Rofis TR51 (XM-L U2, 2x18650/4xCR123A) Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO and more!

[RWeis]

I am concerned about the ID of the battery holders. In one part of the thread it is stated in a list that the battery compartment tube ID is 18.5mm. I searched for the NCR18650B and find the OD as 18.4 +-0.3. Do you think the battery compartment tubes could be bored out by 0.2mm without damageing the light?

I know the Fenix 35 u2 has a battery carrier and that is not preferable, but could it probably take the larger 18650B cell.

I found the standard 18650 cell size to be 18mm x 65mm and the larger capacity cells are longer and larger diameter than 18mm x 65mm.

If the battery compartment could not be easily enlarged (bottom plate removed, does that give you full access to the battery compartment so you could enlarge the bore diameter) then that could be a restriction of the larger cells now and even larger designs in the future.

Bob Weis

 

[selfbuilt]

I am concerned about the ID of the battery holders. In one part of the thread it is stated in a list that the battery compartment tube ID is 18.5mm. I searched for the NCR18650B and find the OD as 18.4 +-0.3. Do you think the battery compartment tubes could be bored out by 0.2mm without damageing the light?

Not sure how much leeway you would have to bore out the tubes further yourself. Removing the bottom plate should facilitate this, but it is a gamble.

BTW, I haven't seen any specific ID measures for the battery wells on this light. Based on my one sample, I would say it is a little larger than 18.5mm (i.e. my 4GREER cells fit - snuggly - and I know they exceed 18.6mm at their widest points). But the fact remains that my sample is too narrow for some higher capacity cells. It is possible that Rofis may have improved on this - I would confirm with a dealer before ordering the light, if you plan to use wider cells.

 

[RWeis]

Well, looking for 18650 physical data I ran across this link:
http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/Common18650Summary%20UK.html

That and along with other comments:
BTW, I haven't seen any specific ID measures for the battery wells on this light. Based on my one sample, I would say it is a little larger than 18.5mm (i.e. my 4GREER cells fit - snuggly - and I know they exceed 18.6mm at their widest points). A micrometer or calipers are good measurement tools for the diameter.

You have to make your own ruler on the cell diameter part. Then go to the 4GREER cell and mark your ruler, and almost anything less in diameter than that should fit. I think the review was done with AW cells. If you go to the AW cells you see they are significantly smaller in diameter than most cells and should fit just fine.

Also on the link page is a discussion of HOW the protected cell is structured and what are the components. You can see what adds to the basic diameter of a cell by having the protected components integrated.

Anyway, I thought it might help add information to the availability of which cells should work in a Rofis TR51.

Bob Weis

 

[RWeis]

I emailed Rofis and asked them the size of the battery tubes and what cells they recommend to fit into them that are protected and 18650, 18650A, 18650B size. Should be interesting to see what they reply.

Bob Weis

 

[RWeis]

Answer from Rofis on battery tube inside diameter:

"This is Joyce from Rofis, thanks very much for your interest in Rofis TR51,this light is loved by many people, and we test the inside diameter of the tube is 18.8mm, so as long as the 18650 diameter less than 18.8mm, and the length is less than 70mm, it will be used on Rofis TR51."

From that and the comment about the 4GEER (18.6 mm) being snug, I would think any 18650 that is 18.6 or less should fit just fine. 1 mm = .039" and 2 mm = .079" (a "tad" to spare (snug)).

I am going with 18.6 mm being maximum 18650 diameter.

Just as an aside, when I get my TR51 I am going to highly polish the inner bore of the battery tubes to be sure there are no burrs or rough surfaces that would impede an 18.6 mm diameter 18650.

Bob Weis

 

[RWeis]

Purchases a TR51, XTAR SP2, [email protected] Orbtronic 3400mAh 18650, will let you know how the batteres fit.

Bob Weis

 

[RWeis]

All the pieces finally came.

First off the OrbTronic 3400 mAh protected 18650 (18650B's) fit perfectly. Slid right in, no slop, no rattle. Length was fine also. They came charged to 3.6 v and I did not top them off, just thought I would run them down to the low voltage warning and then recharge them.

