Best LED flashlight on a budget.

Will be used for airsoft ?

Airsoft forums seemed to recommend Ultrafire WF501 and WF502 ?

Will need to have a pressure switch - any other recommendations ?

Best LED flashlight on a budget

Hi All,

At a bit of a loose end here so thought it best to ask the experts - Hopefully you guys can help !

My friend has asked me to source him a decent torch for airsoft which included the pressure switch. I read a few airsoft forums and decided on the Ultrafire WF-502b after lots of good reviews for the sport.

In my infinite wisdom i bought the below thinking that this would do the job once i had purchased a pressure switch from a different seller as he wanted as cheap as possible with charger.

Amazon:
BlueBeach Ultrafire WF-501B XML T6 1000+Lumen Flashlight High Power Camping Cycle Bike Light Outdoor Torch 3 Mode (include 1X18650 Battery and Charger) Link deleted as per the banner at the top of the page - Norm

Unfortunately i didn't look at the tail cap connection. It seems to have what i would probably describe as a male connection (an almost bullet like connector) whereas the tail cap on the pressure switch has a spring connector (sorry if my terminology is all out).

Do you have any idea where i could source a pressure switch for this with this sort of connector?

Just to further my wisdom i also bought the following as it looked like it had the correct tail cap connection and I could use the WF502b as a general torch: Ebay item #350973326815 - It turned up today as an LY-501B which i can't find anywhere online and has the same connector as the WF502b which i already have making this useless ! So this will be going back

thanks for any help in advance

Anyone know anything about an LY series flashlight ?

I ordered a WF501b and it turned up as an LY501b ? Looks incredibly similar except it has a few green accents and a green clickie button

Welcome to CPF. Hopefully you will be spending some more time with us here.

The WF-502B is not a 'decent' torch, but it is a very cheap and popular one due to its flexibility and availability. The tail-cap is not a 'plug and socket' type of connection, instead the tail-cap has two electrical connections, the threads, and a central sprung contact. Any tail-cap for a WF-502B will fit and work on any other WF-502B, including pressure switches. As long as it screws on it doesn't matter is the central contact is a bare spring or a metal plunger (which will have a spring inside it).

I would expect any pressure switch sold for use with a WF-502B to work.

Edit: I notice you say you decided on a WF-502B and then linked to WF-501B torches. Which one do you mean? I seem to remember the WF-501B has more pressure switches available for it. - The same comments I made above would be true for the 501B as well. 502B and 501B tailcaps are NOT interchangeable.

subwoofer said:

Welcome to CPF. Hopefully you will be spending some more time with us here.

The WF-502B is not a 'decent' torch, but it is a very cheap and popular one due to its flexibility and availability. The tail-cap is not a 'plug and socket' type of connection, instead the tail-cap has two electrical connections, the threads, and a central sprung contact. Any tail-cap for a WF-502B will fit and work on any other WF-502B, including pressure switches. As long as it screws on it doesn't matter is the central contact is a bare spring or a metal plunger (which will have a spring inside it).

I would expect any pressure switch sold for use with a WF-502B to work.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the quick reply

I thought i was going mad in regards to trying to find one. The pressure switch was incredibly cheap and came from China so there is a very good chance that its faulty in itself. He wanted cheap ! Buy cheap, buy twice !

This makes complete sense. It think as its airsoft there is a reasonable expectation that it might get shot out and need replacing so yes at the price level i think the WF502b is probably a good option

svleighton said:

Thanks for the quick reply

I thought i was going mad in regards to trying to find one. The pressure switch was incredibly cheap and came from China so there is a very good chance that its faulty in itself. He wanted cheap ! Buy cheap, buy twice !

This makes complete sense. It think as its airsoft there is a reasonable expectation that it might get shot out and need replacing so yes at the price level i think the WF502b is probably a good option

Click to expand...

Please note the update to my previous post.

