Rating: 9.5/10 stars
Site: Wallbuys
Listed Price: $237 USD plus shipping
Date Ordered/Received: 25th of March 2014, received on the 7th of April 2014
Link: Wallbuys Fire-Foxes FF4
Intro
When it comes to exotic flashlights such as this beast, supply is limited to certain stores. Wallbuys happened to offer this flashlight for the lowest price, and appeared to be a reputable distributor of flashlights amongst other gadgets.
I have been asked on multiple occasions about my enduring obsession with flashlights, and more specifically, owning the most powerful flashlights. I have also been asked why I spend so much money on flashlights, and this light is a prime example. Many people could not imagine spending over $200 on a flashlight, for obvious reasons. However this light is not just a flashlight. This light is the pinnacle of exotic “pocket-sized” flashlights; the offspring of motivation, inspiration and a passion for wickedly bright flashlights. And whilst this flashlight may not be the most practical in many situations, it represents perfection and the human desire for improvement and “more”. That being said, this light would be suitable for caving, hunting, and search and rescue operations.
Fire-Foxes is a Chinese owned company that specialise in HID flashlights, despite also selling LED flashlights. The predecessor to this flashlight is the FF3, which is also an amazing flashlight. Their flagship flashlight, the FF4, is recognised as one of the world’s most compact HID flashlight. Let’s have a closer look.
Initial impression (Unboxing)
Wallbuys shipped this flashlight in its retail box, enclosed with Styrofoam in another cardboard box. Despite their fantastic packaging, the inner box was slightly crumpled at one corner, although the thick foam that surrounded the flashlight ensured that it was nice and safe. The retail box also contained a piece of fluoro paracord (black would have been better?), a lens cap, a spare reverse-clicky switch, an information pack and of course, the flashlight.
The information pack consisted of a Chinese Manual, warrantee cards as well as an authenticity verification card.
The lens cap appears to be a camera lens cap for 67mm diameter filter threads, and is attached to a handy string. The addition of the lens cap is a unique touch of elegance that looks cool as well as being functional.
External packaging
Inside the package
WYSIWYG
Contents of the retail box (strange paracord colour)
Build Quality
I was surprised by how light the flashlight was when I first picked it up. Weighing in at a mere 500g without batteries and just over 700g with, this is one of the lightest HID flashlights. Despite this, the build quality was superb; the machining was perfect, threads were cut nicely (albeit a bit dry) and the reflector was spotless.
The design in general is quite eye-opening; the beefy heatsink on the head, the rubber covered clicky switches, and the rectangular cut knurling all look fantastic. Grooves are cut out of the primary heatsink to prevent rolling. “Fire-Foxes® FF4” is laser engraved onto the head, and on the other side, “Caution hot” (wise words of warning as this beast does get quite toasty after a while). This light tailstands very well.
Disassembled light
Light with batteries installed on scale
The anodisation is outstanding, and is very matte unlike the Skyray King. This is probably the best anodisation that I have ever seen. There are no missing patches or scratches to be seen anywhere.
The threads are of a round cut and are anodised like the body. Possibly the only complaint I have about this flashlight is about the dryness of the threads and o-rings. This is an expensive flashlight; would it really be that difficult to lube the threads at the factory? The harsh creaks that I heard as I unscrewed the tailcap were subdued by some synthetic motor oil, and a good cleaning. It may be the anodisation that caused the squeaking, which is quite reasonable.
Dry, round cut threads (Note double o-rings)
Heatsink fins and side switch (Coca-cola and SRK in background)
The pair of switches that tame this stallion are positioned on the bottom and side. Both are covered with a silicone boot. The side switch is black, and is surrounded by a thick stainless steel ring secured by four hex screws, adding to visual aesthetics. This switch seems to be a momentary switch, similar to the SRK. The bottom switch is a reverse clicky switch covered by a true GITD tailcap that illuminates when it is activated (more about that later). Both switches have a very solid tactile feel and seem to be of good quality.
The reflector is a SMO reflector, and is made of high grade polished aluminium. The reflector is flawless; there are no bumps, impurities or scratches, allowing for maximum efficiency. The custom parabolic design is suited for HID lamps, and as a result the shape is distinct from LED reflectors. The bulb is centred perfectly, allowing for a clean, circular beam pattern. Kudos to Fire-Foxes for perfecting the reflector!
The lens of the flashlight is made of uncoated glass, which is slightly disappointing. All lights in this price range should have an AR coating, and many do, but this doesn’t. Bummer.
