Review: UltraFire K10 (1 mode and 6 mode)

OK, is the stock DX photo good for now until you take photos?

Attempt nº1 to post a photo (bad quality, still no digital camera)

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/3783/dsc00478tc.jpg

[URL=http://img217.imageshack.us/i/dsc00478tc.jpg/][IMG]http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/3783/dsc00478tc.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Uploaded with [URL=http://imageshack.us]ImageShack.us[/URL]

--------EDIT by sb56637-------

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Hi Fran,

I edited your last post so you can see how I added the image. Just click on the image, and then click on the 18th button from the left on the top row to see the image link settings.

Take care!

Thanks sb, I dont know what happens to me and the photos.... (que patoso soy)

Si los reyes magos no me traen una camara estamos apañaos

Tranquilo, yo igual he estado pataleando con mi cámara digital de antaño, por eso nunca incluía fotos adecuadas en mis reviews. Pero acabo de comprar un celular usado con Android que trae una cámara mucho mejor que la chatarra que usaba antes.

Jaja my problem is a "mix": very bad mobile phone camera, not know how to take photos in a good way, and finally dont know how to post them (but now solved)...

Let´s see if the "reyes magos" dont bring me "carbón"

Hmm... looks like the emitter is slightly off center Or it's because of the smooth reflector?

LOL, fran I hope they'll bring you a good digitan camera ('coz I'm in the same situation LOL)

As to posting images in your posts... very easy. Just copy the URL ( http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/3783/dsc00478tc.jpg ) and paste it in (click on "OK" if you don't want to add the discription)

You can also paste the URL only, the forum will add link to it automatically

P.S.: hey, admin, where are you from? Or you've used Google translator?

Looking at the images of the TrustFire R5-A3and the Ultrafire K10 they seem to have the same reflector so the hotspot would be a large blob. Lot of flood and little throw.

Hey SashiX, Spanish is my second language, I live in South America now. Was thinking about opening ForoLinternasBarratas.com or LinternasParaTacaños.com but it just didn't have the same ring to it. ;-) Just kidding. And besides Spanish is covered admirably over at ForoLinternas.com.

Why did you call it Uniquefire is it not Ultrafire?

PFFFFFF Oh My God!!!! I am stupid! yes is ULTRAfire I need to correct it

hmmm..... Forget about that photo.... I dont know what happened to the CMOS sensor..... In real life the hotspot is perfectly round, no unperfections, no central black hole............. I need a camera

Well I got my K10 today and put in a new fresh charged 2300mah Energizer Ni-Mh and got maybe 3 minutes of use before the driver crapped out.

It wasn't nearly as bright as I expected it to be but maybe it was because of the faulty driver. I disassembled the light and removed the driver and as I figured it is the same one as my C3SS from LT and the same as a Trustfire F20 so as Fran and many others have pointed out this light definitely is not 3.7V tolerant!

I could see on the driver a small crack/split spot on the DC-DC boost converter so I knew that was the faulty component so I figured I would put her back together and give her a shot with A 3.7V battery. I didn't have any 14500's so I wired in a 18650 to the light and she fired right up. Much nicer output with the 3.7V battery as expected.

I have repaired the boost circuit on a few lights by replacing the DC-DC converter chip which I think is a cheap version/copy of the PAM2803 from this...cheap $2.19 fix for ppl with a fried boost circuit that uses the 6 pin PAM2803 DC-DC Converter.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.25505

I posted a video for DX and filed an RMA. I will fix this myself if they will give me store credit for the replacement part.

But hard to make it happen, because you have to scrifice some money off the flashlight budget for that. Right?

@ bluebeam

Some things:

1- My two K10´s continue working with both AA and 14500

2- The driver board of them is not the same as the one in the F20 (the one with the red path)

3- I have to update the review and point that some units are being destroyed with 14500, to warn the users

4- Maybe I have been lucky, or maybe the problem is again the Vf of the LEDs

Amazing how things change so fast!! I ordered mine on Dec. 12th 2010.

My K10 driver is exactly the same as the F20(it has the red path)

Maybe the boost circuit on this driver dosn't like the XP-G LED?????????

no, I think that "the driver doesn like XPG" is not the problem. Maybe, the problem is the same as with XRE, low Vf

What? I didnt read that... It stopped working after a few minutes with NiMh!!!! Not with 14500... with NiMh!!! Incredible... the most normal is to stop working with 14500, not with Nimh. I dont understand

That is correct...fried with Ni-MH!! Turned it off and on changed modes and just played with it a few minutes then no more light!! Checked all connections and switch and all checked fine so I disassembled the driver and could see on the boost chip where it had burnt up. I could also smell that it had fried.

The light was much dimmer than I thought it should be too so i'm thinking it was just faulty from the begining.

The light works well with 3.7v and light output is more like I expected.

Well I finally received my parts from China to repair my K10. I replaced the DC-DC converter IC on my driver and put in a larger Schottky diode and got it fixed. I also used a bleeder resistor like I wrote about in this thread...

http://budgetlightforum.cz.cc/node/823 to fix mode memory while I had it apart.

It's not a bad light, but the tint is cooler than I prefer but it's OK. I am pretty sure this isn't a R5 because I have other R5 torches and they are much greener in tint than this one. The tint on this light is alot more purple which most people are saying the R4 is purple tint and the R5 is greener tint and from what I can tell about my confirmed R5 light which is much greener I would say this is true but no big deal it is an XP-G. I know you can't judge a LED bin by color but I do think there is some merit to the R4 being more purple and R5 being greener.

By the way my 6-mode K10 draws 2 amps at the tail on high with NiMh

I do not regret this purchase but I do think the 6-mode K10 torch is overpriced by at least 2 bucks.

I am really beginning to love the XP-G and XP-E torches with smooth reflectors!