Looking at the UltraFire WF-501b or WF-502b. Amazon consumer comment claims the WF-501b is brighter but are they not the same light with different body styles?
If they are both similar drop-ins than yes they will be the exact same brightness.
I would get a Solarforce L2P and an intl-outdoor NW drop-in. I like mine more than the Manafont/Ultrafire 3-Mode.
My vote would be for the Ultrafire WF 504b from Manafont for $8.12 - Tailstands, anti-roll hex, no annoying crenelations:
...paired with the three-mode XML drop-in for $15.98 - no annoying stobe modes and crazy-bright:
I have this combination and it is a very nice light.
I like this Hi > Mid > Lo combination. Having to cycle through Strobe, which I never use, is annoying. Do you know how many lumens this is?
Very good drop-in, I use in a SF L2P for cycling. My guess would be 750-800 lumens with decent flood, nice hotspot and good throw.
I agree that for P60 size light, Solarforce is the way to go. You could also go bigger and do something like the HD2010.
Yep .
Keltex has a great suggestion, I also have and love it. Consider the UF2100 if you want something that’s more EDC-friendly. Not sure if E1320 is going to offer the 2100 with his custom driver, but if he does you should grab one. I have one (I made one today with his driver that I purchased a few months ago) and it’s really as close to perfect as I need.
How much do you want to spend and how big can the light be?
I would opt for the 504b not the 501b, much better host. But I would still rather have a C8 light if the larger head is not that big a deal for you. The Intl-outdoors XIN TD C8 is the best budget light out there for $30, but there are many for a lot less at kaidomain or manafont.
If small is important and budget allows it, a SHiningbeam S-mini is a great light as well, about $40
Solarforce is nice (I have some and like them), but you want a really nice design, take the Skyray (copy of the Lumens Factory Seraph P6): $7,99
www.manafont.com/product_info.php/sky-ray-sr5-flashlight-tube-no-led-emitter-p-5548?rp=161376
Ignore the sentence: Suit to install Q5 or R5 LED Drop-in Module(SKU 4594, 4595, 4596, 4597). A drop-in flashlight can take all Drop-Ins.
I have two of the bodies (one with the Manafont/Ultrafire 3 mode XM-L and one with an XP-G R5 - both work perfect).
There are a lot of very good suggestions here but I’d like to keep it under $25. I’m leaning towards the Ultrafire WF 504b from Manafont with the three-mode XML drop-in.
How does the light vary between the xm-l and R5 dropins?
I went ahead and placed the order as per Keltex’s suggestion. It looks good for what I wanted to spend. Would you believe that the primary reason I got this single 18650 light was to have a secure place to store my “extra” 18650 battery? And I wanted a bright light too.
Davis,
Just a quick suggestion: When you get your light in, make sure you wrap the drop-in with aluminum foil before inserting it in the host. This will help with transferring heat out into the body of the flaslight. The 504b host will only need a few wraps to make it a nice press-fit; that’s one of the reasons I prefer this host for high-powered emitters. The 501b has a lot of empty air space inside the head that makes heat sinking more difficult but I still like it for low-powered drop-ins…
Also, if you ever need a replacement reflector, this one from Manafont…
http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/265mm-aluminum-smooth-reflector-for-r5q5t6-flashlight-led-emitters-p-5505
…is a very good replacement that works well with your drop-in.
keltex78,
Thanks for the tip and picture. I'll do this when it shows up.
The flashlight finally arrived and so far it’s very nice. I need to wait until it gets dark to really see what it can do. I put the aluminum foil wrap around for heat transfer as shown in the helpful photo. I’m curious to find out how hot this gets on extended high and how long a battery lasts in the various brightness modes.
Am curious too. Please share your findings when u have them. Thks
I’ve left mine on (with a freshly charged cell)for a 10+ minute run on high and it got uncomfortably hot; it couldn’t be held on the emitter end, with heat transferring though the body of the flashlight making it uncomfortably to hold. The drop-in is direct-drive on high, so you are essentially shorting the battery through the LED so the light can draw 4+ amps from a quality freshly-charged cell.
My initial impression of the light is that it is very bright on Hi and I like the 3 Hi-Med-Lo settings minus the strobes. Running on high for several minutes it gets very hot but not to the point where it’s too hard to hold in your hand. The switch might be flakey as I was operating between brightness modes and noticed that switching to Lo it would dim then “throttle down” even dimmer to what I imagine real Lo is supposed to be. Same with Hi. I’d switch into Hi and then after maybe 90seconds it would “upshift” into a brighter Hi. If I leave it on Hi, turn it off and come back later, it comes right on at the bright Hi. Same for Lo. It could just be the switch is new and sticks a little. Time will tell.
Not sure how long a freshly charged battery will last but Med and Lo would be good for my nightly walks with Hi when I need to alert a car to my presence and/or a driver using high beams.
The light has a tendency to dim and then randomly brighten up to full strength again in each brightness setting. Could it be that the tailcap battery spring needs to be lengthened a little or is it a faulty switch? I notice the battery tends to feel a little loose. Aside from the random dimming every 90 seconds it’s otherwise a good light.