infection0
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2006
- Messages
- 169
I don't have any testing equipment, nor do I have a camera capable of taking decent beamshots, but I received my 602A1 yesterday from Fifthunit.
http://contents.fifthunit.com/html/products.5th/sku.927.html
The only other flashlight I have purchased is the 8LED Xnova from Dae, which sucked. For some reason it was very dim, not like my first Xnova, which I would always use as a candle. First Xnova was stolen.
Anyway, my WF-602A1 arrived in skimpy packaging, just a bubble mailer. I wondered if it was ok, but of course it was. The whole thing was very dry, and I didn't have any lubricant anywhere. So I thought, what the hell, I'll use some Vaseline for the time being. Not like I can get decent lube at college anyway. So I lubed it, and turned it on.
The clicky was stiffer than I would have liked, and it protruded so that it couldn't do tailstands, which is a very big shame. I held it up pointed toward the celing and it lit up the entire room well enough to read stuff. Eventually I just left the clicky on and used it like a twisty (it's also very stiff twisting, so both ways it is a two-handed operation)
For indoor use, the beam had too tight of a hotspot, and the sidespill was quite wide and even, but a bit too diffused. But it was much brighter than my Xnova. Output could be compared to a 2D Incandescent light that is found in the dollar store. I hear around here that initial output is very similar to a L1P. To tell the truth I was disappointed at the power of output, as I wanted something really really powerful. Which is why I need a P1 when I'm richer.
Outdoor use was a bit of a hassle too. Hotspot was too tight for close range (few steps in front of you) but the sidespill took care of that. For medium range (few meters) the sidespill became nearly useless and the hotspot was all you could see. The hotspot was still tight at medium range as to force me to wave the light around to see my complete path. At far range the hotspot was wider, but was a little dim. Ambient light drowned out a lot of my light. It is way better than my Xnova for a run, but it's still a little too dim for comfort. Overall output was amazing for a 1XAA light, it just doesn't stand out compared to larger lights.
Overall, besides the scratchy sound of dry threads, build quality was good. Tailcap felt more sturdy than I expected it to be, but was hard to click. There's a feeling of heft to it. Included is a good wristband that might be a little big (falls off easily). I put tape around some of it so to reduce the width. I feel the Ultrafire logo should be made more vibrantly colored. Currently it is a dull, yellowish gray. It should be completely white, it would look better. Overall the light looks very cool and feels very cool.
And now the main event:
Runtime was very decent for an hour, then dropped off rapidly. Light ran very warm, almost hot, at times. I cursed it for being so inefficient and wasting energy as heat. I clicked it off and back on, and it worked. So I came back in half an hour, runtime is now 1:30. I clicked it off, and back on repeatedly, and it didn't work. I had a bad feeling that my light had that stupid 1.2V limit. Then I click it on again, and wait two seconds. The light turned on dimly. YES!! I repeated this procedure, and the light took one or two seconds to light up on low batteries. The light was so dim, but the strong hotspot still worked decently. The sidespill was nonexistent. Content that it would light up when the batteries sucked, I went to sleep. In the morning I turned it on again and it was bright. I had a WTF moment... don't know how to explain that.
Anyway good value for the money, you can do better for $10 more, but good budget light, blahblah.
http://contents.fifthunit.com/html/products.5th/sku.927.html
The only other flashlight I have purchased is the 8LED Xnova from Dae, which sucked. For some reason it was very dim, not like my first Xnova, which I would always use as a candle. First Xnova was stolen.
Anyway, my WF-602A1 arrived in skimpy packaging, just a bubble mailer. I wondered if it was ok, but of course it was. The whole thing was very dry, and I didn't have any lubricant anywhere. So I thought, what the hell, I'll use some Vaseline for the time being. Not like I can get decent lube at college anyway. So I lubed it, and turned it on.
The clicky was stiffer than I would have liked, and it protruded so that it couldn't do tailstands, which is a very big shame. I held it up pointed toward the celing and it lit up the entire room well enough to read stuff. Eventually I just left the clicky on and used it like a twisty (it's also very stiff twisting, so both ways it is a two-handed operation)
For indoor use, the beam had too tight of a hotspot, and the sidespill was quite wide and even, but a bit too diffused. But it was much brighter than my Xnova. Output could be compared to a 2D Incandescent light that is found in the dollar store. I hear around here that initial output is very similar to a L1P. To tell the truth I was disappointed at the power of output, as I wanted something really really powerful. Which is why I need a P1 when I'm richer.
Outdoor use was a bit of a hassle too. Hotspot was too tight for close range (few steps in front of you) but the sidespill took care of that. For medium range (few meters) the sidespill became nearly useless and the hotspot was all you could see. The hotspot was still tight at medium range as to force me to wave the light around to see my complete path. At far range the hotspot was wider, but was a little dim. Ambient light drowned out a lot of my light. It is way better than my Xnova for a run, but it's still a little too dim for comfort. Overall output was amazing for a 1XAA light, it just doesn't stand out compared to larger lights.
Overall, besides the scratchy sound of dry threads, build quality was good. Tailcap felt more sturdy than I expected it to be, but was hard to click. There's a feeling of heft to it. Included is a good wristband that might be a little big (falls off easily). I put tape around some of it so to reduce the width. I feel the Ultrafire logo should be made more vibrantly colored. Currently it is a dull, yellowish gray. It should be completely white, it would look better. Overall the light looks very cool and feels very cool.
And now the main event:
Runtime was very decent for an hour, then dropped off rapidly. Light ran very warm, almost hot, at times. I cursed it for being so inefficient and wasting energy as heat. I clicked it off and back on, and it worked. So I came back in half an hour, runtime is now 1:30. I clicked it off, and back on repeatedly, and it didn't work. I had a bad feeling that my light had that stupid 1.2V limit. Then I click it on again, and wait two seconds. The light turned on dimly. YES!! I repeated this procedure, and the light took one or two seconds to light up on low batteries. The light was so dim, but the strong hotspot still worked decently. The sidespill was nonexistent. Content that it would light up when the batteries sucked, I went to sleep. In the morning I turned it on again and it was bright. I had a WTF moment... don't know how to explain that.
Anyway good value for the money, you can do better for $10 more, but good budget light, blahblah.
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