XML drop in would give me about how amny more lumens than i currently have? This drop in is exactly what is says? Just drop it in place of the old one right? No mods needed? I am figuring this drop in and a red lense might work? And I wouldnt have to even know how to solder then right?
Oh and can I get it in a single mode?
It may well be that an XM-L dropin with a red filter will give you more light than a red LED. My brightest one measures at a peak 850 lumens. Swapping a dropin is a matter of unscrewing the head, taking out the dropin and putting a new one in. It is a good idea to wrap high-output ones in heavy aluminium foil until they are a tight fit in the throat of the light to allow for better heat transmission to the light body. It's no harder than changing a battery. You may want to take a spare battery though - at full output you are only going to get around 40 minutes till the battery needs charging.
Very true, question is whether you want to preserve your night vision, in which case you would need to use a dim light anyway, or rely on artificial light. If you choose to rely on artificial light then green is a better choice than red.
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/qa/nightvision.htm
^ This page explains the effects on the eye for different kinds of light.
Has anyone tried a XM-L in a 502B and how does my lens come out? Does the collar turn out? Where can I buy an additional head for mine? That way I will have one with a red lens installed and a clear lens installed.
Just tried it - the 502b needs a lot of aluminium foil to make the dropin a tight fit.
Just unscrew the head. The lens is held in by the lighter coloured ring you can see inside. There are two notches 180 degrees apart that you can use to unscrew the retaining ring. The cheapest way to get another head would be to buy a 502B body which shouldn't cost very much - certainly under $10.
XM-L dropin going in.
Then just screw the head back on.
Thanks for the pictures! Unfortunately I Dont have the two grooves in the ring that holds the lens in. It may be fun getting it apart. Where would I find the parts I need? Is there an extension for this light to add another battery?
They might well have changed the design a bit - that one is about 4 years old I think. You won't get an extension for it - the only one I know of that does this is Solarforce.
http://www.solarforce-sales.com/product_detail.php?t=FA&s=16&id=59
http://www.solarforce-sales.com/product_detail.php?t=FA&s=16&id=60
Their extension will also work with the Uniquefire L2 and the old-style Ultrafire WF-504B - but not the new, more rounded 504 body.
However, Manafont will sell you the WF-502D body which takes 2 18650 cells and costs less than $10. Sounds worth a try to me.
http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/ultrafire-wf502d-flashlight-tube-no-led-emitter-p-4295
From the photos there, it would seem to use the same sort of lens retention as mine.
I hope it's ok to invade this thread.
If you want a budget red-light torch with longer running times, are there any other alternatives to this setup, especially some running on a 14500 or even AAA? The Ultrafire seems ok price-wise, but something more efficient would be nice.
by the way, you got a really, really great site going on here!
Onlyother thing I can think of is this red Cree dropin - should work fine in a Solarforce R2
Cree XLamp XP-C-R2 5-Mode 90-Lumen Memory Red Light Drop-in LED Module (38mm*26mm/8.4V Max)
Welcome to BLF, Hokum.
I couldn't have said it any better. There are only two forums that I enthusiastically check daily; BLF is one of them.
Hi there Hokum, thanks for saying so, we're glad to have you here! Enjoy your time.
Aloha and welcome to BLF Hokum!
Thank you for the warm welcome!
I did a lot of research and couldn't find anything more suited to my needs. If you plan to use a red light for camping and such, the red Ultrafire is way to bright and will kill your night vision anyway.
With all those great budget lights out there, it's sad that there is no cheapish red-LED 14500/AAA available.
Best way is probably a DIY red filter on one of the 14500/AAAs. Or does the Fenix Red filter at DE maybe fit on of these? I wouldn't be afraid do some more profound modding, but I have the feeling that a filter would be waaay more time and money efficient.
edit: mhm the small fenix filter (52402, $3.30) fits a 21,5mm diameter. So it would just be a matter of finding a fitting budget 14500-torch!
just hold on there a g-darn minute ! :) you can compare northern Wisconsin people with people from say Minneapolis , maybe to Milwaukee - apples to apples. God bless em maybe they have had a few extra bottles of Jack than the average man while in the womb but thats how they were made man !
Common Farve ! he sweated GreenBay sweat in a Viks uniform ( shutter) , he did good last year with protection .... , all joking aside the talent they have wasted over the past decade ,
thx for wasting half my day typing/responding lol
btw nice options Match , doesnt anyone provide lens covers with tint - obviously a cheap choice depends how red it needs to be
MY BEST SUGGESTION i'd say a multi led , 2*18650 , why ? red and colored light dont show there ouput as well . not to mention there are 3,5,6 leds lights
your biggest cost would be replacing the leds couldnt find that link but they were 4 dollars , kinda pricey , you are limiting the light to red also ...
n/m here it is
red cree led- http://www.dealextreme.com/p/red-cree-led-emitter-20mm-1-9-2-2v-1776
cheapest 3 led Warning check the breakdown pics and output per led -http://www.dealextreme.com/p/trustfire-tr-500-3-q2-wc-3-mode-500-lumen-3-led-flashlight-2-18650-14029
DIY for a mag light etc -http://www.dealextreme.com/p/3-led-cree-3-mode-regulator-reflector-2x18650-module-set-3-6v-9v-9358
filter 39mm?? - http://www.dealextreme.com/p/fenix-red-filter-adaptor-cap-flashlight-sig...
dropin - http://www.dealextreme.com/p/cree-xlamp-xp-c-r2-5-mode-90-lumen-memory-r...