Ultrafire!

B

Buck268

Joined
Nov 5, 2006
Messages
1,864
Well a few weeks back my Ultrafire 'uber-tacticool' 3W cree (though I think its a SSC) light came in from the DX.

I just gotta say how impressed I am! Overall built quality is slightly less than a Maglite, but parts seem better (ie: reflector, o-rings). I've been using it mostly as a bike light on suburban commutes as well as some light trails (both on foot and bike) and i'm just thoroughly impressed. Honestly, I cannot see paying the high price for a dedicated bike light now that I found this. I think I'm going to order another one and just rock out with dual lights with some good old hose clamps (I don't completely trust the DX bike-flashlight mounts...though they have yet to fail on me).

Any other Ultrafire fans here?
 
I bought a 1-watt AA Ultrafire on ebay, expecting it to be just another rebranded variation of the Nuwai X1, which of course would be just fine.

It's not. It looks more like Fenix-level quality.

If my $9 free shipping generic Cree flashlight arrives from dealextreme.com with no issues (that website seems too good to be true), I am going to have to order a whole pile of Ultrafires from them.

The 21st century is proving to be nothing short of heaven for flashlight nuts.
 
Carl64 said:
I bought a 1-watt AA Ultrafire on ebay, expecting it to be just another rebranded variation of the Nuwai X1, which of course would be just fine.

It's not. It looks more like Fenix-level quality.

If my $9 free shipping generic Cree flashlight arrives from dealextreme.com with no issues (that website seems too good to be true), I am going to have to order a whole pile of Ultrafires from them.

The 21st century is proving to be nothing short of heaven for flashlight nuts.
Click to expand...

I got the same light about a month ago and wanted to post about it but didnt want to be berated for buying a cheapie instead of Arc , Fenix etc.
The one I bought is a near replics of my Fenix and ya know what ?
Considering price the Ultrafire puts the Fenix in a choke hold , the spot is far brighter although there is a bluish tint to it , still though considering it was $12 with shipping ya cant beat it.
 
To be honest I do not know.

To be honest again , I'm no lighthound and do not really understand what you mean.
:D
 
rebeltf said:
To be honest I do not know.

To be honest again , I'm no lighthound and do not really understand what you mean.
:D
Click to expand...

If you just hook batteries to a bulb (plus a resistor so an LED does not burn up), a flashlight starts out bright but starts to dim immediately as the voltage from the battery gradually drops.

"Good" LED flashlights use a voltage step-up circuit to increase the voltage well past what is needed to run the light, and then a regulator is used cap the power sent to the LED and avoid overpowering it. The result is a nice constant light output until it is time to charge the battery (or close to it). It's not always perfect, but that's the idea anyway.

A 1-cell flashlight will need the voltage boost just to make the LED operate. Cheap flashlights can get away with skipping the part that caps the voltage as long as the initial voltage boost is not to high, but then the light output will not be level.
 
MG_Saldivar said:
Are your Ultrafires regulated (i.e., do they 'flatten' the battery discharge)?
Click to expand...

I haven't had mine long enough to tell. When I get my used alkalines in the same location as the flashlight, I will see if I can tell the difference.

I did take it apart, and the internal circuitry looks complex enough to be fully regulated, but I'm not smart enough to be sure by looking.
 
I'm not sure what type of regulation it has, but I've used mine a lot over the past month as a bike light and just changed my batts for the first time (it started to flicker a little) and noticed no difference in output between the old and new batts.
 
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