Your View On Ultrafire

[Albinoni]

I am looking into adding a Ultrafire R1 Rebel with OP reflector to my collection in the near future and would like your honest view and opinion on Ultrafire LED torches plus more important the R1 Rebel LED torch.

I know on this forum in regards to Chinese made lights Fenix would probably the most popular and most talked about, but would you say that Ultrafire is also a good quality torch and up there with the rest eg Fenix and JetBeam etc.

Would you reccomend Ultrafire and also how good are their build quality for a Chinese made torch.

Also I know the R1 originally came with a Smooth reflector and was later upgraded with the OP reflector.

 

[nerdgineer]

Tastes in quality vary, but I'll give it a try. Look and feel when you get one is close to Fenix which, in my book, is pretty good. I clean and grease threads on all my lights, so it makes little difference to me, but the UFs do need it once in a while. I've never had a problem with their clicky switches.

I've only encountered problems in two areas. Some models had too tight tolerances. That is, when I had screwed in the retaining rings in the head and tail (I do that too), the slight increase in space made the contact with the end of the body iffy because the fitting was so close, the body wouldn't screw into the head/tail any further. It was easily fixed by grinding down the lip of the head or tail so it would screw in further, but there you are. Some people like a hairline seam, I like a little space to make sure there's a good electrical contact inside.

Some early UFs (mod 602 I think) had a low voltage start up issue. They would run the battery down OK but wouldn't restart if you turned it off when they got below (?) 1.1 V or so. My understanding is that this has been corrected in current models.

Where they can't touch Fenix, AFAIK, is in battery efficiency where Fenix beats them (and pretty much everyone else except some that cost more than F) by from 30% to 50%. YMMV on that one.

They do have a couple of home runs in their designs. The $20 stainless steel C3 appears to be a very nice light for the price (smooth threads, high output, etc.) if you don't mind the weight.

So I like them, but you do get something tangible for the extra $ Fenix charges. Whether it's worth it is up to you. Enjoy...

 

[Marduke]

I am looking into adding a Ultrafire R1 Rebel with OP reflector to my collection in the near future and would like your honest view and opinion on Ultrafire LED torches plus more important the R1 Rebel LED torch.

I know on this forum in regards to Chinese made lights Fenix would probably the most popular and most talked about, but would you say that Ultrafire is also a good quality torch and up there with the rest eg Fenix and JetBeam etc.

Would you reccomend Ultrafire and also how good are their build quality for a Chinese made torch.

Also I know the R1 originally came with a Smooth reflector and was later upgraded with the OP reflector.

 

[Wolf359]

i have half dozen ultrafire 501b's that i use as hosts for older P60 modules none of them have an outstanding finsh but all are good never had any crossed threads or broken switchs but did need silicon grease on the treads. i also have 4 utlrafire C3 with extension tubes and 2 stainless steel ultrafire c3's, the regular c3's all have a good finish no cross threads or swarf in the threads O rings are good but all needed silicon grease as the threads where dry. the stainless steel C3's the finish was excellent no scratches or marks of any kind again the treads where dry so needed an silicon grease.

over all i am very please with the ultrafire lights only issue i have has is dry threads.

 

[Lee1959]

Now, I am NOT saying they are the equal of Fenix quality wise, however, I have had a C3 Cree for probably 6 months? Since they first came out anyway, hard to remember just how long. The anodizing is pretty much worn off about a third of the light, but it still works great.

Conversely, I had L2T and L1S Fenix lights and they both lasted about 3 months before the switches and the interface went bad. They still looked nice but I gave them to my nephews to play with.

All 3 lights were carried in pretty much the same manner for the same uses. So in my particular case, with 3 lights that are basically the same, meaning rear clicky one or two celled AA lights, the Ultrafire has performed better.

Of course this may be an aberation, but it is my experience. I would buy the cheaper Ultrafire myself given my experience. Now the next one might fail, who knows.

 

[Wolf359]

i thought about getting the Ultrafire R1 Rebel from DX but decided against it as i really do hate the strobe/sos that alot of lights have and lack of any memory sealed the deal. dam shame i really like the looks of the light.

 

[swxb12]

They have some nice torches. Prices are really low, so I expect QC to be lower than Fenix. But then again look at Romisen. How do they do it? Good price and great finish, sometimes comparable to Fenix. Hm.

 

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

I don't have any Ultrafire lights yet, but do have 16340 and 17670 UF Li-Ions.

I do have two Romisen and 3 Saik (also made by Romisen) and all have been well worth what they cost.

I have an MTE Q5 5-mode that looks very nice, works well and has an EXCELLENT beam. It isn't terribly bright, but not TOO bad.

NONE of them hold a candle to L1D or P2D Q5 Fenix.......

 

[Gunner12]

Ultrafire seems to have variable quality depending on the model and time of production.

But overall, the seem to be a decent brand.

 

[warlord]

I wish I had an opinion about ultrafire but I'm still waiting on my Ultrafire Cree WF-602D HA-III. I've had opportunities to examine Surefire, Fenix, and Romisen which make quality lights; even at the prices Romisen charges

Anyway I don't imagine I'll be particularly impressed with Ultrafire just based on thier reviews. I've been seeing that a lot of reviews mention scratching of the anodizing or mis-aligned leds. Still, I can wait to pass final judgement until I can get my hands on one

 

[matrixshaman]

I've got quite a few and some early UF were not too good but the Rebel EMR1 and FMR1 seem very good quality and nice looking. The tail switch version is a bit hard to press with the smooth sided light but I have been thrilled with the brightness and function. There still seems to be controversy over whether it's okay to use RCR123's in them but I've used them and haven't fried anything yet. Primaries yield a lot lower brightness on this light. This model is a keeper for me....

 

[glenda17]

I have an UF WF-602D and it is of excellent construction

 

[TooSharp]

Recieved a UF C2 HAIII this week and was pleastly surprised. Everything was very well finished. It even had the new clear domed cree in it. Only down side I was was the switch, I took it apart and it wasn't near the quality of fenix or other lights, but it worked fine. The head was also potted, which was a bit trying since I bought the light to mod. I think UF has some good and bad lights, read the reviews. Can't beat the price for a beater light.

 

[stitch_paradox]

I received an Ultrafire FMR1 rebel last year from the CPF gift giving (thanks to those people). I gave it to my budding flashaholic brother and he likes it so much. I was able to play with it for a few minutes before I gave it away. It's a really nice flashlight, not in par with fenix, but good none the less. The switch is the best switch I have ever handled, switching modes is a breeze. There are only two negative side that I can say about this light, the styling (green and protruding end cap) and its not regulated.

 

[Crenshaw]

i would say ultrafire is one heck of a lottery. Sometimes you get a good one, othertimes not so much. They make great give aways though, but no way theyll displace my NDI.

on the other hand, the UFltrafire SS C3 is a fantastically built light, threads as good as ive seen on any light.And the regular AA C3 is IMHO the best bang for buck light ever.

Crenshaw

 

[RainerWahnsinn]

I own the FMR1 and can say its a nice torch for the buck. Rebel colour is more yellow than white and I like it. I dont like the stile of the endcap because its to sharp to carry in my pocket. The machinig is well done. It is the lowest class of lights I own and stays in shelf.

Good light to give away as a Gift to an non flashaholic to bring him on the way.

On the other side there is my SS C3 and that is outstanding nice and very well made. It feels and looks like a really expensive light. I changed the circuit and the Led and love it. I have two more on the way as a gift for good friends.

(Again, I know my English is bad, but where else should I go to meet so many nice people having the same Hobby.)

Rainer

 

[moses]

QC is suspect. I did get to pick a C2 out of five units - the brightness was all over the map and I picked the brightest . However, it is still not as bright as my selected Fenix P2D in total output although it throws further.

Price is cheap though.

The funny thing is that the owners of Ultrafire claims that one of the biggest vendor from Hong Kong is selling fake Ultrafires. So now even lower cost lights are being knocked off.

PTL

 

[LightWalker]

As Moses said QC is suspect. I have purchased five C3's and had to exchange one and one has a dark GREEN hotspot.

I have one original P4, one Q5 and two Stainless Steel. The Q5 is the brightest on a 14500 3.6V battery mostly because it has a different driver.

What I like about the aluminum C3 is that it is small and light and inexpensive. Just try not to drop it too much.

I think Ultrafire lights are good for loaning out so you don't have to loan out the better, more expensive lights.


I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John 8:11-13 Jesus Christ

 

[freedom2000]

I have a C3 with 2AA extension and a Cree P4 inside.

It's a very good flashlight for the price. See it tested here : http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=192893

 

[Pepper]

I bought the C-3 and (for reasons unknown) put 2 li-ions in it for 5 seconds, and it flickered ever since. I tried to fix it but it ended up in my dead flashlight bag. I bought the C-2 and it has worked for over a year. I think it is worth the risk, but if you buy enough of them some will not work.