# Trustfire TR-801



## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

I've heard a few people here recommend this Trustfire TR-801 flashlight as a good option for use as a helmet light. It's a single mode light, 230 lumens. I see they also offer a 5-mode Trustfire TR-801 which seems to have the same specs, as far as emitter, battery, lumens, etc. Does anyone have any experience with that one? I like the idea of having 3 brightness levels, to conserve power.

Thanks.

JZ


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## HuffyPuffy (Jun 9, 2008)

I was just thinking of getting one of those for the same reason, after seeing this thread:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=453678

(check the link in the thread for beamshots)

That looks like a powerful light for it's size. The only drawback (for me) is that it does not use AA's, even so I could overlook that for a good light.

This is the one I use on my helmet and it does the job (not super, but better than most). On high on a dark night it really helps to see around corners:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12093

I just read some of the reviews on DX and took another look at the beamshots from the link and it does not look like it has quite the throw to make a difference for me. One review says it is not a thrower. On the helmet I like a good throwing light with the bar light filling in for the flood.


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

I went ahead and ordered one....I'll let you all know what I think when it shows up.

JZ


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

OK it arrived today, I strapped it to my helmet and took it out for a night ride tonight, and I'm diggin' it! Thank you to Capnstem, who recommended the TR-801s in an earlier thread. :thumbsup:

I ordered this light (same specs as above but with 3 brightness levels), these batteries, and this charger.

First, let me say _don't order that charger....it's crap_. On mine the left side shuts down the charge early and the status LED doesn't work right. If I had read the feedback on the DX website I would have known it was junk. Capnstem recommended this one in the other thread, and I think I'll get one next time I put in an order.

I don't have any other "good" LED lights, and I was riding solo tonight, so I don't have anything to compare this to. But it's definitely bright enough on high....brighter than the 12w side of my dual halogen handlebar light, and similar to running both the 12 & 20w halogens together, but much whiter. (that may not be a fair comparison...the battery pack on that light is dying...I'll see how they compare when the new pack arrives next week). And it doesn't have the pronounced blueish tint of some other LED lights I've seen.

Medium level is still pretty bright; fine for climbing on singletrack. Low is on the dim side for riding, but perfect for trailside repairs or digging through the camelback looking for the Snickers bars. There is also an amusing disco strobe mode, and a pointless SOS mode (unless maybe you're lost at sea?) It has mode-memory....whatever level it's at when you turn it off will be what it turns back on to. And a cool glow-in-the-dark rubber clicky switch on the back end. It's 4.5" long, 1" in diameter, and weighs about 3.75 ounces with the battery.

Capnstem said the single-brightness version of this light was more of a flood beam. Again, I have nothing to compare to, but this 5-mode model has a fairly strong center spot, with a wide but dimmer side spill. Similar to the spot beams of my halogen light. I'd love to add a pair of the floodier single mode 801s on my bars...that should be a sweet set-up. But since I just ordered a new battery for the halogens, that will have to wait.

I rode tonight for 2 hours, switching between the 3 brightness levels frequently, according to speed and terrain. I didn't notice any decrease in brightness in that time. The fully charged battery measures 4.2v; after my ride it measured 3.8v.....still above the battery's rated voltage of 3.7! I won't hesitate to run it at full brightness more often on future rides....the runtime should be more than adequate for my standard 2 hour night rides. And the spare battery is in the camelback if needed. I think this is an awesome little light, especially for about $40 all up.

JZ


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## Cino (Oct 31, 2007)

Thanks Jim,

Could we trouble you for some beam shots?


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## capnstem (May 5, 2006)

Glad you like it. I recently had flicker issues with mine, and found that the pill (if you can call it that) that holds the rear switch was not screwed tightly. I used a set of longnose pliers and wound it in tighter (you can use the 2 little grooves in the pill to latch onto). I have a belief that the pill starts to unscrew eventually (either from the bumpy trails, or from the unscrewing action during battery removal). In any case - it is a very easy fix - so do not feel let down by this little wonder. It does have a strong white spot, but its spill is quite excellent (giving it the impression of a flood torch). Compared to my other torches that don't have the same spill, these guys are my fav light for bush bashing. Had a chance to compare it to a Fenix Q5 (it took 2xCR123's) - so I am not sure of its model number. But that torch was quite spotty with very little spill.


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## notnormal (Mar 18, 2007)

Did you order 1 or 2 of these? I found 1 okay for off-road mtb night riding. The hot spot was good but the spill was a little bit dim. I'd say equivalent to a 15W halogen mtb light. However, 2 of these were great. Larger hot spot area, and the overlapping spill was very nice and bright. Two of these replaced my 20W halogen spot light, on my helmet. Easily brighter and much more usable (more compact, no wires, etc).


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## rideandshoot (Dec 18, 2006)

*another data point*

I have a single mode TF-801. So far so good. I'm running it on my helmet along with a bar mounted amoeba flood light. Two early morning rides here in Phoenix were fine. Ambient air temp around 85 degrees F. Tonight I'm riding and it will be more like 93degrees. Hoping the heat doesn't hurt either the 801 or the amoeba...


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

I placed a good size $90 order for a P7 MTE 5 mode 12060 and a TF801 single mode with 4 18650 Blue TrustFire protected batteries and a charger on 10-3-08 at 8 AM, and a TF801 5 mode on 10-8-08 (today), so we'll see... seems to take them a while to get the items from the vendor before they ship out and notify you.


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

Cino said:


> Thanks Jim,
> Could we trouble you for some beam shots?


Yeah, I can give it a try. Are there some sort of standard camera settings used for beam shots? f-stop, exposure time, iso setting? I have a digital camera with a manual mode, and a tripod.

Seems to me if there was a standard procedure it would be easy to compare shots from different people.

JZ


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

capnstem said:


> Glad you like it. I recently had flicker issues with mine, and found that the pill (if you can call it that) that holds the rear switch was not screwed tightly.


When I first got mine and installed the battery it was flickering. I found that the rear cap really needed to be tightened down firmly to make good electrical contact. I should check that lockring too.

