I just got a couple of new lights in the mail yesterday, and was comparing them with other flashlights I already have. Thought I would share my thougts on some of them (without doing a full-on review) in case others were debating which light to buy next, it would give some comparative information. Here are the lights I was comparing. The new ones are the 2nd light, an Ultrafire, and the smallest one in the middle.
1) A Palight C8 (on the far left) with an XP-G emitter and smooth reflector is still my favorite thrower for the money. About $17 at Manafont, but be careful and make sure you get one with the XP-G (R5), they are harder to find than the XR-E version (Q5). Nice hotspot, good corona, nice spill. The hotspot is as bright as my XML's, just not as wide. Love this light!
2) Ultrafire TH-60 with an XM-L in it, slightly larger reflector than a regular P60 light, and thus just slightly longer and wider than say, a Solarforce L2. This was advertised as 3000mA at the switch, but I'm reading 2.5A. Still not bad, but I can't really see much difference than a normal P60 with an XM-L dropin. I just got this, so will have to play with it more. It does have a super-low mode that the 18650 would probably last for days in. At $10 more than the Palight above, the Palight is a better value in my eyes-but wider top on it if space is a concern to you.
3) Good old Ultrafire 504B, an $8 host at Manafont. To me this host is identical to the less expensive Solarforce hosts(the ones that do not have HAIII, sorry Foy) It is a good host for the money, no issues with it, nice size, does what I want it to do.
4) My Nissan key on a ring with the Nitecore EZ AA I bought from Boaz. Size is the thing on this light; it is almost as small as most AAA keychain lights, but it is an AA. Need two hands to turn it on, nice light, but not overly impressive, except for its size. Built like a tank, beam is nice, no build or reliability issues . Speaking of tanks, I have a Tank007 E07 that has been on order from Golden Gadgets for a LONG time. Looks like a knockoff of the EZ AA, I'll let you know when I get it. BTW, this is the XP-E version of the EZ AA, newer ones ($52) have the XP-G in them. The Nitecore is a quality light, fantastic build, but that little sucker next to it outshines it!
5) The Trustfire Z1. Ahhhhh, nice light. I could not find a full review of it, maybe I'll attempt one later. This light is a surprise for $17 (DX). It is powered by an XP-E with a smooth, small reflector and a single CR123 (rechargeables are OK).
Very nice beam, although a bit greenish against a white wall. Well-defined hotspot and great spill. Plus you can remove the reflector altogether and use it as a candle on low mode. It has 3 modes, hi>lo>strobe. Great conversation piece, incredibly diminutive; look at it next to the AA Eneloop! Top clicky, nice clip on it. They should have made it with a magnetic base so you could stick it against a car fender or other verticle metal objects, but I'll still take it like it is.
I actually wish that they had put a hole in this light so I could put in on a keychain. It is small enought to function as a keychain light~
6) JetBeam BA10. Nice AA light, solid build and no issues. But for $38 there are a lot of cheaper AA lights out there like the Ultrafire U-20, Uniquefire G10, etc. Yes, you take a chance with a $15 Chinese light, but all mine still work and the BA10 does too...I don't see $38 worth of value in it myself, but it is a nice light.
7) Solarforce L2i. I have 3 of these, nice size and multiple battery choices. I have an 18650 in one of them that I load from the tailcap end and have had no problems with it. Two of mine have XR-E's in them and I will gift them with the 3xAAA setup. Great dog-walking light set up that way. Solid build, just get rid of the ugly crenelated bezel and buy the $2.50 stainless steel bezel or Foy-Bezel your own. Nuff said.
8. Sky Ray host, same $8 price as the Ultrafire 504B. Not pretty in my eyes, but different. The joy is in the holding in this light; the smooth rubber rings and the metal "circles" on it give it a nice feel compared to knurled lights. I like it, as much as the 504B or Solarforce L2, just not as nice looking to me. I'm using it with an XP-G emitter and a smooth reflector, which is one of my favorite combinations for great throw and longer runtimes. Handles very well, no problem with any dropins so far, no build concerns, it's a solid light.
So my favorite of these? The stupid little Z1. Its just such an interesting light, and yes, it will not throw like an XM-L, but is has a stronger beam than the EZ AA and the JetBeam do, and way more versatile in my eyes. I may buy more and gift them, it is such a surprising light. Only downside is that if you gift them the recepient is stuck buying expensive Cr123 batteries. I have some rechargebles on order so that won't be an issue for me, but I won't gift rechargeables.
Just my take on a few of my lights, if you have questions about them let me know. I wouldn't throw any of them away, but I would probably not buy multiples of the expensive ones, where I would (and have) bought multiples of 504's, L2i's, etc. Oh, and if they make the Palight C8 with an XM-L and smooth reflector in it, I'm all over that!
