Fake Ultrafire

[Monocrom]

I would list all of the topics I've seen with negative reviews regarding Ultrafire products since the day I signed up on WUS. However, I would easily exceed the admittedly very high character limit for individual posts on CPF. Nice of you to find a handful of positive threads regarding Ultrafire products. When I posted the words "across the board," did I really need to put a little disclaimer after that saying "but you'll find a few individuals who are satisfied with what they got." "Across the board" doesn't mean "Every single soul on Earth curses the name 'Ultrafire.'" I stand behind my statement in my earlier post.

I didn't call anyone in this thread an idiot. I don't go around calling fellow members idiots for their personal choices in which models to buy. If I did that, I would have been perma-banned long ago. Greta is a classy lady. But she's no wall-flower and wouldn't put up with that sort of crap from any member. To answer your question, if I went to someone's house as an invited guest and they were raving about how wonderful their new BOSE system was ... No, I wouldn't point out the issues. I wouldn't laugh at them for thinking a crap system was high-end or high-quality. Nor would I call them an idiot. That would be rude and classless. A few days ago, I was complimented on the watch I was wearing. It was not the high-quality watch I normally wear. It was a cheap, large, black plastic with gold-painted accents of a rather ugly digital Adidas quartz watch. It's my beater. The watch I wear when I run errands or do work that would get one of my better watches incredibly dirty. It's one I absolutely don't care about. Not one bit. Originally bought it for a family member whose eye-sight is not quite what it used to be, and I figured that the huge digital display would be beneficial. Turns out, they think it's even uglier than I do. They politely refused to wear it. It became my beater.

The new guy working behind the deli counter at my local supermarket couldn't stop smiling and drooling over the hideously ugly thing on my wrist. I gave him a closer look, and when I pulled my arm away he practically begged me for a longer look. I gave it to him. Asked me where I got it from, asked me the price (bit of an offensive thing to ask. And no, that's not just my take on it). I answered his questions, smiled politely, thanked him for the compliment on my watch, then moved on. I didn't look at him as if he were insane and say, "What the Hell is wrong with you? You actually like the look of this hideous thing?" Once again, that would have been rude and classless.

On an internet forum dedicated to a specific type of item, when a new member posts about his "quality" item, and you have an entire community filled with experienced members who know that the item is actually very far from quality ... It would be a classless thing NOT to point out the truth to that new member, to that new enthusiast. You know the truth. You're just going to sit back and let a new member, a new enthusiast, think he has something great when he doesn't? You know what, that's not being classless; that's being a jerk.

I've been in that sort of situation. Difference is, I was the new member. And I know what it's like being on a forum filled with hundreds or even thousands of other enthusiasts who know far more than I did at the time, yet not one them said a damn thing. (BTW, I'm not talking about CPF.) A forum full of jackasses and jerks who remained perfectly silent. And then, when I learned and knew better; oh yeah you better believe I was angry as Hell.

New member, internet forum full of like-minded individuals, full of older members who truly know quality, and not one decided to just step in and lay a little truth on the guy who literally (at the time) didn't know better. That's what happened to me. So, I'm not doing that to someone else. It's a far different setting than being a guest at someone's house, or getting a compliment from someone who clearly knows nothing about quality watches. Completely different setting.

There's a HUGE difference between an individual who buys a cheap light and thinks it's high-quality vs. someone who just buys a cheap light because they like how it looks, or they just want a beater they can toss in the back of the old pickup truck, or something they'll leave inside a locked shed in their back-yard just in case. Heck, I own a nice assortment of cheap lights. I bought them because I wanted a few beaters to keep around my home, and because they were cheap. I know none of them are as high quality as my Milky-modded lights or my SureFires. I know that. But for general-purpose mundane lighting chores around the house, and to loan out to the neighbors; they work well. Yup, I'll be the first to admit that my $450 SureFire M6 w/ HOLA is a wee bit of overkill for walking to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I use my AA Dorcy 3-LED cluster light for that.

