Review with X-Ray image: Zanflare F1 (1x18650)

Disclaimer

This product was sent to me from GearBest for review. No other payment was received for this review.
Product page: http://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_466743.html

Introduction

The Zanflare F1 was the first Zanflare branded light, and is a USB rechargeable 18650 tube light.

Packaging

The Zanflare F1 arrived in a branded cardboard box, with flashlight, instructions, lanyard, clip, USB cable, and 2 spare O-rings. The instructions are very good.



Design and UI

This is a unique looking light with a diagonal/spiral knurling. I really like this look. Quality of construction is excellent. It is larger than a typical 18650 tube light, at 28mm in diameter (head) and 136mm in length. It will fit the Light Painting Brushes Universal Connector. The tailcap unscrews to allow battery insertion, and the clip attaches to the body near the tailcap. There is an on/off switch on the tailcap, as well as glass breaker (not tested) and lanyard holes. The mode button is a side switch located near the head, but not too close to the front on the light.

There is only one spring at the tailcap (-ve end). The light was tested to successfully work with button top and raised top (e.g. Sanyo GA) 18650. I do not have any flat top 18650s to test, though these have been successfully tested by other reviewers. The light can also work with 18350 / RCR123 batteries, which were not tested.

The USB socket is located near the head, and a ring can be slid up and down to cover and uncover the socket. I prefer this to the usual plug design. A red indicator light displays when the light is charging, and green when fully charged. Fully charged batteries read 4.16V when tested in my XTAR Dragon charger immediately after charge termination in the F1. No batteries are included, and USB charging is not mandatory for those who prefer to use dedicated chargers.

As mentioned previously, there are two switches on this light, on the tail, and side. The tail switch is used for on/off. The side switch cycles through modes:
Moonlight>Low>Mid>High
The light has memory of the modes when turned on/off, which I like.

A double click enters the 1240 lumen flare mode, which lasts for 30 seconds before returning the output the high mode. This may have changed from earlier versions?

A 2 second click enters flashy mode. which cycles:
Strobe>SOS
A double click exists flashy mode.

The light has low voltage protection at 2.8V where it flashed and then turns off. This was tested successfully.






Output, Beam, and Runtime

The light has a fairly deep smooth reflector, that results in a beam profile that is a compromise between being floody or throwy. The beam is approximately 60 degrees, with a defined hotspot from the Cree XP-L (V6) emitter. The light is available in both cool white and neutral white versions, which is a bonus. I would like to see a warm white version as well, though I’m probably in the minority. My sample has a neutral white beam, with a yellow hotspot and “pure” white spill beam. I would estimate the CCT at around 5000k.

No PWM could be detected in all output modes.

The outputs are claimed to be:
Flare 1240lm (30secs)
High 590lm (2hr30m)
Medium 290lm (6h)
Low 60lm (22h)
Moonlight (1lm)
Ceiling bounce tests @ 30secs showed these claims to be accurate. Modes were well regulated.



Outdoor beamshot in 590 lumen high mode (house in distance is 30m away). f/6.3, 4sec, ISO400, no post-processing.

Conclusion

I was really impressed with the Zanfare F1. Quality of construction is excellent, is well designed, works perfectly, has USB charging, and has minimal risk of overheating. Choice or cool or neutral white is a bonus. I would thus recommend this for consumers wanting to enter the world of 18650 lights, with a high quality, and value for money flashlight.

this light has been sold for a while, suddenly there are a flood of reviews about this light :question:

It came as an “extra” with the Zanflare F2 for review, and why not, it saves on packaging!

Thanks for the review. Always love the xray. Can you explain how that works? I guess I would think you wouldn’t get such a perfect cross-section result like that. It’s almost like you split the light down the middle first and then took the xray.

Nice review StephenK
How does it handle heat ?

X-rays are a 2D image of a 3D structure. Thus you see all the way through the object. Where more beam attenuation occurs, the image will be brighter, where less beam attenuation occurs, the image will be darker.

Very well, the high mode doesn’t get too hot. The turbo mode steps down before it gets too hot. I would recommend this light for 18650 newbies due to this, compared to say a S2+ that can get very hot if left unattended on 100%.

How much time do I have left when it starts flashing?

It is hard for me to participate in the enthusiasm of most of the respondents. I find the rear switch of the flashlight too hard to press. Even the USB ring seems too hard to rotate. Both turbo-mode presses require presses with more demanding timing than other flashlights and are easy to miss. This is problematic in an emergency situation. When the flashlight is switched off from turbo mode and turned on again, the flashlight does not return to the high mode but to the lowest mode. Also problematic in my opinion.

If I could, I would return them. I bought two. But the Chinese are making trouble returning products. Both BG and GB. I hope I can write a negative review here in the forum and do not stick to the Chinese character. They censor negative criticism. If you do not believe, look for a review with one star in BG.

My USB ring would not budge at all — no rotate or slide. It’s as if the USB ring is part of one solid piece with battery tube.

And I concur with the following:

I’ve had this problem as well with one (out of four) F1 light. Of course there is subjectivity what is considered too hard to press. In my case the button had to be pressed like 95% of its stroke, and when it’s almost not possible to press further, then it would trigger the clicky switch.
The problem was an incorrect assembly of a spacer between the rubber/metal boot and the actual clicky assembly. This spacer has two sides and on each side a cutout. One cutout is shallow and the other is deep; so you have an asymmetric design. The position of the clicky switch relative to the rubber/metal boot varies depending on the orientation of this spacer. Mine was installed incorrectly, resulting in an increase of distance between the clicky switch assembly and the rubber/metal boot. This meant that the rubber/metal boot had to be pressed further for activation of the light. Reversing the spacer solved the problem.

(-: :sunglasses: