Review: X-Power Wildfire

Wild About the Wildfire

If the appearance of quality alone can sell a flashlight then Int'l Outdoor will have no problem moving a lot of Wildfires. I must, however give credit to Boaz for pointing me to this stunning looker. It is a bit pricey, if just raw lumens are considered but this beautifully designed and superbly executed torch excels at everything. It's quality appearance comes by way of actual quality and it goes without saying (but I will say it anyway) the X-Power Wildfire gets a hearty . . .

Foyapproved

Bottom line: Near $60 is hardly "budget" but, for a flashlight that looks, feels and performs at this level, I think it is a veritable bargain. It feels like $120 in the hand and has some surprise features not found in any torch. Its firefly mode is the absolute lowest low I've ever seen and its UI is inspired. Add to that the best knurling you've ever felt, stellar performance and some well chosen bling . . . the X-Power Wildfire satisfies and delivers.

Wild About the Wildfire

If the appearance of quality alone can sell a flashlight then Int'l Outdoor will have no problem moving a lot of Wildfires. I must, however give credit to Boaz for pointing me to this stunning looker. It is a bit pricey if just raw lumens are considered but this beautifully designed and superbly executed torch excels at everything and its quality appearance comes by way of actual quality. It goes without saying (but I will say it anyway) the X-Power Wildfire gets a hearty

Foyapproved

Bottom line: Near $60 is hardly "budget" but, for a flashlight that looks, feels and performs at this level, I think it is a veritable bargain. It feels like $120 in the hand and has some surprise features not found in any torch. Its firefly mode is the absolute lowest low I've ever seen and its UI is inspired. Add to that the best knurling you've ever felt, stellar performance and some well chosen bling . . . the X-Power Wildfire satisfies and delivers.

What I like:

- aesthetics

- anodization

- knurling

- UI

- low, low, low firefly mode

- reverse threaded switch locking ring

- square threads

What I do not like:

- star but not superstar output on high

- clip removal a little fussy

X-Power Wildfire XM-L/T6 Flashlight

$57.89 Int'l Outdoor Store http://www.intl-outdoor.com/xpower-wildfire-xml-t6-flashlight-p-280.html

ordered: 3-26-12

received: 4-16-12

designed for 1 x 18650, 2 x 16340 or 2 x CR123 lithium-ion batteries

working voltage: 2.7 to 8.4 volts

aluminum construction

"premium type III hard anodization, anti-reflective coating"

flat, stainless steel bezel

non tail-standing, forward clicky tail cap switch with 14mm boot

anti-roll ring, drilled for lanyard

3-mode head-twist user interface: firefly, medium and high

selected manufacturer specifications

copper base plate heatsink

530 lumens

706 hours maximum run time

peak intensity: 18926cd (??)

impact resistance: 1.2 meter

141mm length, 35mm head

145 grams without battery

removable stainless steel clip

IPX-8 waterproof rating (immersion beyond 1 meter)

what you get for $57.89:

- X-Power Wildfire flashlight

- 2 x o-rings

- spare switch

- lanyard

The Wildfire arrived in flawless condition in this box . . .

. . . ensconced in bubble-wrap and a padded bottom.

Tail cap draw with 1 x unprotected Panasonic 18650 charged to 4.22 volts:

firefly - no reading (lame DMM won't go that low)

medium - .35 amp

high - 1.77

with 2 x UltraFire 16340 (generic blue)

firefly - no reading

medium - .20 (.40 to emitter)

high - 1.0 (2.0 amps to emitter)

No doubt about it; the Wildfire is one handsome torch. To a lot of folks, this is how a modern, tactical flashlight should look and the X-Power Wildfire exudes quality. It has the heft, balance and feel of a very serious tool, something a friend with more money than you might carry.

Perfect knurling? Everybody's expectations are different but the Wildfire's grippy texture is the best I've ever felt. All cuts are consistent and in fact, machine work on this torch is spectacular.