Perfect reflector and uncoated glass (the little wire leaves a slight shadow in the beam pattern)
Size comparison (From the left: Skyray King, Coca-Cola, Fire-Foxes FF4)
Overall, this flashlight’s build quality is by far the best I have ever seen. The only shortcomings were the dryness of the threads (although to be fair not many flashlights come with lubed threads) and the uncoated glass.
Operation
This light accepts 4 unprotected 18650 batteries, which appear to be wired in parallel (poles are aligned), but are actually wired in series. Four Li-ion batteries wired in series can be a ticking time bomb if the batteries are not matched, therefore care must be taken to ensure that good cells are used. Batteries with protection PCBs will not fit, though trimming the springs will allow for protected cells to fit. The battery carrier houses a protection circuit, as well as the clicky switch. The carrier is built quite solidly, with solid copper positive contacts and thick gold plated springs. The carrier sits flush with the body tube of the flashlight; there is no rattling at all when the flashlight is shaken.
Battery carrier
Due to the high current draw, good quality cells should be used with this light. Many recommend the Panasonic NRC18650B (3400mAh), which provide adequate current and a fairly long runtime (1+ hours on 40W).
This light has 3 modes; high (40W) and low (24W), with a hidden turbo mode (60W). The quoted luminous outputs are 2000, 4000 and 6000 lumens respectively. I do not own a light meter, though others have confirmed that these ratings are quite close to the actual output. On click of the tail switch illuminates the green standby LEDs under the tailcap, and puts the light into standby mode. A press of the side switch initiates the ignition of the lamp at 40W. Being an HID flashlight, this light requires about 10-20 seconds to warm up to full brightness. A second press lowers the lamp down to 24W, and any further presses switches between these two modes. A long press of the side switch while in low mode brings the light into turbo mode. Turbo mode will cause excessive heat to be produced, therefore after a few minutes in turbo mode, the temperature sensor will trip and bring the light back to 40W mode. The light will step down to low mode when the batteries are nearing depletion, or if it gets too hot.
Even the 24W low mode is enough to blow many LED flashlights out of the water. The Skyray King cannot compete, neither can the Ultrafire C series or the HD series. The eBay HID had more throw (bigger reflector), but its 85W mode was equivalent to the 60W mode of the FF4. The eBay HID also had a comparatively colour temperature, 6000K, compared to the much more pleasing 4300K of the FF4. Side by side the eBay HID’s spot seems blue.
At 60W, this light outputs enough photons to blind a bear. The amount of light emerging from this tiny flashlight is incredible, and cannot be described with words. It truly is pocket sunshine.
The ballast would consume an extra 25% of the nominal power output, but the light is still very efficient.
Beamshots
From the left: Ultrafire C12, Skyray King, FF4, eBay 85W HID. All on high. (ISO 1000, f/27, 1/500")
At 60W the FF4's beam completely destroys the LED lights in terms of output. The 85W eBay HID is comparatively bright, but the colour temperature is much higher.
Outdoor beamshots are taken in a suburban backyard. Trees are around 50m away. Back fence is around 15m away. All photos have been taken with ISO 1000, f/4.8 aperture, and 1/8" shutter speed.
Control shot (ISO 1000, f/4.8, 1/8")
FF4 turbo (60W). Mouse over for eBay HID high (85W)
FF4 high (40W). Mouse over for eBay HID medium (65W)
FF4 low (24W). Mouse over for eBay HID low (45W)
(Just for fun) FF4 turbo (60W) and Skyray King High
The throw on the FF4 is definitely not as concentrated as the eBay HID, although the wide area illuminated is as bright as the spot that the eBay flashlight illuminates. This light is a photon cannon.
Conclusion
This light is just amazing. The build quality is amazing, the light output is phenomenal, and the compact form factor makes it even better. Obviously, this flashlight is not for everybody, but for those who are true flashlight enthusiasts, there is nothing else this small that comes close.
This is my first experience shopping with Wallbuys, and I must say that I am very impressed with their service. The staff were professional and courteous when I queried about the product. They shipped the flashlight on the same day that I ordered it and it arrived within 2 weeks!
This is not a budget flashlight. That is why I took off 0.5 from the score. But even so, it is worth every cent for every eye-searing lumen in the portable form factor. I recommend this light to anyone who is looking for the brightest “pocketable” flashlight, because it truly is!