I think its a deal, because before less than a month ago I bought one for cca 14$ and that was lowest price…
This one is only 3 modes though (my has 5)
Does it survive for half an hour on high?
Without modding it, it really depends on the battery you use. On high it is direct drive, so with a good cell you can draw 4.5 to 5 amps, which will cook the led due to the non existent heat sink!
So with gray TF cells (the worst I have) it may survive as a bike light?
I have read before that its better than SIpik version, produces less heat…
@Horst - can good Trustfire flame go as weak battery?
My one doesn’t have hollow pill and it runs at bit more than 2A with good protected battery. It is quite warm, but I can still hold it in my hand. No problem to run it for a longer time. I can measure current with Sanyo unprotected battery and come back with numbers. I do hate driver with it’s next mode memory, though. It might get swapped in the future.
I have one and it is not as bright as the 68, doesn’t throw as well either, Worst light I ever bought
@Horst I’ll check all at the evening. I think I have some pictures of driver too.
@Horst, I actually meant to say that it doesnt fry easily (driver etc) like Sipik version, I’ve read that here on the forum somewhere, I even think several people reported that. Like that its less hardly driven than SIpik version
So you say its direct drive on high? I didnt know that.
Perhaps the best conclusion is that there are several versions… who knows eich version is this :o
I had version from everbuying, 14,04$ with discounts, 3 modes, and Im sure it wasnt directly driven - I would notice that by naked exe from the output… (I dont have that flashlight anymore so I cant check the pill and driver)
If anyone wants little bigger flashlight similar to this one, here’s good choice - http://www.everbuying.com/product158096.html (but there is also topic about C8 zoomie thats little bigger)
This SMiling shark from the link is brighter, larger spill and longer throw than Ultrafire. (my version of Ultrafire)
Who knows wich version is this…
PS: I think that this Smiling Shark can even receive 26650, but Im not sure, unfortunately I dont own any…
From what I’m gathering from what you guys are saying - Horst, the SK98 obviously had problems, but this UltraFire version not only doesn’t have a hollow pill, but may not be direct drive on high. My SK98 sits in a drawer waiting for some proper mods, but I have the UltraFire on the way as well.
Anxious to see if UF improved the design properly over the SK98. 
Good luck, all.
Couldn’t find pictures of a driver for this UltraFire zoomie, but I don’t have same driver as you Horst.
I’ve made current measurments - hi mode, all batteries at 4,20V
| XTAR 2600 | 2,2A |
| Hi-Max 2600 | 1,9A |
| Trustfire prot. 2400 | 2,0A |
| new Sanyo 2600 | 2,4A |
| old Panasonic 2200 | 2,25A |
OK, it was time to pull one of these apart and see what’s inside:
But first the usual facts:
I REALLY like the light. I am 2-month BLF noobie — maybe 2 months is longer a newbie? But I still buy more and more other lights (40 at last count and maybe 10 on the way?), but this falls into my pocket every other day as an EDC. I’d like to find something sexier or brighter, but this thing does just fine by me. Brighter than some xm-ls at three times the size.
I DO NOT know if this is the light sold in the currect sale. I buy mine from two ebay sellers, listed in my other posts about this light.
UF sk98 clone: I have had 6; given two away: ALL without problems. Yes, it is slightly (10% or less) dimmer than the sipik sk98, but then that light (to me anyway) is pretty useless because it gets so hot so fast.
No, it doesn’t burn out. I have left mine on at least once (accidentally) and it pretty much went through a whole new unprotected 18650 Samsung 26. Worked fine after and continues to work fine. Battery was barely warm or I woulda tossed it. YMMV+
Yes, it gets pretty hot, but NOTHING like the sipik. Couple toggles to lower modes for 15-30 seconds maybe twice is usually pretty much enough to keep the temps down through one battery’s life. I let them get hot all the time and they keep on ticking.
I leave it to someone else with much more know-how than me to critique what is shown here.
Yes, crappy plastic (delrin?) ring holds star in place in a hollow aluminum pill. When I disasembled the pill (pretty easy), the star was in HARD contact with the pill. I will add some thermal paste before reassembling for better heat dissipation, BUT if someone has an idea on how to make the pill better, I’m listening.
I solder pretty much every day in my company making cables and customizing guitars (especially wiring), and I hate the look of a glob of melted solder (in a pill or anywhere) — SO SLOPPY. But if that’s the best suggestion, maybe I’ll make a big solder glob in this one if that’s the best idea to get the heat out. But the heat ain’t bad as is.
I did notice that there was NO visible solder between driver ground ring and the pill for grounding purposes. I will add some on reassembly. I was told — rightly or wrongly — that there should be solder connecting driver ground ring on PCB with ye olde pill, which should connect with light body.
Hope these pix help dispel any mystery with this pill. I have not disassembled a REAL sk98 so don’t know the diffs or similarities.
Here are the innards:
Thanks for this, Ubehebe. Now I am even more excited to get my UF version.
By the way, the SK98 is actually HOLLOW - doesn’t have the plate of aluminum under the emitter star. The pill is just a tube with shallow ridge to retain the star, and there is NO adhesion. The star is pressed to the ridge by that crap plastic washer. This and direct drive on high = the horrible result that is the SK98. The UF clone you show here obviously has workable heat sinking in place via the very design of the pill. Solid aluminum under the firmly attached is a much better combination for an XM-L. And, if the UF is a tad less bright, it would suggest it isn’t direct drive on high and current is managed better. I’d call that improvement on a killer design than needed the improvement.
Haha, than SIpik SK98 is pure junk.
I have seen ebay C8 light like that, pill totally hollow, just very shallow ridge.
Yeah I don’t get it. You’d think even the Chinese would try to compete a little in the QC department. When the SK98 was designed, did they not even test it? And then someone else comes along and says, “Here, let’s copy this design, but make it so it works.” And what does whoever makes that Sipik do? Keeps producing 10 minute disposable torches. I’m happy to buy from a manufacturer who actually cares that their product works.
That being said, I’ll still mod and fix my SK98 when I have the means. This whole ultra-bright ultra-cheap flashlight phenomenon has that perk - we are likely to buy duds from time to time, but modding and fixing and building a killer torch from crap is fun, and still cheaper than getting some expensive brand light that under-performs anyway.
Next is no brand with lower bin emitters :O, colors will eventualy come later on.
BTW, I have same driver as Ubehebe on the pictures above. No thermal paste under led PCB so I had to add some.
I got my UltraFire today. Interestingly, it doesn’t have solid aluminum under the star. But it does have a nice threaded retaining ring that tightens the star down to the aluminum ridge it sits on, and the body of the light gets noticeably warm within a couple minutes on high - which of course is a good thing. Definitely an improvement over my SK98. We’ll see how it acts tonight in the dark.
RATS!!! I went through all mine after I disassembled the first one and found how easy it was. Four = solid pill. Sipik = hollow pill with ridge (but no threaded retaining ring). I added thermal paste to em all, which probably didn’t do much as they seemed to route the heat just fine before.
Anyway, can you tell me where you got the hollow pill one? was it one of those ebay vendors I posted? I don’t want to post them anymore if they’re sending hollow-pill Ultrafires. Plus, I wanted to order a couple more for friends.
Good luck tonight. Hoepfully it will be as bright as mine.
…….
Just clicked the link and whaaat :party: