UniqueFire F12-B
Battery | 2XCR123/RCR123/16340/*now 17670 (with work)* |
Switch | Reverse Clicky |
Modes | 5 - No Memory H/M/L/Disco/SOS |
LED type | XM-L U2 |
Lens | Aspheric Plastic |
Tailstands | Yes, a little wobbly |
Price Paid | $19.59 |
FTT method | Smooth Twisty |
Pros:
Extremely Bright.
Smooth, One handed Twist for Flood/Zoom
Very well built
GREAT pocket clip. Springy and low profile.
Dunkable! First Zoomy I have owned that would do this.
Cons:
Had hoped light might take 18650s, or 17670s at the least. Inner diameter of tube is too tight for even unprotected 17670 cells.
No memory.
One undersized O ring.
Horrible pink tailcap that was quickly replaced with a 14 mm GITD one.
Summary:
Fantastic! Pocketable waterproof Zoomy with Clip. Hard to put down.
Inspired by JohnnyMac’s excellent review of the Trustfire Z8 HERE, but not wanting to get into a battery format that I don’t own, I rolled the dice on this one, which looked by the pics to be close.
After tearing this one apart, it does not appear to be quite up to the square threaded perfection of the Z8, but it is an extremely well built beast.
Features / Value: 5 stars
Best made Zoomy I own. Hands down. No contest.
Design / Build Quality: 4 1/2 stars
Great design. Excellent anodization. Smooth threads. Easy to zoom one handed, with one turn of the head going from full zoom to full flood. Only sloppy place I found were the holes drilled in the piece that holds the tailcap in place.
Really well done pocket clip. Springy and low profile. Doesn’t get in the way when you are holding the light.
Only thing that prevents 5 stars is seeing JohnnyMac’s pics of the Z8
Battery Life: TBD, but over 1 hour on 2 16340s on high.
Will get runtimes if there is interest, but here are the tailcap draws:
High: 0.55 A
Med: 0.25 A
Low: 0.02 A
Good, useable low. I have never taken draws on multi cell lights, so someone speak up if these seem crazy.
To me, they seem very low for the amount of light that it is putting out.
Light Output: 4 1/2 stars
A wall of light in flood mode. Big emitter beam in zoom. On par with my other 18650 XM-L zoomies.
Summary: 5 stars
It is hard to put down. I have been coming up with lame excuses to use it outside at night. Well done light that could be better with another 1 mm of ID, so that it would take 17670s.
Now for the important stuff:
Comparison shot L to R - Lumapower Incendio, Unbranded 18650 Zoomy, Ultrafire HD2011, F12-B, C8
In Hand
Nice Threads
Close up of Twisty mechanism
Fully disassembled
With bezel removed - Nice GITD O-ring
Close up of Clip
8 mm thick Plastic lens
Business end
Money Shot
*Edited to reflect change on 17670s.