Livarno, Romisen, C8, Small Sun cheap HID torches

[dks]

In preparation for the summer I got this:

The Xtar D02 diving torch, well regarded in BLF etc.

I chose the 3AAA battery version so that I would have easy availability of batteries anywhere I go, whether I had a charger or not.




The torch arrived quickly (total cost $50) and came with a spare switch and rubber sealing rings.



From the manufacturer’s site:

XTAR D02 200m Diving CREE XP-G R4 LED Flashlight

50000 life span CREE XP-G R4 LED
Electrodeless magnetic control switch
260 max luminous flux
Good condensing orange peeled reflector
250m max range (on land)
Constant circuit constant brightness
Power by 3 x AAA(1.5V) battery
Anodized aircraft 6061 aluminium body, PMMA head cover
Amphibious 200m deep diving sealed compression resisted design
Safety magnetic switch design
2.5~4.5V voltage range
NetWeight: 185g
Size:48.0mm(head dia) * 28.0mm(body dia) * 146.0mm(length)



The torch was smaller than I expected; about the size of  a C8 style torch.



Feels and looks well made. You can get cheaper diving torches but I have no idea if they will be as good as the Xtar.

It has a plastic front lens which can potentially be scratched, though if the plastic’s refractive index is similar to the water any scratches will not be noticed in the water as they will be “filled in”.



The battery container appears twisted, though I have no idea if this is the way it should be or not. Works fine.



The outside switch works without any, it seems, physical contact with the inside parts of it, possibly utilizing the effect a metal will produce in an electric field.
The torch stays off until you push the switch about half way up and then it starts getting brighter until it reaches its peak brightness when the switch goes all the way up.
The switch is quite hard to move and as pointed out before only seems to utilize half of its movement, as it is off in the first half. This variable beam brightness is useful in murky waters.



The contacts appear plated. Heat dissipation should not be a problem underwater.



At its full brightness the volume of light produced appears similar to the one produced by the Jetbeam BA20 so the claim for 260Lm seems realistic. (checked with a ceiling bounce test too).

The beam tests shown were performed indoors with some daylight, in the early afternoon.

Set-up:



Xtar, Jetbeam both on low and Livarno



Xtar on high



Xtar and Jetbeam on high

[dks]

Romisen RC-T601



Though not on the Romisen website the general consensus seems to be that it is a genuine product. The construction and general look supports that too.

It is available with 2 or 5 modes and there is a theory that the 2 mode one has a better LED drive. I got the 5 ( high, medium, low and 2 Disco) mode one from : http://kaidomain.com/product/details.S010166 as getting the 2 mode one, from another dealer, would have been noticeably more expensive.

I originally intended to get a KD-C8 but the reviews on the latest ones were a bit worrying.

The torch is nicely finished feels solid, has aluminium reflector, glass lens and uses springs for battery contacts on both ends, has a centred CREE XML-T6 LED with a plastic protective cover for the electronics and anodized threads.





Head:



It takes an 18650 battery and can accommodate protected ones easily, with no modification needed.

Does not tailstand and has the stupid “next mode memory” setting, so every time you switch it on it goes to the next setting.

Comes with two weird strike rings on the body, which means it will not fit into some bicycle torch holders easily.



Depending on the battery voltage it will draw 1.7A to 1.4A on high.

Gets reasonably hot, quickly, something that I noticed on my other Romisen too.

Compared to another Romisen:
(Note the  ® Vs ™ label)



Anodized threads



Compared to an Ultrafire C8:



The Ultrafire cap had to be modified to take protected batteries.


The Romisen has 3mm Al at the threads and the Ultrafire only 1.8mm.


The body thickness is similar as the Ultrafire thickens after the threads





The Romisen weighs 166g and the Ultrafire only 140.

Beam comparisons:

From the Left: Romisen, Ultrafire, Jetbeam, Trustfire



High


Low


Romisen Vs Ultrafire



And Vs Trustfire


The Romisen beam is very impressive.

