Only first impressions at this stage, (it is a very nice light) but I will do my best to add some pics and current draw tests later.
In light of the large number of copies of this torch popping up around the web, and my personal bias for this particular light, I thought I would undertake a comparison review of the clones and original 980L I have in my possession. I have ranked them in the order I think reflects their quality and value
To date that would be $43 UF 980L from Manafont (which I consider the original and best)
Foy has already done an excellent review of this torch, so I won’t dwell on it too much except where necessary to refer to similarities or differences from the others.
The above mentioned <$25 one from Dino Direct.
This is an excellent light, in most ways similar to the original, and at a little more than half the price a very good buy I think
Two UlraFire T6-13’s I got from ebay for about $17 each
Decent clones, good bang for buck
One bronze clone from ebay which was $25 with 2 batteries and charger
Also a very good light for the money
The Dino Direct torch has the most in common with the original
+es
Its much cheaper, enough to make it worth modding if you want
It is actually marked UF-980L (unlike all the other clones)
Stainless Steel bezels (Not alloy)
Closest in machining and weight, good tolerances.
Quality feel
Nicely cut solid feeling threads
Similar brightness to original
Knurling is slightly deeper and gives better grip (I do like the original though, never thought it needed more)
Similar brightness and tint to original (will test that more when it gets dark)
The DD one has a slightly different reflector and a smaller hot spot (not sure yet if thats a + or -)
No GITD O-rings
-es
Does not tail stand
Different driver (5 mode High, Mid, Low, Strobe, S.O.S.)
Good question cainn24, I will add to the review and test that when I get time. I am interested to see myself. There is very little difference in perceived visible brightness so far though.
Using Dino Points, I can get the 980L for $20 and I think I can get the A6 for $14 by making an eBay offer. I don't mind paying a little extra; I'm just trying to figure out which one is best for me.
If I can get answers to these question, I'll probably know which one to get:
1. How is the 980L better, and by how much?
2. Does the A6 do anything better than the 980L?
3. What type of memory do each of these flashlights have?
I'm going to bed pretty soon, so I might not get back to this thread until tomorrow. Thanks in advance!
I still like the original Manafont 980L best. Three modes no flashies, well spaced with memory. It really is the best quality, but not by a whole lot. I would still pay the extra for it though. It’s just nicer all round in small ways.
The Dino one is next best but the body shape is slightly different, but hard to notice. It has 5 mode driver with flashies and memory. Nicer stainless bezels.
A6 has no memory, always starts in high, same 5 modes. Cheapest of the black ones. Alloy bezels will probably scratch up with time.
It’s a hard one. I bought them all For some reason, I think I prefer the A6 because its closer to the original if you can live without the stainless bezels, and it’s cheaper. A fake is a fake is a fake. Why not save up a bit and treat yourself to the real deal?
Shoot, now I'm not sure which one to get... though I think I want a clone because they're so much cheaper.
Do all of them (the MF UF 980L, the DD UF 980L, and the UF A6) overheat pretty quickly on high? I actually prefer flashlights that don't, even if they're not as bright. For example, I have a Fandyfire HD2011 that I never use because it always starts on high and gets extremely hot in less than a minute. That's one of my pet peeves.
I don’t often run my lights on high so it’s never been an issue. Plus, I only had cheap blue UltraFire cells till recently. Lights are definitely brighter with good Panasonics but they do get hotter.
They are all pretty bright on high but I haven’t compared them for long distance throw. Something I have been meaning to do but got busy with other stuff soz
I think that’s why I prefer the original. With only 3 modes and memory, I usually leave it on low. If I want bright, it’s only a half click away
One must figure that even that Cheap Charger is $5, and the batteries pair $5, so then the light would be $13, which is a good buy. As much as everyone hates OEM Chinese batteries, I have had pretty good luck with them. Most of these lights only draw about 1 amp or so, at the tail, so the batteries will take that…
Yes Flo, it really isn’t a bad deal. You look familiar to me, have we met before?
I already have a few cheap cells and chargers though.
They work ok in single cell lights, but have to be recharged a lot more often than good cells. My blue UltraFires had to be recharged every week or so, but I get a month out of my new Panis and Sanyos.
It is only the light that interests me, it does look good in gold.
On its way? Sorry. I love the color, too!! I’m here lurking exactly because of this light. I’m hunting “repair parts” I can “Lego” into it, yes, because it’s so “pretty”.
