Finally received the MDXL Cree and Ultrafire C3

[Lee1959]

It took long enough but finally received both of these yesterday. First impressions are very favorable for both, especially for the price. The two lights while both 1 AA Crees are very different in their size and execution.

The Ultrafire C3 is considerably smaller and is the only one I would personally carry for EDC sizewise. It is better finished in my opinion and has a more focused beam which makes it look very slightly brighter.

The MXDL is larger in length and width, especially in the head. It is more in the line of a smallish tactical size, in my opinion. It is about perfect sized for a smallish light to hold in the icepick overhand grip (called tactical by some) because a good half inch sticks out from my medium - large hand making nothing block part of the beam pattern. It has a slightly wider beam due to the larger head and reflector.

Time will tell how durable each is, and what kind of runtimes they will have, but for $18.00 and $10.50 respectively, they truly seem to be decent buys so far.

 

[NYLYTE]

The Ultrafire C3 is a really nice cheap light. An eyeball comparison shows the C3 to be just about on par with my Elektrolumens XM-3 which employs a Luxeon III and uses 2 AA cells. The C3 has a slightly tighter spot, but otherwise the light output results in a pretty much dead heat. I have not compared run times, but the XM-3 should kill the C3 since it draws from 2 AA cells. I am curious to see what a Seoul Semiconductor (SSC) emitter will do in an XM-3, the light is darn near bullet-proof. The C3 as shipped from DX is a little dodgey, and in a sense it is a 'kit'. I used sandpaper and a sharpening stone to 'bench' the forward end of the battery tube so that the o-ring doesn't squirm out of place when the head is tightened. Also, the switch is a little flakey and about one out of ten presses fail to light correctly; this behavior is very consistent and leads me to believe that the switch is designed to 'self wipe' and actually shifts its contact point with each click, (which is a good thing.) . For the money, the C3 is a total pocket rocket. I understand that it will not take protected 14500 cells (AW's cells are allegedly too thick), but it is designed to take unprotected 14500 Li-ion cells and has great output on NiMH. To my eye, wall hunting, the C3 on high is about equal to the Rexlight (1 of 5) I have tested, and I must say that I like the tint of the C3 a little better than the Rexlight, but both are terribly yellowish-green when compared to the Luxeon in my XM-3, which verges on pink/violet in comparison. Anyway, I can't recommend the C3 highly enough, I just wish that mine had come with a better switch. At about $18 I don't think one could go wrong.

//NYLYTE

 

[Tessaiga]

I got mine to take AW protected 14500... but you need to do a bit of work to enlarge the barrel just by a bit.. use the same sharpening stone and sandpaper to do it, especially if you have the ceramic rods from spyderco's sharpmaker.

Its a real excellent torch for the money. and a great little EDC to boot.. goes comfortably into the pocket plus it has a very good nice fitting holster..

 

[lowatts]

Glad to hear your C3 is working well. Mine didn't work out so great. Just received it a couple of days ago. It burned out after a couple of seconds running off the new unprotective 14500 that came in the same order. It lite up for a second, dimmed quickly, then went out. I think I saw just a hint of smoke come out near the lens, but not sure. And there's a little burnt electonics smell now.

And the tube is too narrow to even accept older 1800ma NiMH cells, the Alkalines fit with very little clearance left. Emailed Kiadomain and waiting to hear back about a RMA now.