Wild About the Wildfire
If the appearance of quality alone can sell a flashlight then Int'l Outdoor will have no problem moving a lot of Wildfires. I must, however give credit to Boaz for pointing me to this stunning looker. It is a bit pricey, if just raw lumens are considered but this beautifully designed and superbly executed torch excels at everything. It's quality appearance comes by way of actual quality and it goes without saying (but I will say it anyway) the X-Power Wildfire gets a hearty . . .
Foyapproved
Bottom line: Near $60 is hardly "budget" but, for a flashlight that looks, feels and performs at this level, I think it is a veritable bargain. It feels like $120 in the hand and has some surprise features not found in any torch. Its firefly mode is the absolute lowest low I've ever seen and its UI is inspired. Add to that the best knurling you've ever felt, stellar performance and some well chosen bling . . . the X-Power Wildfire satisfies and delivers.
Wild About the Wildfire
If the appearance of quality alone can sell a flashlight then Int'l Outdoor will have no problem moving a lot of Wildfires. I must, however give credit to Boaz for pointing me to this stunning looker. It is a bit pricey if just raw lumens are considered but this beautifully designed and superbly executed torch excels at everything and its quality appearance comes by way of actual quality. It goes without saying (but I will say it anyway) the X-Power Wildfire gets a hearty
Foyapproved
Bottom line: Near $60 is hardly "budget" but, for a flashlight that looks, feels and performs at this level, I think it is a veritable bargain. It feels like $120 in the hand and has some surprise features not found in any torch. Its firefly mode is the absolute lowest low I've ever seen and its UI is inspired. Add to that the best knurling you've ever felt, stellar performance and some well chosen bling . . . the X-Power Wildfire satisfies and delivers.
What I like:
- aesthetics
- anodization
- knurling
- UI
- low, low, low firefly mode
- reverse threaded switch locking ring
- square threads
What I do not like:
- star but not superstar output on high
- clip removal a little fussy
X-Power Wildfire XM-L/T6 Flashlight
$57.89 Int'l Outdoor Store http://www.intl-outdoor.com/xpower-wildfire-xml-t6-flashlight-p-280.html
ordered: 3-26-12
received: 4-16-12
designed for 1 x 18650, 2 x 16340 or 2 x CR123 lithium-ion batteries
working voltage: 2.7 to 8.4 volts
aluminum construction
"premium type III hard anodization, anti-reflective coating"
flat, stainless steel bezel
non tail-standing, forward clicky tail cap switch with 14mm boot
anti-roll ring, drilled for lanyard
3-mode head-twist user interface: firefly, medium and high
selected manufacturer specifications
copper base plate heatsink
530 lumens
706 hours maximum run time
peak intensity: 18926cd (??)
impact resistance: 1.2 meter
141mm length, 35mm head
145 grams without battery
removable stainless steel clip
IPX-8 waterproof rating (immersion beyond 1 meter)
what you get for $57.89:
- X-Power Wildfire flashlight
- 2 x o-rings
- spare switch
- lanyard
The Wildfire arrived in flawless condition in this box . . .
. . . ensconced in bubble-wrap and a padded bottom.
Tail cap draw with 1 x unprotected Panasonic 18650 charged to 4.22 volts:
firefly - no reading (lame DMM won't go that low)
medium - .35 amp
high - 1.77
with 2 x UltraFire 16340 (generic blue)
firefly - no reading
medium - .20 (.40 to emitter)
high - 1.0 (2.0 amps to emitter)
No doubt about it; the Wildfire is one handsome torch. To a lot of folks, this is how a modern, tactical flashlight should look and the X-Power Wildfire exudes quality. It has the heft, balance and feel of a very serious tool, something a friend with more money than you might carry.
Perfect knurling? Everybody's expectations are different but the Wildfire's grippy texture is the best I've ever felt. All cuts are consistent and in fact, machine work on this torch is spectacular.
A small issue but nonetheless; if there must be a brand name present, just say it once. The X-Power Wildfire name is visible from just one angle, otherwise it is devoid of graphics and beautiful. I should have taken a picture to illustrate but this torch loses its visual impact without the tactical lanyard ring and clip. Also, the clip comes off with great difficulty and high scratch potential index.
Another fine view . . . "cooling" fins are two larger and two smaller . . .
A finer looking flashlight you'll never see. The Wildfire simply does not take a bad picture.
Seems somebody got the message about "attack" bezels. The head/reflector is slightly larger than a P60 and it's diameter and depth is almost exactly the same as a Solarforce M6.
In actual use, the Wildfire is a little less bright than an average XM-L P60 torch. (brighter than an M6) In other words; it is more than bright enough and has none of the heat issues of an over-driven T6 P60.
As DARCANGEL pointed out and Foy forgot, the Wildfire is a rebranded Thrunite T30, right down to its internals and UI. I'm also guessing the Thrunite is just as good. A quick Google confirms what DARCANGEL said; a T30 can be had for as little as $50. 'Course, then it wouldn't say "X-Power" on it.
Jus' sayin'.
Altough the X-Power Wildfire compares in size and weight to a blinged L2P, it feels much different in the hand. (better)
Machine work is superb, fit and finish is near perfect . . .
I guess this is the copper pill "base plate" IO was talking about. I didn't take it out (at this time) but it does indeed look substantial. Pity it is driven as safely as it is.
This is the fancy driver that makes this UI so outstanding. Unlike a lot of head controlled interfaces, this one stays tight in every mode. With some Foursevens designs for example, several modes are accessed by loosening the head (and leaving it loose) and some are turned off this way, too. The Wildfire changes modes by loosening and then quickly tightening again. Everything snug and tight during use.
I turned it on firefly and put the camera lens about an inch away from the flashlight bezel . . . not sure if this is the best way to show how damn low this thing goes . . .
. . . this one is with the camera lens touching the bezel. This is the lowest low I have ever seen . . . my lame DMM reads zero. You can put the flashlight into your eye socket and stare right at the emitter - it's that low.
Another thing I really like, and this one surpsied me; the ring that holds the switch assembly inside the tail cap is reverse threaded. Why does this matter? I have several lights, some not so cheap, that will loosen this locking ring a little each time the tail cap is unscrewed and reinstalled. Over time on a few of these lights, it would fail to turn on and/or the tail cap would mysteriously begin to not screw down all the way. My JM07 is the current worst offender and its sin is minimized by careful tightening and not too tight. (easy to forgive also, because it does everything else so incredibly well) The Wildfire locking ring is threaded opposite the normal tail cap "righty-tighty: and therefore, impossible to loosen during normal use.
Some purty square threads . . . indeed they are. (sans o-ring on the right, I took it off)
Broken down as far as Foy is willing to go . . .
The following beam shots were taken with 1/4 second shutter speed @f2.7.
Control shot to show the damn street light right behind my fraking house. I swear I'm going to put a .177 in that thing . . .
Solarforce M6 with unprotected Panasonic 18650/2350.
X-Power Wildfire with protected Xtar 18700/2600.
Side by side: X-Power WildFire (left) and Solarforce M6. (right)
To my eyes the Wildfire ekes out a win which, confirms same on the Foyometer
There you have it; probably one of the highest quality, best built light you'll ever use. You can easily spend double the price and not get near the quality and unique features of the X-Power Wildfire.
A superb flashlight.
Foy