Also, as a car guy, yes; I would not recommend a Ferrari ... Company's far to pretentious, I'd recommend a higher-end Porsche. But only if someone asked about which Supercar to get. If they asked for a decent economy car that could get them to work and back on a daily basis, I'd recommend a new KIA Spectra or a used Toyota Corolla. If they needed versatile cargo room, a used Honda Fit (or a used Honda Jazz [same exact model] for those living in the UK). If they needed a family sedan, a used Buick Century. (Yes, I know, just a bit of an odd choice. But a solid one for a good family-hauler that isn't a mini-van or a hybrid SUV.) Then again, if someone bought a KIA Spectra with a spoiler and went on a car enthusiast forum because they wanted to mention doing some illegal street racing with it in stock form, one; I'd advise not racing at all. Two, I'd tell them that it's not a sports sedan and here's why ...

I would also hope that I wouldn't be the only one doing that. But you know what, I probably would because it's happened a bunch of times on other forum sites outside of CPF regarding other items besides cars and other misconceptions besides street racing. And sometimes my blatant honesty gets horribly misinterpreted and sometimes it just seriously ticks people off. Every now & then though, you know what ... I have new members thanking me for that honesty. Most recent example was on a rather popular watch site. Guy bought what he thought was a high-quality watch that he hoped to one day pass onto his son. A mechanical watch from a certain brand that cost him a few thousands of dollars. He wasn't rich. He just wanted one, quality, mechanical timepiece that he could wear and enjoy for the rest of his lifetime and then pass along to his son.

The model he bought is a very expensive piece of junk. It honestly is. I knew it, lots of other members did too. Take the caseback off, and I'll show you why it's overpriced junk. But most watch-buyers never do. So they will never see the certain blatant cost-cutting measure normally found on a $200 mechanical dive watch. A measure that has no business on one costing about $3,000 and will severely limit the watches life-span. And you know ... All the other members in that particular sub-forum stayed silent. Didn't say a word. They were perfectly fine letting the new guy think that his $3,000 watch with quality closer to a $200 watch would stand the test of time. Bunch of damn jerks. I sure as Hell didn't think that was perfectly fine. If it had been a light instead of a watch, and if it had been here on CPF instead of that other site; I wouldn't have been the only regular to tell the guy the truth. The guy thanked me for helping him out. He took the watch back and bought a different one, a quality one that he'd actually be able to pass down to his son one day. I can name watches costing as little as $1200 that are truly heirloom quality. I know watches costing over $10,000 that couldn't compete with a $200 Seiko, in terms of quality.

As far as budget lights go, okay; someone wants to roll the dice and take a gamble? Perfectly fine. Someone wants a decent light at a low price-point without possibly throwing their money away? There are several good choices. For someone who doesn't wish to gamble, I'm not recommending Ultrafire.

 

[derfyled]

Monocrom,

Great post, well explained. :thumbsup:

 

[J-Dub74]

Since all Ultrafire does is pull rechargeable cells out of various different old, used, laptops and then just wrap a new label on them; it is literally impossible to buy "fake" Ultrafire 18650 cells. They don't manufacture their own cells and they don't sub-contract the work out to anyone.

