, you can do so much with this host! KDLITKER also makes a bunch of other triples (even some multi-channel ones), and a bunch of singles. The nice thing about all of these is that they simply unscrew easily, and are then very modifiable. Here’s a link to get you started.
Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)
This is a host review only, so all this information will depend completely on your drop-in!
Conclusion
What I like
- Impeccable build quality
- Modular cell configurations
- As a kit, the price isn’t that extreme
What I don’t like
- The thermal path from engine to externals is moderately questionable (on all P60s!)
The main point here, and of P60 flashlight hosts in general, is that you have a massive amount of choices and compatibility! There’s a nearly incomprehensible amount of interoperability among the P60 ecosystem! Is this one right for you? Well, I can say that it’s absolutely fantastic. And if you’re unsure, buy a cheap one just to see how you like it. But don’t wait too long to buy this one from Oveready – I waited on the P20, and I’m kicking myself for missing out on it ever since (and looking for one if you have one to sell me!)
There could be a lot more to write about about the P60 ecosystem. I’m willing to do that if there’s interest, and I certainly have the parts at this point. If you’d like to see that type of post, leave me a message somewhere, and let’s talk about it.
Notes
- This host was provided by Oveready for review. I was not paid to write this review.
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
- For flashlight-related patches, stickers, and gear, head over to PhotonPhreaks.com!
- Please use my amazon.com referral link to help support zeroair.org!
Nice review! And I really like the shiny one.
Thank you! Yes I really like the shiny one too!
That’s the one I actually bought. 😀
Yes indeed shiny one, i have a P60 host made by Vinh the SLN so i guess any other p60 drop in i can use?
My skills dont extend to light engine making so getting bits that fit together and work is what i can do.
I’ve looked at all the KDLiter drop ins before but was never quite sure on fitment with the SLN.
Based on my very limited knowledge of the SLN, yes, any P60 drop-in should work just fine.
I believe the least expensive one I’ve seen on kaidomain is around $8, so it’s a reasonable price to pay to assure yourself that the SLN is “standard P60” material. And once you’ve done that, you could buy anything you wanted.
Re: “I’m told by Oveready that 2024 anodizing is more durable even at the same thickness, than 6061 anodizing”
Just a little clarification: 2024 is an aluminum alloy, just as 6061 is an alloy (most AR-15/M16 receivers are forged from 6061 alloy). Anodizing is the hardening/surface treatment used for aluminum–it’s an oxidizing of the metal’s surface for various protection levels; color can be added to the anodizing process as well.
Maybe I was being a bit too shorthanded with words there. But yes, of course, 2024 is aluminum, and 6061 is aluminum, and the anodizing is a surface treatment.
“I’m told by Oveready that anodizing on 2024 aluminum alloy is more durable even at the same thickness than anodizing on 6061 aluminum alloy”
I can see how someone who didn’t know anything about anodization might be confused by the original wording. Just a couple of sentences later I cover the fact that “2024” refers to aluminum and not the coating.
Thank you for the clarification.
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