A few weeks ago we had a big ice storm here and our power was out for 23 hours (other people close to me didn’t get it back for 7 days!) and I was able to charge my batteries during the day with a cottonpickers solar panel I lent it to my friend who was without power for the entire week and he got great use out of it too (charging his cell phone and batteries at the same time). I have the quad folder with dual 2 amp USB outputs. Even on the cloudy days it was still able to put out 2amps total and charge up my batteries Just a thought for the future.
Yeah I’ve looked into solar panels but the affordable commercial ones are too low current to be useful and the capable ones are too expensive.
Those cottonpicker ones look nice and well priced. I haven’t been in cpf so long that I haven’t seen any of those new items.
Which model do you have? Multiple panels?
Thanks
It has two USB outputs, a little over 2 amps each in full sun, and comes with a Y cable to combine the output for cloudy days. Works amazing, monster output.
I use it primarily to charge up a 4x18650 battery box I bought from him for $15. It charges at 2 amps and provides two USB ports at 2.1 amps each (so can fast charge my phone and tablet at the same time). 13,600mah capacity!! You can of course charge phones, etc. right from the panel, as well as charge any li-ion battery with the cottonpickers 1.2 amp high current USB chargers.
I use a Nitecore Intellicharger i4v2, it has a 12v cigarette lighter input as well as 240a/c maybe a search for something similar so you can still charge in a long black-out situation would be a good idea.
I’ve just ordered one ! I particularly like how you can choose which modes you want. You can have a firefly mode without also having the disco modes.
One piece of info missing is the ANSI light outputs. You can look up the LED outputs, the LED I chose is said to be 1044-1119 lumen at 3A (the drop in says it runs at 3.04A). However this is not the same as the out-the-front lumens I understand. Is there any info on this?
BIG45-70
Mine arrived late last week. The firefly mode is admirably dim (dimmer than my much smaller Olight). But only when it works. It is very erratic. The firefly mode works when it wants, and on maximum (which IS very bright BTW), it will usually step down after only a few seconds. This drop in is a great idea idea let down by the execution.
What’s your experience? Do you think I should send for a replacement?
What battery are you using with it? Did you wrap the dropin with copper tape or aluminum foil before you put it in the host?
-Jamie M.
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I’ve tried two different Ultrafire 18650’s, and I’ve tried them in different levels of charge. They are the small cap (i.e not a flat top) model of cell. Whatever permutation I try, the drop-in behaves erratically in some way.
I have two Ultrafire 501B torches, which look identical to each other. I’ve tried the drop-in with both. At first I thought that one host worked and the other didn’t, but since then I have realised that the drop in has problems whichever host it is in.
I’ve not tried foil or copper tape. I’m no expert on these things, but surely the firefly mode will not have heat dissipation problems? I can appreciate on high mode it could have a heat problem, but it steps down after only10-15 seconds, i.e surely not enough time for heat build up?
If you build heat into the drop-in then firefly mode won’t work until it cools down FULLY.
Both my Solarforce L2M with Vinh 2.8amp dropin as well as my bone stock Roche F6 won’t work on ANY of my Ultrafire 18650’s The L2M just blinks when I turn it on, and the Roche F6 will come on in turbo, step down to medium, low then turn off (all in about 3 seconds). I drop in my Panasonic NCR18650B batteries and both flashlights work flawlessly. My Ultrafire batteries work in my other flashlights (my Skyray King if I have all four batteries in it, won’t run on 3 or less). I suspect they just can’t keep up with the current draw.
Thanks for that Jamie M.
I think it’s a fair point that maybe the Ultrafire cells can’t keep up when on High mode ( 3.04 Amps). However the Firefly mode (only 5 mA) won’t work even from cold. That mode has stopped completely now.
I’ve emailed the supplier to see what they say, no response yet (but it was only last night).
I lent it to my friend who was without power for the entire week and he got great use out of it too (charging his cell phone and batteries at the same time). I have the quad folder with dual 2 amp USB outputs. Even on the cloudy days it was still able to put out 2amps total and charge up my batteries 
The L2M just blinks when I turn it on, and the Roche F6 will come on in turbo, step down to medium, low then turn off (all in about 3 seconds). I drop in my Panasonic NCR18650B batteries and both flashlights work flawlessly. My Ultrafire batteries work in my other flashlights (my Skyray King if I have all four batteries in it, won’t run on 3 or less). I suspect they just can’t keep up with the current draw.