It noticeably outthrows the Ultrafire and the Trustfire, despite drawing a lower current form the battery, compared to the Ultrafire. The whole construction and electronics in it appear to be a class above the Ultrafire, though it costs 30% more, which it is definitely worth it.

It will light up objects nicely at an impressive distance, nearly 30% further away than the Ultrafire. Surprisingly, the Romisen on medium is as bright as the Ultrafire on high. The beam has a nice spread around the hot spot, too.

I can now annoy neighbours a lot further away than I thought possible before. 

If you can live with the weird strike rings and the extra length and weight then the Romisen is definitely worth the extra cost, compared to the cheaper Ultrafire.

[Gareth]

Good round-up mate.   I have to say I've been quite impressed with the quality of my Romisen as well, they do seem to be a cut above many other 'cheap' lights.

[dks]

Thank you, this thread is getting pretty long even though I try to post only about the important torches.    Good to see some people still actually read it. 

Romisen are definitely worth the extra money, though I would not consider them that cheap. You do, for the extra money,  get more upmarket finish, threads, possibly LED quality and electronics etc.

Really, for just a wee bit more you can get a Fenix or Jetbeam etc. with lower output but possibly better quality and functions. E.g., the Jetbeam BA20 is about $10 more than the RC-T601 above and should make most people pretty happy, for a long time.

However, a top brand with the throw of that Romisen will cost noticeably more...

[dks]

MXDL SA-22



I am not big on zooms but this had a decent reputation on BLF so I got one.

Cree Q5 LED, runs on 3AAA or 1 18650 (adaptor supplied)

The torch is quite pretty.

Comes with a pocket clip and some rubber rings around its body.

Says Cree 7W on one side.

The zoom works by moving the LED with the reflector closer to or away from a concave (half) plastic lens, using a metal ring (the led does not, ever, touch the lens).







The torch has three settings: High, low, disco.
It has “next mode memory”.

Claimed brightness is 400lm…. 

The contacts are protected by some magic paint.




I know this is very important to some people, so YES, it can tailstand!!



Draws 0.5A on high with 3AA and 0.6A with 18650 both set ups with freshly charged batteries.
Considering that the 3AA were at 4.04V and the 18650 at 4.15V the light should be a bit brighter with the 18650, at least to begin with. I have no idea (did not test) if it is regulated or not.

The party trick of this torch is that by using the zoom you can see a real image of the LED, which looks like the Transformers symbol…




Here are some beam shots, with the Romisen RC-K4 with only  160lm.
The SA-22 is on the right.

SA-22 on high, both zoom extremes shown.





And on low.



The total amount of light they produce appears similar. They both run on 3AAA and draw similar currents, though they have different LEDs and electronics.

Size comparison.



The quality is pretty decent for the price and there seems to be a reasonable (taking onto account the design) conduction of heat to the outside.

Good fun!

[MadPlumbarian]

Are you a fan of the Romison ones? they have one that ive been looking at for a few days and am curious as to how they hold up and work? im looking at the Cree XP-G R5 Romison RC-R5, however they say it..  JR

[dks]

I am not familiar with that model but Romisen have a solid reputation.

I am happy with mine, though I do not use them hard enough to really test them

[Mr. Whippy]

Is the zoom function similar to the focusing of Maglites?  Otherwise, I guess I don't understand what it's used for? 

[dks]

Is the zoom function similar to the focusing of Maglites?  Otherwise, I guess I don't understand what it's used for? 

Since I happened to have a mini maglite next to me.. 

The difference is that in the maglite you move the head of the torch, with the reflector thus the LED changes position in the reflector altering the beam pattern, whereas here the head does not move but as you turn the green collar round the LED which is stuck on the very shallow reflector (see 2nd picture) moves up and down, with the reflector.

Thus as the beam becomes less focused, by moving the LED away from the ideal focusing position the beam becomes more spread out and less concentrated lighting a larger area.
As you get away from that ideal focusing position the thick lens can not converge the beam in any way so you are basically getting the light as it comes from the shallow reflector.

As shown in the pictures previously you go from a concentrated beam, a thrower, into a spread beam, a flooder in torch forum talk.

Thus you have various, functional and this is important compared to a maglite (allegedly), beam patterns, similar to carrying several torches with you.

[MadPlumbarian]

I am not familiar with that model but Romisen have a solid reputation.

I am happy with mine, though I do not use them hard enough to really test them

Im not one who thoroughly abuses my things, so longs as they hold up to above a normal day im happy, do you know anything about the AA size 14500 3v battery? thats the only thing i have against that model, (besides the thin wire clip) id have to get a new battery set, i mean it says that it will run on normal AA's but thats only 1.5v so i dont think its going to give off 100% unlike the 14500?  JR

[dks]

I do not use 14500 but it seems that lights that use them both are brighter with the 14500.

Try posting your question in the Flashlight section where they may be some people using them.

[dks]

Ultrafire WF-501B XML-T6



Firstly I was quite surprised by how small it was. It is something you can easily put in your pocket.
Length about 13cm, thickness at the head about 3cm and at the body about 2.2cm.

I expected it to be about the same size as my Ultrafire C8, which has the same basic specifications.



Came with a sheath for $12.50, which is reasonable for this product.
Does not tailstand and its rear button is not textured, but works fine.



It is a basic, lower tech torch, in that it has a drop-in XML-T6 module rather than a fitted, screw in one.



This can cause problems with heat dissipation as there is not, in theory, that much contact between the LED module and the body, but my sample got hot, noticeably, very quickly so there is definitely enough heat transfer to the outside.
It has an Aluminium reflector and the drop in appears well constructed, with a nice, thick, polished smooth reflector and a glass, secured, lens
Appears well constructed, for the price.



It runs on one 18650 battery, drawing 1.4A on high.
Note that a protected battery will not fit easily in it.
It has 5 modes, high, medium, low and two disco, with mode memory.

The LED is nicely centred

The beam is a bit yellowish, like an ordinary filament lamp.

I took some beam shots with the C8 and the Jetbeam Ba20 on high.




And also some with the C8 and the RT-601 on high, again.



The wf-501 beam is decent enough, though it does not have a well defined hotspot. The beam appears similar to the one I get from the Jetbeam which, however, has an OP reflector. The volume of light seems similar to the C8.

It is not dark yet, so I will test for throw later.

Generally I am quite happy with what it gives you in such a small package.

[dks]

I used it at night.

The beam throw AND flood are a bit less than the C8.

[dks]

After reading some good things about them I ordered a Tank007 E09, to use as a keychain torch.



I liked the fact that it was similar in size to a Fenix E05 but had 3 power settings, reaching 120lm and was reasonably cheap (about half the price of the Fenix. Currently the Fenix can be had for under $20).

I got mine from Manafont  (14.30) http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/tank007-e09-xpe-r2-3mode-led-flashlight-complete-aluminum-box-set-black-aaa-p-9258
but the cheapest current price seems to be from Dinodirect  ($11.99) http://www.dinodirect.com/flashlight-super-mini-tank007-e09-cree-r2-lumen-led.html?DDID=3520-616

Summary for the easily bored: I liked it and ordered 3 more, the end. Now go and read the next topic.

Tank007 (James Bond vehicle?) is a company similar to Romisen in that it produces/markets decent lower priced Torches, definitely a step above the lower end Chinese torches, costing of course more than them.

Their webpage http://www.tank007store.com/products/Tank007-E09-Mini-Keychain-Flashlight.html

Come in: Black, Pink, Grey, purple and maybe more..

According to the site:
Product Description
Tank007 E09 Cree XP-E R3 Mini Keychain Flashlight
(Note: some sellers claim different R* version; it seems to be a product that changes continuously with several slightly different versions. See BLF for more)

Power Source: 1x AAA battery (Alkaline, NiMH; recommended: Eneloop, Lithium primary, 10440 Li-Ion, or Protected 10440 Li-Ion)

Run time: 120 lumens(33 minutes), 60 lumens(95 minutes), 10 lumens(1020 minutes)

7cm long and 1.5cm wide.

