Review : Utorch UT01 Flashlight (XP-L V6 / AA & 14500 / e-switch)

I donā€™t believe the problem is with the switch. Its an e-switch thoughā€¦ so who knows. My light works perfectly fine in every other aspect.

So this light just regain popoularity recentlt, i see
For 10$, im sure this light is one of the best bang for buck
I am having one, for half a yeah i guess, is there any changes in new batch, if not, i am considering getting another one

I wonder if perhaps theyā€™re more ā€˜14500ā€™ sensitive than we think.

Iā€™ve been using my two at every opportunity since they arrived, using only Energizer Ultimate lithium primaries, and so far I canā€™t even coax an error from either. Iā€™ve tried loosening the tail cap (even when lit), cycling modes rapidly, and using them for long periods as candles. So far, not a flicker of misbehaviour. Iā€™m amazed at the runtimes; while I havenā€™t been keeping track or doing any formal runtime tests and using all modes indiscriminately, these things act like theyā€™re never going to die!

Alternately, since these are being offered at what feels like a ā€˜clear outā€™ price, I wonder if there might be a high incidence of problems and Utorch simply wants to empty the shelves. Iā€™m reminded of the Thrunite Neutron 2-AA of a couple of years back. IF you got a good one, you had a wonderfully efficient and truly outstanding flashlight. The trouble was, there was a high incidence of problems, so the model was dropped in favour of the not-quite-so-efficient Archer.

I have two more inbound that I intended for gifts. Iā€™ll put them through their paces as well when they arrive (I donā€™t want to gift ā€˜problemsā€™), but so far Iā€™m really impressed. At $10 apiece, even if I get two good ones out of the four, Iā€™ll still feel I got a bargain.

My two get only eneloobs. Both have the same symptoms.

Hmm? Anyone know which component to change to lower the max output a bit? I need it a bit lower anyway, to run a low vf, low current led.

Use an Ultrafire battery :slight_smile:
Sorry, couldnā€™t resist.

Had for while using only NiMH no problem. Ordered another

Mine works fine from day 1 to now.

I recently ordered another one for $9.99 and i hope itā€™ll be good too, but after reading the recent posts here, i think i can expect some troubleā€¦

Juts to be sure, arenā€™t the 14500 problems you guys mention due to the limited length of the battery compartment?
I modded the tailcap of mine to gain space for protected button top 14500s, otherwise i couldnā€™t get the tailcap to screw on all the way.
But the problems i just read sound like they have a different causeā€¦ :frowning:

:smiley:

But you could stick with NiMH batteries, which gives a lower output than 14500.

I ordered one today for $10, OK $12 somethiing with priority line to get it faster and tracking. Hope the SW is good. I will certainly put a few switches in my cart for the next electronic order.

This it true but it would defeat the purpose of transferring to an 18650 Light:)

I think BLF members have bought quite a few of these lights. It would be interesting to find out what percentage are having problems.

Could someone who knows how, set up a poll simply asking (a) Problems or (b) No problems ?

People would have to be able to vote multiple times of course, one vote for each light theyā€™ve purchased. Iā€™d set it up myself, but I donā€™t know how.

I donā€™t believe that to be the case for me because I am using unprotected, flat top 14500 IMR (efest purple). So they are as short as possible, and at no point do I get the feeling there is excessive pressure.

I dont use protected cells, but that would really be the only way for me to confirm.

As near as I can tell, my problem seems to be something in the driver

I forgot I uploaded a video on the programming aspect of these lights:

So, what is the lowest lumen output that you can get out of this light? Is it 2 or is it something less than 2?

Iā€™m assuming using an AA NiMH will get you a lower lumen output than using a 14500 cell.

The lowest output is about 2 Lumens with either chemistry. As near as I can tell the only difference is in the brightest turbo setting. Where 14500 gains the full ~750 OTF. On an eneloop the brightest turbo is around 375 OTF.

IIRC these lights have a low voltage protectionā€¦ so you canā€™t run dead alkalines (or any battery for that matter) completely dead. Someone please correct me though.

Hmmā€¦ according to their spec sheet, lowest output on 14500 is 10 lumen. But I dont know how the programmable modes play into thisā€¦

The light does have lvp but itā€™s not voltage based alone as it will run fine from 2.5v-3.2v without problem as long as the battery can provide the power. If the voltage sags too much and fails to deliver the expected current the driver shuts off.

Re problems: reviewing back through the thread does not confirm wether or not the problems are switch related. The problems are all related to using the switch and in some cases changing the switch solved the problems. But there has not been enough reports to indicate what is the status after changing the switch to confirm for certain that it is the switch.

One theory I have is that the problem may be related to how the driver handles reading denouncing of the switch. Different switches have different response images even with the same switch model so if the driver is not calibrated to a wide enough variance there may be problems even if the switch isnā€™t technically faulty. If this is the case, changing the switch may help or it may not :stuck_out_tongue:

There are other threads for the UT01 or Manker

Thanks for this!

FWIWā€¦ L - R

~.35Lumens (Quark AA-T, XPG3) - ?? Lumens, lowest program mode, Eneloop (Manker E11)

~.35Lumens (Quark AA-T, XPG3) - ?? Lumens, lowest program mode, 14500 IMR (Manker E11)

~.35Lumens (Quark AA-T, XPG3) - 15 Lumens, Fenix L1T, Eneloop - ?? Lumens, lowest program mode, Eneloop (Manker E11)

I dont have a true 10 Lumen light compare. Closest I have is an ancient Fenix L1T, its low mode is about ~15 Lumens otf

I am willing to bet that 10 Lumen-14500 spec is not the lowest program mode.