UF 980L vs. Keygos KE-5

LED Flashlights – General Info
1

So, having paired the two up tonight to find out which is actually brighter (I keep swearing one and then the other is), this wall shot tells it; The 980L is running a protected Orbtronic 3100 and the Keygos an unprotected Sanyo 2600 from KD, both on nearly charged batteries—awesome batteries, awesome lights, what can I say!

The 980 is the clear winner, but lemme tell ya, they are both neck-and-neck in most any practical situation. This was taken at the employee entrance of the lodge I work at. Both are amazing lights.

2

Exactly which is which? Just to make sure my version of clear winner is clear and the same as yours. :wink:

3

+1

4

Oh, 980 on left

5

Thanks, Rusty, but that pic is a bit overexposed. 980L is brighter, yes, but you can’t appreciate beam pattern very well.
Anyway, thanks :smiley: BTW, can you tell us where you bought them from? Is that an “original” 980L?

6

Wow. That’s impressive.

I have a Keygos KE-5 and it’s by far my most powerful light that I own - for the price. I paid less than 25.00USD as I recall.

What’s the best price on the UF 980L?

Thanks!

7

It looks like the Spot on the Ke-5 is Smaller. With = Emitter Amps it should be Brighter. The PIC is shot at a angle also?

8

the keygos I got for a co-worker was about as bright as my 980l…the keygos had a tighter hotspot than the 980l…keygos was driven at 4.8a and my 980l is about 4.6a…

9

The Keygos some may remember comes from an ebay seller in China. The 980L from Manafont (yes, it’s a real 980L). The camera is a 5 mgpxl cell camera and it’s just not made for night. I shot it against that wall just as the morning crew was getting in. And it doesn’t have to be perfect to showcase these babies, anyway. The tighter hotspot of the Ke-5 is useful. Both burn at nearly 5 amps for me, but the winner is still the 980L, even though the KE-5 wins the “hurts my eyes” test more. lol

10

they both priced about same yeah ?

11

Nope. Original 980L costs 40 bucks (you can get copies cheaper, for 20 or less). Keygos - $20.

12

wow, makes me want a 980 now. where can i get copies from? are they suppose to be just as bright though?

13

No. They won’t perform quite as well as the original. Even the TB-D7 version, as well as other clones, aren’t pulling as many amps. And I already got one defective one of those. Beware of the ultra-cheapies. They’ll do just what any old XM-L will do, but they have wicked PWM and are of lesser build quality.

14

im off to buy a new soldering iron and possible butcher my faulty keygos this afternoon…… that picture has just driven me to it!!! :slight_smile:

15

The 980L is a bad light, and the finish is superb. But the Keygos for the money probably is no doubt one of the best bang for your buck small XM-L lights you can buy. I just wish Keygos would get with the program and make them all consistently the same for brightness. There is a big variation so it seems. The seller cwtco on ebay is a good choice to buy from.

16

Can someone explain me driver of 980l?
Its directly driven on high?

And what about low and mid mode.
If its regulated on mid, than is it possible , if attery is veryx depleted, to be brighter on id than on high (DD) ? :slight_smile:

17

Ecig, as soon as you notice any dimming in any mode, recharge your battery immediately. Sounds like it’s getting low

18

The original 980L driver is the same as UF 3 mode, XML P60 drop-in from Manafont, i.e. DD on HI and somewhat regulated on MED and LOW (these modes suffer from low PWM, btw). “New”, chipie 980L driver, has 5 modes (add strobe and SOS) and it’s not DD on HI, AFAIK, so don’t expect 4.5A :bigsmile:

19

I buy the Keygos in a heartbeat if they made it without the strobe modes.