The batteries came with a storage box.

The light was package as described. Functioned as described perfectly. I walk the dog to a large field, then turn him loose to run where ever as I walk around the perimeter of the field. The medium power setting gives a really clear light on your path out to about 10 feet. On the street the low power setting is perfect for showing you and the dog when cars come by. The high setting is good for tracking the dog in the field, The turbo mode was overkill in tracking the dog as the field is only about 200' on a side. Did use turbo to spot an owl about 100 + yards in a pine tree.

The light fits your hand really well. I imagined the light was going to be bulkier, but it fits you hand really well. The tail cap click switch is easy to use with your middle finger. The lanyard attaches securly and is a comfort to know you are not going to drop the light.

All in all, great light, very pleased I picked this light, very functional, very compact, very easy to handle one handed.

Bob Weis

 

[selfbuilt]

First off the OrbTronic 3400 mAh protected 18650 (18650B's) fit perfectly. Slid right in, no slop, no rattle. Length was fine also. They came charged to 3.6 v and I did not top them off, just thought I would run them down to the low voltage warning and then recharge them

Glad the light met your expectations. I agree, Turbo is generally overkill for most situations with these lights - Med and Hi do fine for most situations.

In terms of the batteries, there's no reason to let them run down that far. It's better in fact to keep them regularly topped up.

Enjoy the light.

 

[RWeis]

I need some help.
I charged my 18650 today in the xtar SP2 until both were green, Measured the voltage at 8.28 with the cells in the TR51 tubes and the click switch clicked. So far fine. Turned off the click switch and screwed on the head. clicked the switch and NOTHING. I heard the tab engage the slot in the cell handle and hold as the head was tightened down. Zero output.

Ideas?

Bob Weis

 

[selfbuilt]

I charged my 18650 today in the xtar SP2 until both were green, Measured the voltage at 8.28 with the cells in the TR51 tubes and the click switch clicked. So far fine. Turned off the click switch and screwed on the head. clicked the switch and NOTHING. I heard the tab engage the slot in the cell handle and hold as the head was tightened down. Zero output.

Hmm, first step is to rule out the tail switch. Since you have a DMM, you could try measuring the connectivity/resistance of the switch before and after clicking (it should change). Just insert the probes down the battery wells and see if anything changes with clicking.

But easiest is just to align the cells against the head in the proper orientation (i.e., paying attention to how the polarity normally lines up when the board locks in place), and then connect the exposed ends of the cells with a piece of copper wire (or something conductive). The light should come on immediately (i.e., you are bypassing the switch this way, and directly connecting the cells to the head).

The above will help you sort out if the issue is in the tailcap or the head.

 

[RWeis]

I had inquired about the 18650's and I think I got a response of detail instead of practicality. What was happening was the tab was not engaging the slot on the side before it was blocked by the batteries. I think they are going to have to figure out something else long term. I did not want to trust it over the long term and I returned it for refund.

I decided to get the M3C4 instead as it has a more stable long term proven battery system and it met the other requirements of several lumen levels, hidden strobe, 2x 18650, a mechanically stable powering system, and I am going to put the tail cap switch on it i.e. instant power level.

I took a really good look at what would "fix" the TR51 and I think if the head contact plate had a METAL tab that engaged the alignment slot BEFORE the head started screwing down to the battery power system that would do it, but I did not want to engineer it and risk voiding warrantee.

I do want to highlite a really supportive supplier, SBFlashlights. The price for the Rofis TR51 was very fair, when the problem with the head / power contacting the batteries properly came up they were very supportive and I returned the Rofis, got full credit, and they are going to assist with obtaining a yet to be released version of the M3C4 XM-L2 U2 when it comes out. I could not ask for better support from a vendor, and am going back to them for the M3C4 XM-L2 U2 when it arrives in the supply chain for sale, that is how confident of a fair price and good customer support I am.

Bob Weis