(I keep seeing the term "pill" being used in reference to something in these led lights, but I'm still not sure what it means. I was a pharmacist in a previous career....I know what a pill is, and there aren't any inside this light 



capnstem said:


> It does have a strong white spot, but its spill is quite excellent (giving it the impression of a flood torch).


I just discovered while sitting here fiddling with it that the front portion of the light can be unscrewed 2 different ways: removing the entire light head, or just removing the lens and reflector, leaving the led unit in place. By unscrewing the reflector section slightly the center spot can be expanded. You can't go far, or you're no longer compressing the rubber o-ring, and the reflector section could rattle itself off while riding. But maybe putting a fatter o-ring on might help keep it snug. I'll have to see what they have at the hardware store....they have a drawer full of o-rings.

JZ


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

notnormal said:


> Did you order 1 or 2 of these? I found 1 okay for off-road mtb night riding. The hot spot was good but the spill was a little bit dim. I'd say equivalent to a 15W halogen mtb light. However, 2 of these were great. Larger hot spot area, and the overlapping spill was very nice and bright. Two of these replaced my 20W halogen spot light, on my helmet. Easily brighter and much more usable (more compact, no wires, etc).


I'm running one on the helmet, with a dual 12w+20w halogen setup on the bars. I'd love to run 2 more on the bars, in place of the halogens....I think that would be a great setup. But I just ordered (before the TR-801 had arrived) a new 14.4v 5Ah battery pack for the halogens....over-volting them is supposed to dramatically increase their light output. We'll see how that works out.

I've read that halogens put out 15-20 lumens per watt, so you're right, one of these should be similar to a 15w halogen. But so much whiter light....I can't believe how yellow my halogens look in comparison.

JZ


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

rideandshoot said:


> air temp around 85 degrees F. Tonight I'm riding and it will be more like 93degrees. Hoping the heat doesn't hurt either the 801 or the amoeba...


Wow...your air temps are about double what we've seen here in VT the last few days!

I've noticed no heat problems with the 801. I haven't really been paying attention to heat while riding, but when I reach up to change brightness, I haven't noticed that it's warm at all. And my helmet has not caught on fire. Running it on high mode for 5 minutes, here on the desk with no airflow, it gets warm but not too hot to hold.

JZ


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

I've had a ship time of 8 days on my last 2 shipments.(from the date their tracking site says it leaves Hong Kong).


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## rideandshoot (Dec 18, 2006)

*TF-801 and amoeba flood warm weather report*

Both operated perfectly. It ended up being a little cooler than expected by the time we switched the lights on. Still it was near 90 degrees F and no problems with either. They both got warm, the amoeba was very warm at the top of the longest climb but performance never dropped off at all.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

> *JimZinVt wrote:* ...(I keep seeing the term "pill" being used in reference to something in these led lights, but I'm still not sure what it means....and.. ( about the TR-801 )...I just discovered while sitting here fiddling with it that the front portion of the light can be unscrewed 2 different ways: removing the entire light head, or just removing the lens and reflector, leaving the led unit in place. By unscrewing the reflector section slightly the center spot can be expanded. You can't go far, or you're no longer compressing the rubber o-ring, and the reflector section could rattle itself off while riding. But maybe putting a fatter o-ring on might help keep it snug. I'll have to see what they have at the hardware store....they have a drawer full of o-rings.


Some LED torches have the LED/driver attached to a metal plug that screws into the torch tube. I believe the term "pill" refers to that metal plug. ( if I'm wrong about that someone please correct me ) About moving the reflector....Yes I too noticed the same thing when I was fooling around with my P-7 torch. Because a P-7 torch uses an "orange peel " ( textured ) type reflector, I found that when I unscrewed it a tad I could get a little better center hot spot. Tonight, messing with the torch again, I decided I was going to do some throw comparisons of the P-7 with the reflector in different positions. If I see more throw with the tighter hot spot I'll post some photos. I like your idea of using some more O-rings to lock the position in although I'm not sure that would work on my P-7 torch. My idea was to use some Loc-tite on the threads. I've not tried it yet because I don't know what kind would work best. I also need some for my disc brake levers ( Hayes niners ) to keep the adjustment screw set. When I find the right type I'll be able to kill two birds with one stone.. ...Recommendations anyone?


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## capnstem (May 5, 2006)

Cat-man-do - i think you're right. I have been seen the folks over at CPF refer to the metal plug which typically holds the LED on one side, and a snug fitting driver on the other side a "pill". Having said that, I have seen the metal plug thingy on the other side that typically holds the reverse or forward clicky a "pill" too. Who knows, maybe any metal plug thingy that contains electrical goodies and screws into a torch barrel might be called pills!

I am still kinda new to this stuff too. For instance, I have only worked out what a forward or reverse clicky is in the last month! (and no, the CPF did not have anything to do with the discovery!)


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## sxr-racer (Nov 17, 2005)

Cat-man-do said:


> Some LED torches have the LED/driver attached to a metal plug that screws into the torch tube. I believe the term "pill" refers to that metal plug. ( if I'm wrong about that someone please correct me ) About moving the reflector....Yes I too noticed the same thing when I was fooling around with my P-7 torch. Because a P-7 torch uses an "orange peel " ( textured ) type reflector, I found that when I unscrewed it a tad I could get a little better center hot spot. Tonight, messing with the torch again, I decided I was going to do some throw comparisons of the P-7 with the reflector in different positions. If I see more throw with the tighter hot spot I'll post some photos. I like your idea of using some more O-rings to lock the position in although I'm not sure that would work on my P-7 torch. My idea was to use some Loc-tite on the threads. I've not tried it yet because I don't know what kind would work best. I also need some for my disc brake levers ( Hayes niners ) to keep the adjustment screw set. When I find the right type I'll be able to kill two birds with one stone.. ...Recommendations anyone?


Loctite "Blue" would do fine. Green should be ok also, just do not use the Red.


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## notnormal (Mar 18, 2007)

JimZinVT said:


> But I just ordered (before the TR-801 had arrived) a new 14.4v 5Ah battery pack for the halogens....over-volting them is supposed to dramatically increase their light output. We'll see how that works out.


Going from 12V to 14.4V should see an 85% increase in output of light.



JimZinVT said:


> I've read that halogens put out 15-20 lumens per watt, so you're right, one of these should be similar to a 15w halogen. But so much whiter light....I can't believe how yellow my halogens look in comparison.


That's the thing, the colour/tint of the light. I've read that the eye perceives white/blue better at night then yellow.


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## Johnnydrz (Jul 8, 2005)

*Light color...*

... Actually, I've heard that you needed less power from a yellow light for it to be perceived...That's why the fake HID bulbs (the standard bulbs with a light blue coating) you can buy in car shops, are more than the standard 50/55 watts, in order to compensate for lower visibility.

...That's what I've read !!!

Johnnydrz


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

Well, the wait is going to be long, after ordering on Oct 3rd, with the webpage indicating that they were in stock... I now get a ETA from their Vendor for batteries being 10-13 in Hong Kong, and not until 10-18 for the lights. The charger has shipped, though I'll have nothing to charge in it for another week or more, depending on how much the date slips for delivery of lights and the batteries to run them. 

Do these 18650 batteries come fully charged, half charged, or dead?

Patience.... I think Turveyd and his buddies put a run on these lights. BTW the TR801 5 mode I have on order has shipped, I only placed that order Wednesday afternoon, it Thursday Morning here now. ..


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## notnormal (Mar 18, 2007)

Johnnydrz said:


> ... Actually, I've heard that you needed less power from a yellow light for it to be perceived...That's why the fake HID bulbs (the standard bulbs with a light blue coating) you can buy in car shops, are more than the standard 50/55 watts, in order to compensate for lower visibility.
> 
> ...That's what I've read !!!
> 
> Johnnydrz


Photopic (Daylight vision) - perceives green the best, and then yellow.
Scotopic (Dark adjusted vision) - perceives blue the best.










As for the fake HID bulbs, they're using a blue filter to only allow blue light through. All other wavelengths are absorbed by the filter. This is not the same a true HID bulb that naturally produces light in the blue spectrum.


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## Johnnydrz (Jul 8, 2005)

*Good information!*

Thank you Notnormal !!! I learned something today thanks to you!!! :thumbsup:

Johnnydrz


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## sxr-racer (Nov 17, 2005)

RandyBoy said:


> Well, the wait is going to be long, after ordering on Oct 3rd, with the webpage indicating that they were in stock... I now get a ETA from their Vendor for batteries being 10-13 in Hong Kong, and not until 10-18 for the lights. The charger has shipped, though I'll have nothing to charge in it for another week or more, depending on how much the date slips for delivery of lights and the batteries to run them.
> 
> Patience.... I think Turveyd and his buddies put a run on these lights. BTW the TR801 5 mode I have on order has shipped, I only placed that order Wednesday afternoon, it Thursday Morning here now. ..


Same here for my MTE P7. 10-18


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

notnormal said:


> Going from 12V to 14.4V should see an 85% increase in output of light.


:thumbsup: :rockon:

Whiter too, from what I've read.

JZ


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

*beam shots...not*

My camera has died. So no beam shots from me. Sorry.

I messed around a little more with adjusting the reflector to change the beam. One thing I found is that the lockring that holds the reflector and lens in was loose, which allowed the reflector to move around a lot when I loosened the front part of the housing. Once I tightened down the lockring, I could definitely make the center spot bigger (about twice the normal diameter) by unscrewing the reflector section a turn or so. If I loosen it too far I start to get dark areas in the spot. The spot of course gets dimmer the further it's expanded. I'll have to try this out while riding.

If you want spill, take the reflector section right off....then it's _all_ spill 

JZ


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## PaintPeelinPbody (Feb 3, 2004)

JimZin, 

So what all do you have and what was the total cost for the best setup?

You had said earlier you had two mounted on the bars and one on the helmet. Is that two of the flashlights on the bars or something different?

Can you over-power the Trustfire's for more light?


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

As it is now, the Trustfire is running 1050 to 1100 Mah... it's already at the limit, it's really designed around 700 Mah. Don't send a boy out to do a mans job.


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## manowar669 (May 11, 2007)

How are you guys mounting these to your helmets?


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## pepko (Feb 1, 2008)

*TR-801 is fine ...*

TR-801 Q5 1mode are fine ... I have two of them ...

But I use it with two Aurora AK-P7 and two MXDL with cree R2 leds ...

This is my 2000 lumen setup 

http://forum.fotonmag.cz/index.php?showtopic=139&pid=3423&st=0&#entry3423


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

PaintPeelinPbody said:


> JimZin,
> 
> So what all do you have and what was the total cost for the best setup? You had said earlier you had two mounted on the bars and one on the helmet. Is that two of the flashlights on the bars or something different?


I have one of the 5-mode TR-801s on my hat, and a twin halogen light I bought 13 years ago on my bars. I just ordered a new 5Ah 14.4v battery for the halogens, so they should be getting _way_ brighter next week :thumbsup:

If you scroll up near the top of the first page of this thread, I listed links to the light, batteries, and charger I bought. It came to about $40. But look down further at the post where I reviewed the stuff I got.....the charger is crappy, and I listed a link to another one that someone else suggested.

I wish I had bought 2 more of the 801s for the bars....I think that would be a killer setup. I still might, but I think I'll let the feeding frenzy die down first, and see what my over-volted halogens are like.

Jim Z. in VT


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

2000 lumens.....can you even tell that it's dark out?


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## KanyonKris (Sep 18, 2007)

Cat-man-do said:


> ... Tonight, messing with the torch again, I decided I was going to do some throw comparisons of the P-7 with the reflector in different positions. If I see more throw with the tighter hot spot I'll post some photos. I like your idea of using some more O-rings to lock the position in although I'm not sure that would work on my P-7 torch. My idea was to use some Loc-tite on the threads. I've not tried it yet because I don't know what kind would work best. I also need some for my disc brake levers ( Hayes niners ) to keep the adjustment screw set. When I find the right type I'll be able to kill two birds with one stone.. ...Recommendations anyone?


I used a length of thin (18 gauge) solid conductor electrical wire wrapped around the reflector below the lip as a spacer to widen the beam of my light. Works fine and the cap still screws down far enough to contact to the o-ring so it should seal and be fairly water tight.


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## capnstem (May 5, 2006)

RandyBoy said:


> Do these 18650 batteries come fully charged, half charged, or dead?


Just so happens I checked my last batch of 18650's I got from DX with a mutimeter I also received in the same shipment. They measured around 2.8v. 
Fully charged, the 18650 3.7v 2500mAh trustfire batteries are actually 4.2v.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

How many lumens are these TR801's rated at? I think if I get around 4 to 500 lumens for riding single track and maybe 250 lumens on the 5 mode for riding up the fire roads, I'll be just fine


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

manowar669 said:


> How are you guys mounting these to your helmets?


I use these excellent and inexpensive universal helmet light mounts.

JZ


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

RandyBoy said:


> How many lumens are these TR801's rated at? I think if I get around 4 to 500 lumens for riding single track and maybe 250 lumens on the 5 mode for riding up the fire roads, I'll be just fine


DealExtreme claims 230 lumen on their site. I can't say whether that's an accurate number or not....nothing here to compare to. But I don't think you'll be disappointed....especially with that P7 on your bars!

JZ


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## notnormal (Mar 18, 2007)

RandyBoy said:


> How many lumens are these TR801's rated at? I think if I get around 4 to 500 lumens for riding single track and maybe 250 lumens on the 5 mode for riding up the fire roads, I'll be just fine


You won't get 250 lumens probably closer to 200 lumens. However, the eye perceives light logarithmically so you won't perceive much of a difference between 200 and 250 lumens. However, you do get a longer runtime.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

That's good, I gotta budget time for lighting for emergencies like when I get that inevitable flat at night and need to change out a tube, or go OTB and have to sort things out /assess the damage.


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

Just wanted to post a quick update. I did another night ride with the TR-801 on my helmet. It easily carried me through the 2.25 hour ride using the medium and high settings. Good thing too....my dual-halogen bar light quit after 15 minutes (forgot to charge the battery  )

If you want to try something cool, switch to the strobe setting on a fast, straight section of singletrack surrounded by leafy trees. Remenber that scene in the original Star Wars movie where they made the jump to hyperspace speed? Whoa!....freaky! :thumbsup: 

Randy, are your lights here yet? 

JZ


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

JimZinVT said:


> Just wanted to post a quick update. I did another night ride with the TR-801 on my helmet. It easily carried me through the 2.25 hour ride using the medium and high settings. Good thing too....my dual-halogen bar light quit after 15 minutes (forgot to charge the battery  )
> 
> If you want to try something cool, switch to the strobe setting on a fast, straight section of singletrack surrounded by leafy trees. Remenber that scene in the original Star Wars movie where they made the jump to hyperspace speed? Whoa!....freaky! :thumbsup:
> 
> ...


Well, something arrived today, ordered on 10-05... brackets to mount my lights on the handlebars. It's only 10-18 today.

My 10-8 order should be here by Monday I suppose, for a 5 mode TrustFire 801 they had in stock. But the bread and butter 10-03 order of four 18650 protected batteries, the cheesy charger, and the juicy flaming wall of light P7 900 "C" binned 900 lumen emitter with 5 mode 12060 is.... well, in route I think, making it's way through the maze of customs, and the USPS system... maybe by Tuesday or Wednesday night I have something to run these lights on that's fully charged up.


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## capnstem (May 5, 2006)

manowar669 said:


> How are you guys mounting these to your helmets?


2 bits of cut-up tubes tied together and thru the vents on the helmet. Each torch is wrapped in tube for grip. Not trying to be a tight-arse, it's just I needed something that didn't stick out too far (the other mounts I tried lifted the torches too much and stuck out too far).


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## HuffyPuffy (Jun 9, 2008)

Oops, I removed this since it made no sense in context.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

Yup, TR-801 5 Mode arrived in the mail Monday, 10-20, hopefully 4 batteries and a charger arrive on Wednesday along with the MCE P7, 10-22-08. I can see how it's important to screw the back end all the way tight to make electrical contact with the switched rear end. I'm really surprised how light the whole outfit is going to be for a bike light with battery. Should be just dandy. And a helmet light with no cords dangling around is great too!


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## CathastrophiX (Sep 28, 2008)

Which TR-801 is brighter, the single mode or the 5-mode?


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

I don't have both, so I can't compare brightness. I chose the 5-mode so I could stretch the runtime, and it's working out well. I rode over 2 hours last night, and over an hour the night before. It's still good and bright. The battery is now testing at 3.8v (no load). Right off the charger it's ~4.2v.

JZ


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## Vermont29er (May 27, 2006)

Careful of the grey Trustfire chargers. They work well, but the spring loaded contacts bend really easy, then snap.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

CathastrophiX said:


> Which TR-801 is brighter, the single mode or the 5-mode?


OK, they arrived today... whooo hooo! Broke out the Vaseline and greased/lubed all the threads and O-Rings, much better and smoother. Nice build quality.

On High mode, they are identical, I just did a wall test. For the money, I'd just buy the single mode and be done with it... the 5 mode is kind of a hassle, and the run time will be close to 2.5 or more hours on the single mode. Buy a pair and stick them on your handlebars.

I'm going to round up some O rings to space the reflector farther out from the emitter, to get less throw and more fill. So far, great lights with a powerful power supply that will run a long time.


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

RandyBoy said:


> OK, they arrived today... whooo hooo!


Finally! :thumbsup: Enjoy! ( I have 2 friends waiting on theirs )



> On High mode, they are identical, I just did a wall test. For the money, I'd just buy the single mode and be done with it... the 5 mode is kind of a hassle, and the run time will be close to 2.5 or more hours on the single mode.


I haven't done the math, but that's longer than what I've read. Let us know how long your single mode goes. I've gotten used to the 5-mode....1 tap from high to med., and 4 quick taps back to high. No problem.



> I'm going to round up some O rings to space the reflector farther out from the emitter, to get less throw and more fill.


Let us know how that works too....I thought of that a while ago, but haven't gotten around to trying it.

JZ


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## capnstem (May 5, 2006)

Vermont29er said:


> Careful of the grey Trustfire chargers. They work well, but the spring loaded contacts bend really easy, then snap.


Ultrafire WF-139 :thumbsup:

Love it - works really really well. If u look @ the DX site, you'll see a mod to handle LIR123A rechargeables too


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## notnormal (Mar 18, 2007)

JimZinVT said:


> I haven't done the math, but that's longer than what I've read. Let us know how long your single mode goes.


I have 3 single mode TR-801. They all run at constant output (regulated) for 2 hours. Afterwards, they run for another hour but at diminishing levels.


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## pricecw (Jul 24, 2008)

OK, I just ended up with a few Trustfire TR-801s, and a drop in for a Surefire I have. Went out this evening and shot some beamshots

lights -- https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13095
batteries -- https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.3287
charger -- https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.6105
drop in for Surefire -- https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11836

All shots with a Canon A570 IS manually set @ 6 sec, f4.0, ISO 100, daylight WB

These are somewhat dimmer than they appeared to the eye, but pretty good.
The white papers on dowels are at 25 paces, 50 paces, 75 paces, 100 paces and 150 paces (the 75 pace one is set about a foot lower, dowel broke).

Clicking on any image should get the large pic up.

First, a HF 9 LED flashlight -1x


Next, the Surefire G2 with a P60 head in it (65 Lumen)


Next, the Surefire G2 with the DX R2 head


Now onto the TR-801 (1x)


TR-801 (2x)


TR-801 (3x)


TR-801 (4x)


Hope this helps anyone thinking of these, I feel I could get off a hill slowly with one of these lights, with the 4, it looked like I would feel comfortable out to about 150yds seeing things, with excellent close in viewing.

--Carl


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

> When I first got mine and installed the battery it was flickering. I found that the rear cap really needed to be tightened down firmly to make good electrical contact.


The flickering came back when I changed the battery a few days ago, and tightening didn't help much. I poked around a little on the DX forums, and found a fix: I took a sharp drywall screw (any sharp steel object will do) and carefully traced my way along the threads on the rear end cap, scratching off the gray anodizing (but not f-ing up the threads!). That apparently makes for a better electrical pathway....it's bright and steady again.

JZ


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## qdave (Jun 5, 2007)

I finally rode my mountain bike with the TR-801 last night. Strapped it to my helmet with the sku 12000 velcro mount, but I still rode with two other bar lights (triple P4 + HID).
Very impressed with the output. My two friends had L&M Stella 200's and the light output from the TR-801 was almost identicle, including the spread. Light ran for maybe 1.5 hours with the Trustfire 2500mah battery before starting to dim. I carried a spare battery, but was trying to do a run-time test.
I just ordered a 5-mode TR-801 so I can try it on the medium mode for longer burn time. These will make good climbing lights and are small and light enough to carry as a back-up light.


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## pricecw (Jul 24, 2008)

Also, check the retaining ring for the switch, one of mine was very loose, and would kind of flicker, mostly off. Tightened this solid, and it seems to have fixed it very well. Looks like that makes the ground connection with the switch.

--Carl


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## capnstem (May 5, 2006)

pricecw said:


> OK, I just ended up with a few Trustfire TR-801s, and a drop in for a Surefire I have. Went out this evening and shot some beamshots


Outstanding! :thumbsup:

I don't have to see that far in front. Our terrain here is semi-tropical with trails that are almost non existent. But it is awesome to see what 4 x tr-801's will do. I can see how it would help with more fast paced trail riding.


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

JimZinVT said:


> The flickering came back when I changed the battery a few days ago, and tightening didn't help much. I poked around a little on the DX forums, and found a fix: I took a sharp drywall screw (any sharp steel object will do) and carefully traced my way along the threads on the rear end cap, scratching off the gray anodizing (but not f-ing up the threads!). That apparently makes for a better electrical pathway....it's bright and steady again.


I just wanted to clarify what I wrote above: the threads I removed the anodizing from were those at the rear of the main flashlight body; the threads in the end cap were already bare unanodized aluminum.

JZ


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## rideandshoot (Dec 18, 2006)

*Issue with trustfire 801*

I had my first problem with my 801 single mode. I moved it from helmet mount to the bar. I'm not sure why but it flikered and went out several times. I have cleaned the threads and shortened the tail cap a bit (I read somewhere that this helps). Tried it for a short ride tonight an didn't have a problem. Should I try cleaning the anodizing off of the threads for the light head too?


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

It couldn't hurt. I was going to do the front too, when I cleaned the rear threads, but I can't get the front to unscrew.  But it's worked fine since I cleaned the rear threads. 

The other thing to check is that the lockring that holds the switch inside the tailcap is tightened down snugly. 

JZ


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

Q5 vs P4 Beam Shot comparisons.

Try tightening up the retainer ring inside the tailcap that retains the clicky switch. I just straight out and use a paper clip to tighten up the retainer ring, works fine if you have a large paperclip.

I just received 3 TR-801's yesterday...12-04-08. Crappy brightness on all of them, short on the amount of lumens, and all of them have a greenish tint, whereas my first two were white as white can be and probably 40% brighter. Their QC has gone to hell before Christmas, and the color of the reels they are getting suck. The ones I got in October were far brighter and better in whiteness and color.

Two of them, every time you remove the battery, you need to get in there with the end of a paper clip to re tighten the clicky switch retainer ring. QC passed, my butt. Frustrating.

1.










2.










3.










All of these pictures feature my original TR- 801 TrustFrie Single mode on the left, the new flashlights, samples 1, 2 and 3 on the right.

I'm of the opinion they loaded these up with P4 emitters and not Q5, right before the holidays.

_Edit_

OK, I opened them up and this is what a Q5 emitter looks like... it says "Cree" quite clearly on the pill and on the mounting board.










another view










The Q5 on the left, and the pseudo Q5's on the other three TR-801s, with the black mounting boards. Looks like TrustFire has pulled a switcharoo.










A comparison of the emitters on the boards side by side, white on left Q5, black P4 or whatever on the right.










The 3 posers that aren't with Q5 emitters that they shipped me.










Check your emitters and send them back to Deal Extreme and let them deal with TrustFires POS emitters that aren't Q5's as stated in their ad.


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## Pedal/Paddle (Nov 3, 2005)

RandyBoy said:


> I just received 3 TR-801's yesterday...12-04-08. Crappy brightness on all of them, short on the amount of lumens, and all of them have a greenish tint, whereas my first two were white as white can be and probably 40% brighter. Their QC has gone to hell before Christmas, and the color of the reels they are getting suck. The ones I got in October were far brighter and better in whiteness and color.
> 
> Two of them, every time you remove the battery, you need to get in there with the end of a paper clip to re tighten the clicky switch retainer ring. QC passed, my butt. Frustrating.


Wow, that stinks. I've been on the fence about ordering a pair of 5 modes, protected cells, and a charger for a commuting set up. Whatcha gonna do? I have read alot about DX slow shipping and QC issues but can't recall anyone mentioning if they were able to return/exchange stuff. Didn't even think about the Xmas rush aspect, guess I will wait till January.


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## sxr-racer (Nov 17, 2005)

get the MTE P7 12060.


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## Pedal/Paddle (Nov 3, 2005)

sxr-racer said:


> get the MTE P7 12060.


Yeah, I would love to have a pair of P7's, but they are 2X the cost. I know, I know, you get what you pay for. But I have still have to factor in: 2 PB Superflash, Reflexilite (sp?) tape, ankle bands, vest, Hi-vis jacket, rack and trunk bag. And the budget is spread pretty thin already so every penny counts.

Anyone have any info on these:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.16241

Figures that there aren't any reviews. R2 seems like a good emitter from what I have read.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

Pedal/Paddle said:


> Wow, that stinks. I've been on the fence about ordering a pair of 5 modes, protected cells, and a charger for a commuting set up. Whatcha gonna do? I have read alot about DX slow shipping and QC issues but can't recall anyone mentioning if they were able to return/exchange stuff. Didn't even think about the Xmas rush aspect, guess I will wait till January.


I've asked to return them and have them replaced. They sent me to the "forum" there at DX to see if I could find a fix. The fix is proper emitters.

I think TrustFire just threw in some old P4 emitters they had laying around. I shouldn't have to disassemble and reassemble lights to get them to work properly. More hassle than it's worth. The TR801s I ordered in October work perfectly right out of the package.


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## E Sherman (Jan 11, 2007)

I think I may have the same issue. Got a Trustfire 801 about a week ago based on reviews here and on other forums. I was pretty disappointed with the output. Not at all what I expected from the reviews, but I don't have another one to compare it to. I guess I'll try for a refund or exchange.


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

That's a bummer. I assume you guys have tried the usual fixes....scraping the threads, cleaning battery contact points, tightening the lockrings, tightening the hell out of both ends. Very disappointing. 

JZ


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## dogstar (Dec 16, 2005)

*suspect trustfires*



JimZinVT said:


> That's a bummer. I assume you guys have tried the usual fixes....scraping the threads, cleaning battery contact points, tightening the lockrings, tightening the hell out of both ends. Very disappointing.
> 
> JZ


That is a bummer -- mine just hit "packaging" today and I now have a feeling I'm going to get a bum unit, too. I'm expecting something in the range of my Home Depot /Husky 200 lumen 2D light saber style light. Is that about right?


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

dogstar said:


> That is a bummer -- mine just hit "packaging" today and I now have a feeling I'm going to get a bum unit, too. I'm expecting something in the range of my Home Depot /Husky 200 lumen 2D light saber style light. Is that about right?


Open the head end of the light, and remove only the lense, reflector and head, fore of the chrome ringed pill. If you have a white washer stuck to the emitter board, instead of stuck to the reflector, carefully, without damaging it, pry it up with a pin or a needle. You should have a "Cree" logo on a white emitter board if you got the Q5 emitters. If it's on a black board and doesn't say anything at all at the top of the notched side, they gave you something else besides a Q5 emitter. All of my October orders had honest to god Q5 emitters... Trustfire is pulling a bait and switch on us and we need to let Deal Extreme know that this is not acceptable. Open them up and show them pictures. I will get a picture of a Q5 from my good lights.

JimnVT, can you open your trustfire 801's and take a picture of inside the pill of the emitter in Macro mode with a digital camera?


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

RandyBoy said:


> JimnVT, can you open your trustfire 801's and take a picture of inside the pill of the emitter in Macro mode with a digital camera?


Sorry, I can't....camera is broken. But mine has a 14mm round white board that says cree in tiny letters near one edge. This one is from a Sept. order, and it's still working great....I just got in from a ride 



RandyBoy said:


> If it's on a black board and doesn't say anything at all at the top of the notched side, they gave you something else besides a Q5 emitter.


I'm not sure that's necessarily true. Different vendors might be mounting genuine Q5 emitters on various boards. I just received a dozen Q5 stars in the mail the other day. One batch are on black 20mm stars marked "cree xre 7090". The other set are on round white 16mm unlabeled boards. While the boards are different, the emitters look absolutely identical on both. DX also sells them on square 14mm boards.

But surely something is not right with your lights. Could be the led, the driver, bad connections somewhere, high resistance somewhere in the electrical path...who knows. I'd definitely talk to DX about a replacement.

JZ


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## dogstar (Dec 16, 2005)

Mine went to "shipped" tonight. I'll check back with status in ? maybe a couple weeks?


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## pricecw (Jul 24, 2008)

Just a thought, check your order and make sure your SKU ordered isn't 14712
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14712

That is a p4 3mode TR-801.

These are the two that list the Q5
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13095
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.15335

I say this, because I almost clicked and ordered the P4 version when I ordered mine.

--Carl


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

> Originally posted by *RandyBoy*...I think TrustFire just threw in some old P4 emitters they had laying around. I shouldn't have to disassemble and reassemble lights to get them to work properly. More hassle than it's worth. The TR801s I ordered in October work perfectly right out of the package.


