Review: Kaidomain 5-mode XM-L U2

I used this dropin tonight at work because I wanted to see if, with more use, this dropin would give me any problems. I’m searching an area and the light went out. I wasn’t in a position where I could screw around with my light so I opened it quick to adjust the reflector. Didn’t do anything so I just pulled out a backup and kept going. Later I took the dropin out and adjusted the reflector a little and reinstalled. Nothing. Looked at the dropin again and the emitter was gone! Came right off the star. I had opened it quickly when it first failed and the again outside. One of those times it fell out. Couldn’t find it. I think the stress of the smooth reflector caused the emitter to break loose.
I’m going to say, don’t use that SMO reflector on this dropin.YMMV

Does the OP reflector from this drop-in fit/work well on the MF xml and vice versa? I tried to put an OP reflector from a different dropin and the threading was too small to screw on.

I tried the same thing. The SMO reflector from the UF manafont dropin will fit on the KD U2 but then the OP from the KD U2 will not go onto the UF manafont dropin

I haven't had any problems and, I've grown to really like the OP reflector. I have it in an L2P.

Foy

I’m going to go back to the OP. I wish I still had the emitter that came off. I would
Love to try to learn how to reflow solder it

Really? The OP from your U2 fits on the MF xml? I can't get any other reflector onto the Ultrafire, it's like some other size (bigger) or something.

No. The OP from the U2 does not fit on the UF T6. It works the other way though. The SMO from the UF T6 will fit on the KD U2. It causes problems on there though

Sorry I was replying to Foy just above. He said it works for him (?) but maybe it's a miscommunication or something.

No miscommunication here - I thought we were talking about the U2, I didn't say anything about the MF drop-in - simply said I liked the OP on the U2, the one it came with . . . .

Ohhhhh . . .okay, you thought I meant I didn't have any problems screwing the other reflector on . . . . (sigh) Yeah, I don't know, I'll have to try it.

tiredFoy

If this is the same drop-in (looks like it), then it's suddenly a huge bargain:

http://www.kaidomain.com/product/details.S009990

$11.84

I've been trying to decide between this and the KD warm drop-in that's been frying people's switches. If the U2 really is that much more powerful, then it seems the best solution is to order it and use a Lee filter to alter the color. (I've been doing that with the Manafont 3-mode -- it's now quite nice. The Soft Amber Key 1, Lee #774, is lovely. 71% transmission -- so if the U2 offers 29% more light, it's a wash.)

Hmmm . . . is the U2 that much brighter?. It's been a while - I'll have to measure it and see.

IhopeitisFoy

Please do! It's too late for me to back out -- I ordered it this afternoon -- but I suspect it will be a month or so before I actually get to test it.

(I'm following in your footsteps, by the way, as an increasingly wild-eyed Solarforce convert.)

The one thing I've come to love about that old U2 is the tint. Everybody's taste is different but I like a clean white and my U2 has that with what appears to be a touch of blue near the edge of the flood.

Kind of hard to explain but I really like the tint.

Foy

I noticed that, too, and figured I should pick one up. I fried my last U2

You know what . . . you guys are awesome. I just ordered two of these guys. That's a killer deal. It'll be fun to see how these compare with the old one.

thanksFoy

How does it compare with XML-T6?

It doesn't seem hardly brighter than a T6 to my eyes but others say it is. What I like about the one I got was the tint. I'm thinking of having E1320 put a 980L driver under that bad boy and see what it'll do at 3.5+ amps.

Foy

Yeah ill be getting me few of these soon after my aspherics are in hand. But be honest didnt we all want to see the beam shot of the light lay in the bottom of the pool?

To me, it’s no brighter, but “seemingly brighter” due to the blue-white light. The fact that one is neutral bordering on warm alone, would suggest that it will not put out as many lumens as a cool white will. Cool whites are always the “brightest”, but also there’s something scientific about how the human eye reacts to different bands of light. (I’m just not smart enough to put in into the proper words). To me the cool white, with the blue edge is distasteful. Bright yes, but it bothers my eyes. I prefer the neutral beam much more and in reality, the percieved brightness difference is insignificant.

Foy thanks for putting up this review. Comparison beamshots like yours help the individual decide which they like. To me it's neutral white on the verge of warm, not warm or cool white, that's best.