Until I tear it completely apart, I can’t be sure. I took the pill out, but left it intact and assembled everything for beam shots tonight, so I don’t have an answer now. I would most likely replace the pill with a solid aluminum plug that was press fit, but that’s only conjecture until I have it all torn down.
Beam Shots are up in Post #1
looking on beamshots only, A9 looks fine but the rest is just not worth the price…thanks for the comparison Old Lumen, helpful 
Great review, thanks! Does the A9 have PWM? I really like the style, though I’m a little put off by the reflector.
Thanks for the review OL. I know you dont like the EA4 for reasons you have mentioned previously and I would off agreed with you. I received my light the night Suncoaster visited. A better night as I have mentioned before has not been had since. He brought with him lights I’d read and dreamt about and I was amazed. The little AE4 was unwrapped in some pretty prestigious company and seemed not to impress. This light has had a fair bit off use since that night and it has grown on me to the point that it’s not bad. Yes the user interface took awhile to get my simple mind around but with use I love it. Why? The batteries. A few NiMH batteries available anywhere and the light just works and it works well. To finish this post l believe and others will agree that you need to send me the Trustfire A9 for a fair and unbiased opinion. Thanks.
Great comparison review!
For modders and non-modders, this is very valuable info.
Shame about the charger.
My first charger, was one of those, only 18650 version. It was modded in the same fashion. Not because it was needed, but because even while working like it should, the connection was not something I would put my trust in. So mine got a cord with a EU-plug. It had to be further modded to have a good connection with my first good battery (AW 2600 mAh). And when I got longer cells (longer higher capacity protected Panasonic), they would not fit. Its only a single channel charger btw. Needless to say, even fully functioning, the charger is badly designed. Its a reason why its cheap.
My first charger (the one above) also came with two blue 18650 Ultrafire batteries. One seemed good. The other one was not able to deliver high amps.
Then the “good cell” stopped working within a week. I ditched both of them after that.
No more crap cheapo batteries for me, not even if they are free.
The only time I have bought some “cheaper” supposedly good batteries was the Sanyo 2600mAh 18650F from FT. They arrived with uneven voltage and one discharges faster than the other. Not batteries I would use in series. Fully charged, none of them were a match for protected Panasonic 3400 mAh batteries.
When it comes to 14500 batteries. I stick to protected Sanyo cells from intl-outdoor (excellent performance in HKJ review btw) or protected Nitecore cells from FT. The lower capacity Nitcore are slightly thinner, and marginally shorter, which can be needed in certain lights.
Blue Trustfire 14500 900mAh, did not get a good review by HKJ either. I cant be bothered to gamble on possibly getting original “flame” cells, which possibly could be good.
Based on my my personal experience, Ill continue to pay a premium for the best cells, and avoid everything else. Its cheaper in the long run. On top of that, I get way better performance and what I would consider much higher safety.
When it comes to 14500/AA sized lights, Ill stick to Eneloops if they are able to supply high enough voltage for the intended purpose, otherwise, quality li-ions for me.
**thanks for the comparison. I tried to buy one of the ea4 at the recent sale but couldn’t snag one. I’m gonna have to check on the a9 prices now. thx
Great review. Thanks for your efforts!
Thanks for the great review. Sad that the li-ion light is outdone by a nimh light. If the A9 performed like that on eneloops - especially with it’s tighter beam - I’d think about getting one to throw a dedomed xp-g2 in.
Light only, no crap batteries or charger, at FT for $34.69: http://www.fasttech.com/products/1384800
Thanks for the extensive comparison. Makes me think of the early seventies, when pictures appeared of secret Russian clones of American computers: clear copies, but bigger chips, rougher circuit boards and less performing.
Thanks a lot for the review! Frontpage’d and Sticky’d.
Has anyone had problems with this light draining batteries when the power is off?
I let it sit for a couple days only to come back to a dead light. The blue 14500’s that came with it were drained down to .2 to .9V. So much for being protected 14500’s……
The trustfire or the EA4? Gave my EA4 to my brother as a gift. He stuck four alkalines in it, and apparently they were in there for over a month before I saw and yelled at him :p
Still worked just fine, although I didn't measure if they were drained.
It’s the trustfire.