Ultrafire 1 watt AAA Review

[Brento]

opps sorry i wasn't too sure if you were buying it through the auction or off ebay to get that price since i couldn't find it on ebay.

thanks.

-brento

 

[peter munn]

I got the AA Ultrafire today and while it is brighter and than the AAA and it will certainly run for longer than the AAA I still prefer the AAA as it is very small and hangs nicely with car keys. An AA light is really not a key ring light. Someone mentioned that the anodising will not last like that on the ARC and that is visible already but I've ordered three more so I'll always have a few mint ones as well as the beat up one on my car keys. It is extremely well finished and has really stylish lines unlike most Chinese knock offs that you see.

I've ordered the 3.7 volt lithiums and charger and I'm also going to try the AAA Energizer lithiums - more for fun than anything else as while I use this light heaps (say connecting up some audio leads or like today trying to spot the timing mark on an old engine) I can't imagine using it for thirty minutes at once and the alkaline AAAs are real cheap so I'll just change them regularly. Does anyonje know how well Energizer E2s do under such a heavy load - the mAh rating of batteries is nealry always at the 10 hour discharge rate not 30 minutes or an hour.

Be intersting to see if to it turns out to be reliable after a few months of being bashed around.

 

[chanamasala]

I got mine today too. It was smaller than expected and I am quite happy with it. I put a 1.5v Lithium in it and it's quite bright but yes, less so than the UF AA. I don't know if it has been mentioned but you can shape the beam a bit with the the upper portion of the twisty part. The lower portion of the twisty part turns it on/off. She's on my keychain. I'm hopefully going to get one of the SMJLED replacements(when they come out) for a M*g Solitaire and then compare the two.

I also think this is a genuine Luxeon.

 

[vcal]

The one real weakness of this light turns out to be it's up-converter.
I cannot get this light to activate on any AAA cell that has less than 1 volt (open circuit). :thumbsdown:

The very same 1 volt cell EASILY operated both my Micro-illuminator AND my Lambda Pocket illuminator!

-IMO this otherwise nice little light could really benefit from a MillerMods modification.

 

[peter munn]

It really doesn't bother me that it won't operate on less than 1 volt - I will change the battery on or before 30 minutes run time which is when the output starts to drop off badly. Have you measured run tim on an E2 lithium?

 

[voodoogreg]

Is there a non E-bay source for these yet at a similar price? VDG

 

[VidPro]

I got that single AA ultrafire thing, because i was to cheap to buy a good fenix of the same type.
and i am happy happy happy.

i ran some tests on it, and here is what i found out.
its designed for Alkalines, 1.5v and down type.
as the voltage drops so to does the output, as the voltage raises so to does the output.
you would never want to put a 4V li-ion in the SINGLE AA, because the led would not last for long.
with a alkaline it runs at (about) 1w and the heat is reasonable.
with a Lithium primary Cell even after much use (1.7v), it runs at (about) 1.5W and Heats up over time.

also being sorta self regulated, when the battery is low, it will be going slow , instead of leaving you in the dark.

so that works out pretty good, i can run an alkie or a ni-mhy in it , and it will run for a long time, kinda normally, or i can put a lithium in it, and use it intermittantally for a hot light.

if you want me to get more extensive in the volt input vrses drive current i could, because its just rough data, for my own uses. but it works for me.

i would have mentioned it before, but can you say Ultrafire on this forum
beware cheapskate crossing up ahead.

 

[cloud]

Just to say a quick:wave: to all you CPF folks.

been lurking around for a few weeks now... and took the plunge n registered this is my first post.

I stumbled accross this site by chance looking for reviews and replacement/s for my ageing M.Maglite. Wow so many knowledgeable people here on this forum and information overload!!..
Anyway's the flashlight bug has bitten big time, with recent fenix & Peak buys from supporting dealers here on CPF... a big thanks .. with good prices I might add, as coming from good O'l ripoff England UK... my wallets already lookin a bit flat!.