If what you stated was fact and not just opinion then why would a reputable site like Lighthound.com (Yes, I am familiar with the site by the way) sell a product that is known to be recycled garbage? The simple answer is they would not. Feeling strongly about something does not make it true. You obviously have a huge beef with Ultrafire and that's fine. To be honest, in general I'm not a fan of Ultrafire myself. I also never denied that there was tons of garbage being sold under the Ultrafire name. I myself do not buy Ultrafire batteries because there are more fakes out there than the real thing. Those fakes are exactly as you described and are at best poor quality and at worst extremely dangerous. If you look around a bit you will see posts from plenty of people who have unwrapped "Ultrafire" batteries. Many are the junk you accurately described. There are also people who've unwrapped multiple batteries from the same batch and found brand new cells with matching numbers printed on them. Unlike the lottery, by doing your homework and finding a reputable seller you can find a nice light that fits in a tight budget. The light I got happens to be one of them. If I wanted to play the lottery I'd save myself a few bucks and buy from ...bay or Amaz... That is like a lottery since there is little or no individual seller accountability. That said, even reputable sellers get burned with poorly manufactured fake products from time to time as may have been the case with your Ultrafire experience. The good sellers (like Lighthound.com) will take the appropriate action when these things happen. That's what makes them good sellers. My Ultrafire happens to be a pretty nice light. I am also confident that I could place a repeat order and get the same light. Would I recommend Ultrafire as a brand? Definitely not. However there are some decent ones out there even if they are few and far between. Did I feel it might be a gamble when I placed the order? Yeah, a little...but I was very pleasantly surprised. That's why I mention it here...in the BUDGET forum. To say I'm not interested in learning from other CPF members who are more experienced and happy to help is way off base by the way. Don't be so quick to judge. It's exactly why I joined this forum.

Adding a quick edit as I see you posted a lengthy response while I was typing. For the record Monocrom, I do not feel you were calling anyone an idiot. It does seem you may be a bit on the opinionated side but there's no crime in that. I respect that you try to steer new enthusiasts away from Ultrafire. As a generalization I'd say the majority of products labeled Ultrafire are low quality and potentially dangerous...but there are exceptions.

 

[billy_gr]

i recently bought a UltraFire WF-502B XM-L T6 from dx (12.60$). The reason was to understand a bit about the dropins and the whole concept without investing a huge amount of money. Got what i paid for and i like it (= i don't expect miracles). I just measured 2.2A at the switch with fresh batteries, it gets a bit hot but cpf has a solution.

The only worries is the threads on the tail that probably will fail after opening and closing it a lot of times to insert a new battery.

But come on, its fun, fake or not, it is still fun = new hardware found

 

[Mass. Wine Guy]

I have what I believe is a genuine Ultrafire. I don't think the real thing is very good. Maybe a fake is better.

 

[N8N]

(a bunch of stuff)

Sorry, I either had to quote the whole thing or none of it. I agree with you on so many levels. The car thing may not be a good analogy... everyone knows (or should) that a Ferrari is a traditionally high strung, finicky beast and therefore not suitable for daily driving unless you have a mechanic named Luigi on retainer. But in every other respect I'm right there with you... so many supposed "top" brands are either riding on name generated in the past or really never were that good in the first place. To paraphrase someone from another group I frequent (and oddly someone with whom I usually disagree but he nailed it this time) "I'm sick of having to become an expert on everything just to avoid getting ripped off." But that is sadly how it is, and why I'm subscribed to so many damn forums!

Let me guess - the watch was a TAG-Heuer? (and what's wrong with a $200 dive watch anyway? I was rocking a Seiko 009 for years, until I finally killed it by falling off a motorcycle and landing on it. Oh, yeah, the bike was moving at the time... I'd actually put a new movement in it if I had enough faith in my mechanical abilities as it still looks fine.)

Now I don't even know if your analogy between everything else and Ultrafire lights is valid... but it certainly seems that way from doing a little reading, good rule of thumb is never buy anything Anything-Fire unless Anything = Sure.

 

[Rosoku Chikara]

...why would a reputable site like Lighthound.com... sell a product that is known to be recycled garbage? The simple answer is they would not...The good sellers (like Lighthound.com) will take the appropriate action when these things happen. That's what makes them good sellers. My Ultrafire happens to be a pretty nice light. I am also confident that I could place a repeat order and get the same light. Would I recommend Ultrafire as a brand? Definitely not...As a generalization I'd say the majority of products labeled Ultrafire are low quality and potentially dangerous...but there are exceptions...[excerpted]

I posted earlier in this thread that I have always tended to avoid "Anything"-Fire that was low cost. (I said "low cost" because, of course, Surefire is known to be a very good product, but I doubt anyone would accuse them of being low cost.)