A small issue but nonetheless; if there must be a brand name present, just say it once. The X-Power Wildfire name is visible from just one angle, otherwise it is devoid of graphics and beautiful. I should have taken a picture to illustrate but this torch loses its visual impact without the tactical lanyard ring and clip. Also, the clip comes off with great difficulty and high scratch potential index.

Another fine view . . . "cooling" fins are two larger and two smaller . . .

A finer looking flashlight you'll never see. The Wildfire simply does not take a bad picture.

Seems somebody got the message about "attack" bezels. The head/reflector is slightly larger than a P60 and it's diameter and depth is almost exactly the same as a Solarforce M6.

In actual use, the Wildfire is a little less bright than an average XM-L P60 torch. (brighter than an M6) In other words; it is more than bright enough and has none of the heat issues of an over-driven T6 P60.

As DARCANGEL pointed out and Foy forgot, the Wildfire is a rebranded Thrunite T30, right down to its internals and UI. I'm also guessing the Thrunite is just as good. A quick Google confirms what DARCANGEL said; a T30 can be had for as little as $50. 'Course, then it wouldn't say "X-Power" on it.

Jus' sayin'.

Altough the X-Power Wildfire compares in size and weight to a blinged L2P, it feels much different in the hand. (better)

Machine work is superb, fit and finish is near perfect . . .

I guess this is the copper pill "base plate" IO was talking about. I didn't take it out (at this time) but it does indeed look substantial. Pity it is driven as safely as it is.

This is the fancy driver that makes this UI so outstanding. Unlike a lot of head controlled interfaces, this one stays tight in every mode. With some Foursevens designs for example, several modes are accessed by loosening the head (and leaving it loose) and some are turned off this way, too. The Wildfire changes modes by loosening and then quickly tightening again. Everything snug and tight during use.

I turned it on firefly and put the camera lens about an inch away from the flashlight bezel . . . not sure if this is the best way to show how damn low this thing goes . . .

. . . this one is with the camera lens touching the bezel. This is the lowest low I have ever seen . . . my lame DMM reads zero. You can put the flashlight into your eye socket and stare right at the emitter - it's that low.

Another thing I really like, and this one surpsied me; the ring that holds the switch assembly inside the tail cap is reverse threaded. Why does this matter? I have several lights, some not so cheap, that will loosen this locking ring a little each time the tail cap is unscrewed and reinstalled. Over time on a few of these lights, it would fail to turn on and/or the tail cap would mysteriously begin to not screw down all the way. My JM07 is the current worst offender and its sin is minimized by careful tightening and not too tight. (easy to forgive also, because it does everything else so incredibly well) The Wildfire locking ring is threaded opposite the normal tail cap "righty-tighty: and therefore, impossible to loosen during normal use.

Some purty square threads . . . indeed they are. (sans o-ring on the right, I took it off)

Broken down as far as Foy is willing to go . . .

The following beam shots were taken with 1/4 second shutter speed @f2.7.

Control shot to show the damn street light right behind my fraking house. I swear I'm going to put a .177 in that thing . . .

Solarforce M6 with unprotected Panasonic 18650/2350.

X-Power Wildfire with protected Xtar 18700/2600.

Side by side: X-Power WildFire (left) and Solarforce M6. (right)

To my eyes the Wildfire ekes out a win which, confirms same on the Foyometer

There you have it; probably one of the highest quality, best built light you'll ever use. You can easily spend double the price and not get near the quality and unique features of the X-Power Wildfire.

A superb flashlight.

Foy

Great review .

Does it have visible PWM? I have the X Power thunder and it's a pretty ok flashlight, just that it has somewhat visible PWM. Eg, it's definitely way worse than Xtar S1 of ~ 500Hz. This has AR lens (purple hue), Xeno has AR lens as well. It doesn't cost much (2 bucks or so), but then it's still a "detailing" feature and fitting sizes (both dia and thickness) are usually not available from flashlightlens.

With the PWM, then Xeno's stuff is slightly better.