Regarding being 'shot out', a decent light like the Fenix TK15 will be more then capable of withstanding an airsoft BB hitting the lens. The glass used in the WF-501b (or 502) I would not feel the same about as it is usually thin and cheap. It is also cheap to replace the glass though. Of course the TK15 with remote switch is in a different league and price point.

subwoofer said:

Please note the update to my previous post.

Regarding being 'shot out', a decent light like the Fenix TK15 will be more then capable of withstanding an airsoft BB hitting the lens. The glass used in the WF-501b (or 502) I would not feel the same about as it is usually thin and cheap. It is also cheap to replace the glass though. Of course the TK15 with remote switch is in a different league and price point.

Click to expand...

Edit: I notice you say you decided on a WF-502B and then linked to WF-501B torches. Which one do you mean? I seem to remember the WF-501B has more pressure switches available for it. - The same comments I made above would be true for the 501B as well. 502B and 501B tailcaps are NOT interchangeable.

Click to expand...

Well i've got both in front of me in fact

An LY-501B and an WF-502B along with a pressure pad for the WF-502B which doesn't appear to be working. I've tried it every which way

I think for the time being the Fenix is out of the price range as he wanted something cheap to begin with however for me thats a good recommendation that i might look into next month as the nights get darker over here and we start to move indoors to play (often without lighting)

svleighton said:

Well i've got both in front of me in fact

An LY-501B and an WF-502B along with a pressure pad for the WF-502B which doesn't appear to be working. I've tried it every which way

I think for the time being the Fenix is out of the price range as he wanted something cheap to begin with however for me thats a good recommendation that i might look into next month as the nights get darker over here and we start to move indoors to play (often without lighting)

Click to expand...

Does the 502B work with its original tail-cap?

Do you have a multimeter with a continuity tester? (you can also use a resistance meter as the resistance should drop from 'out of range' to less than 5 Ohms when you press the switch) I would check the pressure pad for function by using the meter to see if the switch is working at all. Put one test lead probe onto the exposed threads and one onto the central contact, then press on the pad. If the switch is working your multimeter should then beep to show a closed circuit.

Ultrafire lights are great to learn about troubleshooting on as they often have problems that can be easily resolved.

subwoofer said:

Does the 502B work with its original tail-cap?

Do you have a multimeter with a continuity tester? (you can also use a resistance meter as the resistance should drop from 'out of range' to less than 5 Ohms when you press the switch) I would check the pressure pad for function by using the meter to see if the switch is working at all. Put one test lead probe onto the exposed threads and one onto the central contact, then press on the pad. If the switch is working your multimeter should then beep to show a closed circuit.

Ultrafire lights are great to learn about troubleshooting on as they often have problems that can be easily resolved.

Click to expand...

Great shout - i took it down to our maintenance guy at work who had a multimeter. The button is working as expected however there seems to be an issue in the actual tailcap itself which is frustrating although thankfully i've got time to get him another one before he needs it

Appreciate the help

So it turns out the original that i had did work but as expected was incredibly poorly made !

The tail cap was essentially 2 wires coming from the remote switch, filled with glue ... and i mean filled.

Managed to get the glue out after 15 mins of digging with an already broken screwdriver as it was sharp. Stripped the wire and re-soldered it to the spring part. Tested it with a multimeter and it worked perfectly.

It does cycle through the modes but its tolerable (for me anyway) so for the time being i'm expecting to have a happy friend for the next airsoft session.

I got Ultrafire WF-502b for under 9 bucks shipped on an auction site.

Excellent deal it seems, especially as a gift.

One 18650 or 2x123. Comfy grip, the lense seems to be glass. The 123s don't seem to bounce around, which is nice.

The clip is useless to me, will take it off.

The tint is a little blue and lumens wise it's a few hundred.

Totally worth getting it to keep the miles off your nice SF and clones.

This is the light you want banging in the engine bay when doing auto repair.

Of course, I cannot tell long-term performance since I've had it it for only a day.