Alright, got a chance to throw one of Rev Jim's 18650 batteries in this thing, and I'm pretty happy with the light.
It pulls an even 3A on Hi, 1.5A on Med, and .7A on Low. In comparison, my KD C8 pulls 2.4A on Hi, 1.1A on Med, and .12A on Low
The beam is almost identical in hotspot and spill compared to the KD C8, except the hotspot is a little more defined. The PrairieFire has an SMO reflector, and the KD has an OP reflector, which would account for the difference. At night you have to pay attention to notice that the PrairieFire is marginally brighter than the KD, no doubt because of the higher draw.
As to the light itself, it is well constructed, although I had to tighten the pill with a pair of tweezers, it was loose and the light would switch itself off and on until I tightened it up. Finish is decent, no issues there. The knurling is almost smooth; it looks OK, but doesn't give much grip.
Don't know if DX even offers this light anymore, but it was a good purchase for a budget thrower.
What I like:
1) Bright! Throws! Typical C8, XM-L performance at 3A
2) Finish is nice, good size, no flaws that I could find
3) Emitter well-centered, pill construction is solid and the pill threads to the head
4) Has no mode memory, which on a torch with blinky modes is GOOD. Always starts on High, so you can still cycle to Med and Low without having to waste clicks on SOS and Strobe
5) Tailstands nicely.
6) Very solid feel to the Tail switch.
What I don't like
1) No cooling fins, no anti-roll
2) Two blinky modes
3) Knurling too smooth
4) Rev Jim's batteries rattle in the body
5) Lowest mode would be a Medium on most lights, it needs a genuine Low mode that pulls about .1A instead of .7A
I'm indecisive about the crenalated bezels on the head and tailpiece. They aren't bad looking, but I prefer them to be Foy-bezeled. The tailpiece does allow it to tailstand, which is good, but the front bezel would look better smooth, IMO.