That's it! The fun part is one of the reasons, why I like this forum and why I buy flashlights.
Ah yes, the car analogy!
Don't you think the XM-L has already become what the Ford flathead V8 once was for the hot rod crowd in the old days?
Or the 427SOHC "cammer" for altered wheelbase A/FX.
You drop it in and have a blast!
Foy,
I understand. We are as emotional as rationals beings . Fat overweight people think alike.
I hope you soon realize that such fatty in fact is DIM even at start.
I'm not sure I understand. (what is "DIM?") And, how did you know I was overweight? Are there undercover Argentine operatives in southern Nevada . . .
theyareeverywhereFoy
... I take it you're more the GM kinda guy?
Nothing wrong with chebbies, though. At least camaros ain't bellybuttons like them moostangs. good friend of mine from the 302nd used to drive a '69 RS with a 327, man, that was beautiful ride! 'nother one has a '72 chevelle Malibu, 350-TH400. Sa-weeet!!!
Still, since I have a '67 Mercury (despite unreal gas prices in Krautland, and overzealous federal tech inspections), I am a bit biased towards the FoMoCo.
Anyhows, XM-L's really are a blast. I love them in my 3xAAA conversions.
Don't even get me started on some of the muscle cars that my dad had that I beat the shit out of as a kid, makes me sick to see what they sell for nowadays. Back to reality been drag racing for 25+ years and yeah I am old but the new machines destroy the old technology. My 08 stang runs 12.8s with gears a chip and a cold air intake. The fastest of the fast big blocks barely broke into the 13s if you could hook up with drag slicks and they were unruley to drive around town to say the least. The new stang with a stick will run 12s all day long with a warrantee, AC, power windows. Seriously we remember stuff being way better than it was, 20 years from now we will talk about the UF980L being so sick and I can't even imagine what the technology will be by then.
err... maybe in factory stock form.
Other than that, peak horsepower hasn't gotten up that much.
It's about efficiency! Like you said - stomp it on 1320, but cruise around town all day with decent gas mileage.
Besides, can the whipple stang do this?
just kidding! 
@ Be-Seen
Dude, a real 440 RT? That hurts...
LOL!
I'm serious - the first thing I thought of was a '69 Camaro with a pissed off Rat rumbling under the hood, when I saw E's tail cap numbers before rushing to order this bad boy. The equivalent for an L2P/UF XM-L might be a ringer LS1 in an F-bod. The car analogy is just too perfect.
Foy
At least till you tried to go round a tight corner.....
Or stop.......
I worked for a guy in 1981 who had a 1946 Bristol. With dry rot in the (wooden) chassis.
Beautiful straight six motor - in 1945, Bristol crated up the BMW engine factory and moved it back to the UK - you could see where the BMW logo on the head castings had been chiselled off and Bristol plates bolted on.
Went like crazy - could easily hit 130mph. As long as you didn't want to stop more than once a day. Biggest drum brakes I've ever seen with gigantic cooling air scoops. That weren't big enough.
It had a first for cars - hydraulic brakes. Unfortunately the fluid used was water. And it weighed a couple of tons. It is really, really exciting when the brakes stop working at 100mph.
Fortunately it was good at going round corners when the chassis wasn't rotten.
Eventually he sold it for the price of a 3 bedroom house. Beautiful device but just not safe in modern traffic.
Like most classics.
In a forlorn effort to get this back to something vaguely resembling on-topic - at least XM-L's are unlikely to kill you when you try to stop them from emitting.
You can forget about the 180 day warrantee if you order this light from Manafont after waiting weeks for a replacement Jim at Manafont told me I had to desolder the driver mail it back to him so it can be repaired. It is easier for me to put a driver in from another light or a NANJG 105C from KD I have, hopefully I am the only one to suffer this failure since this s a very expensive budget light.
This thing with E1320 is an epic fail for Manafont as far as I'm concerned.
verydisappointedFoy
From where did anyone get the idea that there was a factory warranty? The ultrafire shop has a 180 day warranty (with the condition that the buyer pays the return shipping).
Guys, you were whacking the XM-L at 4A+ or so for several minutes to 15 mins? Respect! The diode can withstand tough abuse.....but under certain conditions. And there is useful lumens to be had at 4A plus, people have done that and with pictures to substantiate.
This is like trying to run a just average heatsinked poor 445 laser diode at about 1.9A / 2W+ power for minutes at a time.
Even at 2.5A, you do not switch it on for 15-20 mins tailstanded in such a 150mm long light (no hand to pull the heat).
When you flirt at the limits, you need serious stuff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bSRF8pu7vM (That's a RL-2088)
They probably ment that if you bought from the ultrafire store (if it was the ultrafire company you asked and not the store). And it's still clearly stated that the buyer will have to pay the shipping.
The light would cost a lot more than $43 if return shipping by USPS would be offered freely for everyone that breaks their light (their fault or manufacturer error). Can you even ship the light back for $43 using USPS tracked shipping?
But if Ultrafire promised 180 days warranty without mentioning the ultrafire-shop then ask them about it? Manafont has nothing to do with their promises.
Are there gains over 4A? Sure...a little less than 8 lumens...
I think Groucho Marx said it best: "Who are you going to believe...Me? Or your lying eyes?"
Alright, i stand corrected and I have been more than optimistic. LOL! The U-80 I have is doing about 2.6A here. I am not sure how is the design of the emitter/driver inside as its all sealed up.... but I'll see what batteries I have is gonna max out at below 3A (probably none). The reflector size/shape must be the same anyway for the comparison to be valid, ie no P60 vs U-80/980L shootouts. I'll take some pix when it arrives.
PS. I would believe that the U-80 and UF-980L have the exact same reflector. And the emitters, I don't think they (Cree) vary as much as the HID bulbs? (I'm actually much more into HIDs than LEDs, but LEDs are quite cute and lately the lumens capability are getting pretty decent).
Anyway, seriously...what is important is this....the UF-980L is usd43 shipped. 
The TD15X has a bigger hotspot though. Whether or not that "useful lumens" is gonna be really useful, i'll leave it to the user and his/her budget. But if one wants a really bright XM-L and throws well, the Catapult is a good option @ usd143. (check out http://fonarik.com/test/indexen.php)
For really big lumens, it'd still be my first love...HIDs.
http://www.thaicpf.com/webboard/index.php?topic=2495.0
(search for a post by oatmanutd for a shot between Fenix TK35, TD15X and UF-980L). I don't think he froze the UF-980L in a freezer anyway, and Thailand is not a cold place. And if the modes were selected wrongly for the Fenix/Lumintop it would be much much dimmer.
2100, that was an interesting comparison between the 980L and TD15X. The U-80 and 980L may indeed have the same reflector, but that's just a guess... I haven't handled either.
Oh, thanks for linking that youtube video on blue lasers....Now there's another thing I want to build! 