FlashCrazy
Flashlight Enthusiast
I bought a Ristoft 3xAAA flashlight from DealExtreme and transplanted a Cree into it. Didn't expect much, and turned it on....WOW!! This has to be the next best Cree host besides the Elly. I take it back....the Ristoft is a BETTER Cree host than the Elly!! Very very very bright, with a great beam and spill. Blows the Cree Elly away! The Elly is a better form factor, using the single AA...plus has way more runtime....but this light is so bright! The hotspot is almost twice as big as the Elly's, and the spill is wayyy brighter. This is now the brightest light I have. It's pulling 900 mA at the tailcap.
Ok, I know many of you hate the 3 AAA setup...but....I you're like me, and don't use your flashlights for extended periods of time, 3 AAA's work fine. NiMH batteries were used in the light. I did a runtime test on it and it appeared constant output for 30 minutes, then dropped in brightness over the next 15 minutes. It would probably put out light for quite a while more, but I stopped the test. So 40-45 minutes of very nice light.
The light itself is pretty neat...it has a brushed aluminum finish, with nice knurling for the grip area. Plastic lens and reflector, but what else would you expect for $5.50. All in all, a very nice looking and feeling flashlight.
Here's some comparisons. Out of the lights I have, it is most comparable to the Glimt K2 from DE. The hotspot brightness is a little brighter on the Ristoft, and the spill is way brighter. Another close comparison is the MTE Seoul P4...again, the Ristoft conversion has brigther spill. This light is even brighter than the Coast Focusing Lenser (Hokus Fokus). Ceiling bounce tests show that the Ristoft trumps all three. I think this is amazing for a conversion that cost $13 all up!!
Give it a try, no changes needed other than a simple star swap. The star board on the Ristoft uses a small piece of bare copper wire for the ground connection. It's soldered to the negative terminal on the board, then folds under the star to ground on the pill. The star is just wedged in place, no screws to hold it down (although there are two screw holes in the pill) I just installed two screws to hold the Cree star down, and soldered the loose end of the ground wire to one of the screws. No reflector changes needed!
All in all, a great mod, and now my brightest light. Give it a try, you'll like it!
Ok, I know many of you hate the 3 AAA setup...but....I you're like me, and don't use your flashlights for extended periods of time, 3 AAA's work fine. NiMH batteries were used in the light. I did a runtime test on it and it appeared constant output for 30 minutes, then dropped in brightness over the next 15 minutes. It would probably put out light for quite a while more, but I stopped the test. So 40-45 minutes of very nice light.
The light itself is pretty neat...it has a brushed aluminum finish, with nice knurling for the grip area. Plastic lens and reflector, but what else would you expect for $5.50. All in all, a very nice looking and feeling flashlight.
Here's some comparisons. Out of the lights I have, it is most comparable to the Glimt K2 from DE. The hotspot brightness is a little brighter on the Ristoft, and the spill is way brighter. Another close comparison is the MTE Seoul P4...again, the Ristoft conversion has brigther spill. This light is even brighter than the Coast Focusing Lenser (Hokus Fokus). Ceiling bounce tests show that the Ristoft trumps all three. I think this is amazing for a conversion that cost $13 all up!!
Give it a try, no changes needed other than a simple star swap. The star board on the Ristoft uses a small piece of bare copper wire for the ground connection. It's soldered to the negative terminal on the board, then folds under the star to ground on the pill. The star is just wedged in place, no screws to hold it down (although there are two screw holes in the pill) I just installed two screws to hold the Cree star down, and soldered the loose end of the ground wire to one of the screws. No reflector changes needed!
All in all, a great mod, and now my brightest light. Give it a try, you'll like it!