Help with these lights

[dynamiccoins]

Hi,

I'm new to all this but am in the uk and after reading on bikeradar I have ordered these to do some night riding:

UltraFire WF-501B CREE XM-L2 5 Modes LED Flashlight Torch(1*18650)

UltraFire C8 Cree XM-L2 5-Mode LED Flashlight Torch(1x18650)

I am going to get an Xtar VP1 charger, but I need some batteries and I'm not sure what is best to get for these lights.

I know these lights are cheap, but I dont have a load of money to spend on the lights themselves so am willing to take a risk on them. But I am not willing to take a risk on the charger or batteries and want to get something good and safe.

I am still not sure if I should go protected or not - I am thinking protected as I understand (rightly or wrongly) they are safer.

Also, what is the best mAh for these lights - should I be looking for a higher number? As I say I'm in the UK and have seen these - 2x SenyBor (Panasonic inside) 3100mAh 18650 protected but wanted some advice.

I am starting off on a journey here and will be checking out the "Battery university" but any help would be great

Thanks

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Why has my link been removed? - Norm

 

[yellow]

phuuuu ...
at least they are cheap
:rolleyes:

1st of all: the brightness is a joke, a single XM-L at full power gives ~800-900 Lumen
* if the "90 mins" is correct, then it is not full power (that were 50 mins at best), so it will more be like ~600 (?) --> which is also quite good and bright and much better in regard to cells and runtime.
* PROTECTED CELLS, nothing else
* charger is good
* dunno anything regarding the cells You linked, in here the cells of "AW" are considered quite good, but they will cost double
* having springs on both ends, both lights should be fine, no switching to next level because of bumps

1st light will be much better suited to be put on handlebars and used for biking

 

[ChrisGarrett]

I've never come across that brand of battery either, but today, everybody and their mother is rebranding Li-Ion batteries, so it's no big surprise that I've never heard of them. The seller seems to provide some testing data, so that bodes well.

You're buying a nice charger, so why not buy some nice lights. Ditch the two UltraFires and look for something that has some decent testing and engineering behind the design?

Fenix and Klarus appear to make some dedicated 'bike lights,' so check their sites before you buy the UFs.

Chris

 

[RoGuE_StreaK]

I don't know the C8, looks like it might be fairly throwy so potentially good for spotting stuff further down a track.

The 501B is a good all-purpose torch for the price, can go quite bright but on High it gets quite hot; even on Medium it warms up pretty well, Low generally packs more than enough light for most purposes; I cook on the barbecue using it roof-bouncing on Low. First thing you need to do though is pull out the drop-in and pack it with aluminium foil to assist with heat transfer, as stock it's pretty bad (not much metal-to-metal contact). On High I don't think it would be too far-fetched to say it is almost on par with my car's headlights with regards to both brightness and beam pattern.
Even if it doesn't work out as a bike light (haven't tried it that way yet), it's still a handy torch to have lying around.
I still use a Trustfire blue 2400, and get quite a whack of runtime on Medium/Low. Definitely use protected in any torch though. Higher mAh doesn't necessarily mean better runtimes, depends on how well the voltage holds up under load; check out HKJ's reviews and comparison website for some useful discharge graphs.

 

[dynamiccoins]

Hi,

Had PC problems but back online now and after reading HKJ's excellent website am thinking of getting these batteries and charger:

Xtar 18650 3.7V, 3100mAh Li-ion Protected Battery

Xtar VP1 Dual Bay Lithium-ion Battery Charger

Am I making the right choice taking into account the lights I've gone for

Thanks

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Why has my link been removed? - Norm

 

[agnelucio]

I have both lights, and I can tell you that the WF501B gives a more evenly spread beam, so will be better for general cycling (roads and that..), while the C8 is very throwy (actually, a very good thrower, considering it's price) so would be better for very long, dark tracks and trails.

It really depends on what kind of environment you're looking to ride in. Also, any 18650 which is sold as above approx. 3000mAh is almost definitely fake. If you want good quality, reliable batteries then it's best to buy from a reputable seller on CPF (such as AW, but there are others). Looking at the batteries in your previous post, they seem ok, and I'm familiar with Xtar, but I've never used any of their products, so I couldn't say for sure, but they will most likely be fine for your two lights.

Also, hi from another UK CPF-er. :welcome: