My pair came in today. A quick DMM check shows a solid 2.75A tail reading on both. Strange, because my other 2800 8 x 7135 lights all show a solid +2.8A. Has anyone noticed the dished plastic emitter centering ring? Im sure there’s several lumens lost right there. :Sp
Overall, Im pleased with them for the price but dont think Id want to have spent over $20 per copy. To many flashlights arriving right now to spend more time with them.
FlashPilot - not sure what you mean by the dished centering ring. Mine has a centering ring, then a separate hard white plastic cover - it covers the entire star, tightly fits. I popped it out. Are you saying better to get rid of that hard plastic covering to get more output?
Also interesting you are getting 2.75A - on what battery? I just went thru a collection of batts with the pill out and the TF 26650 5000 did best at 2.93A, and a TF 18650 2400 flame did 2.65A. I don't have any real good ones though, like AW IMR's. All indicates it's not too regulated - popped out the driver and it's a standard 1 sided type, 10 pin PIC, few SM's, nothing special- certainly not 7135 based.
Look again when you have a chance. The emitter sits surrounded with a white plastic centering ring that has a lip half the height of the emitter dome blocking it. I have no idea if removing the ring or cutting off the lip will change the beam pattern or improve output (something to play with on another day). Its the most obtrusive XM-L centering ring Ive seen to date.
I have several new 18650 cells, all of which can and do easily sustain a +4A load.
So not a 7135 driver… thanks for checking.
Oh - I've seen those type of centering pieces before, yes, they do come up a bit, so maybe you're right about it restricting output. I got an I-O EDC 18650 light (like the Convoy S3 I think), and it has a fairly big, high centering piece as well and definitely does worse in lumens than 2 other 18650 EDC's I have, all at the same 2.8A level (7135's).
I'm using pretty new Panasonic A's and B's, all of which I use regularly at 3.5A and 3.8A, up to 4.1A, or over 5A on some direct drive lights, so the exact batteries I'm using have a lot more capability. So I think I understand 7135 regulated drivers and direct drive drivers, but I've seen a lot of these kind of drivers that have some sort of amp restriction, probably via resistors, but results are inconsistent like this. Weird a crappy TF 2400 flame does better in this light than a fully charged Panasonic 3100. Even with the flame, it puts out a little more lumens measured in the lightbox.
I have had the same experience regarding the Trustfire Flames working better in certain lights than the better KeepPowers/Xtars, etc.
Then in other lights it is the opposite. Strange but true.
Later,
Keith
is scratchin’ away to reveal the authenticity code?
I purchased two retail boxes last year
At the time I understood their upgraded C8 to be internally identical to the X5 except for cosmetics. Maybe I’m wrong but I thought they were both 6x7135 after a number of emails and “chat” with Supfire’s company rep. I bought the cheaper C8-T6.
I just measured 2.47-48/1.40-39/.30; DMM is stock HF/Cen-Tech 80899; TF “holographic” “3000” flames from FT. Does this make sense for 6x7135/2.1A?
Where did the 8x7135 figure come from for the X5? I don’t remember reading it in the thread and it’s not on the site in English nor in the English translation from Chinese…
The C8T6 uses 1x18650 or 2xCR123a (NOT 2x16340). I just pulled out two retail-package “Titanium” batteries that both measured 3.17: I got 2.95-96/1.57-58/.47.
Almost 3A for a 6x7135 driver (EDIT: not a 6x7135 driver)
(Only a test: I don’t run primary lithiums longterm)
Well mine has arrived and I have to say I am a little disappointed, not with the quality of the light, that is fine but mine only pulls 2.36A, It does not have AR glass, it does not have any original packaging nor does it have scratch card serial number.
Summer said quite clearly that they are all original Supfire’s and therefore come with the security number. What’s most concerning is that my serial number on the torch body is unreadable! Whats to say these aren’t knock off’s?
I do not have a Light meter but comparing this to my BC40 it is nowhere near as bright.
The quality of the torch seems good, a few machine marks and the odd little nick on the body. The threads all came lubed, with silicone I pressume, apart from the bezel as Tom E said. So I got rid of the silicone and applied synthetic gearbox oil. Much smoother!
All in all it’s a good torch but I have to say I will be contacting Summer regarding the serial numbers and card.
@ Tom E, The AR coating should look slightly blue/purple when you look at the lens, with the torch off of course. You will know when you see it. But not on these because they don’t have AR! Summer said they did.
Marc.
Mine has been dispatched so maybe a couple of weeks to wait yet,however,I didn’t order mine though this group deal.I ordered direct and didn’t mention about the BLF.
It will be interesting to see what I actually get by the sounds of things,not that I would know any different but you guys would. I will take some pictures when it arrives so you guys can see.
Nige
Thanks marcl, yes, didn't notice any blue/purple tint, but I can't see it on my UCL lens' either.
m - those packed SupFire's are nice! a 6-7135 driver should be 2.1A, measured very close to that, regardless of battery make/type. Since the spec on the X5 says 2.8A regulated, we were assuming it was an 8*7135 driver. Since this pill has a threaded retaining ring, a 2-sided driver like a 6*7135 or 8*7135 would not fit - a different pill design would have to be used.
It is disapointing when a vendor posts facts, confirms facts, and what you get is different. For me though, I expect these things from these sources - these sales reps are not technical enough, so are just relating specs they have been given to us.
Tom, I think you are being very kind when you say the sales reps don’t have enough technical knowledge. I would say they don’t need to have, just ask the manufacturer. To me they come across as liars. I was not going to buy this torch but when Summer said 2.8A, thicker AR glass, and a proper serial number, I thought sounds good and went for it. Problem is for me, non of the above came to fruition. Mine is none of the above. Now it is a nice torch no doubt, but I have lots of nice torches.
I have emailed Supfire just to raise the issues and get their take on it.
Marc.
Marc - Yes, I was being kind, but for me, I'll mod it up so not a big deal and wasn't expecting anymore. For me the biggest risk is optics, the reflector, how it does for throw and total output in a compact 1 cell package, and how it handles heat stock and can it be modified for improvements. Still, I feel I probably jumped at this too quick - it is Dino...
I can’t seem to resist Dinodirect, I don’t know why but they are the worst of all the Chinese dealers I have dealt with. But then up pops this group buy and I get sucked in!
You are right, I should have known better I guess. It would just be nice if we just got what we expected.
Marc.
Hi folks,
Would you guys offer me some alternative places to buy from please,I’m very new to this and haven’t got a clue where the better sites are…? I’ve brought from Dinodirect but it looks as though its probably the worse place I could have brought from judging from the above comments.
Thanks in advance
Nige
Paignton
Hi Nige
Have a look at fasttech.
Marc.
Pleased with mine, don’t think you will find a better sub $20 light out there. Nothing I have in that price range is better. Well built, good anodizing, nice gray color(little darker than an Xintd), orange button cover and green lanyard are nice and a little different,
For the lucky few who received theirs early, any comparisons, night shots or white wall tests to share pls? 
Great idea Marc… I think they’re on vacation for another week+ or so but maybe I can help out.
I never received a magic-link after posting the request earlier in the thread (in all fairness I didn’t pursue it reading that others were having the same trouble). Having prior purchases and communications with Ms. Qing I sent off a query to her late last week with a link to the page here at BLF.
I guess that pretty much sums it…
However when I go to taobao I see the Supfire company store (only retail boxed) but also other taobao stores that offer retail boxed/authentic stickered AND offer the individual lights w/lanyard. My earlier posts relayed the Supfire anti-counterfeiting campaign (seems like this scratch-sticker thing is catching on: XTAR’s going to start using the same process), but it seems like they may have some “official” greymarket pipeline of which DD and others are a part (seconds or hosts that others complete or etc.) or it just may be plain old Chinese counterfeits
If you’ve been to their Chinese or English websites you’ve seen a sorta’ flashy appearance with that lengthy corporate video - Supfire has their origin with cavemen making fire 
- here’s the vid for that C8-T6 I have
My take is that Supfire is a large company… they’re branded (think like maglite) with a bunch of advertising dollars and want to protect their brand officially but there may be an unofficial channel(?) and/or counterfeiting.
Where did the DD lights come from? Guess we’ll have to wait Summer’s response about the missing authentication stickers after China’s holiday…
i havent gotten a shipping notice yet… mine probably wont go out until after the holiday
Thanks for all of this info Tom E!
Confirming my understanding of the measurements I got with the 18650 and the CR123a’s: with either the 6x350’s/2.1A or 6x380’s/2.28A I would NOT get anything higher? I’ve got low-voltage warnings featured on both lights with both protected and unprotected cells: possible without regulation?
The C8 is listed as featuring 6x7135 at the site so I guess I’m going to get it apart to see what came from the factory and note any discrepancy with the site info (though I have to say that for the price I paid - full retail boxed packages of $22/C8-T6 and <$22/A6-T6 and right around $55 with epacket for both) it would be difficult to be more pleased: beams are outstanding, and fit/finish are the equal)
Got two laptop battery packs under my belt (no sparks) but need some assistance with this: after the head is off and the reflector and the white centering piece is out, how do you get at the emitter and driver board? Any tools?
Thanks in advance, m
m -
1 - with 7135 based drivers, no, you should not get anything higher, maybe slightly depending on batteries/circuits, but I've only seen within 0.05A or so.
2 - oh boy, should be posted info on this, but here it goes. With the battery out, most lights (and the X5) have 2 drilled holes on the top of the pill outside edge, use needlenose or snap ring pliers to unscrew it. Once the pill is out, you'll have easy access to the driver (underside) and emitter (top side). Drivers are fastened in different ways - if it's a 7135 based driver with at least 5 7135's and 17mm in diameter, it should be double sided, therefore probably soldered to brass at a couple of points around the edge of the driver. You can use various means to remove or cut through the solder, then the driver may fall out or have to be gently pryed out - but beware: some drivers have short +/- LED wires, not coiled, in that case you need to de-solder the connections on the emitter board. Mostly though, they have extra wire coiled up in the pill, allowing you to remove the driver.