BessieBenny's Budget LED (DX/KD etc) Flashlights Review Roundup (Part XI)

[LightJaguar]

Re: Greatest Ultrafire of all times: New C3 Q5 SS, Quick review.

Well now you've done it. I'm going to haffta log into DX and buy this flashlight and see if it truly is the the greatest Ultrafire of all times.
I'm under the impression that the Ultraifire 008 Recoil flashlight is the greatest Ultrafire of all times. This thing is so sweet and well made that the only major issue that I have with it is the Ultrafire label on its side.
However that thing is a bit too big too carry in my pocket so it needs a lil brother.

 

[Wiggle]

Re: Akoray AK-16 better than K-106

I believe the AK16 takes 17500s as well which is a pretty good feature.

 

[Wiggle]

Re: Greatest Ultrafire of all times: New C3 Q5 SS, Quick review.

I ordered one of these for my brother last week, now I kind of want to keep it for myself:sigh:

 

[ergotelis]

Re: Akoray AK-16 better than K-106

I believe the AK16 takes 17500s as well which is a pretty good feature.

and that is what is gonna make me buy it!

 

[MerkurMan]

Re: Akoray AK-16 better than K-106

I believe the AK16 takes 17500s as well which is a pretty good feature.

Hmm. I don't have any experience with 17500s. Are their capacity ratings usually pretty accurate (like cheap 18650s) or a little overstated (cheap 16340s)? They look like the perfect compromise in size and cap.

 

[romteb]

Re: Akoray AK-16 better than K-106

I have both, and both have the same low output, wich similarly depends on one ability to quickly press the switch when the ramp up starts.

Your K-106 may be faulty.

Edit: This message is a response to message 74 from Brik

 

[aljsk8]

Re: Greatest Ultrafire of all times: New C3 Q5 SS, Quick review.

i also have this flashlight and i have the stainless steel P4 version

the new Q5 one is very good - i liked the p4 one but this new on is better

the quality and flinish is very good - i have 6 stainless steel flashlights and some cost well into 3 figures and this new ultrafire C3 has external quality to match some of them

the brightness is as good as all the crop of $40 - $60 AA lights

i do have 2 complaints:

the sos mode is actually "so so so" insted of "sos sos sos" not sure whats gone wrong there

the tailcap spring is to long and strong it means that when you thread the tailcap on there is a lot of pressure and this makes threading less smooth

i changed the spring on mine - problem solved

i also do preffer the internals parts on the c3 ss p4 single mode
but they are not compatable with this new light - i am really talking very subtle things here

the finish and quality is outstanding and they have made some tweeks to the way it looks over the p4

i also think it is the best DX/KD light ive had

 

[strinq]

Re: Greatest Ultrafire of all times: New C3 Q5 SS, Quick review.

Looks good.
I'm guessing most of the ultrafire lights need a little tweaking and they usually run oerfectly fine after that.
Gotta have at least a years worth of regular usage before we can actually comment on the durability.

 

[Zatoichi]

Re: Greatest Ultrafire of all times: New C3 Q5 SS, Quick review.

I'm dubious about the consistency of the ultrafire build quality.

This is my concern too. When buying multiple products from DX, the quality isn't always consistant. I'm almost tempted to gamble on this, but I don't really need it.... or do I? :thinking:

 

[ergotelis]

Re: Akoray AK-16 better than K-106

romteb,do you have any 17500 to test?Thanks!

 

[Wiggle]

Re: Akoray AK-16 better than K-106

I have both, and both have the same low output, wich similarly depends on one ability to quickly press the switch when the ramp up starts.

Your K-106 may be faulty.

Press the switch before the ramp-up to get the lowest-low.

 

[hyperloop]

Re: Greatest Ultrafire of all times: New C3 Q5 SS, Quick review.

yes u do 😀 all flashaholics can use other lights

 

[romteb]

Re: Akoray AK-16 better than K-106

Press the switch before the ramp-up to get the lowest-low.