As I wrote in my earlier post, it is the "randomness" of the "Anything"-Fire that throws me off. There seem to be so many fakes/clones, etc., by so many different sellers and vendors that you really can't keep track. Every purchase seems to be yet another test purchase.

I think what happens in the case of a good seller like Lighthound is that they purchase a substantial quantity all at once, so that they can be assured that, at the very least, they are selling the same thing to everyone. Also, to one degree or another, I suspect that Lighthound is conducting their own internal quality control (either before or after the sale). If you have a problem after the sale, such a seller will likely do their best to take care of the problem.

Also, another reason that I personally don't care very much for the many "Anything"-Fire brands, is that all those brands are such obvious attempts to "play-off" the famous Surefire brand. Personally, it would seem a bit embarrassing to me to "show off" any of them to my friends. (Kind of like showing off your wonderful new "Rollecks" watch, or "Rolls-Race" automobile.) Don't get me wrong, I believe some of these flashlights are probably good "budget lights." I would simply prefer no brand at all, to having it printed with "Anything"-Fire.

------

Edit: Having written that last sentence, which I had intended as the last sentence of this poist, I suddenly realized that I was wrong: There was one "Anything"-Fire brand that I would want in my "collection." So, I promptly searched out and ordered a WF-602C Cree XR-E Q5 200ml 5-Mode Flashlight (1 x CR123A) for $10.30 on DX. It is a genuine "UranusFire" and might also even be a nice little flashlight. I cannot believe that such a ridiculous brand can ever be truly successful, so I figure that one day it may become a bit of a collector's item. And, in the meantime, with that brand name, it does make a "unique" conversation piece!

Well, one thing led to another, and I noticed the HWA/WYS "logo" above the brand name. And, I got to wondering what this really meant. I have seen it often on other "Anything"-Fire brands, but no one seems to know what it means...



Well, I still don't know for sure that it means, but I did finally "track it down." I found it on a Chinese trademark database site:

HWA WYS FIRELIGHT
HWA WYS ULTRASUPFIRE
HWA WYS ULTRAFIRE
HWA WYS ATATAFIRE
HWA DKL ULTRAFIRE

Apparently, some Chinese manufacturers/trading companies/vendors are adding HWA WYS (or HWA DKL in one case) to their trademark, so that it no longer conflicts with another existing trademark. (In other words, it seems that "HWA WYS ULTRAFIRE" can be registered separately from "ULTRAFIRE.") What seems really strange, however, is the fact that most of these HWA WYS trademarks appear to be registered to different entities. So, it appears that some people are even copying this "HWA WYS" trademark too!

Not only that, even though I found "URANUSFIRE" as a registered trademark, I could not find "HWA WYS URANUSFIRE," despite the fact that the flashlight I ordered clearly says HWA WYS on it... Huh??? (Is anyone else confused yet?)

Well, having gotten this far, I kept going... Here is a complete list of ULTRAFIRE trademarks that were to be found in that database:

Class-11 -> ULTRAFIRE -------------> Surefire Trading Co., Ltd. Jingjiang
Class-35 -> ULTRAFIRE -------------> Paper Packaging Products Co., Ltd. Guangzhou Xinyue
Class-16 -> ULTRAFIRE -------------> Paper Packaging Products Co., Ltd. Guangzhou Xinyue
Class-35 -> ULTRAFIRE -------------> Yellow Red
Class-11 -> ULTRAFIRE -------------> Yellow Red
Class-24 -> ULTRAFIRE -------------> Yellow Red
Class-22 -> ULTRAFIRE -------------> Yellow Red
Class-18 -> ULTRAFIRE -------------> Yellow Red
Class-11 -> ULTRAFIRE -------------> Lu Shuying
Class-09 -> ULTRAFIRE -------------> Lu Shuying
Class-11 -> ULTRAFIRE -------------> Surefire Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. Kunshan
Class-11 -> SHENHUO ULTRAFIRE --> SPDC
Class-11 -> Surefire ULTRAFIRE ----> Trading Co., Ltd. Yiwu embarrassing way
Class-11 -> HWA WYS ULTRAFIRE -> Its E-commerce Co., Ltd. in Hangzhou
Class-11 -> USA WYS ULTRAFIRE --> E-commerce Co., Ltd. Yiwu Phaeton
Class-09 -> Surefire ULTRAFIRE ----> WANG Cai Mei
Class-11 -> HWA DKL ULTRAFIRE --> Xiaoxiang Hui

Note: Class-11 is the trademark classification that pertains to flashlights, so it is the only one that is truly relevant here, but I included the others for "effect." Also, "Yellow Red" is likely some Chinese individual or entity's name that happens to translate into those two colors. It is worth noticing that even among Class-11 trademarks, several entities appear to have registered ULTRAFIRE. And, "Yellow Red" has it for Class-11, 18, 22, 24, and 35!

Furthermore, while many people seem to think that "Wha Fat Technological Co.,Ltd" owns the HWA WYS ULTRAFIRE trademark, and that is the logo/trademark they use on their website, this database says that it was once owned by "Its E-commerce Co., Ltd. in Hangzhou" but is now shown as being "Invalid" (That remark is underlined in green in the screenshot below.)



For anyone that is still interested, here is a partial list (Class-11 only) of "Anything"-Fire trademarks that are currently registered in China:

AFIRE - AURORAFIRE - BESTFIRE - BLACKFIRE - BLUEFIRE - BRIGHTFIRE - CAMPFIRE - CERAMFIRE - CLASSICFIRE - CLEANFIRE - CLEARFIRE - CNFIRE - CROSSFIRE - DANCINGFIRE - DEITYFIRE - DEVAFIRE - EXCEFIRE - EXTRAFIRE - FENGFIRE - FITFIRE - FOXFIRE - GODFIRE - GREENFIRE - HERAFIRE - HOLYFIRE - ICEFIRE - IFIRE - INFIRE - JACKFIRE - KINFIRE - KINGFIRE - KITFIRE - LONGFIRE - LOOFIRE - MAGFIRE - MAGICFIRE - MARSFIRE - MICROFIRE - MIRACFIRE - MOKFIRE - MOODFIRE - MOONFIRE - MULTIFIRE - NEWFIRE - NEYFIRE - POLYFIRE - RAIDFIRE - RAPIDFIRE - REALFIRE - ROADFIRE - SACREDFIRE - SAFEFIRE - SAFIRE - SAINTFIRE - SARNCFIRE - SARNCFIRE - SHENFIRE - SHINEFIRE - SHOWFIRE - SINGFIRE - SINGLYFIRE - SPACEFIRE - SPECIALFIRE - SPLITFIRE - STARFIRE - STREAKFIRE - SUNFIRE - SUNSFIRE - SUPERFIRE - SUPFIRE - SUREFIRE - TIGERFIRE - TOPFIRE - TRUSTFIRE - TUREFIRE - UINFIRE - ULIGHTFIRE - ULTRAFIRE - UNIQUEFIRE - URANUSFIRE - VENUSFIRE - VULCANFIRE - WILDFIRE - WINFIRE - ZOOMFIRE

My conclusions?

I once read where someone wrote that the Chinese flashlight industry is "like the Wild, Wild West - anything goes!" If I were to continue that analogy, I would say that the "Anything"-Fire brands are the old "Indian Territories," where things were completely lawless (even in comparison to the famous "Wild, Wild West").

