Hoping for any info on UKE D8

Mr. Blue

Enlightened
Joined
Aug 31, 2001
Messages
944
Got any? Beam quality, brightness, coverage, construction, ease of use etc??? TIA
 
As well as the D4. I scuba dive, so weight is a concern, but brightness and battery life are also important. Has anyone used the alkaline version(s) with rechargeable NiHms? That might be the way to go, as the UK rechargeable versions are pretty expensive.
 
I have a UKD8. It is one big, heavy (seems like 3 lbs. with batteries), and bright flashlight.

Solidly built, waterproof (according to mfg. spec.), and uses 2 14W xenon bulb (I like the 2 bulbs than 2-filament bulb). You pull up the switch-lock and twist the switch to the left or right to use either of the bulbs. Beam is off-center maybe because of the sideways arching sliding movement of the bulbs to use. Twist the head to separate and to change batteries and twist to attach head to the body.

Brightness is about the same as SureFire P91. I haven't tried running it till batteries die so I'm not sure about it's runtime. I'll try to shoot close-up beam shots and time-lapse photos of its runtime next week. I remember running it continously for 3 hours while doing basement repair work and and some intermittent use just for the fun of seeing it shine. If I am to use this light for trekking I'll have to replace the wrist lanyard with a shoulder harness to carry its weight.

I have beam photo of UKD8 and other flashlights on my photopoint site.

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=443720&a=13143240&p=50425315&f=0

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I have a D8, and like its sturdy construction and versatility. The dual bulbs provide some assurance that you'll have light when you need it. Also, the lantern grip can be inserted on either side of the light (putting the switch on the top or bottom of the light), and for more options, you can get a pistol grip, if that is your preference.

The hot spot on my light, although not round, is very smooth. The surrounding beam is somewhat splotchy, but for practical purposes, and depending on your use, it probably doesn't matter.

I use my light strictly on land, but if you're going to use it underwater and want bright, perhaps the D8R is the way to go. If my understanding is correct, this rechargeable model comes with one 14-watt bulb, and one 30-watt bulb (underwater use only). Printed burn times on the D8 are 7-10 hours, and on the D8R, 1.5-3.5 hours.
 
I'm thinking about the D4 because of size and weight. There are two models available, the regular D4, approx $50, and the D4R (rechargeable), approx $150. the D4 uses two 5.8 watt lamps, for a run time of 7-10 hours, with alkalines, accosrding to the UK website. The D4R uses one 5.8 watt lamp, and one 18 watt high power lamp, for a runtime of 1.25 to 3 hours, with the NiCad 4400 mAhr cells from UK. I was wondering, would the 18 watt lamp from the D4R work in the D4? Along with a set of 8000 mAhr NiHms, you could have a long run time on the lower wattage lamp, or the option of the high power lamp. Any thoughts?
 
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