I came upon this in the BLF deals thread (Credit to user Tom E for posting it there). For $9 shipped [as of 11/12/2014] it is a curiously insane deal. $9!!! Ordered last week, arrived today. The cardboard box is sturdier than these lights are usually shipped in, it was actual corrugated cardboard and intact inside the padded mailer.
The internals are built almost exactly like the original Trustfire X8 as well. Smooth machining, smooth finish, strong belt clip, smooth stainless steel bezel with soft crenelations. The tube separates, the little extension collar that retains the belt clip comes off as well, though it has a hard time screwing onto the short tube, theoretically. I say theoretically because while a single 18650 is retained well in shorty configuration, the driver will not turn on. Admittedly this gives me hope that there is some low-volt protection. Speaking of the driver…
With the shrink-tube removed off the toroid. Its a good idea to keep it there, or wrap it in electrical tape if you remove it as the inside of the pill is naked brass and the coil around he toroid is almost touching the inside wall. the driver is the typical 5-mode, next-mode memory with high-medium-low. However, the mode spacing is quite nice.
High - 1340mA
Med - 550mA
Low - 60mA
So the driver isn’t a total loss. Thereabouts ten watts and nice mode spacing. There are 5 capacitors total on both boards of the driver, I penciled them all and the only thing that changed was mode memory went away, so I might not even bother modding this light except maybe to put in a Noctigon.
Oh, specs. 25mm star, Driver primary/contact board is 22mm, reflector parabola is 40mm wide, 42mm deep. I think that’s everything.
Driver isn’t original, but pencil the capacitors and its good enough. I would like the flexibility to run it in 1x18650 mode though. Well…2 Efest 18350’s I suppose would work, but then capacity would take a pretty big hit.
Technically Tom E posted it first. I’m just showing whats inside.
@ how2:
The Vf of a XM-L2 is 3.4v @ 3000mA. Assuming that there are no losses through the driver that would put us at almost 3 amps to the emitter. But there will be driver losses, that will be counterbalanced by the lower Vf of the older XM-L. 2.6A to the emitter is not unreasonable. It’s a C8-style reflector and throws marvelously well for the size of the head.
For that price it's looking like a good budget MT-G2 build.
Yeah, I couldn't resist and bought one. BLF22DD zener modified, some beefed up springs, and lots of heat for a little bit of cash (along with a little bit of light ).
That's what I was thinking. It's hard to get a host like this at this price point. Now that there are 25mm Noctigons & 26mm Maxtoch MT MCPCBs this job just got a lot easier!
The reflector will require some machining to accommodate a MT though. I’d also work-out the stock centering disk as the pill has a 27mm-ish area to float in.
That, or they didn’t have many left. I was hoping that I could use it to hook a non-flashaholic over to the dark side [he does legit need a thrower he can clip to his belt for work]. But they were gone before his shift ended.
BLF22DD zener modified, some beefed up springs, and lots of heat for a little bit of cash (along with a little bit of light 
).