 

[chiphead]

After studying the pictures, I'm sure what I've got! For one thing, thing threads for the switch are on the outside. Second, the color of the inset of the switch is gold instead of the pictured green, meaning a bootleg? Third, at the top of the battery tube there some sort of inset with a metal contact at it's center. Number 5, the original 5 function LED module went to pot after about 2 weeks. Place in another (non Ultrafire) module and started having ground contact problems. To make matters worse, I went to "the" Ultrafire website and read their warning concerning bootleg units. On the list of places not to buy a unit from was Amazon. I think I've got all the issues resolved as I've been working this thing for the past week with no issues at all. My next unit (a C8) will come straight from the Ultrafire site. Am I the only one to get bit?
chiphead in Sub-Saharan Texas
P.S I've noticed that the metal is thinner than that of any of my Solarforce units. So I used silicon heatsink compound to solve that one.

 

[Rosoku Chikara]

...I went to "the" Ultrafire website and read their warning concerning bootleg units. On the list of places not to buy a unit from was Amazon...My next unit (a C8) will come straight from the Ultrafire site...[excerpted]

Just out of curiosity, what are you thinking is "the Ultrafire site" that you are going to purchase from next?

While I probably shouldn't run the risk of disillusioning you, I (personally) would be highly skeptical of that "Official Ultrafire Website" that lists all those "Bad Websites." In my opinion, all they did was list all their competing websites, and call them "Bad." I can find no evidence that they actually own the Ultrafire trademark, despite the fact that they make that claim.

And, as recently as a couple years ago, this "official" Ultrafire website had a very poor reputation, as evidenced by these posts from a different forum:

- http://ultrafire-shop.net How to know if they are real? !!!

- First I would say the ultrafire shop is fake, or at least not working. I have tried ordering from them twice. You can't make direct payment on their site, they have to send you an invoice after you order... they never send the invoice.

- try this for genuine ultrafire .... http://www.ultrafire.net/

Today, that self-proclaimed "official" Ultrafire website will apparently let you pay by Paypal, but of course that doesn't mean much. They do not provide any real company name. They offer no real address nor any kind of real contact information. (Sure, they have a domain name and an email address... but what does that mean? I must have nearly 100 myself.) Not only that, take a look at their "NEWS AND EVENTS" section. They show one item, an ULTRAFIRE T70 with 6354 comments... but take look at those "comments": they're all SPAM! No legitimate company would allow such comments to remain on their site for so long.

Another "official looking" Ultrafire site that is suggested as "genuine" above, is run by "Wha Fat Technological Co., Ltd" which is, at least, a real company. But, they are not a manufacturer. They source parts out of China and sell them (after assembly in China) under the ULTRAFIRE brand. But, it does not appear to me that they own any trademarks either. In fact, the trademark they are using is stated to be "Invalid" in a Chinese trademark database.

The real problem here is that there is no actual ULTRAFIRE company. And, I cannot even find a single real manufacturer that is clearly associated with the brand. The closest I have found is "Surefire Trading Co., Ltd." out of Jingjiang, but of course they are not a manufacturer either; only a "trading company."

If there is no real company, and there isn't even clear ownership of the trademark, I cannot see how it is possible to have any such thing as a "Genuine Ultrafire." (What can possibly define it as "genuine"?)

 

[gadget_lover]

I find it hard to get excited about a rip off of a rip off. People who buy technology made in China can expect it to be bootleged, copied or cloned or faked, especially when purchased for 1/10th the cost of the real thing.

I have one of the Amazon WF-502B lights and it's 'good enough' for the $10 - $15 that my friend paid for it. I gave him a Costco Feit 500 lumen 3 C-cell with aspheric lens as a gift and he surprised me with the "Ultrafire".

The "Ultrafire" is as well made as my most recent Maglite. It has worked every time I've pressed the button. I would not make it my only light in a critical situation, but then again I'd always carry backup lights in that situation.

I would not seek out an Ultrafire product. I would not go out of my way to avoid them either.

