A Hot Rod Flashlight for Experienced Users Only

I've held off doing this review because I wanted to find a better location to show throw.  I will post up pictures of this light's ability to throw when I find a suitable location but I could wait no longer to sing my praise of this incredible flashlight.  The Ultra Fire UF-980L is a flashaholic's dream come true and that very fact makes it a very bad choice for a casual user.  Right out of the box, the 980L is an over-the-top performer.  Consistently drawing over 4.50 amps at the tail (on high), any output estimates below 1,000 lumens must certainly be well below the retina searing arc of lightning blazing out the front of this powerhouse.  >>>update>>>  After Match posted his findings on T6 lumens/amps draw, it is evident that this light is not over 1,0000 lumens and when you factor in driver/other losses . . . it may appraoch 900 lumens (Foy's guess) so, YMMV.  Read on to see why I feel this awesome flashlight is definitely not for beginers.

Bottom line for people that don't like Foy and/or his opinion:  It aint perfect but if you're into flashlights, the 980L will put a smile on your face.  At $43, it will out-shine lights costing triple or more and this Ultra Fire is finished as well as any quality budget light curently available.  Some may argue this is not a budget flashlight.  To that I say; it is a budget 1,000+ lumen flashlight that I'm willing to bet you already want to own.

What I like:

- dazzling output

- quality lathe work/machining

- simple design/absence of overwrought pretentious styling

- stainless tail cap (I knida like the bezel too)

- GITD lens o-ring is fun

What I do not like:

- gets hot, hot, HOT!

- machine work on stainless tail-cap bling a little sloppy

- edge of hole at reflector base bumpy/uneven

- tail-cap is part of knurling - would have looked better with uninterupted knurling

Ultra Fire UF-980L T6 Memory LED Flashlight from Manafont http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/ultrafire-uf980l-980lumen-t6-memory-led-flashlight-118650-p-5513 

emitter:   Cree XM-L/T6

modes:    3-mode - hign, medium, low

battery:   18650

switch:    tail-cap, reverse clickie (will not tail stand)

lens:       glass (coated?)

ordered:  5-3-11

received: 5-14-11

price:      $43.00

Specs do not include an IPX rating but a shower with Foy did not result in any ingress.

nominal amps draw at battery base:

high >>       4.50

medium >> 1.25

low >>         .20

maximum measured amps on high: 4.78

maximum measured surface temperature of flashlight on high: (fahrenheit)

151° at head

143° at top of knurling

140° at tail cap (side)

reflector size:

26mm deep

40mm top of head

26mm base

Features/Value

You get a simple 3-mode high/medium/low UI that works beatifully with a reverse clickie.  Mode memory is not fussy with annoying seconds wait for retention and output spacing seems just about perfect.  The stainless steel crenulated bezel is a nice match for the machined SS tail-cap and the glow-in-the-dark o-ring is fun, if not  marginally functional.  Of course this light's claim to fame is the XM-L emitter driven to within an inch of its life.  There are perhaps several Cree dies,  properly driven and with this flashlight's superb SMO reflector, that would make this a very nice torch.  It is the T6 emitter and specifically, how it is driven in this application however, that makes this C8 size flashlight a value at this price point.

Design/Build Quality

The UF-980L is reasonably well built and is fairly straightforward in design and construction - a thing I happen to admire in a flashlight.  Bling is confined to the mild strike bezel and styled stainless steel tail-cap, both of which have grown on me such that I may just leave this particular bezel alone.  The only other comment I must offer concerns how the pill screws into the head.  Upon reassembly I discovered the pill does not seat against anything.  Threaded from the top or bottom, it will simply continue turning until it falls out the other side.  It's a little tricky to reassemble so that it is threaded to just the right depth so that the reflector, lens and subsequently, the o-ring is not squished out from under the bezel or if it's too deep . . . the tail-cap will not screw on all the way and the lens rattles loose.

I think machine quality could have been a little better here.

Let's talk about heat, shall we?

I measured 140° at the tail-cap, 143° at the middle of the tube and . . .

 . . . a hand scorching 151° at the head.

It usually settles down to about 4.50 amps but on a fresh battery, it is not unusual to get 4.70 or higher.  This is why I say you won't want to lend this guy to a novice.

Yes, the back of my hand is a little dry.  I live in Vegas and the water is as hard as a middle-aged show girl.

Wife walked into frame during shooting.  I've told her to stay out of the "studio" (her kitchen) but she doesn't listen.

As I mentioned above, this light deserves some beam shots that give a better idea of its throw capabilities.  These are coming but until then, the Uglywall facility will have to do.  As usual, the cactus plant is 55 feet away, shutter speed is 1/4 second @ f2.8 and both flashlights are using a Solarforce 18650/2400 battery.

Also, pool is being refilled following a weekend acid washing that Foy did not enjoy.

First is a 5-mode XM-L/U2 hosted in everybody's favorite; a Solarforce L2P.

Now the Ultra Fire UF-980L.

In real life, the difference is dramatic.  The 980L kills this L2P/XM-L combo in terms of spill, hot-spot, throw and any other thing you can think of.  And remember; this particular L2P is well endowed with one of the latest U2 XM-L drop-ins pulling over 2.5 amps so, it is certainly no slouch.  The 980L absolutely slaughters one of the brightest P60 combinations you can build.

It's hard to hate a light this powerful but be warned; it must not be used on high for much longer than five minutes or so.  I can say quite emphatically that it is impossible to hold something that is 150°.

Leaving this flashlight unattended turned on high is stupid and very dangerous.  Pointing this flashlight in a person's face is stupid and dangerous.

Owning the Ultra Fire UF-980L may be stupid, can be dangerous and is without question, the most fun a flashaholic can have for $43. 

I highly recommend this flashlight without reservation.

Foy

UPDATE

A lot has been said about the UltraFire UF-980L and with so much glowing praise, the perceived legend can often eclipse reality.  The 980L's performance pratically begs for hyperbole but in the unlikely event exaggeration is suspended temporarily, the 980L is still fairly over the top.  I've had this torch for eleven months and in that time I've done everything possible, trying to make it fail.

I have failed.

4.5+ amps for 45 minutes?  About a dozen times with no ill effects.  I've even fed it 6 amps from an IMR for about 5 seconds a couple of times.

Dropped, stepped on, kicked, torn apart/pieces strewn all over the place courtesy two cats with no sense of personal space, motor oil, ATF, sand, dirt, spilled Coke Zero all over it, dunked in Greased Lightining . . . the only thing I haven't done to it is fire a 180 grain SJHP from my 44 mag.  (with all due respect to Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson)

To all who predicted: "that much current will 'burn out' the emitter, trust me" Foy says, "I gotcher emitter right heeere."  Do performance gains over 3.5 amps decline rapidly?  Of course it does and I certainly do not want all of my lights pushed like this.  I also suggest that the illogical insanity of (near) 4 amps is precisely why the 980L is viewed with such reverence.  I said it almost a year ago and I stand by every word; the UltraFire UF-980L is a flashaholic's flashlight that will amaze and entertain like no other torch you've ever experienced.

If you haven't already, do yourself a favor; get your hands on a 980L.

youwillnotregretitFoy