Very impressed with Ultrafire C1

I got this light a couple of days ago. There are a couple versions of the C1 so for the record, it is this one (with out the strike bezel):

My first thoughts were not very good. The clip is flimsy, and the anodizing is very thin. I knocked it of a desk and it hit a foot stool before hitting the floor. It ended up with quite a bit of the finish coming off in one spot.

I would definataley say it is not 230 lumens. On two 16340 it is brighter than my E1B on high but not as bright as my G3 with a P91. I would guesstamate between 120 and 150 lumen.

Tonight I used it working on my truck. I clipped it to the bill of my hat and it actually stayed pretty well. I had it running for about an hour before the batteries gave out. I put new batteries in it and had it going for maybe another 30 minutes. It was about 45 deg f.

Every few minutes I felt the head of the flashlight. A couple of times I also felt the glass and body. At no time did it even feel warm to the touch. I don't know if this had anything to do with the outside temperatures or not.

I know most people don't like DX becasue of slow shipping but it is free. I would definataley say that $18.21 and two to three weeks shipping is worth it for this light. If nothing else you can use it for a loaner light. People will think you are trusting them with a premium lite because it looks like all your others but when they lose it, it was less than $20!



Edit: Something I learned is that Surefire brand lamps don't fit snugly. The base is to small and it falls into the battery tube. It will work with batteries in it but I don't know how reliable the connections will be. I have no other P60 style lamps to test it with at this time.

Yes... I bought this same light from DX myself and it's a decent light. I consider mine my "beater light" where I don't care what the heck happens to it. I guess we all need one of those. But honestly, you spend $19 for this when for $6 more ($6 bucks is what, a burger & fries that you discard tomorrow morning?) you can have a Solarforce L2 or L2m; lights which are in an entirely higher class of quality in fit and finish.

I don't mean to downplay the C1 because it is a decent light for a very modest price. I just want to add the perspective of spending a few dollars more. I use my C1 for situations where I simply don't want to worry about what might happen to the light. I also bought L2's for the same purpose, but the weird thing is that the L2 and L2m are so beautiful and well designed (every part of them is perfectly interchangeable with Surefire 6P compatible parts) that even for the mere $25, I don't want to do anything to harm the Solarforce! :devil:

I have the MCE version of this light, it comes in handy and I believe this host is of better construction than most. I like the flooody beam, although the new MCE P60 dropin from DX is brighter.

DHart said:

I consider mine my "beater light" where I don't care what the heck happens to it. I guess we all need one of those. But honestly, you spend $19 for this when for $6 more ($6 bucks is what, a burger & fries that you discard tomorrow morning?) you can have a Solarforce L2 or L2m; lights which are in an entirely higher class of quality in fit and finish.

:devil:

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That is exactly what mine is. I almost lost my E1B at work, and since I work outside in "natural" light and don't have much use for a flashlight, I now carry this one on me and I have a 6P in my coat. I have my first Solarforces on the way and looking forward to them.

AKDoug said:

I have my first Solarforces on the way and looking forward to them.

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Oh, you're going to be impressed with the Solarforces! :thumbsup:

I had an Ultrafire A1 and loved it! Was brighter than a nitecore ex10 and maybe even a better beam profile...But then it started to flicker when switching modes after only 2 weeks or so.......Sold it here.

One thing i like about Ultrafire C1/A1 is that low is low a lot lower than any Fenix and high is as high as a PD30 but what lets it down is the lack of o-rings to stop water getting in and generally bad threading even with "lube" is still crunches a little if not careful.

other than that the emitter's always center, always very bright i gave my daughter the C3 and A1 and she loves how her's is brighter than dad's P2D and LD20, maybe i'll get her an E01 for her birthday so she can take it with her for swimming lessons.

DHart said:

Yes... I bought this same light from DX myself and it's a decent light. I consider mine my "beater light" where I don't care what the heck happens to it. I guess we all need one of those. But honestly, you spend $19 for this when for $6 more ($6 bucks is what, a burger & fries that you discard tomorrow morning?) you can have a Solarforce L2 or L2m; lights which are in an entirely higher class of quality in fit and finish.

I don't mean to downplay the C1 because it is a decent light for a very modest price. I just want to add the perspective of spending a few dollars more. I use my C1 for situations where I simply don't want to worry about what might happen to the light. I also bought L2's for the same purpose, but the weird thing is that the L2 and L2m are so beautiful and well designed (every part of them is perfectly interchangeable with Surefire 6P compatible parts) that even for the mere $25, I don't want to do anything to harm the Solarforce! :devil:

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i had a c1 for a couple of weeks til i lost it and was using it as my beater work light, and was quite happy with it. now i'm using a solarforce L2 and it's a much better light. actually i bought 2 L2's and a mini, and one's my work beater and the other 2 are my "good lights" well worth the extra $6, imho.

fenixmad said:

what lets it down is the lack of o-rings to stop water getting in and generally bad threading even with "lube" is still crunches a little if not careful.

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I must have got lucky because mine has o-rings! I also noticed the problem with the threads even though mine seemed to be over lubed.