Daniel

 

[Rosoku Chikara]

...People who buy technology made in China can expect it to be bootleged, copied or cloned or faked, especially when purchased for 1/10th the cost of the real thing... [excerpted, emphasis added]

I guess that my point (if I have one) is: How can we know "the real thing" when it comes to UltraFire?

I never intended to get this far into the question, but having done so, I cannot see the answer at all. I do not deny that many "Anything"-Fire flashlights (be they UltraFire, or otherwise) may be good enough lights. In fact, I just ordered one myself, and it looks like it may be a relatively nice little light. My problem is how can you call anything a genuine UltraFire (or "the real thing") when there is no obvious standard... It seems to be all branding and marketing... there is no real company or product.

If I am wrong, please correct me. I am increasingly curious to know what is really going on here.

 

[Duff9]

You are certainly not alone in that experience. The exact same thing happened to me. Only difference was it was with the 502-B. So it may be a common thread among Ultrafires nowadays. I own three, and only one seems to be authentic. The knurling, emitter, and finish are all different than the other two. Sad thing when companies are copying a basic light of this caliber.

 

[thedoc007]

I can't speak for all Ultrafire products, real or otherwise. I know there are a lot of bad ones out there. That said, I ordered a WF-501b from Fasttech. I've had it for about a week now. It's not the standard black one you see clones of everywhere. Mine has a single mode switch, an xm-l2 emitter and a smooth reflector and it's an anodized grey color that looks awesome. The lighter color shows off the machining which believe it or not is very well done. The knurling is perfect and it feels great in your hand. The smooth reflector casts a beautiful beam without a single artifact or halo. Just based on exterior aesthetics it's beautiful. It's listed at 500 lumens which seems accurate. Will this outlast a Surefire? I'm highly doubt it...but for $13 I am very happy. This is a really nice light. Had I paid $50 for this particular light I would not be disappointed. I know there is a lot of garbage out there with the Ultrafire name on it. I've owned some of it myself but there are good ones out there too.

I want to say thanks for this recommendation. I have lights from Nitecore, Zebralight, Elzetta, Sunwayman, Eagletac, Fenix, etc. I wasn't expecting much out of a $13 light, but if nothing else, I figured I could easily lend it out to people without being too concerned about losing it. Not so with my $50 lights (and up). I also wanted to contribute more real-world data to this thread. So I did order this exact model. And comparing it to the above-mentioned lights, I can say it is a FANTASTIC value. It does look good, the beam is just about perfect, and the lumen rating seems accurate. I compared directly to other lights at similar settings (SC52 on turbo has a very similar beam profile too) and I can say that it was not noticeably dimmer than its rated 500 lumens. I'm not saying it is exactly that, but definitely not greatly over-rated like many cheap lights are. After lubing it up, I also did a water test (simply submerged in a bowl of water, nothing too crazy) for 20 minutes, and it passed with flying colors. No water entered the light, at all. This is impressive for a $13 light, regardless of the manufacturer.

No, this will not totally replace my more expensive lights. It doesn't feel as solid, the machining on the threads is a little rougher, etc. But I say again, this is an AMAZING value. For non-flashaholics who don't want or need complex modes and advanced functions, this is a great loaner or gift light. And it works and looks better than some lights at quadruple the price. Glad I took the plunge.

 

[Bruce722]

Just a quick comment to the question in Monocrom's post "Honestly, when was the last time you heard of a companies products that are meant to be used together, not being compatible with each other?"

I recently purchased a Nitecore SRT3 flashlight and Nitecore NL147 (14500 battery). They are not compatible! The SRT3 has a "protection ring" around the contact for the positive end of the battery. The NL147 has a rather flat tip. Guess what? No contact!

I have been emailing Nitecore support and they are worthless. They suggested putting a magnet on the battery to extend the tip (which makes the battery too long). After I told them that was unacceptable, they told me to use another brand of battery!

