Got a PrairieFire in the mail today...

...but don't have a clue what the heck it is or why I ordered it. I think I must have ordered it sometime around the 2nd week of Dec, so this thing took 10+ weeks on the slow boat from China.

I don't even remember clicking the ORDER button, and I don't know anything about this light except that is an XM-L, C8-sized reflector that looks like a clone of the 980L. Black body with shiny silverish aluminum crenalted bezel and tail-cap.

Anyone else have one of these?

Sheesh, and I don't even drink alcohol...

How well does it work?

Just got the light in my mailbox as I was leaving for work, so I haven't even had a chance to put an 18650 in it yet.

There was a bunch of talk around this light at about that time...might've been in Foy's 980L review. I had one ordered but it was on backorder so long I canceled it. I assume you were drawn into buying it like we were, like moths to the flame...

looking forward to hearing about it

What's the pill like compared to the Ultrafire?

Hahah. A true flashalohic addiction. When your memory of what and when you ordered a light become a blur and random packages begin arriving lol.

Got a grin on my face reading the first post.

Would be interesting to hear more of it when you have time :)

i like to forgot about a ships.. but not when take more of 45 days and i lose my paypal rights, and that happen often on DX

but i must say that also if slowly their CS do a good work also after the 45 days

Try some Absinthe - you can get that feeling from 2-day deliveries.

Stuff comes in the mail . . . "did I order that?"

Ahh troop . . . you're past the point of no return. I've received several packages that reminded me of an order.

Foy

I was afraid of that.

I think my wife is going to order an intervention.

I ordered two BIN flashlights off Ebay on Feb 15th. I looked in my mailbox today, Feb 24th, and I see something from Hong Kong!! W$F! Are you kiddin me?? 9 day free shipping from Hong Kong to my door(MD)?? Yup, Unfreakin believable!! :)

When you can't remember ordering lights

it's time to put down the pipe. It probably means you're already way too high .

It's all a downward spiral from here my friend ..how deep the rabbit hole goes no one knows .

First flashlights , then knives ,next you'll be wearing sandals eating granola and voting for Ron Paul.

Boaz, would you care to translate that, and to who was it directed? Tripod mounts? Bud? Ron Paul? I'm not making a connection...

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.

I had nearly the same thing happen to me. I, too, received my Prairiefire this week after ordering it in December. My pill was also loose, but easy enough to tighten down. I haven't measured the amps, but it sure seems to be on a par with my KD C8. The lens bezel and switch bezel are clearly aluminum, not stainless steel, and on my flashlight the lens bezel has 4 cracks in it, probably a result of rough handling in the mail (it wasn't very well packed). For the money, about $22, I guess I would recommend the KD C8. I think it is better made and I prefer the OP reflector. This isn't a bad-looking flashlight, but it isn't a substitute for a UF-980.