My first Utrafire (WF-602D1) my impression...(56k)

[warlord]

I bought a WF-602D1 which I got instead of the RC-C3. I figured they're the same with one just having a better HAIII finish. Hard to say since I don't own both.

the good:

• Bright light with good color
• small size
• handy clip -not removable (at least for me)
  

the bad:

• Off-centered LED
• Anodizing mis-match
• Ultrafire logo not filled white (but CREE was)
• Spring too long -making a noticable difference in twist action with and without a battery.

I took out the pill and looked a the led, driver, etc. When I put it back together the LED was centered :thinking: What an easy fix, I didn't even have to take out my soldering iron!

Anodizing mismatch (can't do anything about this )

There's also the issue of the UF logo not being filled. It's laser etched and supposed to be filled white with ???. Anyway the logo was there but only visible at extreme angles. To corect this I just too a Sharpie and filled the whole area. Then I wiped it with a napkin followed by isopropyl soaked cotton swabs. The results:

Don't ask me what the white stuff is because I did the exact same thing to the CREE logo which was filled white and the results turned out fine:

Now, the twist action was fine without a cell but once I put one in I had to: first force the two halve together to get the threads to even engage; then tighten down the top which was noticably harder to turn due to the spring pressure...

So I fished the spring out with a ball point pen and shortened the travel by forcing it back through itself, if you understand what I mean.oo: The resulting travel:

Maybe 2mm now. So the flashlight is easier to put together and the action is equally smooth with or without a battery.:twothumbs:

So overall I'd say this is a good, not great flashlight. I don't think I should have to fix so many issues before I get to enjoy my new toy...I mean tool.:naughty: Anyway after the fixes I'm happy with the flashlight and I'll be testing it out as my ECD. My first real EDC that isn't attached to my keyring.

If anyone has had any issues with this flashlight or the similar RC-C3 please post up!

Thanks for looking!

 

[kramer5150]

Nice...
So, it sounds like the spring coils bottom out before the threads can fully engage?

Do you think a ~2mm shorter unprotected or primary cell would fare better?

I wonder what happens when/if the HA wears through? Will it stay ON if that happens?... or is it like a 6P where the threads are not part of the electrical conduction path?

**edit** Never mind this last question. I can see from the pic that the body tube contacts the ground "ring" on the inside of the head.

 

[warlord]

Nice...
So, it sounds like the spring coils bottom out before the threads can fully engage?

Do you think a ~2mm shorter unprotected or primary cell would fare better?

No, the spring coils are so long that the battery keeps threads from the body and head from easily engaging. Unless you force the parts together and screw and the same time. This tension also caused the twist action to be much stiffer. My solution was to shorten the spring which solved both problems and still keeps the battery from rattling.

An unprotected cell might not have the same issue but I doubt it. The spring is pretty long/stiff.

 

[kramer5150]

OK thanks...

Curious is it really a 2-mode light? Like one of the DX reviewers commented? Some mixed reviews/reports... some say its 2 mode others say its only 1.

 

[warlord]

nope, only single mode. When I put the spring back in incorrectly it did a two mode thing but that was only due to it having a poor connection. And the dim light was unusable.

More modes would be nice for this light since it's runtime is only about 35min. I picked up a 16 mode driver (the 5 mode was out ) so that I can increase the runtime/ functionality. I'll probably post an update when it gets in