UTorch SF01 price drop to $6.99

This week’s update will be my last post of the month, so I decided to do something a bit different. The links in this post will still be affiliate links from GearBest. What’s changed is the format.

I’m betting most of you following these posts have picked up some of the recurring deals. GearBest often has some high CRI keychain lights and a few good headlamps that are always good deals. Most of you have bought a BLF-348, a TIP CRI, and a Skilhunt H03 (or the RC variant). So for this week, I’m going to post some lights you can use to find something unique and round out the selection.

Lights made from other metals

Aluminum is popular because it’s strong, light, and a good conductor. For those of you that don’t think it’s stylish, or that are too hipster to have the same material as everyone else, here are some options.

Power Banks

If you’re going to carry around a high powered battery, you might as well carry one that can charge your phone and light up a room.

  • Folomov A1 is the smallest, cheapest way to add this to an existing battery. No light though.

  • Nitecore F1, a popular and versatile lightweight single battery option

  • XTAR PB2 will take two 18650 batteries and turn them into a portable power bank with charge level readout

  • Nitecore F2 takes two F1s and smacks them into one unit

  • Folomov B4M adds micro USB output to a 1200 lumen 18650 light

  • Folomov B5M is a 26650 light with micro USB out

  • Rofis MR50 uses a new 21700 cell and has micro USB out, for more capacity than an 18650 while being slimmer than a 26650. The included battery is the same capacity as the one with the B5M.

  • Rofis MR70 again uses a 26650, with two separate LEDs for flood and throw

Lights that aren’t tubes

Sometimes you want different shapes in your collection. Aside from the keychain lights mentioned above, these are worth a look. And they won’t roll away on you.

Lanterns

Great for power outages and camping.

  • Nitecore LR10 has a built in battery and is high CRI

  • Nitecore LA30 has a built in batter and can use two AAs, and is high CRI

  • Zanflare T1 is not high CRI or in stock sadly, but is a great price and has cool white, warm white, and red modes so keep checking

  • Nitecore LA10 CRI is a pocketable AA lantern

Lights that transform

Most lights stay the same shape they were when you bought them. If that sounds boring, look no further than these options.

  • Nitecore Thumb is a keychain light with a tilting head

  • Nitecore LR12 has an internal diffuser than slides out for lantern use

  • Rofis R2 is an AA light with a rotating head so it can be used as a headlamp or an angled work light

  • Nitecore MT21C is an 18650 light with a tilting head and a magnetic base for work

USB-C charging

If you want your light to use the next big thing in charging standards, here it is

That’s all for now! Hopefully you can find something that’s nothing like what you already have somewhere in this list. Comment below with the unique lights that didn’t make it on to this list. Maybe I can find something to round out my collection as well!

GearBest asked me to share a promotion they’re running, the Utorch SF01 is on sale for $9.99 with the code GBUtorchSF01. This light claims to be compatible with CR123, AA, and AAA batteries, which would make it a great backup light.

I believe it's CR123 only.

It would be extremely strange if it worked with CR123, AA, and AAA batteries.

That's what I thought, but my person at grrarbest says it works .Can't find any review to confirm .

On the page of the flashlight, itself, there is a video that seems to confirm that it is only for CR123 cells. At least judging by the space left:

Funny thing is: is this a “1 mode at a time” flashlight, or it can also be a “3 mode” flashlight?
The UI operation is not completely clear :expressionless:

That's what I thought too. I'll make note in the post, thanks for the feedback.

Not enough details to know about the UI or internals but as far as being able to use cr123a, AA and AAA batteries, the SF01 would appear to be a copy of the Streamlight Protact 1L-1AA, which does take cr123a and AA (and possibly AAA although with a little wiggle.)


Looks promising. If anyone buys this light, let me know what cells it works with and I will update.

The springs seem to be “big” to be shrunk, so maybe it can take all of the 3 types!
I assume that it would only be good for AAs or AAAs (in my case) as CR123s are expensive and it doesn’t seem to be compatible with Li-Ion’s :zipper_mouth_face:

Hi to all, i received my Utorch SF01 yesterday, and i’m being testing it.

I can confirm that it work with AA, AAA and CR123A. It’s a bit tricky to put in the AAA, you have to center it well to make electric contact but once closed i can shake it hard without any problem( a very stiff spring keep it in place).

The LED seem a cool white Cree XP-G2( in the manual title says CREE XR-G2, gearbest says XR-E, maybe a mix of XR-E with XP-G2 :smiley: ), I tried to unscrew the head but didn’t managed to, yet!

This flashlight really is a streamlight copy it even has the same TEN-TAP® Programming from streamlight:
three different operating programs:

  1. high/strobe/low 2) high only 3) low/high

Visually i only see the two differences from the PROTAC 1L-1AA, the knurling in the tail cap and having just 3 instead of 4 fins around the head.

Tail cap currents:
CR123A:
High 0.884 A
Low 0.335 A
AA:
High 1.41 A
Low 0.430 A

Some photos:
Utorch SF01 album

It’s cheaper now.

Has anyone said whether it has mode memory? (searching “mode memory” in the thread doesn’t find any info)

No memory mode, is momentary On(forward clicky), Programmable with 3 different programs: 1) high/strobe/low 2) high only 3) low/high.

Does it seem to be well made? I’m thinking of getting a couple of them to give away. I don’t want to give junk. :smiley:

ui seems to be high , low , or strobe

high may be 350 lumens [seems like that would last about 5 mins with cr123a]
they don;t say what low is

wle

You can program it like the TEN TAP from streamlight, they copy everything… for me high seem more like 300 lumen with cr123a, i test it last night with ceilingbounce app and i didn’t see any drop in the first 71 minutes i had only one cr123a home and i use it to measure tail cap currents before, and other tests so was not completly new.

Low seems like 60-70 lumen on cr123a
High on AA around 150 lumen
Low on AA arround 40 lumen

Good enough for the price but don’t expect miracles, threads are triangular not square, didn’t come lubed, lens not AR coated and reasonable SMO reflector. But LED seems a original cree xp-g2, good springs and switch.

Can 16340 or RCR123 be used?

Probably not, didn’t test it because the info i gather says i doesn’t work and i don’t wanna “blow it up” … other think is that i didn’t manage to open the head(meaning didn’t see the driver yet)

I’ve run for a while (minutes) on 16340 without issue. no smoke or LED discoloration. All modes work with brighter levels but can’t say about long-term usage,

Finally tested it with a 14500 and a 16340 they work and they are brighter I estimate around 450 lumen @ 1.32A(tail cap current). I tested it briefly I don’t know how it will handle the extra power and heat…