The torch comes in a nice plastic or aluminium container with spare o-rings

It is a bit longer than a Fenix E05 (E05-E09….)



Can tailstand



Comes with a smooth reflector.



There was some debris (looked like a dead insect or threads) inside the reflector. Unfortunately my understanding is that the whole head assembly is secured with glue and not designed to be taken easily apart, so I had to leave it like that. (see BLF, again, for more on that)

The finish is fine, no visible problems.

It also appears pretty tough. I have been carrying it on my keychain for a couple of weeks and there are still no visible scratches (from that…  ).

Drop testing. . the torch has been dropped several times from heights ranging from 1m to 2m on hard floors. Apart from some paint being scratched of from the head no other damage has happened.

The torch came with no instructions as such so originally I thought it was broken as it went from bright to really low after I played with it.. 
Basically it has a twist mechanism for operation. You switch it on by twisting (screwing in motion) the head and then you change modes by quickly turning the head clockwise-anticlockwise a bit.

The threads came over-lubricated and work better after some cleaning. Still, no way as smooth in operation as the Fenix or a Jetbeam etc.

The key ring was rubbish and started getting out of shap and stretching in a couple of days. I replaced it with one from a LM Micra.

I am running it on Duracells (Duraloops) but have also ordered some 10440 batteries too.

On high it is pretty bright and can be used as your main light, not needing to carry a bigger, “proper” light. The medium setting is also very good, comparable to the Fenix one and lasts longer. The low setting is quite low and should be useful for reading.

The lower settings are with PWM  http://www.tigerhawkt3.com/welcomemat/ledfaqs.htm#2 so a noise can be heard on low and it is possible, with a camera, to see the “gaps” between the beams..
Some beam comparisons then..:

On high: Tank007 (120lm), Fenix (27lm), Jetbeam (270lm), Romisen (170lm)



Same, but designed to show the beams better:



Without the (single mode) Romisen. Tank007 on medium, Jetbeam on low (2 modes)



Without the (single mode) Romisen. Tank007 on low, Jetbeam on low (2 modes)



Pros: good quality
Small and powerful
Cheap

Cons:
Dirty and impossible to clean lens-reflector assembly.
Weak key ring
Not very smooth twist system

I ordered 3 more, to use and give as presents 

[N_N_R]

Oookay, this sounds quite tempting... .... I shouldn't have read it, now I want it...

[dks]

A quick write-up on some new torches and related items.



More, with beam shots, when I have nothing better to do.

I also got some 14500 protected Trustfires and 10440 Ultrafires batteries. (Yes, they are dangerous, I know)
The 14500 Trustfires had a nice hologram in the pack.



Tank007 E09

3, 2 pink one black.



They work fine, with both AAA and 14500 batteries (similar outputs, see BLF for more).
These had much smoother threads (clean) than my original one.
They came in the aluminium box, instead of the plastic one that my original one came in. The new black one has S/N before the serial number; the others and the original one do not. The new ones were from Dinodirect.

Comparison between the two types of boxes:




Trustfire F25



Bought it because it looked fancy and glows.
Stainless steel – the cap feels a bit like a tin. 5 modes.



Works fine with AA and 14500; brighter on 14500. Gets quite hot on high.
The rings glow nicely.






Should give about 240 lumens (see BLF). Good overall finish; looks expensive.

Romisen RC-G2



It was cheap and I like the brand.

Very good overall quality, nice threads.



“Tactical” momentary on, by pushing the button a bit.
Single mode, 80 lumens, OP reflector.



Runs only on AA!

UltraOK ZS-2

Search for “CREE Q5 LED 300 Lumens” on eBay for several copies.

I chose the colour because it looked nice.



Push pull zoom, works fine on 14500 and AA, single mode.
Small, bright, works fine

Compared to the SA-22 (which runs on 18650 or 3 AAA)
They appear to have similar brightness on Lithium ion batteries.

Zoom out



And in

[Gareth]

that Trustfire F25 does look very cool.

[dks]

that Trustfire F25 does look very cool.

and when you switch it off, the front ring glows!!!   

[dks]

Some more details and pictures of my newest torches, with beam comparison shots.

Firstly the latest arrival, an Ultrafire C3 from eBay for $9.80. It did not say what it was in the listing but from the pictures I assumed it would be a C3.







C3s have been around for a few years so there are many real and fake variations around. This one has 3 modes; High, Low and Strobe. Realistically, the high appears to be around 250 Lumens. (claimed 400…)

This is the “twin” of the Trustfire F25 and I bought it because it had a similar look.



The construction feels nearly as good as the Trustfire. It does not have the mid body glow in the dark rings of the Trustfire. The parts of these two are not really interchangeable, for my torches.



It also has a different, older, Cree LED, XR-E instead of the F25s XP-E. The Ultrafire was about 1g heavier than the Trustfire.. Works fine with AA and 14500.

Finally the C3 has an OP reflector and the F25 a smooth one.







The C3 cannot tailstand and has a very sensitive switch, where even the lightest touch can make it change modes.




Beam comparisons:

Firstly the F25 (on the left) with the C3 on high using 14500.




..and on their lowest setting



The C3 produces a more yellowish beam and the F25 appears a bit more powerful on high

Here is an interesting one: The F25 and C3 on high, with the C3 using an alkaline AA instead of a 14500..



And again: both on 14500



Also a comparison with the Jetbeam, all on high. The Jetbeam runs on 2 partly used AA alkalines from IKEA and still rules (270Lm, real ones).





Comparison with the Romisen RC-G2 (80Lm); the other two on high.






And the other two on low



Comparison with the Tank007 E09, on high, all on Li-ions.






On the topic of actual Lumens, see the difference between 80 Romisen Lumens and 100 Small Sun Lumens, both on AA batteries and both single mode. The Small sun is still pretty decent but definitely exaggerating a bit. (used for 1 weeks camping with no problems, by the way).





The Romisen is a pretty decent thrower too, despite its OP (but deep) reflector!!

Beam comparison between 2 zooms, on Li-ions
The Sa-22 and the UltraOk



Flood:



Throw..



I have used the UltraOk for a week, regularly and it is quite good for reading, exploring and has a nice throw, with the zoom. Makes the Sa-22 look unnecessary bulky.

Also see these; with the SA22 using a Li-Ion and the UltraOk an alkaline AA.





Note than when they were both on Li-ions they were nearly identical in power.

Some nice OP reflectors to finish

[Gareth]

You are getting quite a collection there dks.

[dks]

Thank you Gareth.
They are only cheap torches and unlike my multitools, knives, SAKs they are all users. I seem to need torches a lot more than Multitools, in everyday life  .

Some have also been gifted to family members.

I am sure there are many people here with a lot more and fancier torches that do not feel the need to bore people by posting about them.. 

[dks]

19.99 Euros from LIDL
My halogen spotlight seems to only have 1/2 the original capacity so this seemed interesting






No real heatsinking; plastic construction



The LED looks like a CREE model





the old spotlight



compared


Comes with an adaptor and can be run from the car.
2200mAh Liion battery located in the handle so,
very light as the body tube is empty.
Also has two clusters of smaller LEDs.

The main LED gives 180 Lm, for 2 hours

OK, but a bit expensive I think.

[dks]

b]MXDL SA-16[/b]

After hearing about it at BLF I jumped in and got this, all the way from the Far East, for a total of $5  .  (http://budgetlightforum.com/node/13671 )

It arrived quickly in a white box in a padded envelope from Kaidomain.



Specifications:

Material Aluminium alloy
Emitter Brand CREE
Number of Emitters 1
Color BIN White
Emitter Type XR-E
Emitter BIN Q5
Voltage Input 3.7 V
Battery Configuration 1 x 18650 battery
Circuitry 1000mA
Brightness 350 lm
Runtime 1~2 hour
Number of Modes 3
Mode Arrangement Strong / Weak / Flash
Mode Memory No
Switch Type Button
Switch Location Bottom
Lens Glass
Reflector Aluminum Smooth
Strap Included Yes
Clip Included Yes

I have to say it: it is a beautiful torch! Decent finish, nicely rounded, no rough edges,, sexy rear button, silver button "frame"....