Ive just bought another.. the Ultrafire AAA from 'fleabuy' prompted by positive comments from the main poster & members in this thread...paid around $20 shipped which is'nt bad i feel... looking forward to posting some results if it will help anyone, but nothing too heavy as I dont have a lightmeter or specialized equipment.. should be here in about a week or so I hope.

my background is in EE and electrics.. so there maybe a little moddin in my spare time .. hehe

take care out there

 

[peter munn]

I got three more AAA Surefires today as well as their rechargeable pack which includes two 3.7 volt 500mA lithium AAA rechargeables and a universal charger. I ran the AAA surefire from full charge to flat. The output on my light meter was over double that using an Energizer alkaline AAA. It is stunning. The level was pretty constant for 20 minutes then dropped really really fast. The light got quite hot but not too hot to hold and caused no damage. It would make a nice hand warmer on a cold night outside! The charger and battery are branded Surefire and are made to work with this flashlight.

I doubt that you will ever see a brighter AAA size flashlight - It is very impressive. I think I'll keep one of these lithium batteries in this light on my keyring even though it only has 20 minutes life. I'll keep a few spare Alkaline AAAs in the car as backup fuel but honestly while I use my keyring flashlight regularly it's only for very short bursts - probably a minute or two at a time. The longest I have ever used the Arc AAA this has replaced, was lighting the path back to the car for our family one night in the country after a fireworks display - might have been on for five minutes max. Highly recommended.

 

[vcal]

@peter munn
Where did you order the 500mAh :huh: AAA Li-Ion cells from??
TIA

 

[peter munn]

This guy has the AAA Ultrafire for 10.50 pounds (less than US$19) including postage anywhere in the world from Hong Kong and he accepts PayPal

hkequipment [[email protected]] he is also on Ebay

He has the lithium battery kits (includes 2 x 3.7 volt AAA lithium batteries and universal charger for 9.50 pounds that's about US$17.50) The batteries and charger are branded Ultrafire.

He packs stuff well, ships daily and it arrives in less than a week.

 

[mcmc]

peter: i believe the rechargeables he sells (you meant ultrafire, not surefire, right?) are unregulated, which means that running them to flat might be dangerous. unless the light cuts off the battery automatically, before it drops below the minimum voltage level (1v?). perhaps someone else can chime in here w/ confirmation?

thanks for the info though.

 

[Randy Shackleford]

peter: i believe the rechargeables he sells (you meant ultrafire, not surefire, right?) are unregulated, which means that running them to flat might be dangerous. unless the light cuts off the battery automatically, before it drops below the minimum voltage level (1v?). perhaps someone else can chime in here w/ confirmation?

thanks for the info though.

My thoughts exactly. There is a definite issue using unprotected ~3.7 li-ion cells in a 1.5V nominal light.

 

[vcal]

peter: i believe the rechargeables he sells (you meant ultrafire, not surefire, right?) are unregulated, which means that running them to flat might be dangerous. unless the light cuts off the battery automatically, before it drops below the minimum voltage level (1v?). perhaps someone else can chime in here w/ confirmation?

If the circuit cuts off operation at 1 volt, you will certainly soon have a 3.7 v Li-lon with very little service life left in it. It won't explode, but it probably won't take anymore charges either..... :green:

 

[peter munn]

If the manufacturer of the flashlight sells these batteries and charger with their brand on them I presume that they will work fine. I agree that taking a 3.7 volt battery down to 1 volt is pretty brutal but it won't actually go that low in my normal use. I can't see anything dangerous about this just a bit rough on the lithium cells.

 

[shao.fu.tzer]

$17 shipped on EBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/UltraFire-1W-AA...yZ106987QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Shao

 

[RonM]

Ordered one from the link above.

Just curious. The L0P claims 1.6hrs with 1hr at peak brightness. The UltraFire is only .5hrs at peak, per the review at beginning of thread. That's quite a difference. Does the L0P really do 1hr???

 

[nerdgineer]

...Does the L0P really do 1hr???...

Depends on how you measure. QB's review says not quite. He doesn't have a lithium battery curve in there and so it might stay above 50% for an hour with an AAA lithium (Eveready E92 type, not Li-ion), but I'm not sure.

 

[NIGHTGUY]

If anyone who is experienced in organizing a GB is willing to approach the seller(s) for a GroupBuy (reduced price and possibly save on the shipping as well), I am in for a couple.

 

[onthebeam]

$17 shipped on EBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/UltraFire-1W-AA...yZ106987QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Shao

Bummer. Now it's back up to $20 shipped.