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

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

I had two 502B (gave one away somewhere) and I have a slightly longer model. (503B???)

I found nothing wrong with the threads, finish etc.

My 502 wears a forward switch from Battery Junction meant for LumaPower lights.

I also have a 505B (E2 clone) with a three level Q5 and a forward switch. It can ride next to my wallet almost as well as my EagleTac P10C2. Again fit and finish and threading were ok.

It's a Romisen I have that needs the magnet for contact so EVERY brand can can have some little issue and some BIG issues.

 

[joshconsulting]

K-106 died a quick death

So I went to turn on my beloved K-106 today after a week or so of inactivity. I hit the switch, enjoyed a few moments of blindinglly bright light, then watched it flicker and die suddenly. Confused, I hit the power button again - it flashed on for a few seconds, flickered a couple of times, and went out. Further attempts to revive it failed. I tried everything I could with the clickey, swapped out the batteries, checked the connections on both ends, bashed it good on my table - to no avail. I really don't know what went wrong; it has hardly been used and certainly hasn't been exposed to a shock\water\etc. that would cause it to malfunction. And I doubt both of my Trustfire 14500s would fail at the same time. Any suggestions on how to fix it?

Of course, like any true CPFer I'm already plotting to replace it... I'm thinking a TrustFire TR-801 Q5 (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13095) paired with protected 18650s (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5790), but I'm open to suggestions. Still, I dearly love the K-106 so I'd rather revive it if possible.

Oh, and before the comments about the 801 only being single mode - that's it's single greatest strength. I really dislike the 5 mode on my 106, I kept accidentally bumping modes when I turned it on\off frequently, and I never used anything but high - even for going to the bathroom at night. I don't like the dark

Anyway, the 801 is supposed to be somewhat brighter then the 14500s, even if it means replacing the batteries. I was also looking at the 501b (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.16240) as a slightly brighter alternative, but it wouldn't be as easy to pocket.

 

[old4570]

My Ultrafire 502B is SSC P7 now and working just fine
My 501B is R2 and my only complaint is the clicky might be a little iffy .
And also have 2 501A's , both are excellent .

Seriously , for $15 USD shipped ??? 501B
Break it down , if the pill is $5 / shipping $5 / then the body is $5 + there is a profit margin in there somewhere .

 

[DR_DEUCE]

opinions on ULTRAFIRE's,............??

HI boys,......what's your take on the Ultrafires. I just picked up a wf-501. Wondering how well it may hold up. I know it's a low end unit, might have some bad soldering joints, rough threads and such. What do you guys think...I don't think I've read anything on this site---I know you LOVE high end units..........

Enlighten me.

 

[richardcpf]

Re: opinions on ULTRAFIRE's,............??

3 Big cons about ultrafire flashlights:

1. Soldering: you will find bad soldering in almost any of these flashlights, some will even come doa, requiering you to repair it.
2. Design and build quality: most of them have useless orings as they are not watertigh, missing HA spots.
3. Efficiency: most have bad efficiency, doesnt drive the led to the correct current, and if it does, it will get hot very fast.

Ultrafire doesnt even come close to others high quality flashlight manufacturers, but if you are upgrading from a maglite or a 5mm led flashlight, ultrafires should be amazing.

 

[vali]

Re: opinions on ULTRAFIRE's,............??

My opinion in ultrafire is to think again and get a romisen. Same price and better quality.

 

[Wiggle]

Re: opinions on ULTRAFIRE's,............??

They get the job done if you make a decent choice but they are a bit of a risk. That being said, my backpack light is an Ultrafire C1 with the switch changed to a NetKidz forward clicky and a Lumens Factory D26 and it works perfect for me. At this point I'm just using the body of the light though.

 

[Alberta-Blue]

Re: opinions on ULTRAFIRE's,............??

Don't... just don't.

Get something you wont regret a week from now (when it fails).

 

[C-Beam]

Re: opinions on ULTRAFIRE's,............??

My opinion in ultrafire is to think again and get a romisen. Same price and better quality.

I agree!

 

[jimmy1970]

Re: opinions on ULTRAFIRE's,............??

I know you have just bought a Ultrafire, but they are poor quality - bottom of the barrel I am sorry to say.

Buy the real thing - SUREFIRE. I have bought many & their great!!

James...:twothumbs

 

[arcel1t]

Re: opinions on ULTRAFIRE's,............??

During my early flashaholic stage I used 270$ at DX buing crappy lights chargers's and batteries. Only one of my ultrafire did breake but that was the only one I used, the other ones have been standing in the closet ore been used for modding and laser engraving tests.

I regret this purchase and wish I used the money on one ore two good flashlight's. And some reliable AW batteries.

 

[hazna]

Re: K-106 died a quick death

I remember starting my initial flashaholic stages with dealextreme lights. Unfortunately my Ultrafire C3, broke easily, and came to the conclusion its worth paying more for better quality lights. My advice to for you to pay more for better quality lights that are less likely to fail. You will end up saving more in the long rum, IMO.

What sort of light are you looking for exactly?

