i was told that the first generation of 980L is the one that capable to draw high current, but then the next batch of 980L can only draw between 3-3.5A. is it true??
Probably...not sure. But even with a very good cell at a lower voltage, it can take 3A and still lux numbers drop fast.
You wouldn't want >3A anyway, but yes a lot of folks were reporting excessive current problem at first. They probably in true budget light fashion added some diode(s ) to correct this.
well 3-3.5 is still can be considered normal as many other flashlights are also drawing at that range of current too.
ok lah... :)
the thing is the more current is drawn on XML LED, will be point less, it wont create more light, but instead it will create more heat. Inefficiency battery usage indeed.
Interesting thing is, if you cooled it enough....it would produce more light. I used dry ice though, so that's cheating. But I also used ice and got a noticeable increase in 15% range compared to tropics here in my case. The thing is, you are living in Russia, i am sure 4A on say a DRY XM-L would produce a good 15-20% more lumens than 3A. If it's Yakutsk/Alaska/Harbin where it reaches -30 deg C regularly, then even more with more juice. As long as you keep the LED die temp below 150 deg C, preferably < 120 C, it goes woohoos with regards to "headroom"!
And that IS usable in reality, you use your light outdoors at night.
i think the best is to play with this 980L in the swimming poll at night, water cooler.... hehehhehe
Harry, are you from Singapore? hehehe....
hi 2100 :)
Check out this russian guy, he's dressed like he would be in Singapore's heat.
That would be a great place to operate stuff like the UF-980L and DRY triple XM-L. F the inefficiency, we've got NCR18650As! :D
li_ion and cold do not go well, as battery life is reduced greatly.
The colder it gets the less run time you get
Yeah I know that...i was at - 29 deg C and really zapped the life out of the cam's battery. But the idea is to keep one close to your body and take it out when you need to use it. Or take another set, better if 3 sets. You can also wrap the body tube up with some foam or something. "Not too bad".... as compared to other devices using Li ion.
With powerful LEDs that is not an issue esp with DRY (parallel setup), it keeps the cells warm. Also with 3A plus discharge, the cells themselves generates heat. I ever done one run with the SR3800 and only cooled the head with water leaving the battery tube in the air, the cells got pretty hot like nearly too hot to touch.
i think this 980l is comparable to TF X9
Thought I would give my old reviews some much needed updates.
My admiration for this UltraFire UF-980L grows with the passing months. It was my EDC at work during the month of June while being the go-to light of choice at casa de Foy since day one. While it's spectacular performance has always been a given, the 980L's perfect reliability from unboxing to present may seem at odds with others' experience with this sizzling flashlight. All I can do is report the respect I have for this incredible torch and my surprise at how well the annodization shurgs off battle wounds associated with bouncing off suspension parts and cross members. I will concede to sometimes making a special effort during use, trying to preserve my cherished flashlight's like new appearance but in my line of work - abuse happens. A 980L that looks old and scratched up has yet to happen.
I've been out of the (flashlight) loop for some months now and perhaps newer/better offerings have become available. It is difficult to imagine however, a more potent hand held light source for the flashlight enthusiast than the mighty UltraFire 980L. Were that all UltraFire products performed so admirably.
IambackFoy
I love this light. It is everything I expected and has withstood everything I have thrown at it. I only own two UltraFire products, the UF-980L and a few of the Manafont UF 3 mode XM-L P60 drop-ins and am very impressed. I hate 5 mode lights.
I wish UltraFire would sell a 2x18650/3xXM-L/3 mode light. I would be all over it.
I have resisted getting one, so far but your post has me tempted, so tempted....
Glad to see you back foy!
Thanks edc.
When I first bought it (and the subsequent singing in praise thereof) a commenter said I was "evangelizing" this light and that's fine. Until it does something wrong (as some have) I guess I'll keep pounding the pulpit.
amenandhallelujahFoy
Since purchase, this has been my "Classy But Budget".
Today I took it with me to test heat issues outside on a walk.
Tested it couple of times briefly. At the end of the walk, had it running constantly on High for ~16minutes, helding it only from tailcap.
Weather conditions were 57F (14°C), slight breeze of ~4m/s.
...and no heat issues at all! The body got barely to hand temperature.
Too bad I did not measure accurate battery voltage before, but after some 20min of total runtime, it was 3,71V with Trustfire flame.
I say that´s not bad heating at all!
For reference: my Zebralight SC51w got noticeably hotter on Eneloop on high.
My iTP A1 SS on 16340 got Insanely hot pretty fast...
It´s a good light.
May sound a bit expensive but it really isn´t, for the price it has great quality.
Only rant I have is somewhat low PWM frequency...
Just to keep this thread alive...
That snow certainly looks to handle the flashlight; wonder how long one dropped in it would burn-through to the other side of the earth?
Also, the Russian guy MUST have a bad case of nusted buts (har!) and head.