I think I am Learning; Are these all pretty much the same? Why or Why Not?

345 lumen

800 lumen

Uniquefire 230 lumen

I see you guys going back to the same china lights post after post, is this because you own one and like it, or is there something I am missing?

I guess along those lines - What are your best functioning/most happy with cheap china gun lights?

Would you pick one of these over another, and Why?

Thanks for the input
 
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Five of the 6 lights you referenced use the XR-E type/size Cree LED. The XR-E throws further than the XP-G LED, which is in the DINO 300 lumens light. The XP-G is better for flood light, not spotlighting. The 300 lumens of overall light that is quoted for the DINO is probably true. The XP-G can produce more overall light, but doesn't have the strong concentrated beam for distance.
The XR-E (single LED) is only capable of producing up to 250 lumens. So the claims of "800" lumens, or "345" lumens are false.
Of the 5 lights that have the XR-E LED:
The SG900 has a large head and deep smooth refector, which is great for throwing the light beam. However, this model uses the Q5 flux LED which is one step weaker than the R2 flux. Also, the electronic LED driver for this light only has 710 to 760 milliamps of current going thru the LED. This limits the light that an XR-E is capable of producing (usually you want from 1000 up to 1400 milliamps to get the greatest possible light from an XR-E). Of course, the battery life will be longer since it's not drawing so much juice.
The e-bay Ultrafire is a recoil thrower design. It's a good thrower.
The C8 "345 lumens"? Ultrafire is a good thrower if it comes with the smooth reflector. One picture shows an orange-peel reflector while another picture shows the smooth reflector. How do you believe what you're buying, if they're lying about the lumens output and the pictures are misleading.
The 800 lumen Ultrafire seems to have the smooth reflector. It will probably throw well. But the 800 lumens is a lie.
The Uniquefire HS-802 is a great thrower. Large head, smooth deep reflector (more deep than those Ultrafire C8 flashlights), an R2 flux XR-E LED, and the driver has 1000 to 1200 milliamps powering the LED. This is the one that would throw better than any of the others.
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From a past post:
The R2 has a higher flux (more efficient) than the Q5. This means that the R2 produces more lumens for the same amount of battery current, as compared to the Q5. The Q5 has higher flux than the Q4. The Q4 has higher flux than the Q3.
The R5 is a higher flux than the R2. However, the R5 is not available for the small XR-E size LED (the XR-E is the favored LED size for maximum throw of the light beam). You can get the R5 flux for the larger XP-G size LED, but it won't have as good of throw as a R2 or Q5 XR-E size LED.
Many of the CandlePower forum experts get upset when vendors say that their light is an R2 or a Q5, or a Q4, without mentioning the LED size/type and other information.
To better describe the LED for a flashlight, you need to know the LED type/size (such as XR-E), the flux (such as Q5), the voltage range accepted by the LED driver (such as 3V to 18V, so this tells you if you can use two batteries in series or not), the maximum current being delivered by the LED driver (such as 1.2 amps), and the "color" of the white light (for example 6500 degrees K). For outdoor use, you want a white light color temperature of less than 5000 degrees, so that the true colors of nature are more distinct and visible to you (and better for blood tracking, like the old incandescant light bulb).

and from another post:


The reflector size and design is important to throw (lux, not lumens). The larger, deeper, and smooth reflectors give the most throw (how far the beam will shine). The lumens (overall light going everywhere, not directed to any particular spot) has little to do with throw. The size of the LED is important to throw (smaller LED size, the better). For Cree brand LEDs, the smaller XR-E type throws farther than the XP-E and larger XP-G,and XM-L types. But the XR-E puts out less lumens than the larger XP-G and XM-L type LEDs.
LEDs use a driver to govern the amps delivered from the battery to the LED. The driver board that can provide the most amps without burning up the LED can give you more lumens and more lux (and use up the battery charge quicker).
LEDs driven hard will produce heat. It is good to have this heat transferred into the body of the flashlight, so the LED itself won't overheat and burn up (and reduce its output). So flashlight designs for "heat sinking" allow the LED itself to not overheat (but the flashlight body will feel warmer to you).


 
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You're going to get a lot of opinions. I don't own any of those lights yet but I've got a HS-802 and UltraFire G4 on the way. Both were recomended by guys here. I looked for a light with a smooth aluminum reflector. I'd prefer a single mode vs multiple. I'm sure after reviewing these 2 I'll order more by next year but you have to start somewhere.


 
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I think it all depends on what you are using the light for......my opinion, you cant go wrong with a XLR 250 kill light.
 
Nice post Pacecar! I did a lot of reading at candlepower too and learned more from your single post. It all starts out as Greek and eventually the pieces start falling into place. Your post added a few pieces to the puzzle.

Another thing thats just as confusing is trying to figure which body parts or the flashlights are compatible with eachother. I've been kind of working on the SF 6P clones just because they are easier for me to identify. If you've got anything to clear this up I'd appreciate it.

peace.
unloaded
 
srs028:> You are absolutely correct. If you can pony-up the dollars for an XLR250 Kill light or a Sniper Hog Lights Destroyer light, they are better lights than what you can cheaply buy from China or flea-bay. The Kill and Destroyer lights use LED drivers that produce the maximum current that the LED can tolerate, but this provides all that great throw.
 
Based on Pacecar's post I at least got the HS-802 right.

Unloaded I too read some stuff on CPF and couldn't agree more that Pacecar really summed things up and made it easier to understand. CPF has been down for a while but who needs it after that summary.....

I'm should be looking for an XR-E, R2 LED that accepts 3-18V with at least a 1 amp driver and a large deep smooth reflector.

Did I get that right?
 
Originally Posted By: Pacecarand this one is even bigger and better than the HS-802 or the Kill and Destroyer lights (if a white LED light is what you want):
http://www.solarforce-sales.com/product_detail.php?t=LF&s=26&id=12

I was looking at that today. They have a new light out. I think its the m6? it has a smooth and orange peel reflector. As for quailty I would put the solarforce skyline against the kill light or destroyer. Also the skyline gives a very clear glare free view of an animal. I guess the R2 bulb has something to do with that? You spoke of that in one of your posts. Hard to describe but my wf008 is brighter with a longer range but you can ID a critter much further and easier with the skyline.
 
look around on youtube, there are some very good video's compareing the different type of lights, some of the vid's are worthless, others are very good
 
Also - - Are there any decent throwers that have good battery life? It seems that most are advertised about 1 hour on high mode, meaning it's probably 1/2 hour at the most with good light.
 
it focuses the light backwards into the reflector cup instead of forward like a normal light.that way all the light gets reflected and shaped in the cup giving it a very tight beam. I've got one in silver I'll part with. 20 bucks shipped (within reason) with a battery and charger. I would call it brand new. Played with it in the yard.
 
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A normal flashlight sits the emitter at the bottom of a reflector and aims it out the front. The center of the beam exits directly out the front and spreads into a wide cone. The sides of the beam hit the reflector and get directed out in a straight line to create a bright hotspot in the middle of the cone.

A recoil thrower suspends the emitter at the top of the reflector and fires the beam backwards into it. The reflector catches all of the light this way and bounces it back out in a relatively straight line. The result is almost all hotspot.
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I've never used a recoil thrower, so I have no experience with it. I didn't get one because the LED has poor heat sinking for long use, and I'm concerned that the recoil design won't live with the recoil from high-powered hog hunting rifles. Also, the beam doesn't have much halo, so it's not good for scanning yotes. And the people buying them were reporting lots of inconsistent results from light to light, such as the electronic drivers being used were not giving the right amperage thru the LED. Lots of quality problems.
 
Originally Posted By: JakerexAlso - - Are there any decent throwers that have good battery life? It seems that most are advertised about 1 hour on high mode, meaning it's probably 1/2 hour at the most with good light.

thats going to be tough with a thrower. Mostly used for a minute at a time or less when it's being used as a shooting light. They claim 2.5 hours on a single 18650 with the solarforce skyline I keep pushing. I can't confirm that.

just curious, why do you want a longer running one? One light to scan and shoot?
 
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Originally Posted By: JakerexAlso - - Are there any decent throwers that have good battery life? It seems that most are advertised about 1 hour on high mode, meaning it's probably 1/2 hour at the most with good light.

The only way to get more run time between battery changes is to have an extended battery tube that allows you to stack two 18650 batteries in series. A good thrower uses lots of juice!

The Ultrafire SG900 you referenced claimed low amps thru the LED. Therefore, I'd expect that one to have good battery life, but it potentially could throw just as far as the HS-802 if the SG900 had a driver that delivered more than 1 amp (1000 milliamps) to the LED.
 
I'm trying to figure out what would be a good shooting light, at the same time, trying to learn about lights.

Am I looking for the tightest beam I can find, or something not as tight. I would say that most shots would be within 100 yards, but in some areas, on occasion, I could stretch out beyond that, maybe 200 max.

Also, If I choose NOT to buy the XLR Kill Light, which I can get in a colored LED, would something like the Uniquefire HS-802 lose a lot (too much for my hunting style) of throw by adding gel paper or a colored butler creek scope cover?

I was thinking battery life, just because, not big deal.
 
My gun mounted shooting light is the HS-802 with amber DJ filter gel.
My scanning light is the red LED Sniper Hog Lights Destroyer.
 
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