What would be the better choice the UltraFire – Flood-to- Throwing Zooming Cree Q5 Flashlight (AA/14500) or the Sipik SK68? Where would be a good and reliable site to place an order?
I have one of these and it is fairly good. My favorite one is the UltraOk one but I can't seem to find it anywhere.
Ok, I got impatient and order this http://www.ebay.com/itm/230818456987?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3… Did I make a good decision?
A well regarded SK68 clone for $7 shipped? How could you have failed? 
You will love it.
As I said in another thread, I have had GREAT luck with these two ebay sellers and the Ultraok sk68 clone (Ultraok ZS-2).
They are BRIGHTER than the sipik “real” sk68 and the ultrafire sk68 clone. And they also do not get blistering red hot like the sipiks and ultrafires. I have NOT disassembled the pill.
Since then, I have bought 5 more for friends and 3-4 for myself …. All were consistently great. Not a bad one yet. Physical construction seems better or equal to all the other clones (I have the the real sipik and ultrafire clone). Front bezel may be a little too sharp on a couple, but a minor complaint to me. In fact, a couple were the most perfectly lubed lights I ever got from china. Lubing on a $6 light!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270924494593&ssPageNa…
http://www.ebay.com/itm/230818456987?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&\_trksid=p3…
Lights from the first vendor came faster and were wrapped better; but the second vendor was fine also.
Not slightly cooler, but WAY cooler. Sometimes I can run a whole 14500 without a rest for cooling off.
I never use AAs in these, so I can’t talk about AA performance. Someone else mentioned multi mode sk68s, but I have not bought one of those, although I should.
As always, QC can change without notice, but haven’t so far with these sellers. I don’t know these sellers personally or work for them. It always scares me a little to recommend a seller like this because there is always the chance that the seller will change stock for an inferrior model, but so far (6 months?) this has not happened.
As for sites versus ebay, when sellers have feedback scores like 99.4 and 99.5, they really have to be doing a great job, considering they can get booted off ebay for about 10 negative feedbacks. When you’re selling the huge volume that these guys are, that’s not a lot of mistakes before you’re history. They have to really keep on top of product quality and customer service to maintain that high ratio. And if you ever do get a bad product, just mention “bad feedback” and satisfaction (through a resend or refund) is almost instantaneous. In fact, in the past, with sellers with high feedback ratios like this, if something isn’t right with the product, they don’t need any threats, they offer a refund or resend in the first e-mail. YMMV of course.
Well said, Ubehebe.
The SK68 clones are the main light I gift to non-flashlight geeks because they take AAs, but I only use 14500s in mine because of the obvious increase in performance. As of yet, I have not ran into any overheating issues with any of the 7 lights I’ve had. In fact, I tail-stood one of them for a good 20+ minutes while I rooted a data cable through a tiny hole in a brick wall, and needed light up in the ceiling while I did so. Got warm, but not hot.
And everyone in the room wanted my little zoomy torch after that.
@ Ubehebe, it was your comments in the other thread that made me go with it.
i got the same light but in the 18650 version. i was thinking of purchasing two more.
do you guys think my 18650 version is brighter than these AA 14500 version?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/110876053142?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&\_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
Yes, the bigger one is brighter - the XM-L is a higher-output LED than the Q5. But, the emitter profile is much bigger, so the spot may not compete with the throw of the smaller light, at least in the opinion of some. I have both. The sk68 clone with a good 14500 in it is a light saber of a little torch.
I have the original Sipik SK98 18650 that yours is a clone of, and since the SK98 is notorious for burning up quickly, I have only used it a couple times. Now it’s disassembled waiting for me to mod it. So I can’t compare the two for you, unfortunately.
I have another XM-L 18650 that blows them both away in terms of flood and throw, but it’s quite a bit bigger. It’s a ’Ultrafire” 1 x 18650 copy of the TrustFire Z5, and it rocks.
nice! can you send me a link to that clone trustfire z5? i dunno, my ultrafire clone of the sipik 68 18650 version is pretty darn bright and floody.
i was gonna get the new uf t20. do you have that one yet. i hear thats a monster. i wonder if its brighter than your z5 clone…
I don’t have a T20, so yeah, I can’t compare. But I’d love to hear your opinion if you get one of the Z5 clones.
I’ve yet to find another BLF member who’s mentioned it. BUT, if you read the review on the TF Z5 on here, you’ll see a lot of people wishing TF had made a 1x18650 version of it. Well… someone did make it.
so the clone only uses 1x18650? the trustfire z5 uses 2x18650 right? so wouldnt the real z5 be brighter?
That would actually concern me. A tiny light pumping out somewhere between 200 and 300 lumens (if indeed it does on 14500’s) should be getting hot. The host is essentially a heatsink, and if it’s staying cool, then it either means that the light is driven conservatively, or heat from the star is not being transferred into it. That’s bad.
Or are you only using standard AA’s?
I doubt it would be much brighter. But the Z5 would probably have longer run times.
I doubt it would be much brighter. But the Z5 would probably have longer run times.
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o ok, do you have the poppas 878 ? if so is that brighter than the z5 clone?
o ok, do you have the poppas 878 ? if so is that brighter than the z5 clone?
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I do not yet have a poppas.
Good flashaholic response! I have the Poppas W-878 and really like it.
-Garry
yea, i read your post that it was a very bright light, when you said your head lamp on high is close to the poppas on low. made me wonder about this light.
Dang it, I really want one of those brighter, cooler running clones, but all the sellers state that they don’t ship to germany. 
will pick up a few of the UltraOK’s to compare, thx