this isn’t really a review, but more of a ‘look what i gots!’ write up since i have no idea how to test voltages and such.
got this big diddy on a wing and a prayer as it was a new item and had zero reviews at the time of order. it came later than the rest of that order and when i popped in a AA alkaline, i was bummed — it didn’t fire up. i tried an AA NiMh and still, no light. i disassembled it to the best of my ability and tried again to no avail. finally, i went to the website to see what the heck i had purchased as it had been so long that i didn’t remember the specs. the light was listed as 14500 with no provisions for AA batteries of any kind. i popped in a charged 14500 TF flame and voila! we have light.
the reason i bought this light was that it was an XML, 14500 LiIon-compatible, and had 5-modes which, believe it or not, i wanted. again, it was unreviewed at the time of purchase, so i had no idea what i was getting. heck, it doesn’t even have a model name/number stamped on it anywhere. i was looking for my perfect EDC (compact, bright, reliable, and flash modes in case i get swept off a jetty while fishing at night).
i can say without a doubt, this light is bright. it’s as bright, if not brighter, than my UF-2100 which runs on 1x 18650 batteries. the beam pattern is almost identical also with maybe a slightly warmer tint on the UF-2100. so, as you might have guessed, the size of the head on the UF Untitled is, as far as i can tell, the same as the UF-2100. the reflector looks the same too depth-wise. and, they are both smooth. so, being that a 14500 light has the head the same as an 18650 light, it’s clear that the UF Untitled is not as compact as i wanted. the diameter of the body is the same as the UF-2100, in fact, but lengthwise, it’s shorter. so basically, it’s a shorter version of the UF-2100. you’ll see in the pictures where they could have shaved some size and thickness.
the UF Untitled has 5 modes as advertised, but to my pleasant surprise, it as mode memory which kicks in fairly quickly. it goes High-Med-Low-Strobe-SOS. the rear reverse clicky button is flush to the edge of the body and is not as easy to press as i’d like, but i’d bet it won’t fire up on accident very often. it can tailstand with a hair of wobble from the button. the body has grooves cut into it all of which run lengthwise. no knurling or crosshatching or machining around it’s circumference so not a lot to grip going in that direction. combined with the flush-set button, not the easiest to turn on but as with most of my lights, i’ll probably get used to it. the light comes with a clip that can be popped on and off by hand without disassembling anything. the mount point is something i haven’t seen before as the groove that the clip sits in is actually a removable ring that threads on before the tail threads on. why not just machine it in there? not sure but it securely takes my Solarforce clip which is much more robust at the cost of leaving a gap at the tail end where it bottoms out on the body.
the build is nothing special, IMO. threads thread, light lights up, it feels solid. there are O-rings which may not do much (the lens o-ring doesn’t like to stay in place, for instance). the real icky part is under the head of the UF Untitled. see the pics. i’ve never soldered lights, i don’t tinker with electronics, even, but to me, it looks poorly done. it functions, however so maybe it doesn’t matter. i’ll leave that to the next expert who can say one way or another how the guts of this light stack up.
overall, i’m neutral on this light. i really wanted a light the size and function of my F20 but with more output. this light has the output and functionality, but at the cost of shear size and weight. i’ll wear it around and see how i really like it and hopefully, someone else can chime in with a technical review. otherwise, here’s some pics…
