Glad the Sipik sk98 clone worked for you! Despite its issues, it remains my main every day light.
I just got the uniquefure uf-t20 yesterday and really haven’t had much time to play with it, but it is definitely brighter than every zoomer I have tried it against so far in flood mode. Not a big fan of the twist-zoom, but because of the brightness, I’d overlook a lot.
In flood mode, it KILLS the canso js-t02, trustfire z6, no-model-number ultrafire zoomer, sipik sk98 (and clones). Even beats my 2 x 18650 small sun zy-t04 and Trustfire z5. It even ties or slightly beats my keygos M12 in flood (which you need to replace the steel o-ring with a rubber one). The m12 beats it in zoom mode. the uniquefire beats the 2x18650s in full zoom!
Regardless of whether it is the undisputed zoom king, it deserves a place in every flashaholic’s zoomer arsenal, I think.
These were quick and dirty wall-hunting tests. Real-life use may differ slightly, but maybe not.
Beyond the uf-t20, I would recommend the aforementioned M12 (knowing that you need to replace the zoom steel o-ring most probably) and the famous small sun zy-c10-s, which beats just about everything in zoom mode.
YMMV because batteries make a HUGE difference when comparing these lights. GOOD unprotected cells almost always beat the protecteds for me.
hey the,
how come you purchased two of those chinese knockoff x21’s if they suck?
why dont u recommend it anyways? when you turn it into flood mode, is it more floody than the skyray king?
hey ubehebe,
im very tempted to get that new uf t20 u just mentioned. but im gonna wait a bit longer to see if theres anything more powerful. i wish they made a uf t20 that uses 2x18650.
does that uf t20 throw further than my sipik clone?
that small sun c10 i been reading alot about because it has crazy throw, but im curious how the flood is. do you have that light, hows the flood compared to my sipik clone?
that sipik clone on flood mode is floodier than my skyray king fellas!!
It wasn’t that bad back at 2009. In fact most of my landscape light panting photos are lit with those. Just like my avatar picture.
However today you can buy much better lights for much less. I think I paid something like 150-200$ each… For example King & FF STL-V6 is way less than that.
Comparing to today’s lights is a good idea. Maybe I’ll take one of those with me next time I go for beamshots.
>>>>>>does that uf t20 throw further than my sipik clone?
Let me check ……
Yes it does.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>that small sun c10 i been reading alot about because it has crazy throw, but im curious how the flood is.
It’s claim to fame is as a thrower. The sipik clone is brighter in throw; the SS kills it in throw at a couple 100 feet. My throw distance is limited by where I am.
The keygos M12 — I think — is a NICE zoom too. 18650 OR 26650. Pretty much my best all-around large zoomer until the t20. I know that replacing the o ring freaks some people out for some reason. It’s a really simple hardware store fix. Unscrew the pill with needlenose pliers or better yet, a 75 cent pair of small hemostats. Try some different home depot o-rings and you’re done. Screw the pill back in. Close her up.
This is really about the same level as hammering a nail. If you can hammer a nail, you can change the o ring. But the o ring doesn’t even have to be changed. It’s just that the stock metal one is a little loose when it arrives. I pretty much fixed my metal one by tweaking it a little so it was tighter, but since I had it apart, I just replaced it with a rubber one and greased it up. The world will not end if the stock o-ring isn’t replaced.
>>>>>>2×18650
I’m starting to be semi-spooked a little on the double 18650s and definitely on the double CR123s because of the 18650 vent risk. Seems to be a lot of reports lately of various flashlight carnage involving 2 li cells, especially that FBI report. I’ll probably forget all about it in a couple months, but for now, I’m laying off the double-batt lights. They’re not any brighter than the 1x18650s anyway. I know, I know …. If I’m careful there isn’t any risk, but it seems all the accidents happen when someone makes a stupid mistake, and I think “stupid mistake” is sometimes my middle name.
greeaaat, i should have just waited a couple more weeks and then ask for your opinion hahah. now it looks like im gonna have to purchase the uf-t20 if it beats my sipik clone in throw and flood. it just arrived less than a week ago.
and manafont, i still have a order waiting to arrive from them…geez they take forever.3 weeks and counting. im afraid if i order elsewhere,ali express has it for $19.99 it might not be a good uf t20.
and how you know that 2x18650 arent gonna be any brighter….you dont have any cus your too afraid heheh. there has to be brighter 2x zoomies out there that are brighter.
unless all it does is add run time which i dont care too much about.
im still waiting on a zoomie collector to chime in. i know i seen a couple members on here that had lots. but as for now, looks like the uf t20 is a clear winner.
When I first got mine I had to use pliers to zoom or unzoom it. But now after cleaning and greasing the threads along with widening them a little bit it is really smooth and easy to do.
Well, mine wasn’t exactly a huge disappointment, but it’s not an especially bright light. Mine starts out fairly bright, but ramps down noticeably after a few minutes. I have tried many 14500s with the same results. Sure is small though and great for a little pocket light, although the stainless steel makes it weigh as much as a gold bar.
>>>>>I have the Z8 and I find the head very hard to push in and out.
>>>>>>I definitely need the other hand to push the head in and out.
I saw that you said “push in and out.” You know of course that the z 8 zooms by ROTATING the head, not pushing it? At least mine does. Strongest man in the world couldn’t make mine zoom by pushing it. You need to rotate it, which you probably did anyway but called it “push.”
Does anyone know what is the largest aspherical budget zoomer. I know the small sun (have two) and the UF-t20 are the same size so is there anything larger?
RAYSOON RS-832 - this one looks really precise, double O-rings, seem to have a nice pill, cooling fins, big lens and possibility of AAA or 18650 and maybe a 26650, too.
Trustfire Z6 - I do have one and I like it, but there are some minor things that I don’t like on it
Yezl T9 - looks nice and solid. It seems to have even bigger lens
I haven’t found any that were all that great. An XM-L f2t needs to be driven at least at 2000mA to put out enough light to be useful. Otherwise you mine as well just use an XR-E, XP-E, XP-G in that order, all of which are still being made with new Rev Bins for even more output. All of those do much much better in flood to throw lights. XM-L is just for tons of flood, with enough light to make a passible throw. This is fine, but so many are underdriven.
The problem is that its hard to find the latest rev bins in flood to throws due to market glut of crap in the non-XML ones.
I’d love to have an XM-L that actually runs at 2500mA, uses the XM-L U2 or U3 bin, and has a decent sized lens.
In fact most of my landscape light panting photos are lit with those. Just like my avatar picture.
For example King & FF STL-V6 is way less than that.