 

[rizky_p]

Re: opinions on ULTRAFIRE's,............??

i never regret purchasing ultrafires but that is just me since i can't afford Surefire. Although Ultrafire has their own problem with quality, i prefer brand like Romisen and some other similar-classed light but with better quality.
FYI, I found Ultrafire C3 SS to be an excellent build btw.

For me it is not as easy as buying Surefire and be done with it, surely you'll get an excellent and top-of-the-class quality but for me trying this and that is part of the hobby. Sure you will get something that fail but that is the challenge and all the the fun(modding etc). Again that is just me.

Cheers
Rizki

 

[Rod911]

Re: opinions on ULTRAFIRE's,............??

These low costs lights are a great way to get your feet wet on this hobby, especially if disposable income is an issue and if the lights are not going to be used in a life or death situation.

In a suburban setting, around the house, a cheap DX light is, IMHO, good enough. They do require a bit more TLC though when it comes to maintenance and making sure they're not dropped too high of a distance from the floor.

I've only bought 3 cheap lights (WF-606A, A10 and Romisen RC-H3) ever from DX. The RC-H3 retired from service recently having served just over a year of day to day service. Here's hoping the other two are able to pull their weight*.

*Unfortunately for the cheapies, I have other lights that I tend to grab for rather than these two. So it's very likely they won't see much use compared to the RC-H3.

 

[joshconsulting]

Re: K-106 died a quick death

Himmm. Dropped the batteries in my Surefire charger, waited an hour for the light to turn green (hour and a half for the battery I used), put one in and no problems at all with the flashlight. Apparently the 14500s drain themselves over a few months, and I last used it as they died (flickering and dying). Anyone have advice for keeping these cells full\topping them off (like charging once a month etc.)?

Also, there goes my excuse to buy another flashlight. I don't use them enough to justify the 5x expensive of a high-end light over a DX. I'm quite impressed with how the K-106 is built; that's why I was surprised when it "died" without warning.

 

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

Re: K-106 died a quick death

A Romisen RC-H3 has been riding in my Dads truck in the cup holder for a year or so. Has not failed yet.

The UF 505B I mentioned is basically only in body as I have changed the switch and light engine.

But again the 4 or 5 UF I have all worked from new and all have decent threads and finish.

As others have said cheap lights are fine if you don't need them for life or death.

But then there is no promise that my Fenix or LumaPower lights will work when it REALLY matters.

That is why 1 is none and 2 is 1!!!

 

[B12]

Re: Kaidomain WF 502B with R5

I just got the ultrafire wf-502b from KD, with 5 modes XP-G R5: http://www.kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=10066

...When I switched the thing on, on a freshly charged 18650, it looked immediately much brighter than the R2 version. On a subjective ceiling bounce test this thing is comparable to my MCE dropin from DX, although differences in color make it quite difficult to make a fair comparison


It has the usual 5 modes: High, medium, low, strobe, sos. Unlike the R2 version you don't have the half a second wait when you switch the flashlight on, also modes don't have memory and the flashlight always starts on high. This means that we are looking at a different driver than the R2 version. And in fact, here is what I measured on a freshly charged 18650:


high: 2.60A (OMG!!!!)
medium: 0.9A
low: 0.15A


This explains why it was so much brighter than the R2 version which "just" runs on 1.0A . The R5 is DD at high, and PWM (the flickering is barely noticeable) at lower settings.
2.6A (although it quickly drops to 2.2 after a couple of minutes) is definitely not a good idea for this emitter, especially with such a poor thermal design of the dropin.

Hello from Finland everybody. Have been lurking for a while. This is my first post here.

I got the same light from KD. I had some DX cheapo protected Ultrafire gray 18650 that has been sitting in a drawer for a week or so. Voltage was 4.05V.

High: 2,35A (OMG)
Medium: 0,8A
Low: 0,14A

With a battery fresh from charger, your results are easy to believe.

Compared to Akoray K-106 5 mode Q5, the Ultrafire is pretty much the same lumens in mid setting as the Akoray in high. Akoray is a very good one for it's price imho. I use it every day at work (engineering workshop supervisor) and beyond.

I also measured the current of my MTE SSC P7-C 2-mode. With a not so fresh Ultrafire 18650 (3,85V) the MTE drew 3,38A.

 

[DVN]

I've also been lurking for some months now but only just decided to join.

This light from Kaidomain seems like a pretty nice one to me. If it pulls nearly 3 Amps on high does that mean the battery will die out in no time though? Is an 18650 battery capable of delivering 3 amps needed for longer runtimes?

 

[Wiggle]

Trustfire 2400 black or an AW should be able to push that, it's not something crazy like 2C + discharge. But yeah at that rate a good 18650 would only last about 40 minutes or so.

 

[sol-leks]

Do Romisens Lego?

I just order a RC-29, and I already own a rc-n3, and I was thinking how awesome it would be if I could turn the rc-29 into a 2xAA light when it arrives or even a 1xcr123 light. Any chance this will work?

Even if the threads somehow fit, would the RC-29 circuitry even be handle this or would the light go poof?

I don't know why I got moved here, we can only discuss budget lights in this thread?