Of that bunch I have the sky ray and like it. The bezel is pretty nice but won’t fit into a solarforce L2i head. It is too small. Everyone who plays with that flashlight likes it best. $8 you can’t go wrong.
I have the black 504 and the SkyRay. No issues with either one, except the SkyRay's o-ring on the head is so tight you keep twisting it thinking you are still working the threads, when all you have to do is pull at that point to get the head off. For 8 bucks each, I thought they were quite a good deal.
I can dismantle my skyray switch. Not press fit. o.O Use some pointy tweezers to unscrew the plastic switch retainer. Would be better if they bade it from aluminium but i guess you can't have all.
I could take the switch out (and did since the were some flicker problems with it). Didn't find a suitable replacement and put it back, now it seems to have stopped flickering...
There are at least 2 Skyray versions out there with fascinating differences.... there are a lot. One of them is completely different tailcaps. Will do pics to show them....
DX Version ordered 02/26/2010
LT Version ordered 03/03/2011 replacement for switch issues shipped 04/30/2011
Sky Ray S-R5 Above LT 2011 Below DX 2010
Differences: Length of grooves in tailcaps, colour of the bodies, rubber rings position modified for bike light purposes (by me).
Sky Ray S-R5 Left DX 2010 Right LT 2011
Differences: Height of bezel rings
Sky Ray S-R5 Left DX 2010 Right LT 2011
Differences: internals of tailcap completely different, wall thickness of aluminium alloy (LT very thin)...different lanyard holes.... completely different tailcaps except for the orange rubber switch-cap.
Sky Ray S-R5 Left DX 2010 Right LT 2011
Update: Mine is the one from LT .... had also flickering problems... took it apart and they seem gone most of the time (very irritating)....but I didn't change anything... 2 retainer rings ... outer one white plastic with brass metal cap for contact... inner retainer ring aluminium which holds switch (with traditional spring)... light functions well without plastic retainer and brass contact cap. The DX one isn't mine, but it seems to be unscrew-able also, but it didn't have no contact issues in over a year. Most fascinating are the different wall thicknesses on the tailcaps, this fact makes me believe that they are produced in different factories.
That both have the same SkyRay print on them? A cheaper copy of the cheap copy of the SP-6? Amazing.
I have the original batch (With the drop-in that says FIVE MODEL and works fine with 2xCR123A). So the ones sold now are of even worse quality with a pressed in switch? Good luck I didn't order any more then.
EDIT: From the pictures it seems that both your versions have switches that can be taken out?
I know why. It's a cheap copy of the Lumensfactory SP-6 and the original tailcap was orange so of course the imitation has to have one too.
There is also the identical Uniquefire R5 (Which came with an R4 dropin just to confuse people). Mine has the plastic removable switch retaining ring.
I updated the post above.
I always wondered why the Skyray didn't get more praises from BLF members, when it came to build quality. I would rate the old DX ones (host only) very good and the LT one only mediocre, because of the thin walls on the tailcap and the contact problems. On the other hand, the dropin which came with the DX one only lasted less than a month, due to a burned driver. The imprints on the lights are the same Sky-Ray....Hot surface... The only way to tell them apart from the outside is the length of the grooves on the tailcaps.
There are quite a few copies of the Sereph out there ..[ Same factory ? different printing ? ] Which is best ?
I can vouch for the Sky Ray , so far so good .
I have the same tailcap grooves as your DX 2010 one, but the switch internals seems to be as your LT 2011 verson (black cap), unless you mixed up left and right the the lower pictures.
What drop-in did you have in your DX version?
The one I got from Manafont is the same as the LT one. I've never had any issues with it. Mine tailstand perfectly, the button does not protrude although it is as close as it can be. I can see that there could certainly be variables there. It has a nice snappy button too. It seems to scratch very easily also.
So mfm , you are right, I did the old switcheroo in the description on the lower pics ... now corrected.. sorry for the confusion.
LT 2011: Long tailcap grooves, white plastic internals, brass contact cap, thin walls on tailcap.
DX 2010: Short tailcap grooves, black plastic internals, silver steel contact cap, much much thicker walls on tailcap.
So Manafont is selling the better version, which is like the old DX ones?
And Lightake the not-so-good one?
Damn should have ordered at Manafont , they seem to be better and cheaper.
This was the DX Version ordered on 02/26/2010 ... advertised as XP-E R4, but came as an XP-G ..probably R5 .... man DX hasn't updated this mistake in over a year.... overall still the best 1*18650 host body for a bike light together with this bike mount, when the first rubber ring is removed.
My DX driver lasted less than a minute. They said it would work with 2xRCR123.
It wouldn't.
:(
The DX one didn't even survive a 18650 battery. Host very good - dropin very bad ... at least back in 2010.
This pic is from MF shows short grooves and a hint of a brass conctact I believe... so it's all a big lottery:
To add more confusion, This is one ordered from MF a few months ago. almost a hybrid of the two.
Strange, no 1st plastic retainer ring... looks like alu ... it gets stranger by the minute.
This one came from MF one month ago
Budgeteer: Do you have any Solarforce L2 variants? If yes, how would you compare them against the WF-504b?
Thanks!
+2, that's what mine looks like as well.