Yet another (and likely to be the last for a while) Ultra-Budget 1xAA/14500 light review, with focus on host/mod potential.
This time, it's a mysterious "UltraFire" branded light, $4.69 from BuyinCoins: http://www.buyincoins.com/item/37867.html. This was my first order from BIC, and so far, no complaints.
[Edit] Thanks to Power911 here, I've discovered that this light is actually the L-Q5ZZ!
"UltraFire Q5 LED 700Lm Torch Flashlight Lamp Light 3 Modes 14500 With Clip". 700 Lumens? Q5? Sounds good to me! One thing to note; this light is 14500-only as received. More later...
Short Review:
- Pros: It's modable!
- Cons: It's big and takes a 15mm driver.
I kind of like the style of this light. It's definitely grippy without relying on the typical knurling of other hosts. The anodizing isn't gray as shown on the BIC website, but is actually a very pale Blue/Silver that is almost iridescent under some light. It's difficult to accurately photograph with the lighting I have here, but it's a very nice color for a light. Unusual in this class of light, all threads are lubed and strangely smooth.
This light is VERY large for a single AA-sized lamp @ 109mm x 24mm. It's actually a mm wider and almost as long as my 18650 C20 host. It's also a hefty piece of aluminum, so it's quite heavy. Unless you have a specific need for a single-14500 host, there are plenty of 18650-sized hosts that would be a better option.
C20 -> Mystery UltraFire -> Protected 18650 -> AA Alkaline -> TrustFire F20
The pocket clip on this light is very nice. The tailcap is an unusual design, with a retaining ring on the outside that holds the boot, and another retaining ring on the inside that holds the switch:
Typical plastic lens/plastic reflector combo. Bezel is heavily crenelated, but is made of aluminum. It would be easy to sand down to a nice Foyzeltm with a file and some sandpaper.
This light has a thread-in pill. This works very well with springs at both the driver and tailcap, so the pill can be adjusted to allow different optic/lens combinations. The light has a Cree XP-E type of emitter (Real? Fake?) on a 16mm PCB. The driver, unfortunately, is a 15mm size. There are aftermarket options available in this size, so this doesn't completely ruin the use as a host. The driver is a 3-mode High/Low/Strobe, with no mode memory, always starts on High. The High mode on this driver is only 500mA, so it's rather gentle. Even so, the emitter and SMO reflector make this a fairly throwy little light.
Unfortunately, the pill isn't solid as it appears to be, but strangely, has an aluminum plate press-fit into the pill for the emitter to rest on. I don't see the need for this given the design of the light, and it just adds another interruption to heat transfer. I'll likely be removing this and just using an emitter on a cheap FastTech Copper PCB as that will add a little extra mass, won't hurt thermal transfer any more than what's already on this light.
The really strong point of this light is the ability to accept multiple optic configurations. The lens diameter is 20mm, and glass replacements are readily available both in standard and AR varieties. Even better, the cheap 21mm TIR optics fit perfectly, once the plastic retaining ring is removed. I've tried the throwy 15-degree option, but that gave a really messy beam. The diffused wider-beam options work much better. I currently have a 45-degree optic in the light, but am expecting a parcel from FastTech with the 25-degree optics to arrive this afternoon. I think tighter beam will work better with the reduced output from this light.
Compatible parts:
45-degree optic: https://www.fasttech.com/p/1574904
25-degree optic: https://www.fasttech.com/p/1574901
Glass lens: https://www.fasttech.com/p/1203406
AR-coated lens: https://www.fasttech.com/p/1203403
Aluminum reflector (Same size, but I don't have one to verify fit): https://www.fasttech.com/p/1203501
15mm single-Li-Ion driver (single mode, 2x AMC7135 with space for a third): http://www.dx.com/p/2-7v-6v-3w-cree-circuit-board-for-flashlights-15mm-2-7mm-25518
15mm 1x-AA (non-Li-Ion) 350-400mA: http://www.dx.com/p/1-5v-350-400ma-constant-current-led-driver-board-for-diy-flashlights-128096
15mm BLF SK68 driver: http://www.mtnelectronics.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=67&product_id=342