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My Deal Extreme purchase - Ultrafire/Gemini Duo clone + 1

11K views 34 replies 11 participants last post by  garrybunk 
#1 ·
After reading hundreds of post on here and finally knowing what I was looking for, I decided to take the plunge and order some lights.

I searched all of the sites mentioned on here and finally found one that had what I was looking for in XM-L2 U2/U3 lights.

I picked up one of these UltraFire LZZ-U3 2 x CREE XM-L2 U3 4-Mode 1800lm White Bike Light / Headlamp - Black (4 x 18650) - Free Shipping - DealExtreme

and one of these Buy Cree XM-L2 U2 864lm 3-Mode White Bicycle Light Headlamp - Grey + Silver (4 x 18650)

hoping they would be what they claimed. I was also aware that the batteries would be less than stellar, but I'd deal with that when the time came.

I placed my order on 02/09/14 and waited. On 03/06/14 they finally arrived, and I immediately tore them apart so I could see what they really had inside.

Wood Audio equipment Product Hardwood Wood stain

Finger Nail Thumb Camera accessory Strap

Finger Technology Thumb Nail Cable

Finger Skin Metal Silver Nickel

Human Finger Skin Thumb Circle


As for the batteries, only the single emitter had a weatherproof connection, the Gemini clone didn't.

The single clicky switch on the Gemini clone worked nice, providing three modes starting from low-mid-high then a soft return to low. Holding the switch down while the lights were on, would turn them off. Holding the switch down while the lights were off, would turn on the strobe mode.

The single emitter light only had two modes plush strobe, low-high-strobe-off.

I haven't tested the run time yet or even how well they light up the trails, but I'll post back when I do.
 
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#4 ·
That gemini clone is what we have been calling a clone of a clone, I have one too its identical the only difference is when Hold down the switch when the lamp is on (green indicator) for 3 - 5 seconds it goes into a orange flashing indicator and I can cycle through 10 levels of light output
 
#9 ·
Hold on a minute...Are you saying you have a Gemini Duo clone that has the stepless menu option? If so what model did you buy and where did you buy it from?

hidperf, you should have a set-up that should work well. Your D/X batteries might actually work better than expected. A couple years back D/X began trying to supply a more useable battery with some of their lights. I was a given a quad set-up to test and the battery on that lamp ran for two hours which is not too shabby all things considered. Be sure to do a run test with the batteries before you do any longer rides. Just be sure to use a fan blowing on the lamps when you do the test so the lamps don't over-heat.

The only thing I think you did wrong was buy the single emitter lamp with only two steady modes. The same style single emitter lamps with 3 steady modes are readily available. You would of been better off with one of those. When I ride about 80% of the time I use my mid-modes.
 
#6 ·
I've got it back together but when I get the thermal paste, I'll grab some shots.

This model has two tiny allen head set screws that hold the back of the light in place. It has no O-rings, other than the two around the lenses, so I'm sure it's not waterproof. The LED board is held down with two Phillips screws and it has enough gap around the perimeter that I'm sure the screw contact points are the only heat transfer point, until I add some thermal compound.

I use Arctic silver on all of my PC builds. That stuff is awesome.

One thing, is there a visual way to tell if these are CREE LEDs or fakes? They don't say CREE anywhere on the boards, but I'm not sure if it would or not. The single emitter says CREE XML, so I'll assume it's not an XM-L2.
 
#8 ·
Thanks! I read that site but I need a magnifying glass so I can see the LED. I was hoping for an easy way out. lol

I'll report back on my findings. The weather is looking great the next 10 days, so maybe I'll be able to get some riding in.
 
#12 ·
So I finally had time to do a run test on them today and I was surprised by both lights.

The dual light went yellow after only 34mins, red after 41mins, flashing red at 1hr and 14mins but then I finally shut it down at the 5hr mark. It was still putting out light, although it wouldn't change modes.

The single never went yellow and went straight to red at 2hrs 36mins and shut off completely at 2hr 38mins.
 
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#14 · (Edited)
Hands on - UltraFire LZZ-U3 2 x CREE XM-L2 U3 4-Mode 1800lm

I have ordered the same UltraFire LZZ U3 from www.dx.com on Sep 3rd and it was delivered on Sep 29th.
It is not the best build quality light you can find on the market but given the price of less than $50 it is sufficient. The light body itself is surprisingly small, especially when you see the amount of light it produce. Here is the photo of the full kit (charger is included but not shown on my picture)
Technology Gadget Cable Camera accessory Multimedia

I mount it with the large O ring and it looked tight enough for road ride but not for wild ride in the mountain. Maybe the smaller ring will help or alternative mount system for hard fix. The power cable length is sufficient to mount the battery pack on your bicycle but not to wear it in a backpack or so. This light will be also perfectly suitable for second light helmet mounted. The battery unit itself is with cheap looking build quality and questionable protection sealing. The clip to be attached to the battery unit stays neglectably but sideways when attached.
Here how it looks like on the bike:
Product Bicycle accessory Bicycle handlebar Bicycle part Bicycles--Equipment and supplies

Coming to the main topic - performance. I doubt it produce 1800 lumens BUT still it is very powerful light, far better than most of what I've seen on bikes and even some cars ;). I also doubt the LEDs used are really the Cree XM-L2 U3 (but can't confirm until I find a way to disassemble the body ... with no screws visible on it). The light produced looks barely noticeable bluish (at least to me) but not everyone will notice it and after short time of use you get use to it and can't tell it's other than cool white. The light has 4 modes: Low-Mid-High and Fast Strobe. The last one activates when turned off you hold pressed the power button.
The beam of the light is a bit more on the focus spot side but overall giving good view angle. (no need to explain you will need (second) headlight for ultimate night ride experience)
On Low the light produced is enough for nearly every occasion other than fast riding and downhill. It will give you more then enough* battery life and not too irritating for surrounding people.
On Mid the amount of light increase significantly and you'll be able to have much better view of your path.
On High you will have maximum light output and the experience is big satisfaction from the huge amount of light you see. Not really suitable for use against traffic or other people being that bright.
Darkness Space Astronomy Astronomical object Science

**Photo taken with Galaxy Note 3 with ISO set to 400.

With the factory charge of the battery the unit last about 40+ min on high with temporary auto switch to low due to the fast overheating (I have to admit I test it indoor and natural cooling from the ride was not possible). The battery indicator went from green to orange after the first ~20 min. Another ~20 min later it turned to red and the light kept working on Low for another ~60 min. After total of more than 3 hours work the battery was blinking red for more than an hour and the light was still working fine on Low. I did not want to spend more time so I turned it off and put the battery for charging.

Edit: This evening I took the light for a street ride. It was about 40 min on High and battery was indicating green all the time. The temperature was around 13 Celsius with average speed of 16 km/h and the light still was overheating 3 or 4 times. Each time the light was reduced automatically (to a different level but not Low, depending how overheated it was I guess) and after less then a minute I was manually changing it back to High.
I have to admit that the light is not appreciated by the people/cars coming against you. I also notice it hits high enough to blind the cars while riding behind them.
Now the best part for me is that I discovered the light has one more mode:
While the light is on, by pressing and holding the button down for ~5+ sec the battery indicator starts blinking orange and the light is at low. Now by clicking on the button again you will go through 10 different levels of power output from Low to High for each click and the battery indicator will remain blinking orange.
Other than the described I was not able to change the power output level for the main modes or anything else so I guess it is meant to use it as described above. You have to note that during this "extra" mode you will not see the battery level as the indicator is blinking orange.


Conclusion (mine): Perfect value for money. The light body performance might be able to be improved (by disassembling the light and maybe improving the cooling system). The battery kit may be could be also inspected if properly assembled and sealed. If all mentioned done properly maybe you will enjoy longer and better experience with this light! It is not suitable for city ride (blinding the other people) when on High but on the other side it is perfect for off road, forest and so on. I will recommend it if you care of spending less money.
 
#16 ·
I have ordered the same UltraFire LZZ U3 from www.dx.com on Sep 3rd and it was delivered on Sep 29th.
It is not the best build quality light you can find on the market but given the price of less than $50 it is sufficient. The light body itself is surprisingly small, especially when you see the amount of light it produce. Here is the photo of the full kit (charger is included but not shown on my picture)...
Thanks for the review. I believe this is the same lamp that was reviewed by someone else and was said to have a "*Stepless menu"
( *stepless = press and hold sub-menu allowing 10-level varying brightness levels programmable by the user for each of the modes )

I was wondering if you could confirm or deny this. (?)

About the U3 bin; These are suppose to operate in the 6500-7000K range. This would likely give the tint of the light a more "bluish" look. Not a problem unless you run the light with another lamp using a much warmer bin. As Kevin ratings go I prefer 5500-6000K
( basically a more clear bright white ) Someone looking for an LED with a more warm "natural" tint will want something 5000K or below. I believe the original Yindings were using the first release XM-L2 T6 emitters which tended to be more neutral warm ( 5000K?) Now that the brighter white XM-L2 U2's are more available you don't see the neutral T-6 as much
 
#18 ·
The battery unit appears to be metal tube with plastic covers glued at the both sides of it. So if you are referring to... puling out 4 battery cells from your pocket to replace during a ride - it is not an option.

Bicycle part Carbon Bicycle drivetrain part Suspension part

One of the covers has the female plug integrated for the power connection towards the light power wire and socket for the belt clip on one of its side.
I tried to open it with "hand force" but it didn't work out for non of the sides. Maybe if some tool is used (I don't have anything suitable) you might be able to open it without damaging it for further use. I am also interested to have it open to make sure it is properly wired and properly sealed.
Same is valid for the light body but I can't find a way to open it since no screws are present. If anyone can advice on this will be appreciated!
 
#22 ·
I had the UltraFire LZZ-U3 and returned it. Mine held up for about 30 minutes in high or even mid mode, fully charged. It did go on for more than 12 hours after it automatically switched to low mode. That's why I'm not sure if it was a bad battery.

Anything under two hours was not going to cut it for me. Are my expectations too high or gulliverbg's too low? :)

While I don't agree with his conclusion I can confirm his observations. Here's a few more I didn't see him mention, maybe they were specific to my unit:

- The lenses don't fit snugly and rattle slightly. It's audible in quiet conditions (not on the road) and visible as flicker, or at least I imagined it to be. Pretty sure it could have been fixed with more of those O-rings, or a fatter one, but it would be a PITA if you didn't have them on hand.

- The pack, while visually more appealing then those raggedy bags, is not the pinnacle of craftsmanship. The top and bottom of mine were visibly nonparallel. Maybe that could also be fixed because the pack can apparently be dismantled.

- I also didn't like the way the pack attaches to the frame. A plastic clip with two hooks goes on the pack, and a perforated rubber strip goes around a tube and on to the hooks. Something about a single rubber strip with holes, plastic hooks and a heavy pack didn't quite instill confidence. Especially since I couldn't mount it on the top tube, just behind the head tube, because I have a tri bag there.

- I didn't really have time to concentrate on the beam pattern, but it wasn't what I was hoping for. I wanted a big puddle of light in front of me so it probably was too narrow for me. I don't think it was a problem with the output since I couldn't look at the light reflected of my hand without it being uncomfortable. That's about as "scientific" measurement I can provide. :)

My conclusion: if I was sure the run time could be improved with better batteries and it cost about 30 bucks I could see myself trying to DIY away the stuff that bothered me. As it was the time+money would be enough to justify buying a proper brand-name product.
 
#31 ·
I got the very same light without the ultrafire sticker from Lightmalls (no battery pack) for $26.90. SKU M1387.
Amazingly small and bright & has 10 stepped settings,
I could not get the back off either, reckon it is just really tight but did not want to force it until I had tried it out.
It does get hot (indoors) very quick, so it is either going to burn out or it has good thermal conductivity!
 
#32 ·
New D/X "Soul" website: Shipping inside the USA

Okay, not that I'm stumping for D/X but tonight I noticed that D/X has a new shipping site for faster shipping times within the USA. I haven't tried it myself yet but I plan to. Includes free shipping for items over $15 USD and shipping times are listed around 4-7 days ( within the USA, not including about 4 days for handling ). Still a big improvement over the 16-30 days usually spent waiting for something to ship from China and wondering if the order will be sent back due to problems with shipping Li-ion batteries via international Air post.

D/X Soul website
 
#33 ·
DX has had what they call a "US Warehouse" for sometime now. Not sure if this "DX Soul" was a change from the "US Warehouse" or not, but the items DO NOT ship out of the US. I believe somewhere they list the service as "US Direct" shipping. It's some sort of faster shipping method out of China to the US (and I'm not sure why only certain items in their inventory are available for it). I did order from "DX Soul" about 2 months ago and it was a very quick shipping experience (per DX standards). Ordered 8/19/2014, received 9/2/2014.

-Garry
 
#34 ·
DX has had what they call a "US Warehouse" for sometime now. Not sure if this "DX Soul" was a change from the "US Warehouse" or not, but the items DO NOT ship out of the US. I believe somewhere they list the service as "US Direct" shipping. It's some sort of faster shipping method out of China to the US (and I'm not sure why only certain items in their inventory are available for it). I did order from "DX Soul" about 2 months ago and it was a very quick shipping experience (per DX standards). Ordered 8/19/2014, received 9/2/2014.

-Garry
Yes, a while back D/X used to ship certain items from a warehouse somewhere in the US but it was limited and only for certain items. It looks as though this warehouse has been expanded and is offering many more items, hence the new name. Since D/X bought out Manafont it looks as though D/X looks to capture more of the USA market. I've also noticed that in their ads that D/X is listing not only " theoretical lumen" but "actual lumen" output as well. I'm not sure this is going to be any more truthful but it is a step in the right direction.
 
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