Oveready P70 Polished Aluminum P60 Host Review
Here’s the Oveready P70 P60 host in polished aluminum. It supports one 18650, but with an extension can fit two 18650 cells! Read on!
Official Specs and Features of the Oveready P70 Polished Aluminum P60 Host
Here’s a link to the Oveready P70 Polished Aluminum P60 Host 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
My invoice indicates I paid $308 for this host as pictured. A reminder that you can build the parts piecemeal, and so you might pay less (even “much” less) or more (potentially “much” more if you buy literally everything available.) This isn’t inexpensive – there are MUCH less costly (and certainly cheaper) P60 hosts available.
Oveready P70 Polished 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 P70 P60 host in polished aluminum, I can say that it’s absolutely fantastic, and extremely high quality. I love it – this polished finish is second-to-none.
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 P70. As I also have the P35 in HA black, many of the photos you see here will show those parts too.
What’s Included
- Oveready P70 aluminum P60 Host
- P60 Bezel – Polished Cooling head with Stainless Cren
- P60 Body – P70 Polished Aluminum
- Tailcap – DPC Polished Aluminum with Black Clip
- Extender – 18650 Polished Aluminum
Again, that’s with the package price, 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
The build quality is simply outstanding.
The Oveready P35 host uses 2024 aluminum. I am not sure but suspect this is the same aluminum, and that makes it a massive step up from most aluminum flashlights.
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 P70 Polished Aluminum, that difference is in build quality and cell compatibility.
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!
And here are all the parts. Tailcap (which includes a McClicky and pocket clip), extender (which allows 18650×2), the main body (18650 and drop-in holder), and the head (with stainless bezel and lens).
The bezel you see below is a stainless “Cren” or crenelated bezel. A smooth bezel is available too.
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 a shot looking down the barrel. This is without cell and without drop-in.
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.
Importantly (and as you’d expect) these Oveready parts LEGO very easily and perfectly with other Oveready P60 parts. Below the cooling head is seen with the HA black P35 body.
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 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 P70 polished aluminum P60 host.
Diameter:
Length as 18650 host:
Length as 18650×2 host:
Weights:
Cooling Head: (without lens)
Body:
Extension:
Tail:
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).
I really… can’t imagine why you’d ever run 2x 18650 like this. Maybe it’d make for a good baton (weapon) but… It’s pretty neat, though, no matter how you slice it.
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 left (above) and includes an extension.
Also, there’s this “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).
More proof of LEGO-ability. This is the Polished Aluminum cooling head on the acrylic LAVA body.
Here’s a bunch of other P60 hosts. Solarforce L2M, Oveready Polished P70, Oveready Acrylic (Lava), Oveready Slime (custom by Brat Guy Enterprises), Oveready Acrylic Patriot (which has a ZeroRes “clicky delete” and is thus a twisty running a single 18500 cell), 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.
Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+. Mine’s a custom “baked” edition Nichia 219b triple. A very nice 18650 light.
And here’s the light beside my custom engraved TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light. I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats.
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 “P70” host, the P70runs a single 18650 cell. Much past that really will depend upon the drop-in you use.
With the extension added, this light is more like a “P140.” In this format (below), the light fits only 18650×2. 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. Technically you’d probably be able to fit four 18350 cells as well, but that’s unusually high voltage to send to a drop-in, and I would not recommend trying it unless you know specifically your driver can handle ~17V.
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!
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.
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!
The tailcap as a whole warrant 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. I can easily recommend this one, because I have it and love it.
With the cooling head removed, the drop-in just slips right into the host. Then the head is tightened down over the drop-in. It’s a very simple affair.
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 kaidomain 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
- Polished aluminum is simply outstanding, and gorgeous.
- 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!)
- Cost is somewhat out of line with the ethos of P60
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.
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
- I purchased this host at full price to enjoy (and not necessarily 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!
I’d like to see you write a lot more about the P60 ecosystem.
Thanks, I’ll put it in my brain and start thinking of what to write specifically! Thanks for the input!
Nice review & nice P60 host.