If yours is like mine & doesn’t fit together (the lens rattles when it’s properly assembled — either the Bezel Ring, the Reflector or the Pill is too short) they may refund you your money. Positive Feedback means more to them than the money, even if you’d rather they fix the light. The 1*2 charger is decent (at least the one I got is), and the one (free) battery that worked, does okay.
You can solve two problems at once by soldering on a (+) battery spring on the driver. That will let you use flat-topped 18650s and will also let you screw the pill in far enough to mash the lens O-ring some. Joy & Happiness!! But I won’t take it out in the rain! If yours doesn’t turn on with your own battery (or stops turning on with theirs), try this first, even if your parts do fit together.
A 3C-bin (“NW”) XM-L looks lovely in it. As built, I reckon it to be at minimum “CW”… IMNERHO it’s very nice & I only replaced mine because I could.
Go outside and look at the shadows at the edge of the beam… WTH is that all about?? People say you’re not supposed to notice stuff like this (and the color rings, which are not “blended” by this reflector), but if you get close to a large blank area, it’s really hard for me to miss…
Another cool thing: It is LIGHT, as in Weight, which gets as much positive feedback (you show your lights to ALL your friends, right?) as the light OTF.
I guess it’s “a thrower”… All I know is, it will throw light a lot further than I can throw it, but I can’t see that far away anyway, unless I throw this light there!
Even if yours is stone-cold dead, IMNERHO it’s still worth fixing, although maybe not for this price point. Mine now sits right by the front door, with a fresh Samsung 3kmAh battery in it. That says a lot.
I’m not arguing with you, because you’re right. The charger they sent me can be had for $5, but I’ve seen them for $2-something and that’s more like what they’re worth. Mine does work, on 1 or 2 cells. It’s rated at 4.2V, 150mA, and that seems reasonable from watching it.
The batteries they sent me aren’t worth keeping. One died after one charge-discharge cycle and the other one seems more dim in the DD-High lights I have. I can’t measure or compare but I don’t squint as much when it’s in… And it goes “too dim” too much sooner than the rest. Compared to all the different wrappings from different laptop packs, this one is last. Sorry, it does work, but I wouldn’t buy another one.
They only asked $17.99 for mine. I’ve had my say on it earlier. I don’t think I could afford it at the price quoted in the link you gave. When the fitment caused the circuit to fail (or the lens to flail), the Seller (not the same seller) graciously refunded my payment, so I have nothing but the highest praise for them! But I must be honest and admit I probably wouldn’t give $17 for another of these torches either, now that I have the one.
Still… It’s a pretty thing… And I live but to Mod… Is there any interchange of parts with all these others on this thread? If the price doesn’t bother you, and you can afford a donor, this makes a beautiful doorside torch, and the light OTF will be worth finding a way to keep it there.
I only ordered mine when I posted this, so I expect it to get here in 2-3 weeks. I have found all parts interchange on the others I have so far, so am hopeful that will be the case with this one too. Although I have not had a problem with any of mine to date.
Mine had a badly machined part in it, which usually means the last bit of a piece of stock made it through to the output bin somehow, or one of the pieces used to calibrate the run… If it’s the bezel ring, the bell (whatever the part around the reflector is called) or the pill, it would pass quick visual inspection. I don’t even feel worthy to ask if someone could shoot detailed pictures of a working one — with a ruler in the shot would be even better. I won’t ask…
I’d love to know the performance specs. ILED on High at least. I don’t think it’s DD, especially since the body doesn’t get very hot very quickly on High. That means either a lot of heat isn’t getting away from the LED or the LED just isn’t producing much heat. After quite a few minutes, I tend to suspect the latter.
Dim, did you try screwing the pill into the head a little tighter?
I have had a couple of lights that needed this done to improve contact, the original UF980L for one. Since the clones are virtually identical, I assume this might be common problem.
I seem to remember, in Foys review, he stated the pill screws both ways and has no rest stop to give it final position. I think he said it was fussy about position and tightness too.
My 980L was flickering a bit after a few weeks use, but a quick tighten fixed it.
I can see how, if the pill is screwed too far towards the battery tube, that would cause it to be loose, make bad contact, and not exert enough pressure on the reflector, front O-ring and lens to seat it tightly against the front bezel.
Try this. Take the head off the battery tube, make sure the bezel is screwed down firmly, then gently tighten the pill up against the reflector until it is firm, but don’t overdo it.
Let me know if this helps, good luck, Ian
P.S. I will eventually post current draws for these lights, as I now have my multimeter.
Natch. It screwed itself right off the (+) end of the Battery. Then the batt. rattled, but the lens did not.
