[New + Review] YLP Unicorn 1.0 (1x18650, LH351D, backlit side switch, magnetic tail, TIR lens, ramping)

LOL

Oh right, I forgot about this one. I’ll be very curious to see a few quality reviews for this one. It was trying to be a Zebralight but better and cheaper, iirc. I had a rough time on that Russian website with google translater a while back…
Edits: $38 is not bad. bmengineer and others, I’ll be extremely interested in an evaluation of the side-switch for pocket activation. As in, that alone will likely 100% determine if I end up ever buying this light. Looks to be ~6mm longer than my SC62, which is probably about the difference between having a separate driver from the MCPCB, and not.
Hopefully it gets sold in some more convenient places.

Ooo interesting. Begs the question then, can I just flash Anduril on it? :innocent:

There is a pdf manual with english instruction.

That’s a question of what microcontroller is used.

Thanks. That explains a couple things which weren’t clear in the auto-translated version.

It looks like the English manual doesn’t even mention how to calibrate the temperature sensor though. I recall the Meteor had the same issue, so its thermal settings were basically random with ~25 C difference between individual lights. That part of the UI should probably be documented in a more visible place.

Me too. Especially how it compares to a D4. I gotta say, tho, those aux LEDs in the V2 are pretty tempting for a light that’s $3 less expensive, and 8mm shorter.

I’m interested in what advantages the Unicorn has. It’s kinda purty.

Without having one I can already predict it will have more throw, less heat, and a narrower profile.

+1 Although I understand LH351D is very floody so maybe the throw will be similar to a D4 with 219C?

From their respective websites (lenght must be Chinese and Russian for length):

I’m interested so see if the 1mm difference in diameter is real and significant.

And, yeah, the less aggressively driven Unicorn does make it more muggle-friendly and appealing to me. Maybe it won’t need to be physically locked for pocket carry.

The total throw on turbo might be similar to a D4, but only because the D4 uses a lot more power. The candelas per lumen should be much higher on the Unicorn, allowing it to throw farther when the lumen levels are the same. In other words, it’ll probably have a much narrower hotspot.

Not sure what the exact cd/lm value will be, but usually I find that the ideal range for EDC purposes is about 5 to 10 cd/lm. The D4 generally gets about 3 to 5 cd/lm, so it’s slightly more floody than I’d like.

I hear the FW1A is moving along too, which has a similar purpose… but it uses a reflector instead of a TIR optic. And with XP-L HI, it’ll probably be even more throwy, like perhaps 10 to 15 cd/lm.

:open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth:

Shhh, you’re telling all our secrets!

:laughing: let see what YLP got here…kind da interest… LH351D something that i dont own…

What kind of driver is YLP using?

Is it a linear FET driver or a buck driver?

Very very interested with this one. so far three YLPs already in the cart. I hope it uses an efficient buck driver and has flat runtime unlike Folomov 18650.
+1 YLP for sensible max output with thermal regulation.
And pleaseeeeee, NO FET driver for this one.

[Clemence]

@clemence, a linear FET driver is a linear driver that uses a FET linearly by varying its resistance.

Basically, it’s a constant current linear driver with no PWM needed and higher LED efficiency.

This sounds very interesting. I love the LH351D’s in my BLF SP36.

FW1A?! Nice.

Yup I know. I meant no linear, linear + FET, or linear + FET + PWM (worse). Simple buck drivers already cheap these days.

[Clemence]