multipurpose flashlight

[aquila]

I´m thinking of buying one of these flashlight. Which one should I get? Is there any strong/weak sides in the lights I should take into consideration? Is there any other 2AA light that you would recommend?


Ultrafire WF-606A
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14909

Ultrafire C3 Q5
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.10727

 

[Ecolang]

If you like 2AA lights - which I do not, I'd go for the 606A. It is far better made than the C3 - those tend to be "user involving".

That said, I have 5 C3s and one old 606A. So old it has a Luxeon 3 emitter in it. You can also run it on CR2 cells where it is a bit brighter than it is with 2AAs but primary CR2 cells are not cheap and rechargeable ones harder to find. Most of the C3s have had to be persuaded to work at one time or another. The older XR-E P4 models could be overdriven to a ridiculous extent by using a 14500 in them and are brighter than most other AA lights.

 

[rekd0514]

The Romisen RC-N3 II from shiningbeam is a better choice honestly with the updated R4 driver. It gets to you a lot faster if you are in the US and has better customer service. The price isn't much higher either. Many people recommend these if you look in recent threads even.

I think CPFuser is a discount code for there as well.

 

[Navin_R_Johnson]

I've got an Ultrafire C3 and it is not well made at all. I got it working for a while, but it was flakey and doesn't have any water resistance at all. Mine was a single mode, and that driver is very good. I moved it to my Romisen RC-I3. I gave a 2nd one (same 5 mode Q5 you are looking at) to my brother. It seems slightly better build quality, but the driver didn't seem near as efficient. I wouldn't buy any version of the C3 again.

My Romisen RC-I3 (2XAA light also) is well made, but has weak anodizing. The scratches really show on the black. I've got a Romisen RC-G2 (1 X AA) in the gray color and think that finish holds up much better. Based on the 3 Romisen's I have, the upgraded version of the RC-N3 mentioned by the other poster would be worth looking into.

 

[qwertyydude]

I had a stainless c3 it was nice but I think a common problem with these lights tends to be poor grounding of the pill or regulator to the flashlight body. And also sometimes switch problems. There are better lights to be had especially if you don't want to do the pretty much standard initial teardown and rebuild/tinkering with these lights.

 

[joe1512]

I agree that a Romisen is the way to go. About 20 bucks, but you dont have to wait a month for the light to arrive and you have useful customer support.

Plus having an XP-G emitter is a pretty big deal for efficiency and brightness.

A good flood to throw choice is the following:
http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-180/**NEW**-Romisen-RC-dsh-29-II/Detail
Being able to focus is really cool as you dont have a glaring hotspot for close up work and can focus all your lumens for maximum throw as needed.

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-211/Romisen-RC-dsh-N3-CREE-R4/Detail
Heres teh 2xAA XP-G light. Can also be used with a single CR123 if you want to use it in Compact Mode. Its a nice option to have.

 

[aquila]

Ok i will look at the Romisens.
Is there any difference between these two lights except that the first one has two modes?

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-214/Romisen-RC-dsh-N3-II-CREE/Detail


http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-212/Romisen-RC-dsh-N3-CREE-R4/Detail

 

[rekd0514]

Correct, the one has 2 modes for longer run time.

 

[Ian2381]

Get the New Fenix E21 from 4sevens, for the price below $35 (after CPF discount). You'll get a really reliable light. Despite owning several flashlights from budget to quality ones, I'm still thinking of getting this light, also available in neutral.:thumbsup: