Its a must-have for anyone with 18650's or thinking of trying them. Now with the option of selecting either OP or SMO reflector in the C8, this really rounds out a well designed budget XM-L power light. There's nothing worse than ordering something with great anticipation and then to have it arrive not working as expected. Thankfully, this model through KD seems to have provided most of us with quality working examples and is very easy to work on should the need arise.
This has been the one light to turn my lingering non-flashaholic friends into flashaholics lunatics.
Just received the C8 a while ago. Overall very well finished with the exception of minor scratches on the bezel. Will probably need to oil it as unscrewing the various sections can be quite stiff and scratchy. Other than that, very good value and I'm amazed at the amount of light it's throwing out. Can't wait till nightfall!
In fact KD C8 XML which brought me back to hobby after absent for 2 years. Advancement in Q2 to Q5 and then later R2 didnt make me wanting another light it was just incremental but XML is different. Man gotta love XML flashlight especially KD C8. Cant wait to try the SMO reflector on it. I hopes that they bring optional bezel, pill etc etc.
Got mine today, can only compare it to two old led lensers and a X2000 and its like bringing a Bazooka to a knife fight I cant wait for dark to see how bright it really is. My computer desk is white and I turned it on facing the desk and blinded myself for a few . One word so far .....WOW!! Anybody know what holster would be a good match for this light?
Why would the capacity of the batteries result in a brighter beam or warmer light? Shouldn't the pill regulate mA the same regardless of capacity? Or are the Hi-Max batteries a higher voltage than Trustfire 18650? This does not make sense to my small brain.
Different batteries make a difference. I was a little disappointed that I getting readings of only ~2.6A and was not getting the same 3+ amp current draws that others were reporting of my trustfire flames purchased from DX (sku.20392). And a couple of the 20392 batteries were cutting out on high when fully charged (probably the protection circuit kicking in from trying to draw too high a current), so i ordered some of these:
And in this torch they give about 3.3-3.4 Amps (BTW everything I am talking about is with fully charged batteries @~4.2V). Here is my evidence on the current draw:
With the unprotected batteries i need to be a little more cautious about over-discharging them (because bad things can happen - so I have read anyway). But it does add a very noticable amount of brightness and gives it more of that wow factor i wanted. Of course, lower battery life with higher current, but it is all tradeoffs. But, for under 10 bucks, I now have a torch that feels like it is at least a couple of bins brighter.
I was thinking like yourself about getting a new DMM initally, then i decided that it was cheaper first to try different, higher quality batteries. In the end, i found that my multimeter had no trouble measuring the current at 3.4A :-).
Sku.6979 had some really positive reviews from people who say they have bought hundreds, so i went for those to test.
And it really is smashingly bright, quite noticably brighter than with the trustfire flames aka sku.20392. And I am talking about both with the multimeter in series to test the light AND when I am outside blinding wildlife.
I have even been thinking about buying a lux meter, pitting the light in a jig and testing the lux with multimeter and without multimeter - which will give me a much better idea of if the DMM is affecting the current/light output too much.
Although, that is a pretty cheap looking DMM on ebay there, maybe it is affecting the readings...
But at the end of the day, you don't use the flashlight with the DMM attached. Go on, buy the batteries and let us know how you go. >:-)
Thanks for your input. Actually I'm not too concerned about the low readings at the moment. Still enjoying the beam it puts out. I'll probably go with better cells some way down the road.
i'm new to led power lights and flashlights, and just about to buy one.
I'm thinking about buying kd c8 reviewed in this thread. My main application would be to put two of them as an aid for my high beam on motorcycle.
Main concern for me is temperature that the light is producing. Is it safe to run those light for 2-3 hours without turning off? By safe I mean will the body and shader element withstand those temperatures. I never had one of those, but from reading the articles I get the feeling that the light gets very hot. I thought of buying xenon lights but they aren't made to be switched on-off constantly (oncoming traffic).
If you will light for 2-3 hours you must use middle mode....@high you have light only for 40min.
Middle mode you can use looooong time. High mode also, if temperatures outside is not too much, in summer with 40°C i will not use high mode for loooong time ;)
(in winter i have used high-mode until battery is empty)
The airflow around them when attached to a motorcycle should help a lot in keeping them cool. Since the motorcycle generates power, I'd look for a driver that can take 12V and power the LED and just use the head part of the light if possible. Makes life simpler than using batteries.
I think this would not be legal on the roads in the EU, but since Croatia isn't yet in the EU this should not be a problem. I'd check first with your local cops though to be sure.
I would connect it to the motorcycle alternator, so i'm not concerned with battery duration, only with temperature. But if it holds for 40 minutes, i don't know if there is any reason why wouldnt it hold even longer :) i think that temperature must be more or less steady after 10 minutes.
i'm not too concerned with cops, because for some reason they avoid stopping motorcycles :) and i wouldn't use that light as my main light, only for high beam, when i'm alone on road. Do you think that the beam would be strong enough for that purpose? (as i have never seen beams of 500+ lumen leds)
Not sure - I'll try for some comparison shots with my car's headlamps tonight though. As long as I remember to buy some petrol to get me to where I can do the beamshots in peace.
Well as a biker i would be inclined toward thinking that XM-L's won't throw as far as you might like if speeding is your intent. You have to reach at least 150m if that is what you want. XM-L's aint particularly bright at that distance. You bettery try one "weaponmounted" somwhere on the bike to try out first.
If you want to see everything farther away you probably have to reach for a HID flashlight. Might be also very easy to power and no overheating concerns. However, unsure how those handle vibrations on a bike... Oh almost forgot... thos HID are not budget either.
I cant wait for dark to see how bright it really is. My computer desk is white and I turned it on facing the desk and blinded myself for a few . One word so far ...