Utorch W1 Rechargeable Floodlight for $9.99

funkychateau · 2019-01-02T06:12:11.000Z

Low-power COB lights seem to get away with relatively little heat sinking. Boriut has a similar light, and the little aluminum backer to the COB seems to be all it needs.

Lexel · 2019-01-02T07:44:37.000Z

funkychateau:

Low-power COB lights seem to get away with relatively little heat sinking. Boriut has a similar light, and the little aluminum backer to the COB seems to be all it needs.

you seem to be mixing things up, heatsink and just a thermal mass with no heatsink are totally different things

heatsink is designed to radiate or conduct the heat away from a device
black color—> thermal radiation
fins—>air conduction
water cooling—>conducting heat to water—>radiator usually active cooled to air with fins
ect.

thermal mass slowly heats up with very poor heat dissipation, finally a point reached where you need to reduce current
usual design for high power flashlights

this plate just acts as thermal mass with almost no heatsinking bare aluminum cant even radiate heat away good

this design cooks the LEds at likely 100°C getting away with it due to low power but LED efficiency drops quite a lot compared to proper cooled ones

Lightbringer · 2019-01-02T16:19:31.000Z

Yabbut… discrete LEDs have their own substrate (likely ceramic), electrical pads on the bottom to make contact, and even with a center pad for better thermal contact, there’s still some insulation going on.

With COBs, they tend to be put on the common substrate, and I think are almost directly connected to the Al plate underneath (hence the “chip on board” moniker), all common-ground, leads connected directly to the chips, so while the plate still might not be the best as far as radiating heat away, they do make better contact with the cheapie chips themselves.

There might be a few or even dozens of different ways to make COBs, but I think (someone correct me if mistaken) that’s the allure of COB systems, a more direct, simplified way of sticking LEDs onto a base. Think of it as an XHP-From-Hell vs discrete XM-Ls.

funkychateau · 2019-01-04T18:55:11.000Z

Lexel:

funkychateau:

Low-power COB lights seem to get away with relatively little heat sinking. Boriut has a similar light, and the little aluminum backer to the COB seems to be all it needs.

you seem to be mixing things up, heatsink and just a thermal mass with no heatsink are totally different things

heatsink is designed to radiate or conduct the heat away from a device
black color—> thermal radiation
fins—>air conduction
water cooling—>conducting heat to water—>radiator usually active cooled to air with fins
ect.

thermal mass slowly heats up with very poor heat dissipation, finally a point reached where you need to reduce current
usual design for high power flashlights

this plate just acts as thermal mass with almost no heatsinking bare aluminum cant even radiate heat away good

this design cooks the LEds at likely 100°C getting away with it due to low power but LED efficiency drops quite a lot compared to proper cooled ones

No, it really is a heat sink. Not a very good one, but that’s the point I was making.

tundraotto · 2019-01-04T19:30:50.000Z

That aluminum heatsink isnt THAT small - looks like 1/8” to 3/16” thick….pretty hefty when you think of the sinking in a 1000lumen flashlight

neBstress · 2019-01-07T17:47:37.000Z

Received my Utorch W1 today.

I can confirm that flat tops don’t work with it but Protected cells do work and fit.

I tested it with NCR18650B’s:
Unprotected flattop = Don’t work, no + contact
Protected Littokala = Work and fit fine
Protected Genuine = Work but tight fit

It has no “Utorch” or “W1” Branding, either on the packaging nor the light:

lotrbfme · 2019-01-07T17:54:55.000Z

Wow with those pictures I am 100% sure it is the same CAT branded light I bought from costco several months ago. Costco had the 2 pack for $19.99 .

tundraotto · 2019-01-07T18:25:50.000Z

How bright is it? Does it actually really qualify as a work floodlight?

tu_army · 2019-01-07T18:30:22.000Z

Unprotected flattop = Don’t work, no + contact

I solve this problem with little magnets.

Jerommel · 2019-01-07T18:52:15.000Z

tundraotto:

That aluminum heatsink isnt THAT small - looks like 1/8” to 3/16” thick….pretty hefty when you think of the sinking in a 1000lumen flashlight

The heat has no way out.
Pretty pathetic when you think of the thermal path in a 1000 lumen flashlight, which has an Aluminium body in stead of plastic.

Lightbringer · 2019-01-07T19:10:43.000Z

neBstress:

It has no “Utorch” or “W1” Branding, either on the packaging nor the light:

Well, ’cause it’s probably actually a Manker or Sofirn or… :smiling_imp:

Muto · 2019-01-07T20:42:57.000Z

Acme, Big Top or Binford

skinny_tie · 2019-01-07T22:34:51.000Z

Lightbringer:

neBstress:

It has no “Utorch” or “W1” Branding, either on the packaging nor the light:

Well, ’cause it’s probably actually a Manker or Sofirn or… :smiling_imp:

It looks like Sofirn is selling it too:

aliexpress.com

21.24€ |LED Flutlicht 10W Arbeitsscheinwerfer Projektor Reflektor LED COB...

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

Lightbringer · 2019-01-16T18:30:04.000Z

Any more feedback on these? Got mine yesterday, just threw in some AAs to get it going and have a look-see.

Irritating UI. Side-light does almost nothing, and is a waste of a click. Then high, low, and more irritating strobe (wtf for?!? impromptu disco-parties??).

Had it simply been high/low/off, and no side-light at all, it would’ve been pretty good.

Wonder if there’s any way to lobotomise it and have it be just that, vs all the junk-modes.

Didn’t open it up yet, maybe later…

fran82 · 2019-01-16T20:02:58.000Z

Does it work with AA? not 18650?

neBstress · 2019-01-16T20:08:36.000Z

fran82:

Does it work with AA? not 18650?

It can work with 2x 18650s or 3x AA.

Lightbringer · 2019-01-16T20:53:29.000Z

fran82:

Does it work with AA? not 18650?

Yeah, both. 3×AA in series, or 2×18650 in parallel.

18650s go in like this == .

AAs go in like this ||| .

neBstress · 2019-01-16T21:25:03.000Z

I ordered one of THESE yesterday.
A little smaller, no side light, 3 modes (high, low & flash), it takes 2x 18650s or 4x AAs and has several case colour and emitter shape options.

I only ordered one because its on sale for $7.90 at the moment when you use the BG app.

ValuseekeR · 2019-01-17T01:57:42.000Z

Mine came today. Happy enough with it for what it is. Sanyo GA’s fit, so I’m good to go there. Agree with Lightbringer on the UI, who wants strobe on a work light??? The side light is ok I guess, but a separate switch might have been nice.

Dimking · 2019-03-06T14:11:20.000Z

Just grabbed two of these 9.99 each.
Wondering if I can swap some better LEDs in it.