The front and back ends are silver, making a nice contrast with the brown main body:





Sizewise it is a bit smaller than a C8 type torch.



Comes with both a clip and a nice strap (see 1st picture)

The Cree XR-E is centred ok



The pill is screwed nicely in the head. The tailcap unscrews very smoothly!

There was a blue X on the plate attaching the spring to the pill.. The plate is a bit wonky.



Gets a bit warm on high, as is to be expected.

Tailstands, so it can be used as a room light in a blackout!



The beam, because of the silver aluminium ring securing the glass lens to the head, has a noticeable outer ring.



The torch is more of a thrower, with limited spill (enough to use).

For $5 it is definitely worth it. I am happy with it.

[dks]

I have become a bit fond of Maglite LED torches lately and since I was repairing a 2AA Non-LED Maglite I did a quick beam comparison between the Maglite and a couple of small, cheap torches.

Now the Maglite is unused and had batteries in, but had some oxidation from that lack of use in its contact point between the spring and the bottom screw-cap which meant no connection. I cleaned it (was a pain) put in two LSD batteries and took pictures. It will be returned to its owner later today.

Maglite Vs Small sun on an AA alkaline (or 25+ euro Vs 2 euro..) The Small sun claims 100 Lumens but it is more like 30, the Maglite claims 14, shown here in "tight beam mode"






Maglite Vs Tank007 E09 on LiIons, on high

tight


wide

[dks]

Another cheapy.

Hming, 3W (has a police 3W label)
 
http://www.dinodirect.com/police-3w-mini-aluminium-alloy-cree-led-flashlight-300lm-torch-light-lamp-outdoor-camping-1aa-black-new.html

Claims 300Lm but looks more like 20.
Has one of these LEDs, Cree apparently, that you find on all the cheapest Cree torches.

$2.69 with some discount.
Plastic lens, thin walls, decent finish and beam.

Runs on 1 AA. Good to just leave somewhere in a room/car until it is needed. I will just put it in the basement and forget about it.
Still a lot brighter than most regular low Watt LED torches.

[dks]

Cheap torches comparison.







I got a free Dimco, Cree LED 1 AA torch, utilising the standard cheap Cree most decent cheap torches use and decided to do a quick comparison with 2 other similar 1 AA torches.



The Small Sun ZY-571 and the Hming.



The two older ones cost around $3 and the Dimco one possibly twice that much (I got it free but I think it was on sale for 5-6 euro…).
Sold/branded by: http://www.1-light.eu/one_light_productsall.php?catID=18&subcatID=358

The small sun has a side button and they are all single mode.

The Small sun is the longest by about 1/2cm and it is also the widest (head).

The Dimco came with a rubberised grip collar, a clip and a glow in the dark button.
The small sun has knurling and the Hming  has a squared body tube. None feels like it would slip out of your hands.

The Dimco has a matt black colour and the other two a shiny black colour.

The Dimco has nice thick threads and the small sun is also good in that area. The Hming feels and is the cheapest. It also has a dirty/scratched front lens. Both the Dimco and the Hming have these stupid attack bezels that make them dangerous to users, especially small children.





None can tailstand, though the Small Sun should be able to, if you remove the lanyard.

As seen in the pictures the Dimco has the brightest hotspot and also appears brighter(35Lm claimed).





The Small sun seems a bit less bright. Because of their bezels the Dimco and the Hming have a non-circular beam pattern.

The Dimco draws, depending on the battery used, up to 0.35A, the Small sun 0.30A and the Hming 0.12A. On a similar Duracell battery both the dimco and the Small sun drew 0.30A. Going to a different, fresh battery made the Dimco draw 0.35 but the small sun stayed at 0.30. The Hming too stayed at 0.12A. Thus the Dimco is brighter and may even draw more current with eneloops.

