I received a FandyFire 2100 flashlight from DealExtreme.com. Two years ago I bought an Ultrafire C1 as per laserpointerforums' members recommendations and thus here is my unbiased review and comparison of the two units:
Disclaimer: This thread is loaded with 23 images so it may take a while to load. All pictures were taken with a Nikon D90 18-105mm f/3,5-5,6 lens, using +4 and +8 lenses for the macro shots. I'm very sorry for the chromatic aberration introduced on macro shots but it's physically impossible to eliminate chromatic aberration. All pics were retouched with Photoshop CS5 and optimized for visibility and fast loading on forums so they may have noise and artifacts due to compression and forced lighting. Beam profile and beamshots were tweaked with Photoshop CS5 in order to show how bright I see the lights with my bare eyes.
Video Review:
(Watch in HD!)
Please comment on the video!
Shipping & Packaging:
Standard DealExtreme EMS shipping, took about 1,5 months to get here (Argentina). No big deal, I can be patient, especially if it's free shipping. The unit was excessively wrapped in bubble-wrap so that's a plus; in consequence the flashlight arrived in perfect condition. No scratches, no marks, no nothing.
Specifications:
FandyFire 2100:
Link to the flashlight: Click Me!
Ultrafire C1:
Link to the flashlight: Click Me!
FandyFire 2100 Review:
Body & Feel:
When I first lifted the package, it seemed only air was in it. Indeed, the flashlight is very light and very small. The downside to this is that due to its high brightness emitter, the body head gets hot easily. During the filming of the video I used the FandyFire 2100 to light surrounding areas of the Ultrafire C1 and viceversa. I ran it for about 60' nonstop and the flashlight was quite hot to the touch (it wasn't scalding hot but it's definitely not something you would want to hold for long). However, keep in mind that 60' of continuous runtime is a lot for the thin aluminum the flashlight sports. For short (3-5') bursts, the FandyFire 2100 is just great.
The tailcap is well constructed; I like the fact that they didn't use a spring on it, because all it does is scratch the battery's surface whenever you screw/unscrew the tailcap.
GITD (Glow In The Dark) caps are happily welcome, too! Watch out for some rough edges on the tailcap's bezel.
Now, I know you all want to see the innards of this baby, but the guys at FandyFire decided to use a more secure way to hold the LED assembly and for this reason I couldn't open the head fully. I don't own nose pliers... Although I did try to turn the inside ring with two steel nails to no avail.
By now you should know that I love shooting macro pictures. This one was really hard to take, the reflector is deep and perfectly smooth.
If you really care about attack bezels, well, the FandyFire has one, but I wouldn't trust it to fight a bear. I'll leave that to Anthony Hopkins.
Some would argue that the threads don't go all the way, but I seriously do not care for attack bezels. I'm pretty sure no one would use a flashlight to stab anything and I wouldn't recommend it either.
Unfortunately, as said in the video review, threads are not very smooth. However, that can easily be solved with some lube or teflon tape. Definitely not something to cry about.
I believe they could've used thicker O-Rings. Despite their size, as long as they keep the tailcap on (which they successfully do), it won't matter. The purpose of this flashlight is not for you to go diving with it, so even though I mention the O-Ring size issue, I can't complain about it.
Ultrafire C1 Review:
Body & Feel:
I'm so grateful LPF recommended I got this flashlight back in early 2009. The build quality is just amazing for its price. Good design and nice weight (not too heavy, not too light) make for a great grip when you hold it.
Don't like the belt clip? Sorry, but it can't be removed. However, don't worry, it's unobtrusive (trust me, I hate belt clips... but I don't really notice this one). The head is bigger than the height of the clip and its polygonal shape keeps it from rolling off the table.
The tailcap has a recessed backwards clicky switch which provides a satisfactory "clicky" sound whenever you press it. Did I mention it's built like a tank?
You have to screw it all the way through so the battery makes contact with the spring. This is good, since given the tailcap's length, it doesn't force you to wiggle the tailcap in order to fit it in the threads.
