Review: The P60 budget host trio from MF

Here is a picture of a fake Solarforce L2, the 504B (use it often, so it has some marks) and my new Solarforce L2p.

I think skyray has done a remarkable job to clone the seraph. Either you hate it or love it. I like this star trek flashlights.

scottybeammeupFoy

Now you made me order the Sky Ray. This thing is getting out of hands...

If you like the design, it's an excellent price. I will get a few more soon if they "run out". I wish the tailcap was made like the other UF hosts (internals) and the tailcap silicone rubber cover was black. No1 carry a dark grey one HA treated! Would pay 5 more easily for proper HA anodising!

A bit hard to find 16mm black tailcap covers these days...

And I would pay $5 more for a working (quality) switch... Seems my old DX one isn't working 100% either, just because I wrote that it was.

Kaidomain has also some Seraph clones. Also in silver. But no empty hosts, just complete lights. Might be tempted, but I have that Sky Ray coming...

http://www.kaidomain.com/SearchResult.aspx?SearchKey=RQ%2007%20&CategoryId=-1&SiteId=1

I'm not in love with my Sky Ray's looks, but it has a nice feel to it with the two solid rubber rings on it. Nice light to handle.

I just received the Skyray (ordered on 5/8). That is the quicked shipping I have seen. The threads feel a hair cheap, but seem to function fine. The switch feels pretty good for a reverse clicky and it tailstands with a little waggle.

Unique design, but it does feel good in the hand. thanks!

I got my Sky Ray couple of days ago. Modded it with GITD tail cap (rubber) from Shiningbeam. In addition to glowing in the dark, it also enables waggle-free tail standing. Sky Ray is now the home of my UF 3-mode XML, and it seems to hande the heat very well. Maybe those fins actually work. In long continuous sessions on high it runs cooler than L2P, and that is with enough al foil to give best possible heat transfer.

I'm liking this one a lot. It seems to work well and those rubber rings provide good grip even as there is no knurling. It had one visible flaw in finishing on arrival (paint/anodizing, I don't know how it's coated), but not enough for me to demand a refund or replace. If I would have paid like 20$ I would have, but I accept the fact that when you pay with peanuts, you get monkeys.

Shiningbeam says that this set comes with either green or black. My set had blacks. You can take your shot at Shiningbeam 16mm tail cap lottery. Or if you really want one, maybe I can send you one. I think I could sneak one EU-area envelope of happiness to the mailing basket at work... I ordered those mainly for the GITD goodness and care less about the black ones.

First, I should remind folks of brted's 504b review from over year ago. It focuses largely on the included drop-in, but it does contain some relevant discussion of the body as well: https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/143

A few quick observations about what I received:

  • The WF-504b weights about 5 grams less than a genuine Solarforce L2 (with a flat SS bezel), which weighs about 5 grams less than an L2p, not including the switches. Sorry I can't be more precise here; I used a cheap digital kitchen scale.
  • It says Cree R2 on one side. Manafont also sells 504b bodies with a slightly different design for a few dollars more. Perhaps they're getting rid of the bodies that already have R2 on them because the market is moving on to higher rated bins.
  • It looks almost as if there is a clear coating or sealant on the 504b that gives the black 504b a slightly less slick/glossy finish than the black L2 and it is also subtly noticeable on the silver 504b
  • This is, of course, subjective but the 504b switch doesn't feel as good to me as the L2 switch. I do like that the 504b can tailstand and I don't mind the recessed switch so much as the very slight mushiness compared to the L2 switch.
  • The pieces seem to line up and match a little better than the L2 pieces, but the L2 pieces feel just a bit sturdier.

I know somebody that bought a version of the Skyray with an XML. He told me it was no good beyond 5 metres.

I didn't understand and when I questioned him further he said he had taken it diving and at 5 metres depth he said the pressure on the switch made it impossible to operate.

I told him that it was not intended for diving and that I was surprised that it didn't flood at 5 metres.

His reply was that it had been to 35 metres and didn't leak a drop!

The threads on the head are pretty sloppy, but they seem to tighten down well without crossing.

For the price and how good they feel in the hand, I am tickled with it. Those rubber rings are placed perfectly for me in the reverse (thumb on switch hold).

It's one of my favorite p60 hosts. Not perfect but if anyone likes the aesthetics should probably get one.

I agree that the SkyRay has "iffy" aesthetics, that take a bit of getting used to, but being different is part of what makes it a cool light. And yes, it sure feels good in the hand. I have an XM-L in mine, and it handles the heat pretty well. Can't beat it for the price.

I also like the 504B, have had no issues with the 2 I have.

I got my Skyray this week. It had some dings near the logo and a divot out of one of the rings nearby, but otherwise is really nice. I was disappointed by the damage, but my lights aren't museum pieces, so I don't mind too much. As usual, it seemed a little smaller than I would think, but I really like the retro sci-fi looks of this thing. More than I thought I would like it. I have some copper strips and some aluminum ones that are slightly different thickness and a layer of aluminum and one of copper made my XM-L drop-in a snug fit. The light starts getting warm almost immediately, so I know the heat transfer is very good with this light. I also put one of my 28mm AR lenses in. Very nice host.

Not sure about how it fits in with the DealExtreme or LightTake versions. Probably more like the DealExtreme one. But the wall of the tail is pretty thin as is the aluminum where the lanyard attaches. The lanyard seems like it is on there pretty well, but the metal is so thin that it seems like it could tear out.

Here are the scratches, like someone poked it with something sharp, plus the divot out of the ring at the bottom of the picture:

I got my T6 version of sky Ray two days ago. When switched off It would blink if bumped and if it got bumped two or more times in a row mode would change. Needles to say it was very annoying.

I removed the white plastic retainer and brass cap from the tail cap. Now it works flawlessly and the tail cap can screw all the way and the light is more stable when tail standing.

very nice comparisons...

now it's a waiting game for my stuff from MF...

Where has the TS went to?
It has been 11 Weeks 5 Days.
Senior Members are missing in action quite a bit in BLF…

:~ :~ :cry:

I know this is an old thread. But the silver light in the OP, is that stainless steel or aluminium? If it’s stainless then won’t this affect it’s thermal properties despite the review stating “For heatsinking these are all about equal… Perhaps the SKYRAY would be the winner since it has more total surface (regardless of mass). The better your dropin is made and the better you wrap it to snug fit in there the better the thermals. Variation from these hosts should be minimal.”

Thanks.

While there was a non-SolarForce L2 [504] SS host sold on DX some time ago the L2 in question has a “gunmetal” finish. SolarForce no longer stocks its “gunmetal” L2.