Does anybody know where I can purchase a SS bezel for my Ultrafire C8? Ideally a slightly crenelated one would be perfect, but any type would be an improvement. Any suggestions?
Don't know where to buy a separate SS bezel, but just came across this C8 with a SS head:
I have a Small Sun ZY-T624 that looks a lot like this light, but the ZY-T624 is more of a C2 size. I mod'ed it with a driver running 3.04A, regulated (8*7135 using 380mAh's), configured for 3 modes where the low is very low. Love this light now, but not as bright as the C8.
Adding Link: Manfont Small Sun here (C2 style with full SS head)
This TrustFire SS head C8 looks like the ultimate! It's the exact dimensions of our LightMalls C8 (154mm published is wrong - it's actually 147mm). Just needs an upgrade to a U3 and decent driver (I would go for 3.5A to 3.7A). Actually I got the parts I need (U3 and drivers/7135's), so I may just go ahead and order this TrustFire.
What do you think?
Thanks for the link. Do you know if the threads are the same? That SS head is a little bigger than I prefer, but its still nicer than the boring head on my C8. These Lightmalls C8’s are really sweet and would be nice to distinguish them a little from the rest of the pack with something like that.
Not sure about the threads, but these C8 hosts sure look very much the same. Didn't order this yet - thinking of doing it tonight. Like I said, what I really like about the Small Sun C2 is the steel head, and it's the same size, proportionally, as this C8. The steel head just gives the light a quality feel. I also have a UF F12-A and it has a SS head (smaller, smooth) and tail - again, really like the feel and power (U2/16340 running a 2.8A 7135 driver). I had to put a quality driver in these 2 lights because they are just so impressive with the steel, just needed more power, simpler high/med/low modes w/memory.
Wish LightMalls had the steel head option for their C8, but it still needs a driver update. I've measured up to 5.1A on mine on a good quality Panasonic unprotected which is too much. My plan would be a 3.04A driver with 2 380 7135's added, bringing it up to 3.8A regulated. I know the LightMalls C8 can handle it because the rest of the light seems to handle the high amps pretty well.
Well you could wait til mine comes in, then I can compare the heads (swap) to see if the threads are the same. If so, maybe you could ask ECFlashlight if they would be willing to sell you only the steel head, or put you into contact with a supplier that may. $27 is a lot of money to just pluck the head off, unless of course you swap them and sell the ECFlashlight for a few bucks.
Wow! Just found the steel head C8 on LightMalls --> here for $20, special price indicated! Damn, I'm ordering it!
Dang that is a good deal. The links not working, but I found it ok. I think I might order one too. Thanks for the link.
Ordered one. Worse case if it doesn’t fit, it should be a decent light for a family member. Thanks Tom.
Did more snooping around. For $20, definitely the best deal. Manafont and TMART have a couple steel head C8's, but are about $25. Only advantage is TMART from US warehouse for $25. I'm ordering from TMART becaue LightMalls adds $3 for shipping for under $45, so I'd rather pay the $2 more and get it in a couple days.
Got the C8 from TMART w/steel head - paid $25. Really like this so far - powerful, seems as bright as my LightMalls C8 U2. Measured 3.6A on a fresh EagleTac 3100 protected which seems to match or close to the unregulated results of the LightMalls C8 U2. Need time to do a thorough comparision but like the looks so far - aluminum pill threads into an aluminum assembly in the shell - lot of metal there for heat mgt. Also like there is a pressed in brass ring where the driver sits, so can easily replace the driver and have a strong solder point (copper to brass).
Cons:
- bare threads everywhere - I cleaned them, removed o-rings to lube them, then applied Nyogel
- there is no spring on the driver board - would not work with stock unprotected Panasonics, a bit flaky with EagleTac 3100 protected. I'll need to experiment with a small spring or magnet
- cannot tail stand because of protruding button - should be easy to fix with a 6mm GITD button
- not comfortable with the reflector on the LED board - may add or mod this to gice better protection to +/- connections
- when I first removed the reflector, it was unscrewing (?) - then realized I was unscrewing the pill! The bottom of the reflector got a dab of thermal glue on it, sticking it to the star, and the pill must have been that lose. Easily fixable though.
Pros:
- LED emitter board looks like a better quality one w/thermal adhesive - uses a plastic bow-tie shape but not over the +/- connectors
- love the feel/weight of this light - really quality feel in classic C8 design
- Bright!!
- threads are clean and feel smooth
- nice tight spot on the wall, but in distance, it spreads out more like I would have thought. At distance, looks like a standard C8 beam - pretty wide. Throws a lot of light though - very impressive for a T6 compared to my U2's, or so I think are U2's.
Sounds like a good light. I haven’t got mine yet, but mine’s coming from over seas. Likely another week or two. No telling if it will be the same light or totally different since it coming from a separate seller.
So having both the LightMalls C8 U2 and the TMART C8 T6 w/SS head, I mod'ed both with a U3 1C @20mm from I-O, and updated the drivers to KD V2 8*7135 (3.04A) and added 2 piggyback'ed 7135's so total is 10*7135 (@380mA each, result is 3.8A). Results are interesting doing a comparison outside @80 meters or so. The LightMalls C8 is brighter, noticeably. I believe the only significant difference is the reflector - about the same size, but different design/shape. One is about 1 mm shorter than the other, and the lower performing one has a bigger opening for the LED. I just ran both lights for 6 mins and they both get as hot, so no differences there. On a white wall, the LightMalls C8 hot spot is bigger and smoother looking than the TMART C8 as well.
The LightMalls C8 with the mods is a blazer, and I compared it to 2 stock LightMalls C8's the other night and it appears brighter - we had a "flashlight wars" out in the parking lot at work with guys I've hooked up with flashlights, recommended the LightMalls C8 to 
.
So, I swapped bezels on the lights and they fit pretty perfectly. So Now the LightMalls C8 has an SS bezel, and the lower performing C8 has the aluminum bezel. It's an expensive upgrade for the C8 U2, but for $25 you get an SS bezel and a spare light!
The bottom line is the LightMalls C8 does seem to be a better design as we all who bought them thought, and what you measured in lumens output.
Fyi... After the 6 mins on high @3.8A, of course it got hot but could still be easily handled. It's kind of what I would expect. I used a high qual Arctic Silver epoxy on the star, and on the TMART light (just did this one yesterday), I used a high qual thermal grease where the driver is mounted and on the pill threads -- the grease didn't seem to make much of a difference, not noticeable between the 2 lights.
Only improvements I could think of now is a better lens (AR coated maybe) and better heat mgt - the aluminum pill sucks, wish I could replace or beef it up with copper or bronze. I got an older light, still sold at DX, the UF NH-T60, a single T6. It's got a nice bronze pill and running at regulated 3.4A, hardly got warm at all after 6 mins. This is a smaller light than the C8 as well. I got 10 P60 bronze pills on the way that I'm planning on using cut/trimmed down for a HD2010 and a UF-V3 - maybe I'll see if there's anything that I can do with them for the C8's.
Cool. Nice to see your putting those C8’s to good use. I finally got around to testing my newer SS C8 I got from Lightmalls. It is actually a great performer like you mentioned. It got a little tricky testing the two lights since I just discovered some of my Eagletac 2500mah 18650’s vary a bit. Out of about 10 batteries me and my brother own, I’ve found a couple that reads a little high and a couple that read a little low, with the other 6 smack in the middle. I discovered this via tailcap readings on several C8’s.
Anyway using the “average” 18650’s charged up fully, my U2 C8 was reading about 3.25amps and put out about 850otf. Now my new SS C8 T6 was reading about 3.6amps and also put out about 850otf. Using the “hotter” batteries, the U2 light read 3.55amps and the SS T6 light read about 4.15amps. Both bumped up to about 890otf. All testing was done after 30 seconds in my lightbox. Also retested my brothers eBay C8 T6. It measured about 3.25amps at the cap and put out about 775otf with the average batteries. Still respectable and about what i would expect from a healthy C8. Both my SS T6 and U2 C8’s are over achievers.
I likely need to order some better batteries from Kummabear for these two and for some of my other higher drawing lights. Those 3400mah Keeppowers should do nicely for these two, my SR King, and my coming BTU Shocker. Those slightly weaker ET’s will get relegated to moderate duty for lights like my A60 & etc.
But unless one of the two C8’s mess up, I don’t see a good reason for me to mess with them. I could do a U2 or U3 swap on the SS one I guess. Not sure if it would benefit from it or not with the moderate size head these C8’s have. Is a swap worth it being nicely driven like it is?
Damn - looks like you got the better SS head C8! Wonder if the reflector is the same as the C8 U2, probably would be. Mine could also be losing some amperage going through the switch - that's another variable. Be careful over 4 amps - that's how I fried my driver - tightened the head with high power on and it turned the LED on the star and blew out a chip on the driver. With a Pana 2900/3100 unprotected, I was getting up to 5.1 amps.
Going from a T6 to a U3-1C should be a difference, but U2-1A to U3-1C isn't much. The U3-1C is now $7 at I-O (was $8.50). The U3 is only available in 1C now, it's warmer that the 1A. Our C8 U2's are probably 1A so I think the U3-1C will be a little brighter but not significantly. I-O is making a claim on their site that their XinTD C8 is 910 lumens with a U2-1A and 1000 lumens with a U3-1C - I think that's a stretch.
I'm really appreciating better quality pills at these high amps - the XinTD C8 has a nice size brass pill (I have an older UF NH-T60 from DX here - $31 but comes with a brass pill). Right now to be able to get their C8 w/U3 for $32, w/brass pill and good reflector/optics seems like a nice deal. I would crank the XinTD up in amps though by adding piggy-back 7135's - it could take it. Our C8's at that price are all aluminum with a small brass ring insert - the brass ring though enables you to solder the board to the brass -- very handy...
I would like to put a better driver in both my C8’s, but I’m not sure if I have still enough hands or good enough eyes to do the extra 7135’s like you did. I wouldn’t settle for the 3amp standard setup however. I hate the next mode thing on these stock drivers so I’m thinking about attempting it. I know the power drops off quickly on the SS C8. It was putting out about 1050L at start up, but quickly dropped into the low 900’s. From there it just dropped slowly. I’m sure your 3.8amp driver along with some good thermal paste and a U2 or U3 would hold its power longer and put out some awesome numbers.
I would do the mods for you, but doubt it's worth the shipping Tx <-> NY. I'm going crazy updating drivers in my lights, did 6 already. Those lumens numbers sound terrific though! It would be interesting to see what a 3.8A regulated C8 would do on a HQ battery.
These DirectDrive drivers scream on Panasonic unprotected batteries - they are consistently higher than my EagleTac 3100 protected. The stock TMART C8 SS did 0.5A lower than the stock LightMalls C8 U2, so there is some sort of restriction there on amperage, but still consider it DirectDrive the way it cranked up on better batteries.
Well we have a few cheap T6 C8’s coming that I’m going to experiment with. Upgraded stars for sure and possible better drivers. If I kill them, no big deal. If they are successful ill try it too on the SS C8, or possible just swap out the whole pills if with the modded one. I do like the idea of a 3.8amp, regulated, U3, SS C8. WAnd without the stupid next mode stuff of course.