Review: Ultra Fire UF-980L

Can you note the reflector size/depth for comparison to other lights, or did I miss it?

I'm also trying to determine whether to pony up for this or just get the trustfire f15 for like half the cost.

it looks great!

Wow, this thing sounds barely street legal! Watch out for your eyes at that temperature, and try to dodge the flying aluminum shrapnel. At the same time, it does sound like an incredibly fun light...

Great review as usual Foy! Incredible photography and teardown. Frontpage'd and Sticky'd.

I'm gonna get shot... just had to order one now! Can't wait!

Rich

agenthex - Here ya go . . .

Should have included it - will update

Foy

Thanks!

Oh my...

Another monster turns out here

Wow, this thing sounds barely, order one now! Can't wait?

__________________

They're gonna send you a green redcat with a Green Laser Pointer.

Excellent review! Thanks.

Very detailed review!! I had to buy this light, after seeing you’re previous threads on this light. I can already picture my wife saying " who is this foy?" Five *****

And don't forget to add the pictures of your blown 18650 batteries. I fear, we might hear some adventure stories of this kind from this light soon.

And don't forget to add the pictures of your blown 18650 batteries. I fear, we might hear some adventure stories of this kind from this light soon.

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I have resisted this light so far but I see I now have no choice but to order. It can blow up batteries? Hell yeah

Nice review, pal ;) Can you post a shot of this baby with L2P for size comparison? And would be great to see more outside shots :p

BTW, what about this UF?

Folks,

After thinking about this a bit more, I feel this needs to be said:

High tailcap numbers don't always equate to high lumens.

As for the reason this torch seems so bright, I strongly feel it has more to do with a large, well designed reflector than it does with the high tailcap amps.

I would love to test this light in my I.S. just to see.

I just tested again and mine still pulls 4.5 amps with a melted driver, none of the other modes work. It will be interesting to see in another month or two if anyone else has any heat related failures like I did.

Sash - I saw that one but I prefer the 3-mode without strobe.

And, thank you E1320 for corroborating my tail cap reading. Nice to know my inexperience and low-life DMM are not far from the facts. Some people roll their eyes when I report a 4.78 draw, questioning my methods, my poor DMM or whatever. It was atcually your (E1320) reading on your Fluke that made me pull the trigger on this. Have to agree with Match; after a certain point it's just not going to get much brighter . . . which begs the question; where is that point?

Oldienea - Not gonna happen this this fellow. That's why I went out of my way to talk about heat, because it scares me too. (I'm assuming that is what you're refering to) I don't know what would happen if left on high indefinitely and I'm not going to find out so, gonna have to look elsewhere for Li ion adventures/battery pics.

safeFoy

Couldn’t resist anymore… I’ve just order that monster from MF this morning. The hotspot picture that Foy give us above is so fearsome tempting to my eyes.
Just having XM-L fever around me right now, keep asking for better XM-L thrower everytime.
Foy is really made me move again by this review, another paypal finger dance ending :smiley:

Me too, I wouldn't do it. Don't worry, sooner or later, somebody else will find out the hard way. As you mentioned, it's rather a flashlight for experienced users. As soon it comes to the hands of an non flashaholic, we will know.

I just want to get this straight before I do something that can't be undone. Foy was so blown away by my trusty Fluke readings on the demon seed UF-980L he picked one up did a kick ass review causing hundreds of people throughout the world to buy this monstrosity. So I have only one choice and that is to put the demon seed out of it's misery that's right my UF-980L will receive a full metal jacket 7.62x39 right in the head of course then I will then give it a proper burial at sea by chucking off the nearest bridge into the North Atlantic. Besides if Oldie is right and this thing is going to blow up anyways I want it to be on my terms, and then Jim at Manafont can rest easy and not have to worry about sending me a new driver for my cursed light that will probably just burn out again in a another month.

Over and out E

Don't do it E . . . wait just a little longer for the driver and remember how much you liked it before the melt-down! In fact, since it is you that set in motion this Paypal vacuuming chain of events, Jim should at the very least send you a new 980L for your trouble, along with a new driver.

I somehow knew this flashlight was going to be fun.

savethe980LFoy