Has anybody had similar experience with the SRT3 and NL147 compatibility?

 

[Rosoku Chikara]

As I posted in this thread quite some time ago, I had decided to purchase a "UranusFire" flashlight for my "collection," just because of the highly "unusual" brand name. Well, it has taken quite some time to actually receive it, but I finally have it.

It is actually a reasonably well-made CR123A flashlight. I am not a big fan of CR123A flashlights, but I didn't want anything large and "high priced" nor did I want anything than ran on 18650s, so this WF-602C seemed like the best choice. (I couldn't find any AA flashlights marketed under the "UranusFire" brand when I was looking.)

Well, as it happened, DX promptly sent me an "UltraFire" WF-602C. I complained to them that that was not what I had ordered, and I opened a ticket, and sent many pictures trying to explain what my complaint was... it apparently took them quite some time to finally understand that I didn't just want a flashlight with the same functional design, I wanted one with that particular brand name printed on it.

The following photo ultimately seemed to help:



By this time, I was getting rather disappointed that I had missed my "opportunity" to ever own a genuine "UranusFire" because I figured that they had already been discontinued (and, in my opinion, rightly so). But, that made me want one even more, so I told DX that while I refused to pay for the "UltraFire" that they had sent me (I offered to return it to them at their expense), I would be willing to pay for both, if they would find me an actual "UranusFire" in good functional and cosmetic condition.

Well, it took quite some time, but it finally arrived the other day. Here are photos both flashlights, side-by-side. (As you can see, the "UranusFire" is about 4-5 mm longer.)




For whatever reason, DX did not accept my offer to pay for both, they only charged me for one, so I got two fairly nice little flashlights for $10.30 total. By the way, they both seem to be nice enough (meaning highly functional, and fairly reliable), but of the two, the "UltraFire" does appear to be slightly "better." Mainly, I like the fact that it is slightly smaller (shorter).

 

[Lightning Bub]

I am happy to hear you got "UranusFire"! Very unusual name, indeed!

 

[RoGuE_StreaK]

I have brothers-in-law that would love that one.
Would be a good promotional giveaway from an Indian restaurant. (there's an appropriate smiley in the "more" list, but I think you get the point)

 

[Rosoku Chikara]

... Would be a good promotional giveaway from an Indian restaurant...

Yeah, I hear you "loud and clear." And, as it so happens, I do enjoy hot peppers, and actually grow my own super-hot Bhut Jolokia and Fatali peppers at home. (My brother has been joking with me about that fact, ever since I told him about this new flashlight.)

But, as I posted on this thread back in September, I once thought that I had no interest in "Anything-Fire" flashlights, but then...

I suddenly realized that I was wrong: There was one "Anything"-Fire brand that I would want in my "collection."

I think you would have to admit that a flashlight with this brand name has quite a lot of potential as a "conversation piece."

What I find hard to imagine, however, is just what the person in China was actually thinking when they thought that this would be a good name for marketing flashlights within the English speaking world...

 

[RoGuE_StreaK]

According to the fountain of all knowledge (wikipedia), "In the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese languages, its name is literally translated as the sky king star", so maybe it's thought of as the king of all the lights at night (well, moon notwithstanding). Supposedly astronomers put the stress on the first sylable, ie. the "u" sound, whereas us commoners put the stress on the second, ie. the "a" sound, most likely due to this childish(!?) link to the embedded word.
Maybe they never heard the "common" pronunciation, so never made the link?

 

[N8N]

"Uranus" is actually a Latinization of the Greek Ouranos (which still might be close enough for scatological puns, but not so painfully obvious...) It's not clear to me, and I have no knowledge of most Eastern languages, whether that entry is referring to the translation of Uranus/Ouranos into those languages, or if somehow in one of those odd coincidences, Eastern astronomers named a celestial object surprisingly similarly to the Greek deity for whom it was formally named after it was discovered to actually be a planet? I'm guessing the former.

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