Thank you Don, I most certainly will have fun here.
Is there a bezel mod for KD C8? If so, where can I find them? Also, is this host waterproof (ie. IPX-8)? Lastly, does this have a better output than the SolarForce L2 XML U2 found here? Which one is better overall? Thanks guys.
No idea!
But welcome to BLF backpack!
Hope you enjoy it here as much as I do.
Welcome aboard Backpack!
The U2 based dropin is still very new, I don't think anyone has one yet. Just a little heads up as well, but that "Solarforce" on KD definatly isn't actually a Solarforce body.
Aloha and 
to BLF backpack!
You can easily get 1000 lumens out of a single 18650 if you use current pulses as the MTE M3-2I XM-L light does, with the two CR123 it definately goes a little higher than 1000 lumens. Of course you couldn't drive an XM-L with a steady state current to 1000 lumens...that is just lame.
You couldn't drive the cheap XM-L diodes (warm white) to those levels either, you have to use the best binned diode. Not all XM-L diodes are created equally. The best binned diodes cost significantly more and the ones people are selling singly are usually the cheapest binning that no one wants and CREE dumps those. Even when I get samples from the VP of sales of Luminus he always starts by giving me the lowest binning then I have to hit him up again to pry the better binning out of his hands...
Go look at the spec for the diode and the curves:
http://www.cree.com/products/pdf/XLampXM-L.pdf
Thanks,
Greg McGee
Just ordered one 3/30. First time trying 18650 & XM-L lights. Thanks to all your valuable inputs.
Does anyone know if the Manta Ray M8 is a clone (or maybe just a re-named version) of the KD C8? They look to be very similar.
I found the M8 on ebay, being sold by a company called Flashlight Family, I had ordered an UltraFire 501B from them and it arrived in 8 days, so if this is the same light I might get it based on the + review.
OK, it looks like KD sells the Manta Ray as well, but they call it a C8, not an M8, which makes me think it is the same light.
Same body, sure (just as the other Utrafire, Uniquefire, Palight, Trustfire etc C8 models). Same driver? Probably not.
Which bezel mod are you looking for?
IPX-8 is an extremely relative term when it comes to Chinese manufactured budget lights, mostly due to grossly exaggerated marketing descriptions and the poor quality of O-rings being used. That being said, most can be refitted with high quality tight fitting O-rings and properly lubricated to keep water out. That usually works well for single O-ring connections, although double O-ring connections are always better when provided.
When driven at the same levels, the KD C8 will likely be far brighter with a T6 (due to its larger reflector and superior heat sinking) than any U2 equipped P60. In fact, I doubt most people could not tell the difference between the two bins (T6 vs U2) in the same light with their naked eyes. Just the manufacturing variations from diode to diode and driver to driver would more than offset the gains as seen by the human eye. At their current price, I will be avoiding U2’s all together and wait for higher bins, or the next technological LED breakthrough that always awaits us just over the horizon.
After you've selected a good power LED/host/driver combination, the most important consideration then becomes the battery and its ability to sustain the high amperage requirements over a long period of time.
The KD C8 looks like a good candidate for me purely because of the size to brightness ratio. I need something really bright that doesn't look like a rocket launcher and hopefully fits in my pocket without (too much of) a bulge. I almost purchased a Lumintop TD15X ( $110 + shipping + tax ) before I found out about these budget lights. I haven't received my C8 yet so I don't really know if I like the bezel or not. However, I'm coming from a SureFire E2D (60 lumens 
) and I'm used to their "Strike Bezel" and host in general. From the images, the C8 bezel doesn't look as sharp or protective of the emitter. I'm hoping that the bezel (and the anodizing of the aluminum) will be able to break something like glass easily without requiring replacement as if it were disposable. Basically, I'd like a bezel like the ones on the SureFires and some P90s that I've seen.
As for the light being waterproof, I'll be carrying this light outside and may need to use it while it's raining so I'm wondering if it's waterproof enough that I don't have to worry about getting electrocuted or my battery or any other components getting wet. My other question is, do I need a holster for this or will it fit in my pocket just fine? Runtime is no problem for me because I'll probably only be needing the flashlight for emergencies (I've turned on my SureFire maybe 20 times for about 30 seconds each for a total of 10 minutes in a year).
So far i ordered 2 KD C8 and both have only a little problem, you can test it:
Put fingers on lens and move.
At my KD C8´s i could move the lens very, very easy, so i thought, it´s not really waterproof.
Maybe a thicker O-ring helps....(i had no O-ring^^)...i use a spacer under the spill, so spill/reflector is little bit higher and bezel can screw firmly together.
Today it has come!!!. Now i'm charging de flame batteries from dx. I have a question, it has 5 mode but how can i turn off the flashlight and to pass between the 5 modes with one bottom only?.
Perhaps pressing deeper it turn off? or pressing more time? or... how?
first you click or press it to turn on, then you press lightly to go between the five modes(each light press takes you to the next mode H-M-L-SOS-STROBE) click all the way again to turn off
I got a C8 for a co-worker who wanted another light..it's pretty nice for the price..one thing I noticed though is that the pill is loose when you take out everything..like so much that it rattles and you can unscrew it by hand..anyone else experience this?
At most budget lights you should first try, if all threads are firmly screwed together.
A loose pill is mostly not so bad (for contact).
A loose tailcap is much worse.
I just went from TrustFire flames, to Hi-Max 2600 mAh (from pingyi eBay store) thanks to recommendation from old4570 :) and it definitely has more light output (visually maybe 25-35% more), but the thing I noticed even more is that it's producing a decent amount more heat now. Something the C8 handles without any problem, but I probably would second guess leaving this light run on high (especially if you modified yours to tailstand, which I haven't)
Thankfully medium is almost as bright visually for close & medium distances, and generates much less heat. I'm definitely ordering more of these batteries.
Your pill isn't at the right height. What you could do is:
1. unscrew the head from the body.
2. unscrew the bezel about 1.5 times the width of the o-ring.
3. from the underside, with a flat screwdriver or something, rotate the pill so it gets tight against the reflector. you might have to do this on the solder there, you don't need to apply much force to rotate it in the threads until it's starting to press against the reflector.
4. make sure the reflector bottom is in a good centered position with the LED.
5. tighten the bezel. :)
When I did this, the beam quality and brightness improved quite a bit, because the LED wasn't far enough into the reflector before.
Yes, the threads are not super tight. Doing what I just described above will hold the pill securely in place because of the pressure against the reflector.
[quote]
Yes, the threads are not super tight. Doing what I just described above will hold the pill securely in place because of the pressure against the reflector.
[/quote]
yeah when it's assembled everything's good..just took me by surprise how loose the pill was when nothing was installed..
Well, i have mine, and i will do a mini-review now. First of all, thanks to all people who help me to decide between some models of flashlights from post "which flashlight to choose....".
This is my first xm-l flashlight, i have other cheaps like 9 led, 16 led, 60 led, xeon... and older. It does more light than all except one big of 3.000.000 millions candels or somethimg like that with 2 minutes max of use 
. But, i must say that i expect more, it throw well and flood but it doesn't damage my eyes when you throw into a house. It isn't so powerful to damage my eyes when the light bounces on a white wall in a house. Anyway, i love it.
I tested with flame batteries 2400 at 4.17 v. All modes work well, include high mode. Medium mode and low mode are a bit dim, i prefer high mode for general propose. In minutes, battery drops to 3.91 v. Body od flashlight have a good quality, lens are clean and rings too. That's all.
I guess the 3mil light has more throw but overall brightness a properly driven XML should be at least as bright in total output. Considering 3mill spotlight usualy a 50w halogen bulb which is around 600-800lumens, a more efficient halogen(ir coating) could go as high as 1000lumens...
relatively speaking the first time i got my KD C8 was WOW! and i have a triple P7 mag and 3mil(6v 50w) spotligh to compared to. The 3 mil. spotlight has much better throw and more intense hotspot giving a brighter illusion. A single Aspheric Q5 Mag thrown at the white wall is more blinding than Single XML but produce less lumens.
just my 2c.