Ultrafire WF-501B vs. Car Taillights
06-09-09, 09:29 PM
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Ultrafire WF-501B vs. Car Taillights
So on a trip a few days ago, I stopped to compare my car's taillights to the Ultrafire, which I compared to the Superflash here. The battery in the Ultrafire was charged a few days beforehand, and probably had up to an hour's use before the shoot.
Visually, the outdoor scene was slightly darker than it appears in the shooting, but I didn't want to keep fiddling with the exposure, and this was close enough. Shots were on manual at F2.8 with a 1/2 sec exposure time and ISO 400. I could have taken clearer shots, but also wanted to do this quickly, so made some compromises. The cars in the far background were approximately 80 feet away. Pictures were downscaled to 800x600 for posting here.
Baseline. No lights.
Car taillights on (brake pressed), Ultrafire off.
Ultrafire on, car taillights off.
Both Ultrafire and car taillights on.
In conclusion, the Ultrafire was much visually brighter than the car lights, both in terms of illuminating cars and objects at a distance and the ground up close. I didn't expect it to do nearly this well in comparison, and was very impressed.
Visually, the outdoor scene was slightly darker than it appears in the shooting, but I didn't want to keep fiddling with the exposure, and this was close enough. Shots were on manual at F2.8 with a 1/2 sec exposure time and ISO 400. I could have taken clearer shots, but also wanted to do this quickly, so made some compromises. The cars in the far background were approximately 80 feet away. Pictures were downscaled to 800x600 for posting here.
Baseline. No lights.
Car taillights on (brake pressed), Ultrafire off.
Ultrafire on, car taillights off.
Both Ultrafire and car taillights on.
In conclusion, the Ultrafire was much visually brighter than the car lights, both in terms of illuminating cars and objects at a distance and the ground up close. I didn't expect it to do nearly this well in comparison, and was very impressed.
Last edited by uke; 06-09-09 at 09:42 PM.
06-09-09, 09:41 PM
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what is the runtime??
06-10-09, 02:13 AM
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I tested mine.
Here's some measurements, with a fresh battery:
Current draw at battery = 850 mA
Voltage measured at LED = 3.56V
Weight = 137g inc. battery
I put a fresh battery in at 7.33pm and the torch ran continuously until 11.30pm.
So the runtime is 4 hours less a few minutes on a single 18650.
highly recommended 
Here's some measurements, with a fresh battery:
Current draw at battery = 850 mA
Voltage measured at LED = 3.56V
Weight = 137g inc. battery
I put a fresh battery in at 7.33pm and the torch ran continuously until 11.30pm.
So the runtime is 4 hours less a few minutes on a single 18650.
highly recommended
06-10-09, 02:33 AM
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I tested mine.
Here's some measurements, with a fresh battery:
Current draw at battery = 850 mA
Voltage measured at LED = 3.56V
Weight = 137g inc. battery
I put a fresh battery in at 7.33pm and the torch ran continuously until 11.30pm.
So the runtime is 4 hours less a few minutes on a single 18650.
highly recommended
Here's some measurements, with a fresh battery:
Current draw at battery = 850 mA
Voltage measured at LED = 3.56V
Weight = 137g inc. battery
I put a fresh battery in at 7.33pm and the torch ran continuously until 11.30pm.
So the runtime is 4 hours less a few minutes on a single 18650.
highly recommended
06-10-09, 03:16 AM
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06-10-09, 04:15 AM
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I see:
Beamshots onto a white wall please!
- Car taillights are designed to shine at cars behind, not at the ground.
- Reflectors direct light back to the source (camera right behind the ultrafire).
Beamshots onto a white wall please!
06-10-09, 06:22 AM
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Well if you consider that some of the brighter tailights are based on 1/2 W or 1W luxeon stars.. This tailight at a minimum is going to put out 3x to 4x more lumens than either the Superflash or NR Cherry Bomb..
06-10-09, 08:04 AM
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2. Your second point is true, but it doesn't change the results, as the camera was "behind" both the Ultrafire and the car taillights; neither was offered an advantage here.
3. I already did such a shoot, as referenced in the original post. That was a comparison of the Ultrafire vs. the Superflash, with a P7 thrown in for variety.
06-16-09, 10:25 AM
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I'm considering running a saddlebag so I could mount two or even three of these lights at a time behind the bike. However, I'd much rather have one light, and not deal with the complexities of turning on and off multiple lights, or charging multiple sets of batteries, so I haven't done this yet. Hopefully Ultrafire or another manufacturer comes out with more powerful red lights soon. This one is a great start, though.
06-16-09, 10:34 AM
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Takes a while to turn them all off again as well, however, redundancy is a wonderful thing.
Last edited by Unknown Cyclist; 06-16-09 at 11:20 AM.
06-16-09, 10:47 AM
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^ Yeah, that's what I'm trying to stay away from. It's enough trouble turning on and off two lights (one in front, one in back) as it is.
06-16-09, 11:21 AM
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I start turning them off about 1/4 mile from home, by the time I get to the door they are all off apart from the mudguard light that I can't reach.....
06-17-09, 07:42 AM
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I just got mine two days ago and it's all installed on the bike. Blindingly bright and visible. This was an awesome value.
06-17-09, 05:23 PM
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^ Yup, the day I got mine in, I ran a comparison, and realized I'd never use the PBSF again.
Okay, here are the shots. All were taken at 1600x1200, manual, F2.8, exposure time 1/10 (deliberately underexposed to reduce overexposure from the lights), without flash. Backdrop in all cases was a white wall beside a curtained window. My P7 on high was included as a comparison. I used both Superflashes (regular and stealth models) when shooting, but eventually went with the stealth's pictures, as there was no difference between the two. Batteries in the PBSFs are several months old, but both are lightly used, and always in the flash mode. Shots of the Superflash were in steady mode. I swapped the battery from the P7 to the Ultrafire when shooting, and it was freshly charged. All pictures were downscaled to 800x600 for posting here.
The first set were taken at a distance of approximately 1 meter.
Respectively, they show the blank wall, the SF, the Ultrafire, and the P7.
The second set were taken at a distance of approximately 2 meters.
Respectively, they show the blank wall, the Ultrafire, the Ultrafire with the SF one foot to the left, the Ultrafire with the SF two feet to the left, the Ultrafire alone, and the P7.
Here is the gallery view.
Overall, it was no contest. The Ultrafire is far brighter than the Superflash, even taking into account the Superflash being powered by not-new batteries. The SF still has the advantages of being smaller, lighter, having a flash mode, and an ultimately far longer battery life (due to the flash option). The Ultrafire, however, is cheaper, far brighter, and a brilliant option to fill the uncanny valley between the SF and the 140 Dinotte. If I can attach it, it will be my main tail light from now on.
The first set were taken at a distance of approximately 1 meter.
Respectively, they show the blank wall, the SF, the Ultrafire, and the P7.
The second set were taken at a distance of approximately 2 meters.
Respectively, they show the blank wall, the Ultrafire, the Ultrafire with the SF one foot to the left, the Ultrafire with the SF two feet to the left, the Ultrafire alone, and the P7.
Here is the gallery view.
Overall, it was no contest. The Ultrafire is far brighter than the Superflash, even taking into account the Superflash being powered by not-new batteries. The SF still has the advantages of being smaller, lighter, having a flash mode, and an ultimately far longer battery life (due to the flash option). The Ultrafire, however, is cheaper, far brighter, and a brilliant option to fill the uncanny valley between the SF and the 140 Dinotte. If I can attach it, it will be my main tail light from now on.
06-18-09, 03:32 PM
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06-18-09, 09:58 PM
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06-18-09, 09:59 PM
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06-18-09, 09:59 PM
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Interesting mounting.. Does anyone have the links to the DX knockoff Lockblocks / bikeblocks..
I was going to order 2 of these lights tomorrow and figured I would get some extra mounts..
I was going to order 2 of these lights tomorrow and figured I would get some extra mounts..
06-18-09, 10:56 PM
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06-18-09, 10:59 PM
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06-18-09, 11:20 PM
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I think they only have the bikeblocks knock off. https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12000
06-19-09, 02:28 AM
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are you dropping this into a surefire light, if so which one's are compatible?