I have a MUCH lower low when i wait for the ramp-up to begin on both my AK-16 and K-106, i can consistantly have 0,04A that way.

Do you have an idea of the amperage you get when pressing before the ramp up begin ?

My akorays may be lemons 😱oo:

 

[romteb]

Re: Akoray AK-16 better than K-106

romteb,do you have any 17500 to test?Thanks!

I don't but Xcnick succesfully used 17500 in his AK-16 see here in the dedicated akoray thread

 

[underconstruction]

So I am on the fence about weather to buy the SS ultrafire c3 or the ak-16/akory-106.

Does anyone have both and could give me their pick? Also, which has a lower low?

 

[delsol]

I have the c3 ss and the akoray-106 and for the price the c3 is hard to beat. the low is about the same on both.

 

[Vikas Sontakke]

I believe Akoray are programmable but costs more. Usually SS lights costs more than HA-III lights except in this case.

- Vikas

 

[bessiebenny]

So I am on the fence about weather to buy the SS ultrafire c3 or the ak-16/akory-106.
Does anyone have both and could give me their pick? Also, which has a lower low?

SS Ultrafire is sexy enough. But it's much heavier than K-106.
For me, I would rather the AKOray K-106 as it's more practical.

 

[oldtimer]

Why does the Akoray have a 6 star rating in the review but only a 5 star rating on the chart? Which one is more updated?

 

[superpila]

Aurora SH0030 mini-review

I've just received an Aurora SH0030 from DX.
I wanted a cheap single mode light for my mother, but before giving it away I thought to share my thoughts on this flashlight.
The Aurora SH0030 features an XPE Q5 emitter, instead of the XREs we're used to find in cheap DX lights. I expected this emitter format to grant a good throw to the flashlight, but I was wrong. Looking at the OP reflector, it's immediately clear that it was designed for an XRE emitter. The XPE is simply "patched" with a flat reflective frame to fill the gap in the hole. Although the throw is not the strongest point of this flashlight (it's not that bad either), this weird reflector design, together with the small emitter, gives the SH0030 one of the best beam patterns I've ever seen in such a small package, with no artifacts or CREE rings at all.
The build quality seems good. Threading is perfect, orings don't look cheap, and finish is very good, with no noticeable defects. I've also tested the flashlight to be waterproof, using it underwater for 10 minutes or so. Finally, the flashlight is very slim and light. Overall, it's one of the smallest AA flashlights I've owned.
The tint in my emitter is rather cold/white, much better looking (according to my taste) than my yellowish LD10.
With a single NiMh the Aurora SH0030 looks as bright as the LD10 in Turbo mode, or perhaps only a little dimmer, although I could be fooled by the different tint. On 14500 it looks as bright as the LD10 on 14500. Unless you are interested in long runtimes (but then being a single mode could be a cons), this light gives its best with 14500.
Overall, I'm really happy with this light, and I think that it is worth its price. It's not in the same league of the latest Ultrafire C3 SS, which is currently my preferred AA light, but if you are looking for a cheap single mode AA, I can see few better choices than this one (if any). Perhaps the Ultrafire A10 (which I own), can be a comparable bargain.

I measured current at tailcap for the SH0030, the Ultrafire A10 and the fenix LD10.

NiMh
Ultrafire A10: 1.90A
Aurora SH0030: 1.70A
Fenix LD10 (turbo): 1.55 A

14500
Ultrafire A10: 1.15A
Aurora SH0030: 1.10A
Fenix LD10 (turbo): 0.85 A

Aurora and LD10

Aurora reflector on the left. LD10 on the right

14500: Aurora (left) VS LD10 on turbo (right)

Underexposed:

PROS:
Can tailstand
Nice build quality and finish
Slim and light.
An XPE emitter (can be a pro if you are a collector and you don't have any XPE light yet 🙂 )
Very bright on 14500

CONS:
Perhaps could be more efficient (although comparing it to a Fenix was a bit unfair)
XRE reflector (this is not really a cons, just something I feel unfair!)