I’m a fairly new “budget high performance light buyer”.
I was like the typical person who owned a flashlight or two with the best being Maglite Magcharger’s (those now upgraded though) and I waisted a lot of money on just about any light on amazon.com that mentioned XML T6 on it….some light’s floored me in a good way other’s not so much which made me look to this forum to see what was realy good out there for the price.
The first light I bought thanks to you all was the Small Sun ZY-T13 that blew me away and here is a link to the best deal I know of if it can help give back—> http://www.ebay.com/itm/180991695071 I use this one mostly on my rifles.
The second light I found thank’s to you all is the Fandyfire STL-V6 and again if I can help give back here is a link to this light and this store that sell’s it is my favorite overseas store by miles—> http://www.lightscastle.com/product/fandyfire-stl-v6-cree-xm-lt6-2-mode-1000-lumen-white-led-flashlight-2x18650-3x16340-3x123a-130015 <— I have read this one will be discontinued so keep that in mind because of this I bought a few more just in case but this light is my favorite by a long shot and I hope I can give back for what you guy’s have done for me by providing these link’s.
The next light I have bought thanks to you all that I just got today from lightcastle.com is the Fandyfire HD2010….talk about a handy/nifty/bright little light I would have bought more from them if I would have known I would have liked this light so much…after using this light I now know what you guy’s mean by how it just feel’s right in your hand’s and it’s amazing how bright it is for it’s size.
I have another light from lightmalls.com on it’s way to me that has no name brand but the head/reflector look just like the STL-V6 the body of it look’s more like an HD 2010 but it hold’s three 18650’s I bought it just to kind of experiment and see if it gives similar performance as the STL-V6 but hopefully get even better run-times thank’s to the extra battery it hold’s…I will be sure to let you all know how it turn’s out but it is taking forever to get here I can’t find the link to it but if you search my other post’s on this forum I put the link in there.
Another light that look’s interesting I have on the way is the Uniquefire UF-V6 —> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=261360967368 saw a couple of post’s that says this light matches and some say beat’s the STL-v6 so we will see bought one from that link because that price looked to good to pass up.
Just wanted to thankyou guy’s for leading folk’s like me in the right direction as light’s like the STL-V6 are EXACTLY what I want in a light and I never would have found this light if it wasn’t for you all and lightcastle.com by far has provided the best shopping experience for me from over seas companies so by all mean’s I reccomend to pick up an STL-v6 from them while prices are cheap and they are still available.
Look forward to learning more from you guy’s and hope some of my link’s can help you all out……Flash on
Do you have bad experience with lightcastle?
Imo they usually not bad, although rather hard to find good price for their products but sometime they have it.
ie. that STL-V6 as the link above is not bad price ($29.58).
I sure will, still havn’t received it yet but should in a day or two judging by the tracking.
I havn’t visited this post in quite awhile and I see “cat eyes” had a bad experience with lightcastle.com I to would like to know what happened when this person dealt with them?,since my last post here I actualy received a few more order’s from them and ordered 4 more STL-V6’s and 2 more HD2010’s and they alway’s keep me up to date with the tracking faster than I do myself they usualy pack in a free gift (usualy a smaller led light like a 501b) and have given me several personal coupon’s….I have received so many discount’s buying from them and received every order plus they are the only over seas company that responds promptly to my question’s and alway’s seem to understand what I am talking about when I ask them something.
I am sorry if someone had a bad experience with them my guess is custom’s snatched something from their order (ive dealt with this) but they have been the most reliable legit overseas company I have used and I try to buy from them when I can unless they just don’t carry the product I am looking for (like that HD 2010 look alike that holds 3 18650’s I got from lightmalls instead).
I will be sure to update on how the UF-V6 turn’s out, I was actualy thinking the UF-V6 had the same inard’s as the STL-V6 but with better heat sinking but I was wrong as there is a UF-V2 version out there that is the copy of the STL-V2/V6 that suposably had issues with not enough voltage getting to the LED so now I have no idea what I got myself into with this UF-V6 as it is a different product than I was thinking it is….hope I can give good opinion about this item…lol, I’ll get back with you all soon.
I bought two of them and neither have anything stamped on the light at all I was thinking it would have “UniqueFire” UF-V6 stamped on it but nothing at all.
It’s not night time yet so can’t give a totally fair assessment but I can tell you that the hotspot is much more intense on the STL-V6 spill is about exactly the same width on both light’s and spill is a bit brighter on the STL-V6.
Honestly this is either a fake and if it isn’t the light does not perform very well as I was hoping…. im just about to compare it to my Small Sun T13 should be close…
In the meantime I could use some advice the title on ebay it say’s “UF-V6” but that is nowhere to be seen on this light but when I look back over pictures the pictures show nothing on the light so in one way the title is misleading but the pictures do not.
Not sure wether to open paypal claim or not.
But I just want you all to know that this light is not nearly in the same league as the STL-V6 or older model STL-V2 as far as hotspot is concerned which I’m sure will translate to throw……if I do a ceiling bounce with my STL-V6 the hotspot burn’s my eyes with this UF-V6 it does not burn my eyes at all.
I’m gonna think this over and try it out tonight some both light’s are about the same size but the UF V6 does have more heatsinking,lens/reflector looks to be the same size but STL-v6 has black ring’s around LED to help direct hotspot and UF-V6 has nothing you look down into the reflector and you see LED and PCB.
Any opinion’s on what I should do about this paypal wise would be greatly appreciated. Thank’s guy’s. * Small Sun ZY-T13 win’s in both throw and hotspot inside a large storage building wasn’t expecting this it actualy wasn’t even close……STL-V6 mopped the floor with the UF-V6 in the shed……I see no sense in getting this light when the Small sun ZY-t13 and T08,STLV6 can be bought for around the same price or cheaper….The UF-V6 look’s like a contender but it just isn’t.
That UF-V6 looks like a decent MT-G2 host for a 2x18650 form factor. (Current working link to buy.) You say it has more heatsinking? Does the pill unscrew or is it part of the head? Fit & finish good? Threads good? What diameter driver does it take and what about driver cavity depth?
I am sorry but I already have these lights wrapped back up as one was flickering on high mode only even after trying different batteries.
It could have been my ignorance but it just appeared to have had more metal that I assumed was for heatsinking let me see if I can post a photo to show you what I mean……does this site allow you to include photo’s in the message or do you have to go through a site that host’s the photo?, I can’t figure out how to include them on here.
Thank you Tarpon31 for the follow-up on the UF-V6. Sorry to hear it didn't meet your expectations.
Sounds like you got the vendor to agree to refund you due to the flickering issue (probably a loose connection). If not for that, I think Garry's idea above is a good one. You wouldn't even need a driver unless you wanted modes.
EDIT: Yeah, you have to have photo on host site. Then just right click and "copy image location info". Then here in BLF, click on the icon that looks like a photo and paste the photo's address.
I’m just now starting the resolution process on ebay and uploading photo’s of the blank flashlight’s then uploaded a photo of the real uniquefire uf-v6 so they can compare them.
Nothing has been worked out yet but with one not working and and both when they did work not being able to beat my Small Sun T13 this is most likely a counterfeit I was just looking at a post from the past of beamshots comparing these same lights and the UF-V6 actualy beat the STL-V2 (original one) ad STL-V6’s hotspot.
Very disappointing but atleast it can help some of you on your purchase decision’s……because if you take a UF-V6/STL-V2/V6 and ZY-T13 and stack them next to eachother all are the same height just about but the UF-V6 “looks” like the beefier and better light but it’s not even a close race but by look’s someone might actualy make the mistake and buy the wrong light.
This just proves how special the STL-V6 and ZY-T13 realy are IMO….today while testing it reminded me how close the T13 is and it actualy has a better/wider spill and is so light to carry……I’d grab those while there on ebay right now while you can.
I think that UV-F6 is worth a separate thread. I'll post a new thread with pics (from Ebay) and link it here. Feel free to contribute your thoughts to that thread. Again, I'm mearly considering it as a host and not for it's stock performance which sounds mediocre.