No visible PWM to the naked eye in all three modes. When I shine it at my camera, I can see none in firefly (too dim) and the other two, the lines are faint, real close together and smooth. Bad PWM is big, fat lines, spaced far apart.

unscientificFoy

Looks nice and already has a foyzel!

Nice looking torch. Kinda reminds me of the 4sevens 123 turbo

Hey foy,nice review,nice light.I mentioned in a thread before that this light is actually a rebranded thrunite t30.Seeing it all apart confirmed my suspicions even the u.i. is the same as well as all the internals.I was going to jump on this light from international outdoor,but I thought it could have been driven harder.Unfortunately,the t30 can be had for like 49 bucks and as sweet as the u.i. is,I had to pass.Thanks for the awesome review! nottryingtobeabuzzkill

Hi Foy, no need to feel unscientific about it. That sounds pretty good...wonder why my X-Power Thunder has visible PWM (it's nearly the same price as well). So when you wave your five fingers in front of the light in medium and low, there is no flicker? Sounds like it is current regulated then for the light output.

Or you can put it in front of a black T-shirt and stick it beside the ears to hear if there is any sound (you can hear the exact PWM freq). Edit - i just tried it, red t-shirt works as well LOL!

Sometimes i am also too lazy to bring out the DMM to measure (coz you need to have like 3 hands to measure it, or be creative).

Well, yeah...the thrunites TN series are not expensive at all, though they are not priced like budget lights of this league.

Not at all. That's why we post it all up, so everybody knows. When I do beam shots here in a few minutes, I also need to include the T30 information. Thanks for reminding . . .

Foy

Dayum that's pretty! Thanks for another great review, Foy!

2100 -

I'll try the finger thing again but I swear I can't see it. My camera trick usually tells the tale. The ubiquitous UF 3-mode XM-L drop-in, as good as it is, shows huge, fat lines on low and medium - indicating fairly significant PWM yet I struggle to see it with my poor old eyes.

I say that because I feel my reviews would be more comprehensive were they more technically accurate/informative.

offtodobeamshotsFoy

cool,I realize after I posted that it wasn’t a put down to this light,rather an abstract for others to compare.I’m anxious to see beamshots,this is a sexy light and worth a look.thanks for taking time to do these reviews. DARC

Complaining about your reviews is like "aww the ferrari I just got for free is ruby-red but I wanted carmine-red"

Nice review, but I didnt quite understand the paragraph about the brand name. Would you prefer flashlights without brand names?

I already was worried you might be ill or sth, two weeks without a Foyview just seemed wrong.

What a nice looking light, great review as usual thanks.

You can put the streetlight out temporarily with your green laser, if you still have. Just shine it at the switch on the top and the streetlight should go out long enough for you to take some beam shots.

I do still have that green laser. Really? I didn't know you could do that.

NightCrawl -

Clumsy way of saying I like the name brand being printed in one spot and no where else. In fact, if the knurling were uninterupted all the way around (with no name at all) that would be even better.

horsewithnonameFoy

Gotcha. :)

Problem is everytime I do that.... I pull the trigger as well.

then i can't do beamshots because I'm hiding my gun. :P

This is one beautiful light and you know i'm quick to bash a light even in someones review .I've never been a believer that all reviews must just be filled with lovers of the light ..I'm more than happy to hear that people hate it for good reasons .

The truth is...like you said... take out the center pieces and the light gets boring very quickly ...Same with the Xeno/farka lights ..One reason i'm still searching for those cigar grips in quantities .

The only problem I see with this light is distance ..it's about 2000 miles to far from my house ....that and I can't get Michael Murphys song out of my head ... http://www.youtube.com/embed/ug8vrxMekAU

happy birthday you old dog

That is extractly what i had seen a month ago. As i remember, it is ~30$, i really love it but don't know why, i didn't order it . 2 week ago, i seen it cost 57$ so that i really regret , and now when i see this review, i do regret again but i will not buy this, 57$ is too much for budget light

Great thanks for your review