Review: TrustFire Z1 XML-T6 "1600 Lumen" Zoomable (a.k.a. Z5)

TrustFire Z1 XML-T6 "1600 Lumen" Zoomable (a.k.a. Z5)

Reviewer's Overall Rating: ★★★★

Summary:

Battery: 2 x 18650
Switch: Reverse Clicky
Modes: High - Med - Low - Strobe - SOS
LED Type: Cree XM-L T6
Lens: Glass
Tailstands: Yes
Price Payed: $44
From: eBay (cyberport888)
Date Ordered: July 2011

Edit: Can be found also from DX, where it's called TrustFire Z5 (Price $43.20, including two batteries and a charger!)

Pros:

  • Wide & even beam in flood mode
  • Throw mode is available if occasionally needed (doesn't replace a thrower still)
  • Low(ish) current on high -> less heat, longer run time
  • Build quality
  • Balanced design, feels good in hand

Cons:

  • Output, especially in throw mode (as expected in XM-L FTT)
  • Nowhere near 1600 Lumens

Features / Value: ★★★★

Good emitter, driven low (see below)

Otherwise pretty normal feature set: Five modes, Zoomable (Flood to Throw)

Light in flood mode: (Mouse over for throw mode)

Design / Build Quality: ★★★

I'm happy with the build quality. Threads were smooth, no big flaws in anodizing, no lens rattle, etc.

Design is nice (IMHO). Light is shorter than I thought, well balanced and good to hold in hand.

Heat transfer & cooling seems to be good as well.

Despite of the two cell design this could be a good bicycle light?

Size comparison: (from left: Sky Ray 3xT6, TrustFire Z1, Yezl T9, KD C8)

Flashlight parts:

Head & Tailcap:


Battery Life: ★★★★★

Didn't have time for real runtime tests yet, but must be good with tailcap currents of:
High: 1.0A, Med: 0.4A, Low: 0.1A -> theoretically over 2h runtime on high.

Light Output: ★★★☆☆

As expected (after the current measurements). Definitely not as bright as some well-driven XM-L, like KD C8.

Flood is a bit brighter than in Yezl T9 (440Lux vs. 280Lux@1m), mostly because a bit smaller beam diameter (120cm vs. 140cm @1m). However, the throw is dimmer (10700Lux vs. 14800Lux@1m), again mostly because the beam diameter is bigger (13cm vs. 10cm @1m)

As the current in high mode is low(ish), the light doesn't get very hot => thermal sag is way lower than in Yezl.

I'll add some beamshots later to the post below. Don't hold your breath though.

Summary: ★★★★

Good light, but could be better. Nothing exceptional to write home about.

The end: (pun intended)

=the=

Ps. My first review here at BLF. Feel free to ask if I happened to forget something important.

Here are the promised beamshots. Sorry about the quality. :/

All photos ISO80, 5 sec, f/4.

TrustFire Z1 Flood (mouse over for Yezl T9):

TrustFire Z1 Throw (mouse over for Yezl T9):

..and some "known" lights for comparison..

SkyRay 3xT6:

KD C8:

SpiderFire SSC P7:

Sipik Clone Flood:

Sipik Clone Throw:

What are lens measurments (dia. of efective part and thicknes)? Can you compare the lens to Yezl T9 (also photos if possible)?

1A at tail with two cells is more or less equal to 2A with one cell, isn't it?

Excellent review and photos!!

TrustFire Z1: ~26mm dia, ~8.6mm thick
Yezl T9: ~34mm dia, 10.0mm thick

Pictures below. Z1 on left, T9 on right:

Right.

Thanks _the_! Great review. I would thought that Z1 with relatively thicker lens would have wider beam. Maybe leds dome doesn't come as close to the lens as with T9.

Looking forward to see your beam pictures. Again compare them with T9 if possible. Excelent photos, btw.

Hello _the_, great first review on BLF! Really well done, and thanks for the fancy roll-over comparison image. Frontpage'd and Sticky'd.

Give me a 1x18650 version of this light and I might be more interested. Still looks quite nice though.

Nice Review - My brother bought this light - and in all honesty , _ Im still no fan of flood to throw .

Will post a review on the week end .

Looks very nice,but one question,I searched on google,and found another model,but they looks the same,just the name is difference,this one call trustfire Z1,and I fund one call:trustfire Z5,here

I want to buy one,who can tell the difference with them?

wow that sky ray looks exceptionally bright compare to it :) how far is the end of that road? because it looks farther than 50m which is said to be the effective use of this light. It's also strking that the light doesnt seem cold, so is this light 'neutral' white?

Thanks for the comparison between the skyray and the kd C8 (yes this was a review about another flashlight but still :)) which i was going to buy both until i saw the DRY 4-mode which i will buy instead of the skyray after someone has some comparisons between them

I've a suspicion that the Trustfire X9 would beat the Z1 on looks, flood and throw all at the same time.

About 50m.

I think it's just the Auto WB doing tricks.. The light seems cool white to me.

Supposedly not in flood, but 2/3 isn't bad either.. :)

Actually from you BS's to my eyes the KD C8 beats it on throw I assume the KD C8 had a SMO reflector. If it only had an OP then a C8 with a SMO would certainly noticeably beat the Z1 on throw.

Looks like MF has this light as the TF Z5 for $38.70

I will make this short ...

Its well made but not cheap ...

Im no fan of flood to throw , and this light helps re-enforce that feeling ..

Lets get straight to performance :

Rather than light box readings , as they were no accurate due to the flood to throw design , I have gone with a ceiling bounce comparison ...

Trustfire Z1

Flood = 47Lux

Throw = 16Lux [ Wow now that's a lot of loss ]

Solarforce L2 with 3 mode Manafont XM-L = 60Lux

Solarforce L2T with 3 mode low current XM-L = 35Lux

Now lets check out throw @ 1 meter ..

Trustfire Z1 = 12900Lux @ 1 meter

Solarforce L2 = 11000Lux @ 1 meter

Solarforce L2T = 7600Lux @ 1 meter

Wow , it does throw , but not nearly well enough to make a regular XM-L look bad , if anything it simply re affirmed my personal choice in lights .

What it seems to do is put out a nice spot , which is a little brighter at distance than a regular XM-L .. I have taken this light to the park ..

If you have to have one , fair enough , but it simply does not impress .

The flood mode is useful , and does a very nice job , but I just dont see the point ...

Bottom line ,

Flood is useful

Throws a little better than a regular XM-L [ P60 ]

Cheap ass pill , but emitter sits on a large base

2 x 18650 = A negative for me ..

Serious output loss in throw mode

Im not a fanboy of flood to throw , so I might be the wrong person to say yay or nay ! So I wont ...

If you like flood to throw ? [ My brother does - its his light ] you may wish to consider this one ,

Z1? Trustfire already has a Z1!
http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/trustfire-z1-xper2-modes-flashlight-16340-p-7347?rp=041087

It's an XP-E based really tiny 16340 right-angle light something in the manner of Zebralights (but no head strap). I own that one. Totally different.

Is this a real Trustfire? If so, why would Trustfire release two very different models with the exact same name?

Yes it is strange. The one reviewed here is definitely labeled as, "Z1". But there is an identical one on ebay labeled as "Trustfire Z5". Enlarge the picture shown here. Either TF realised their mistake and corrected it on the second batch or one of the two is a fake.

Yes, the trustfire Z1 is the light on the right

I can't imagine they name two different lights the same...how bizarre is that?

Come to think of it TF may have done the same before. Their are two TF-R2's. One is a P60 host and one is a Dereelight DBS clone and AKAIK both are genuine.