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Just received my new UltraFire U4-MCU from DX.
Initially it didn't work (a common DX problem it seems) but after a bit of fiddling it fired up and now works perfectly and gives an excellent beam. The DX envelope and box had been ripped open and then crudely taped up again, probably by some impatient Customs inspector, and the AAA battery holder was missing one of its vital spring connectors, so it's now useless but that's OK, I wasn't really planning on using it anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if my spring is lying on the floor somewhere in the Customs office.
However, it's a very nicely made light, but the factory assembly is not very thorough, so the first step with all of these Chinese lights seems to be to unscrew everything, clean off excess lube, clean all screw threads, then reassemble everything carefully. A bit of a nuisance, but not a major problem considering the cheap price.
In my case, the problem was with the LED drop-in module. The reflector is machined out of an aluminium cylinder and the driver and LED are pressed into the base. There is a brass rivet through the black plastic base that serves as the positive contact. I think something in the base wasn't making contact because when I pressed firmly on the base, there was a little "click" and the base moved down very slightly and that solved the problem.
I would like to disassemble the module to check that everything is OK inside, but I can't see how to, apart from levering the plastic plug out with a sharp point which could easily destroy it, so I'm wondering if anyone else has encountered one of these modules and is there a way to pull it apart without damaging it that I'm missing?
I also don't have any large, unobstructed walls in my house that aren't constantly lit (bright streetlights + opaque curtains = free nightlights in every room!). So, I did a little finagling. The first picture is a comparison of both lights, with the K-103 running on a 900mah Soshine NiMH @ 1.247v and the Stylus Pro running on the Energizer alkalines (03-2015 date) that came with it. I just picked up the light yesterday to replace my old Stylus Pro that "grew legs" at work (grr), so the batteries are fresh.
Thanks for your reply. I'm suspecting this all-in-one press-fit design might be a cost cutting measure. So if it dies, don't try to repair it, just buy a new flashlight ... a bit of the old "planned obsolescence" perhaps?:sigh:
I didn't realize this until I got home, but I don't have any fresh AAA alkalines!
Overall, the K-103 is much, much brighter. The spot is only a little higher in intensity than the SP, but it is about twice the size. The spill, while still brighter, is smaller than the SP's. One advantage that the SP has over the Akoray is beam quality. A very nicely focused spot gently transitioning to a smooth, even spill. The Akoray has a very noticeable dark ring around the spot, which itself is slightly asymmetrical. Tint on the Akoray is cooler than the SP.
I know these aren't the greatest beamshots in the world, but I hope they get you a little closer to making a decision!
I'm not surprised, and don't have much faith in either KD or DX specs anyway.
