Not everyone has a lathe or proper tools or resources or the personality to modify or create a light to look beautiful every time. Sometimes, you work with what you have and regardless of how it looks, as long as it functions properly, nothing else matters. Over the years of modding, I’ve created some really UGLY lights out of need and out of ‘going crazy not having anything to do’ and am posting them here for your entertainment.
A 2AAA, ITP, A3. The band in the middle is a fabric type tape coated with epoxy to ensure the light does not separate at the weakest joint.
An old cell phone cell with a Lux I star, 7mm reflector and a two on switch. (what is the proper name for this type of switch?) On one: direct drive, and on two goes through the resistors for a lower output.
Probably my first 18650 light. It was created maybe 5 years ago (or more) using a cell from a dead, 6 year old laptop battery (making the cell 11 years old?) The heatsink is from a former CPF member, lambda (he left some years ago to start his own forum). I believe it has a Seoul LED in it. The driver is a 2 mode, 3×1735. It’s chaged by a hobby charger.
Only a couple months ago I bought my first 18650 cell/light. Before then, I wanted to have a moderately bright helmet light with good throw but didn’t have the money to spend. This monster was subsequently created. D26 reflector, Neutral XP-G LED, 4x7135 driver and powered by a 6600mAh, LiPo. All pretty much water resistant except for the current switch. I had a water resistant switch before but removed it for another project.
I’m really proud of this creation. It’s a 4× 7135 driver on a DHS, maglite heatsink with the reflector and head of a fenix HL-21 headlight being powered by an 18650 cell in a battery tube made from an old bicycle pump. Yes, it’s all water resistant! Low outut is sufficient for most trail running while medium is for when I need to go faster or the trail is particularly technical. High output is a luxury and is there mostly to show off. hahah!
Cell phone chargers powering two or three LEDs in parallel. The charger on the left outputs about 800mA while the one on the right, 400mA. I may change the Luxeon LEDs on the above heatsink and put two Seoul P4s instead.
Yes, it’s UGLY. The adapter is putting about 1.7A through the 4, parallel (or is it series/parallel?) LEDs. It’s something like 7watts. The large heatsink gets HOT to the touch in less than 15 mins if the air is stagnant. Output is comparable to a 13w swirly fluorescent bulb.
Wolf Eyes Rattlesnake mod. As previously stated, 18650 cells weren’t a reality to me till recently so this mod is my best adaptation to what was available at the time. The bulb is either a WA1164 or WA1274 and the battery as seen is a 5300mAh, 30C LiPo. (From my RC vehicle.)
A friend destroyed his Fenix, HL-21 headlight and I took the circuit and did something useful with it 
This light can be powered by any sized alkaline or NiMH cell.
The sad reality though is that it’s a bit fragile. If the light falls face first, the reflector can break off.
(My helmet light was constantly drawing stares because people thought it was a camera {gopro} so I changed it to a simple and much lighter, single 18650 set up 
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