The bezel appears to need a couple more threads to make it. Or the bezel-end of the “bell” needs a few fewer…
(click on pix for bigger views, please)
After I soldered the (+) spring on the Driver, I beLIEved that problem was mostly solved. (It wouldn’t work with any of my flat-topped laptop-pack recycled batteries anyway, so the spring was a “must have” — but it let me put my $5.00 NW XM-L in harms way without knowing it!)
If that’s true, I’m going for a ‘common’ parts donor!! This light’s too pretty to waste.
THAT is certainly True!
Maybe Foy could use a spring…
EDIT: I need to remind everyone using this torch that this part, where the threaded outside of the Pill attaches to the threaded inside of the “back” of the “Bell” is Pretty Important to get heat away from the LED! I just tested this torch with the Pill screwed all the way toward the battery (w/no lens obviously) and it got as hot as I’d expected it to, as quickly as I’d hoped. Note: with the Pill screwed “forward” enough to squeeze the O-ring some, almost no threads were touching on the Pill! Every time I used it, it would NOT get hot, and would get noticeably dim after a minute or two.
Did that, essentially. I put the pill+reflector in & screwed it in deeply enough to be flush at the battery end of the “bell”. I inserted the lens, O-ring and bezel & tightened the bezel significantly. Loose lens. Then used the holes in the pill to screw the pill in from the bottom until the lens quit rattling, +a little to mash the O-ring. No light = Loose battery. Spring soldered on = Works.
APOLOGY: From memory I have referred to the reflector in this one as loose like the C8. That is false. The reflector screws firmly into the pill. (As usual, don’t touch the reflective surface! And don’t ask an old man how I know that!) I’ll try to edit my old posts to rectify this mistake. No other errata so far…
BTW, in case anybody’s interested, this torch uses some driver called a “CX-439”…
I found only one mention of it, on alibaba.com. After I asked, the eBayer who sold me this light reported that the manufacturer would not describe the CX-439.
Notice the solder pads that look like configuration jumpers?? Like “no more stinking BLINKING” config jumpers?? PLEASE??
EDIT: It turns out, they appear to be a way to increase ILED, by soldering resistors across the “jumpers” to parallel R. The CX-439 is worth replacing with something that works for you, IMNERHO.
Actually, I just took the bell apart to shoot it. It turns out, when I unscrewed the bezel, the O-ring, lens AND pill dropped right out behind it. Basically the threading on the pill isn’t engaged when the reflector is tight against the lens … And the O-ring is just barely mashed! That certainly explains the disturbing lack of any appreciable heat in use!!!
That gives me pause… EDIT: I checked. The way I had to rig it to work, pill-forward almost off its threads, it never got hot, even though it is stinking bright. With no lens and the pill all the way “back” toward the battery, on High the torch gets warm as quickly as I’d expected. This seems pretty important.
If I hadn’t stopped to shoot these pictures, which I feel is the only way I can ask for reciprocity, … The Horror! The Angry Blue HORROR!!
As for me, since this torch is a “prima donna” anyway, I’m going to leave the lens and “assault crown” off for now. The beam’s shadow edge is much improved:
Lumpy Beam with Bezel On:
Smooth Beam with No Bezel:
Still the same weird XM-L colors, though, bezel or not:
It’s hard to make any sense of the beam, as indoors it mostly just disturbs the camera. This is probably due to the “NW” XM-L I got from FancyFlashlights, but the Rotten Cat Urine color is about this bad on mine.
The lens and bezel are tight and firm, as is the pill. No rattles or bad fitment.
The colour isn’t gold as shown in the ebay listing photos. More of a light bronze colour. Not bad, but I was looking forward to shiny shiny gold. A little disappointing.
Havent fired it up yet, I was out till late at a youth group planning meeting, so will check it out more when I have time.
First impressions, it is pretty much a bronze version of the TrustFire A6, which is no bad thing.
Interesting to note Dim, from your info and pics, that the reflector in this light screws in and forms part of the heatsink for the pill. That is not usual for this type of light. Looks like I will have to do a complete strip down and compare all the clones I have. At a guess, the body parts are compatible and interchangeable still. It looks like you were unlucky and got one that fits badly.
Well interesting copy this one. I say copy, because it isn’t a clone. The tailcaps are not interchangeable. I haven’t gone further yet, but other than external appearance I doubt there is much similarity between this one and the other clones. Will try to make time to do a full comparison soon
For some reason, I think I prefer the A6 because its closer to the original if you can live without the stainless bezels, and it’s cheaper. A fake is a fake is a fake. Why not save up a bit and treat yourself to the real deal?