Note that the fact that it draws more current is not necessary a good thing. Maybe the other two have more resistance but, maybe, they are just better regulated. Not very likely though as I assume they are all direct drive. The Hming should, however, last longer.

[dks]

I wanted a new headlight and I bought this KStools, Cree Zoom Torch.



100Lm are claimed.



The beam looks similar to my MXDL zoom torch (on the right) and they are probably using similar LEDs too.



Gold plating:




Wide beam (Ugly....):



Spot (Cropped picture):



Unfortunately the back does not close properly when you put batteries in, so I will get a replacement on Monday, thus I am not testing it.

[dks]

It is cheap for an HID so I decided to put it here

45/65/85 Watt settings, typical Ebay HID, 8500Lm claimed.

It was shipped using DHL so it arrived quickly.

Huge, long and thick. Makes you look stupid going around with it. Not to heavy.









Came in a box with 4 filters and an 8700mAh battery with two chargers (I charged the battery before using it)





The light bulb





In pieces





The beam can be focused using a system similar to Maglites. It seems to give the best throw with the reflector as far out as possible.

The beam is ringy and a bit green in the middle. This is only really noticeable in small distances. The bulb is a 4300K one (my choice).



You do notice the 3 different power settings but in actual use they all look very bright.

Using it close to you really messes your vision, making you see bright spots.

Definitely brighter than my other torches. Does not get too hot.

There are also 2 hidden flashing modes.

The main problem with these models is that the reflector is a bit small so you get a lot of spill.

[dks]

These arrived today worthy of this, low cost, thread.

Ultrafire E05, blue and red.
Similar to the Fenix E05 in both size and look but with a claimed output of about 150lm, compared to the 30lm of the Fenix.



They arrive in a nice box with a battery.





Cree XP-E LED, Aluminium body, single (twisty) mode. Polished reflector.

The price is about half that of the Fenix.

I did a quick comparison with the Fenix E05 and my gold standard, the Tank007 E09.
The Fenix and the Ultrafire are, supposedly, only able to run on AAA batteries whilst the Tank007 can also run on LiIons. The Tank007 has 3 brightness modes.

Size:





Weight:



Consistent weight!








A surprise on the pill…

It is marked as Tank007, something that makes me happy about its quality.



The 3 pills:



Difference in the reflectors and lens between the fenix and the Ultrafire:



What this means to the output beam:



Both Ultrafire torches together:



Fenix, Ultrafire, Tank007




The Ultrafire and the Tank007 seem to produce the same volume of light, but the beam is more focused in the ultrafire, which makes it a decent enough thrower for its size, in my night tests.

The finish for all 3 torches (when new) looks very good, though the fenix feels and looks more expensive.
They are all smooth to operate when new However I was disappointed by some intermittent problems that the Fenix has developed, that I was not able to fix (It was a gift that I gave and have replaced with a Tank007 now). I carry the Tank007 as it has proven bomb-proof, has 3 modes and can run on Li-Ions too.

Price wise the Tank007 is between the Fenix and the Ultrafire.
However it is larger than the other two.

Overall the Ultrafire seems like a good, bright and cheap torch, with a Tank007 pill that should serve you well. Due to its power it can be used a “proper” torch, on abike, for a walk in the forest etc.

However, it may be too bright for some, whereas the Fenix excels as a lower brightness reading light. It also has a longer runtime. The Fenix is the only one not to get warm when it is on for some time.

[dks]

Ultrafire S6



I got this as it was cheap and really small for an 18650 LiIon torch.

It also looks nice, Cree Q5 LED, polished reflector, glowing reflector rubber ring, claims of 500lm, though it must be around 300lm.

It has 3 modes (high, low and disco).
Size wise it is similar to an AA torch.

Compared to another smallish cheap 18650 ultrafire torch (501-B) you see how much smaller and leaner it is.





The quality is good but the rubber washers are not very tight and there is some rattling from the battery (like a Maglite..)







The beam is nice, but a bit white, which some like.
Here is a comparison with the other cheap Ultrafire (XML T6).




Overall, for the low price, you get a very nice, small but powerful and sexy looking torch.