Review: MarsFire T6-A XM-L 1x18650

Quick Stats:

  • cree xm-l, orange peel reflector
  • 1x 18650 (fits my protected AW cell)
  • reverse clicky (with GITD boot)
  • 5-modes w/ memory (hi > med > lo > strobe > SOS)
  • lanyard holes
  • tailstandable
  • $18.66 (manafont)
The MarsFire T6-A is a very bright, compact light with "natural" colored anodizing very reminiscent of Zebralights. Build quality is average to above-average for this class of lights. LED is well-centered with my sample. O-rings and threads didn't come with lube on them.
The XM-L is mounted on a metal disc which sits on a brass pill with some thermal grease in between, perhaps a bit too little though. The driver board is retained on the pill by a brass ring. It it not simply soldered in like with some other (poorer) designs.
Mode arrangement is as indicated above. Hi draws ~2.5A from the cell. Med ~1.25A. Lo is ~0.25A. As you might expect with a 2.5A draw it gets pretty hot on hi. But i wish the Lo was a bit lower...
The beam profile is very smooth with a very large hotspot suitable for general tasks. This is certainly not a "throwy" light.
Overall it seems like a quality offering from Marsfire. Even the tailcap spring is covered by a brass cap. And the way the head is all screwed together suggests that the light will be reliable even when dropped. Its simple cylindrical design makes for comfortable everyday carry as there's no bulge for the head. It would also make an excellent bicycle headlamp.

Thanks for the review. Looks like a nice light, love the color.

Cool, a review of a under $20 budget light. Thanks Overclocker!

Thanks for the review Overclocker!

That looks like a NANJG driver, can you confirm that? If it is you could easily mod it to two or three mode with no blinkies. That would make this light a really good deal for $18.50.

Cool Light Nice Price ..... Things that make you go hmm ....

Any chance we could see the battery side of the driver?

Great review, thanks for sharing.

I love the simple design of that light, it's a driver swap away from perfection.

That's definitely not a Nanjg driver looking from the side we can see it looks like a direct drive cheapy of some sort.

There are more pics here.

http://www.cnqualitygoods.com/goods.php?id=1579

driver board pic added

Thanks, that isn't a NANJG I'm afraid. That was probably asking too much for that price.

Thanks a lot for review! Frontpage’d and Sticky’d.

Nice review! Finally getting some true Budget-Light reviews here again! Keep them coming!

The MarsFire looks nice alternative to the single-mode 2100 that Manafont also offers. This light looks better and is cheaper; a nice combination. A driver swap with a Nanjg 3-mode would make this light perfect for a single 18650 EDC light. I’ve been wanting something bright but floodier than my P60 and this might fit the bill perfectly…

An excellent light! It never gets so hot that it becomes impossible to hold. I measured a max of 50 deg C after being on high for ard 15 mins. Nice flat bezel, floody without any real hotspot. Cut-out for label is only on one side and label itself is in small, neat type unlike some other brands. I think this is a much better buy than some of the other popular compact 18650 lights that are direct driven and are impossible to hold on high after just a couple of minutes. I just ordered my second one!