Threads are outrageously smooth. Thick O-Rings seal shut the whole assembly.
This flashlight is a great flooder but that doesn't mean that its throw isn't enough. The Orange Peel reflector does its job as it should.
Want another emitter? Want another reflector? No problem! DealExtreme sells many LED assemblies that can fit the Ultrafire C1. Opening the head is easy so light modding is easy as well.
Size Comparison:
To show their relative size, here are some full body shots:
Both flashlights headstanding (no wobble, no nothing. They have absolutely no problem standing on their heads):
If you're wondering, the two of them can take protected and unprotected batteries with ease.
Beam Profiles:
FandyFire 2100:
At 5m:
At 10m:
Ultrafire C1:
At 5m:
At 10m:
Conclusion:
The FandyFire 2100 is seriously bright. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw how far it could go. Due to its size, sadly, it gets hot quickly. However, as I said in the video, the temperature is not enough to burn your skin.
The Ultrafire C1 is a great travel companion. The Q5 emitter is bright enough for a walk in the dark without draining your battery rapidly. Again, this flashlight offers great battery life and an amazing duty cycle.
If you want a very portable, lightweight yet bright flashlight and don't mind relatively short duty cycles, the FandyFire 2100 is for you.
If you, instead, would rather use your flashlight for longer periods of time, hate to recharge batteries and can do with some light spilling, the Ultrafire C1 is your best option. Furthermore, if you want a great host body to mod with a brigter emitter bin, you should also go for the Ultrafire C1
All in all, both flashlights would make a wise choice. Either the FandyFire 2100 and the Ultrafire C1 will not disappoint you in any way, especially not at their low price, taking into account the fact that build quality on both of them is just outstanding.
Disclaimer: This thread is loaded with 23 images so it may take a while to load. All pictures were taken with a Nikon D90 18-105mm f/3,5-5,6 lens, using +4 and +8 lenses for the macro shots. I'm very sorry for the chromatic aberration introduced on macro shots but it's physically impossible to eliminate chromatic aberration. All pics were retouched with Photoshop CS5 and optimized for visibility and fast loading on forums so they may have noise and artifacts due to compression and forced lighting. Beam profile and beamshots were tweaked with Photoshop CS5 in order to show how bright I see the lights with my bare eyes.
Video Review:
(Watch in HD!)
Please comment on the video!
Shipping & Packaging:
Standard DealExtreme EMS shipping, took about 1,5 months to get here (Argentina). No big deal, I can be patient, especially if it's free shipping. The unit was excessively wrapped in bubble-wrap so that's a plus; in consequence the flashlight arrived in perfect condition. No scratches, no marks, no nothing.
Specifications:
FandyFire 2100:
- Emitter BIN: Cree XP-GR5
- Battery Configuration: 1x18650
- Voltage Input: 3,6v - 4,2v
- Modes: 1
- Brightness (Manufacturer Rated): 350lm
- Runtime (Manufacturer Rated): 70'
- Lens: Glass (Coated)
- Reflector: Aluminum SMO (Smooth)
- Size: 11,9cm x 2,3cm
- Mass: 68g
- Clicky: Backwards
- SKU: 90127
Link to the flashlight: Click Me!
Ultrafire C1:
- Emitter BIN: Cree XR-E Q5
- Battery Configuration: 1x18650
- Voltage Input: 3,7v - 12v
- Modes: 1
- Brightness (Manufacturer Rated): 230lm
- Runtime (Manufacturer Rated): 180'
- Lens: Glass (Coated)
- Reflector: Aluminum OP (Orange Peel)
- Size: 13,2cm x 3,15cm
- Mass: 111g
- Clicky: Backwards
- SKU: 14027
Link to the flashlight: Click Me!
FandyFire 2100 Review:
Body & Feel:
When I first lifted the package, it seemed only air was in it. Indeed, the flashlight is very light and very small. The downside to this is that due to its high brightness emitter, the body head gets hot easily. During the filming of the video I used the FandyFire 2100 to light surrounding areas of the Ultrafire C1 and viceversa. I ran it for about 60' nonstop and the flashlight was quite hot to the touch (it wasn't scalding hot but it's definitely not something you would want to hold for long). However, keep in mind that 60' of continuous runtime is a lot for the thin aluminum the flashlight sports. For short (3-5') bursts, the FandyFire 2100 is just great.
The tailcap is well constructed; I like the fact that they didn't use a spring on it, because all it does is scratch the battery's surface whenever you screw/unscrew the tailcap.
GITD (Glow In The Dark) caps are happily welcome, too! Watch out for some rough edges on the tailcap's bezel.
Now, I know you all want to see the innards of this baby, but the guys at FandyFire decided to use a more secure way to hold the LED assembly and for this reason I couldn't open the head fully. I don't own nose pliers... Although I did try to turn the inside ring with two steel nails to no avail.
By now you should know that I love shooting macro pictures. This one was really hard to take, the reflector is deep and perfectly smooth.
If you really care about attack bezels, well, the FandyFire has one, but I wouldn't trust it to fight a bear. I'll leave that to Anthony Hopkins.
Some would argue that the threads don't go all the way, but I seriously do not care for attack bezels. I'm pretty sure no one would use a flashlight to stab anything and I wouldn't recommend it either.
Unfortunately, as said in the video review, threads are not very smooth. However, that can easily be solved with some lube or teflon tape. Definitely not something to cry about.
I believe they could've used thicker O-Rings. Despite their size, as long as they keep the tailcap on (which they successfully do), it won't matter. The purpose of this flashlight is not for you to go diving with it, so even though I mention the O-Ring size issue, I can't complain about it.
Ultrafire C1 Review:
Body & Feel:
I'm so grateful LPF recommended I got this flashlight back in early 2009. The build quality is just amazing for its price. Good design and nice weight (not too heavy, not too light) make for a great grip when you hold it.
Don't like the belt clip? Sorry, but it can't be removed. However, don't worry, it's unobtrusive (trust me, I hate belt clips... but I don't really notice this one). The head is bigger than the height of the clip and its polygonal shape keeps it from rolling off the table.
The tailcap has a recessed backwards clicky switch which provides a satisfactory "clicky" sound whenever you press it. Did I mention it's built like a tank?
You have to screw it all the way through so the battery makes contact with the spring. This is good, since given the tailcap's length, it doesn't force you to wiggle the tailcap in order to fit it in the threads.
Threads are outrageously smooth. Thick O-Rings seal shut the whole assembly.
This flashlight is a great flooder but that doesn't mean that its throw isn't enough. The Orange Peel reflector does its job as it should.
Want another emitter? Want another reflector? No problem! DealExtreme sells many LED assemblies that can fit the Ultrafire C1. Opening the head is easy so light modding is easy as well.
Size Comparison:
To show their relative size, here are some full body shots:
Both flashlights headstanding (no wobble, no nothing. They have absolutely no problem standing on their heads):
If you're wondering, the two of them can take protected and unprotected batteries with ease.
Beam Profiles:
FandyFire 2100:
At 5m:
At 10m:
Ultrafire C1:
At 5m:
At 10m:
Conclusion:
The FandyFire 2100 is seriously bright. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw how far it could go. Due to its size, sadly, it gets hot quickly. However, as I said in the video, the temperature is not enough to burn your skin.
The Ultrafire C1 is a great travel companion. The Q5 emitter is bright enough for a walk in the dark without draining your battery rapidly. Again, this flashlight offers great battery life and an amazing duty cycle.
If you want a very portable, lightweight yet bright flashlight and don't mind relatively short duty cycles, the FandyFire 2100 is for you.
If you, instead, would rather use your flashlight for longer periods of time, hate to recharge batteries and can do with some light spilling, the Ultrafire C1 is your best option. Furthermore, if you want a great host body to mod with a brigter emitter bin, you should also go for the Ultrafire C1
All in all, both flashlights would make a wise choice. Either the FandyFire 2100 and the Ultrafire C1 will not disappoint you in any way, especially not at their low price, taking into account the fact that build quality on both of them is just outstanding.
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