The big LIGHTS thread 2011-2014

wishitwasallflat

I got one torch T 6
http://dx.com/p/ultrafire-th-t60-ha-ii- ... 8650-57007

and just got all the items on that list
viewtopic.php?p=17265285

including batteries which arrived fine (took about three weeks though*) I don't think anyone would need two torches for road use as it lights up a good wide area - I suppose you could set one for further away but I would worry that if it was angled up to do that it may dazzle on coming cars.

*EDIT - Just checked back and I placed my order on 8th Sep and it arrived on 27th but I did get an email from DX on 10th apologising that some things were not in stock so there was a delay in processing - presumably without that it would have been quicker.

Thanks for the tip re mount DIY

diy

I run two 501b XM-L T6s on my road bike, I run them on low and sometimes medium when I am on country lanes. My training route is mostly Rural, so there are very few street lights. The advantage of 2 is longer run time and better visibility.

Personally if you are going down the torch option, I'd be suggesting at least 2 otherwise it works out more effective to go for the proper bike light option. For Road cycling I'd say 2, for mtb I'd say 3-4.

-Archie-

diy wrote:

The advantage of 2 is longer run time and better visibility.

There's one more reason to have at least 2 lights: during long rides, the battery may become depleted unexpectedly - and this always happens at the most inappropriate moment!

diy

Yep add the fact that if one fails you have a spare. I have two tail lights on my road bike for that reason. Sometimes you can hit a bump and they change modes or go off.

-Archie-

diy wrote:

I have two tail lights on my road bike for that reason. Sometimes you can hit a bump and they change modes or go off.

It is well (not sure whether that word is suitable here) known flaw of many tail lights I've seen. But it can be eliminated by minor modification.

The problem is, that manufacturers are saving cost and decided not to put the electrolytic capacitors in the light's electronic: respectively, even small power interruption caused by battery wobbling will reset the circuit to its initial (that is, "off") state.

I've modified many rear lights by soldering little capacitor in parallel with power input contacts of control PCB: this completely solved the "self-off" problem...

wishitwasallflat

Good points - off to order a second torch (already have two tail lights) - thanks again.

beerglass007

Went out for a bike ride tonight and my torch/s lasted 1 hour 37 minutes on high. So decided to look at a bike light with al ittle more power and battery

The torch was a 501B

I know this is a lot more money but is this a good light and the best for the money

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3000-Lumen-Fl ... 577wt_1272


Thanks

supersonic

You can get very similar for a third the price from China:


http://www.lightmalls.com/3600-lumen-3t ... -light-kit

beerglass007

supersonic wrote:

You can get very similar for a third the price from China:


http://www.lightmalls.com/3600-lumen-3t ... -light-kit

Nice one

Whats the battery like on this one ?

diy

Isn't there a problem with shipping 18650s at the moment?

@ beerglass007 have you thought of buying another torch (or even 2 or 3) and running on Medium?

Samdy Gray

Are lightmalls slow to dispatch? Ordered 28/09 but order status is still "Processing-Waiting to be packed".

andyrr

Ordered one of the triple T6 lightsets on Ocrober 1st - also still shows as still processing ... (unfortunately my router decided to throw a wobbly right at the point of completing the order and I ended up with 2 or 3 orders for these by mistake ! Got 2 order confirmations but 3 invoices.

Ouija

diy wrote:

Isn't there a problem with shipping 18650s at the moment?

@ beerglass007 have you thought of buying another torch (or even 2 or 3) and running on Medium?

Or, alternatively, get a TrustFire A8 instead....



Same size reflector and emitter as the 501b but with a fatter body to allow a much fatter battery with almost twice as much run times (5000mAh, instead of the typical 2400/2800mAh that is common amongst 18650's). Just over £20.

Sheppy

Samdy Gray wrote:

Are lightmalls slow to dispatch? Ordered 28/09 but order status is still "Processing-Waiting to be packed".

I have a vague recollection I read somewhere there is a national Chinese holiday from 28th September until 4th October. Could be wrong but would seem to fit in with what you are saying. My order from Lightmalls took 2 or 3 days to change to "Packing" though anyway.

supersonic

Sheppy wrote:

Samdy Gray wrote:

Are lightmalls slow to dispatch? Ordered 28/09 but order status is still "Processing-Waiting to be packed".

I have a vague recollection I read somewhere there is a national Chinese holiday from 28th September until 4th October. Could be wrong but would seem to fit in with what you are saying. My order from Lightmalls took 2 or 3 days to change to "Packing" though anyway.

Mine was packing after 5 days, so I cancelled the order... instead of a refund the issued a credit note, currently disputing with paypal.

VWsurfbum

yep China is on holiday, back today.

VWsurfbum

hi chaps,
Anyone purchased from lightmalls?
Well i just recieved a bill in the post from FedEx for £18 which is VAT content and £10.50 for the privelege of telling me?

Now i recieved my light a couple of weeks ago, so they cant refuse to deliver it? I paid the extra for FedEx to take it because of some battery thing.

Anyone had any experience of this or any suggestions?

prawny

That happened to me with my first light from best offer buy, just one of them things, it's normally import duty and a handling fee. One of them things with ordering from the far east.

VWsurfbum

never had it from anything from Deal Extreme.

coursemyhorse

Guys I have a problem with my 502b XML torch. Always been a bit intermittant and now the problem is constant. Basically I lose power when I do the end cap up fully (to confirm, the end that screws in to the non LED end which pushes the spring down on the battery). If I do the end cap up to about 3/4 of how far it will do up, at this point the LED that was lit and working fine cuts out. So say it takes 9 turns to fully do up, on the 6th turn it cuts out and still has a thread or two to go in terms of doing it up fully pressured. This end cap has a switch built into it which is the normal type on these torches where you push it hard and fully in and then out to engage the power of the torch, and pressing it lightly in switches modes (low, med, high, flashing).

Could this be a problem with the end cap? Unfortunately I cannot test it out with another torch as the other two are 501b's (nto 502) and the end cap threads are different.

Appreciate any help with this. Ta all.

coursemyhorse

To confirm the above: same problem posted by someone on amazon who bought a similar torch. Basically sounds like a dodgey tail cap. Hmm. How to fix?


"My light has a defective rear tail-cap switch. When the tail cap is screwed on completely, the light will not operate at all. Unscrewing the tail cap about 2/3 of the way will allow the switch to operate about 50% of the time. Another turn or two and the tail cap comes off.

This is totally unreliable and unacceptable. Unfortunately, the seller requires a 15 day return period and I didn't get to test the light until 2 weeks after it arrived - resulting in a total waste of my money.

When the unit actually emits light - it is a very bright, very broad, pattern best described as a flood light and not a spot light. The 220 Lumen Dorcy 49-4299 or 300 Lumen MXDL CREE illuminate a target at 125 yards far better than this "900 Lumen" UltraFire. For work at close ranges (10 to 40 yards) - this light illuminates a broad area with a clean white light.

Testing the light against white double garage doors on a moonless night reveals some minor shadows, defects, and "ghosts" in the pattern - but nothing too bad, especially given the short range flood light nature of the product.

I do not have the test equipment to verify UltraFire's claim of 900 lumens, but I very much doubt it. Comparing this light to many "big name" brands such as Streamlight, Pelican, Dorsey, Fenix, MagLite, Surefire, etc. - I can't see that it is any brighter than their 200~300 lumen models.

Of course - none of that matters when the switch is defective and the light doesn't work. Other reviewers have had better luck - but quality control is obviously an issue with this unit.

05-SEP-11 UPDATE: After disassembling (not simply unscrewing it) the tail-cap/switch assembly and putting everything back together - the switch started working normally with the tail cap fully screwed on. I've not unscrewed the tail-cap since for fear it will stop working again... once the battery runs out, I will be forced to try my luck. I've increased my rating from 1 star to 2. No customer should have to repair a brand new product. At this point, I have little confidence in this light and wouldn't count on it for life/death situations. If it continues to work correctly after several battery changes, I'll increase the rating again to 3 stars.

25-FEB-12 UPDATE: I've used this unit now for nearly 6 months after finally getting it to work. After the first battery change, the switch acted up again - but removing the tail cap, messing with the spring, and reinstalling - it has worked flawlessly ever since, even through several more battery swaps. Since it HAS been working, I've used it a lot around the home and ranch. I've decided it is ideal for in-house and close (up to ~ 50 feet) work outside. I'm raising my rating to 3-stars, but will not go any higher due to all the initial problems. "

-Archie-

Bad contacts and poor assembly quality is the reason of most failures I've seen on Chinese lights. Just disassemble it as mush as possible, clean every contacting surfaces from dirt, soldering residues and oxides, lubricate, and carefully assemble back, tightening everything thoroughly. Chances are, your light will work fine...

coursemyhorse

Cheers Archie. Will give it ago tomorrow and report back.

Ouija

Had this problem, it's quite common.

Sometimes tightening the inside of the cap (the two small depressions next to the springs) helps. However, i found that a lot of it was down to using protected batteries, which are longer than standard batteries. Two of my 502's have longer bodies to allow for this but two didn't (the main body section was a couple of mm shorter on two models). 18650 batteries are susceptible to crushing, since they are soft lithium inside and not metal and this can cause invisible cracks to appear in the lithium itself. This causes the battery to cut out when compressed lengthwise and kick in again when the pressure is slackened off. Needless to say, i've switched to using regular 18650 on the shorter two torches and still use protected 18650 on the longer two torches. Haven't had any problems with cutting out since.

apreading

I never get anything shipped by fedex if I can avoid it - always seem to get stung for customs... AND they are a right bunch of gits to deal with when they (more than 50% of the time) screw something up...

diy

@coursemyhorse
1. Tighten the end cap, there is an internal thread on the cap that sometimes works loose.
2. Tighten the spring on the drop in

watch my vid for how to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJpQAvum0bM

supersonic

I do not have the test equipment to verify UltraFire's claim of 900 lumens, but I very much doubt it. Comparing this light to many "big name" brands such as Streamlight, Pelican, Dorsey, Fenix, MagLite, Surefire, etc. - I can't see that it is any brighter than their 200~300 lumen models.

Lumens and brightness are two different things. As you state earlier, the beam pattern is different - lumens over a wider angle reduces the lux readings. That said the claims are usually too high, a 900 lumens p7 torch is usually 5-600. It will be outputting more than the torches you mention, just a wider throw.

Jimx26

My lights and batteries arrived from light malls last week paid £14 for Fed ex delivery.

This morning I have received a bill from fed ex for £16, admin and VAT apparantly

diy

@Jimx26 what light and how much was it?

@SS Lumen is pretty easy to calculate based on the known LED, bin and current consumed. You are not going to be too far off with that calculation, providing you go with a warmed up lumen claim rather than the max.

VWsurfbum

Jimx26 wrote:

My lights and batteries arrived from light malls last week paid £14 for Fed ex delivery.

This morning I have received a bill from fed ex for £16, admin and VAT apparantly

Snap!