I've been following the the last series of post on the TR801's. I'm not so sure that the problem is that the LED is not a Cree Q-5. I have a couple torches that are using Cree P-4's. I know that they are P-4's but one was noticeably brighter until I starting doing all the stuff that *JimVinVT* mentioned. Both look about the same now..( thanks Jim ) From the photos you gave I see little difference in the LED's themselves. After looking carefully at the P-4's I have, I can't really say I could tell the difference between them and the Q-5's or R-2's just by looking at them. None of the emitters have anything written on the actually LED or star board. I know that the boards on your torches are different. That only proves that the board is different then the original. _Another possibility is that the Q-5 LED's are different bins than what was originally used._ _In my opinion I think this the most probable case for the difference in brightness._ A while back I ordered a Cree R-2 drop-in for one of my torches. It was quite bright and I was very impressed. Others have ordered the same drop-in through D/X and reported a much diminished brightness. Once again, it might have been a difference in bin or a difference in *driver ( *in case of the drop-in's ). Once again quality control and lack of specification in the D/X ads is a problem. It would be nice if D/X would test, guaranty and list the lumen output of all their torches on their specification lists.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

pricecw said:


> Just a thought, check your order and make sure your SKU ordered isn't 14712
> http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14712
> 
> That is a p4 3mode TR-801.
> ...


I ordered single mode Q5 emitters, Qty 3 sku13095

That's what I'm thinking.... they put those p4 emitters in the Q5 spec. flashlights to get rid of them. Few new to LED flashlight customers would know the difference, unless they compared them side by side, or even better, went for a night ride with a real Q5. I've never seen the sku 14712 on backorder, it is always in stock.... that's not the case with the Q5 models TR801's, they state "ships in 3 to 5 days" or more than likely "on Backorder until such a date.". I've a feeling that Trustfire can't sell or move the P4 LED Cree flashlights,

The lights I got in December are beyond duds, they are completely unacceptable. The two I got in October with real Cree Q5s were at or very close to the 230 rated lumens claimed in the ads.

I've done all the thread scraping, tightening, shorting the battery to the housing to eliminate the switch as a culprit. I even switched pills, putting the good Q5 pills in each new body and switch, and through the process of elimination,even putting the new emitters in my October bodies, and the results of the pills from the new lights is the same, sub standard performance. Which is why I believe they switched out the emitters and stuffed the new lights with P4's.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

Well, I noticed down at the bottom where people ask questions on this sku13095, that someone else ordered 3 of these lights, and that the shrinkwrap was labeled "P4", when he ordered Q5 lights. This was back in early October... so, I 'm wondering if the same was done to me, because I also ordered 3 lights at the same time in November. However, my bubble pack was not labeled P4. I am certain, however, that that was the contents in my order... it was so lacking in power and brightness... Someone over there at Trust Fire or Deal Extreme is pulling a fast one when you order a quantity of 3 lights and they give you the price break on them with the $3.75 off total for the three light.


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## Rock Climber (Jul 25, 2007)

RandyBoy said:


> Well, I noticed down at the bottom where people ask questions on this sku13095, that someone else ordered 3 of these lights, and that the shrinkwrap was labeled "P4", when he ordered Q5 lights. This was back in early October... so, I 'm wondering if the same was done to me, because I also ordered 3 lights at the same time in November. However, my bubble pack was not labeled P4. I am certain, however, that that was the contents in my order... it was so lacking in power and brightness... Someone over there at Trust Fire or Deal Extreme is pulling a fast one when you order a quantity of 3 lights and they give you the price break on them with the $3.75 off total for the three light.


I just got my on Saturday haven't had a chance to ride with it yet, but from my limited garage test it seemed white, not the green that your new one showed. I'll take it apart tonight and see what my emitter board says. Not sure if it makes a difference, but I ordered the 5 mode regulated one http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.15335.

That really does suck if DX is giving people lesser quality if you order the 3 pack. Keep us posted on what DX does for you.


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## pricecw (Jul 24, 2008)

Sounds bad if they are getting swapped out. I got my 4 with 4 larger 5-mode R2 lights, so I am confident that I got the TR-801 with the Q5 (compare favorably to the R2 lights).

I wanted to get some more of the TR-801s, may put it off for a bit though. These are a great size light to carry while out.

--Carl


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## Johnnydrz (Jul 8, 2005)

Just want to let you guys know that I ordered 2 of the 5-mode 801's back in November while they were B/O. I got delivery last week finally (I'm in Canada) and I just opened both up and can confirm that I have 2 Cree's. I'm happy !!! These 2 are going on my helmet while I will be using 2 P7's on my handlebars. 

Johnnydrz


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

Rock Climber said:


> I just got my on Saturday haven't had a chance to ride with it yet, but from my limited garage test it seemed white, not the green that your new one showed. I'll take it apart tonight and see what my emitter board says. Not sure if it makes a difference, but I ordered the 5 mode regulated one http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.15335.
> 
> That really does suck if DX is giving people lesser quality if you order the 3 pack. Keep us posted on what DX does for you.


Sent them all back to their return facility in Miami FL.

See my post above with the pictures. Get back to us with maybe a macro picture of what yours looks like on the inside. thanks.

The Q5 is really a remarkable LED, 2 of them should provide about 400 lumens, 3 of them about 600. They are pretty damn bright. I find the medium mode on my 5 mode is plenty, without getting the head hot or being overdriven.

It may very well be that someone is doing the switchero, as the P4 3 mode may be regulated via the tailpiece so you just can swap tailpieces and have a 3 mode Q5 instead of the 3 mode P4, but the 5 mode, had the driver and PWM circuitry located back behind the emitter on the pill, so you'd be screwed if you swapped out the tail piece on a 5 mode with a 3 mode tail piece, and would turn it into a 15 mode pain in the butt.

Interestingly, all of the pills and heads on these 3 TR801's were not tightened down nearly as tight as those in my October order. The Chromed pills were barely hand tightened. I tightened them up before testing, as well as lubing with vaseline the orings and threads on all of them. I don't know who is doing the switchero, but somebody is and knows what they are doing, I believe.


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## kgardnez (Jan 31, 2004)

Will the TrustFire TR-801 fit the TrustFire Protected 18650 Lithium Battery?
Nevermind, I see in the 5-mode reviews where someone states they fit fine.


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## pricecw (Jul 24, 2008)

Just to follow up, I have the protected 18650's in mine.

--Carl


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

Johnnydrz said:


> Just want to let you guys know that I ordered 2 of the 5-mode 801's back in November while they were B/O. I got delivery last week finally (I'm in Canada) and I just opened both up and can confirm that I have 2 Cree's. I'm happy !!! These 2 are going on my helmet while I will be using 2 P7's on my handlebars.
> 
> Johnnydrz


I don't think the 5 modes are an issue, it's the single mode Q5's that are getting messed up or swapped out or hijacked or whatever it is that someone, somewhere is screwing up on the build and not checking or testing the product output.


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## momentum... (Dec 14, 2007)

I ordered two of the five modes on Friday 28 November and they arrived yesterday. Both white boards with cree written on them. I expect that this was a packaging mistake, rather than a fraud attempt. At the price DX are knocking them out for I doubt it would be worthwhile!


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

Randy, I just came across your beamshot comparisons further up the thread, and I'd say the dramatic difference in brightness is more than the difference between a P4 and a Q5. I was just reading on CPF that the eye can not discern a 10% difference in brightness, which is about the difference between a P4 and Q5. That looks like way more than a 10% difference in yours. Who knows what the problem is, but hopefully they'll send you some bright new ones :thumbsup: 

JZ


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

momentum... said:


> I ordered two of the five modes on Friday 28 November and they arrived yesterday. Both white boards with cree written on them. I expect that this was a packaging mistake, rather than a fraud attempt. At the price DX are knocking them out for I doubt it would be worthwhile!


If it was a packaging mistake, they'd be 3 mode clicky P4 emitters TR-801 models with a high, low and a SOS mode that I'd receive...not single mode P4.

Interestingly, all of the pills on all three lights were barely finger tight in the bodies.... the orders I got in October required vice grips to get the pills loose from the body. This is why I believe they were tampered with.

The 5 mode Q5 is not in the clicky, it's in the pill, with just an on/off switch in the clicky. The 5 mode pill won't work with a 3 mode clicky tailpiece, you'd end up with 15 modes. So the 5 modes can't really be tampered with, they never made a 5 mode P4 TR-801.

The P4's just aren't on back order or selling well since the Q5 versions came out.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

JimZinVT said:


> Randy, I just came across your beamshot comparisons further up the thread, and I'd say the dramatic difference in brightness is more than the difference between a P4 and a Q5. I was just reading on CPF that the eye can not discern a 10% difference in brightness, which is about the difference between a P4 and Q5. That looks like way more than a 10% difference in yours. Who knows what the problem is, but hopefully they'll send you some bright new ones :thumbsup:
> 
> JZ


The day they arrived, I put 3 hot off the charger batteries in them and left on a ride around sunset. 45 minutes in to the ride, I turn all 3 of them on, and I'm in disbelief at how poor the amount of light is coming out of them onto the trail. I was 8 miles in when I made that wonderful discovery. When I swapped the pills out on good bodies/tailswitch assemblies and the light coming out was still poor, that's when I went in to check the emitters and found out things weren't what they should be. P4's are 150 lumens rated, Q5's are 230 lumen. It was very noticeable on the trail... 3 of these wasn't even close to the amount of light from 2 Q5's TR801s, it was poorly illuminated, I had to go really slow, I just couldn't see. I don't think I even had a full 250 or 300 lumens.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

*RandyBoy*, Something I just noticed while looking at the D/X web site, they sell the Q-5 emitters separately. They have one mounted on a white round board ( like your good one ) and they have one sold on a black star board as well ( marketed as a "premium emitter" 228lm ). This might not be the fault of D/X. It could be they just got a lousy lot of Q-5's in their last order. If the one's on the black star boards are Q-5's they should be better than the ones on the white. :skep: I do agree with you though that the output on those torches look very much like what is seen with the P-4. At this point I suppose you could send them all back or see if D/X will send you some of the white boarded Q-5's and you do the mod yourself *or* maybe you could request that D/X do the refit(?) It might take a while to get them back but at least you would get what you wanted.


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## k4rma (Nov 30, 2008)

This might be an odd question, but does the tail/cap screw onto the head without the body in the middle. I see a lot of these lights and think if they would screw together that way it could make a really compact light with a wire ran to an external pack. More like 3 heads and 1 pack. Just curious. tyia


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

Cat-man-do said:


> *RandyBoy*, Something I just noticed while looking at the D/X web site, they sell the Q-5 emitters separately. They have one mounted on a white round board ( like your good one ) and they have one sold on a black star board as well ( marketed as a "premium emitter" 228lm ). This might not be the fault of D/X. It could be they just got a lousy lot of Q-5's in their last order. If the one's on the black star boards are Q-5's they should be better than the ones on the white. :skep: I do agree with you though that the output on those torches look very much like what is seen with the P-4. At this point I suppose you could send them all back or see if D/X will send you some of the white boarded Q-5's and you do the mod yourself *or* maybe you could request that D/X do the refit(?) It might take a while to get them back but at least you would get what you wanted.


I've asked them to cancel my order. Once they do that and issue me a credit for return shipping, I'll probably go ahead and order three of the 5 mode lights.

The time it takes to do business with them over the emails and internet when someone in the chain of build, supply, and sell screws up takes the patience of a Saint, something I don't have a lot of.


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## momentum... (Dec 14, 2007)

Just a quick update on my 5 mode light which is that the mode choice is quite erratic. It's meant to go hi>med>low>strobe>flash, but mine sometimes goes to strobe too quickly and misses out flash altogether. Not the end of the world but a bit of a pain. It would be great of they made one that just did high>medium>low as the flashing modes are pretty pointless for most people.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

momentum... said:


> Just a quick update on my 5 mode light which is that the mode choice is quite erratic. It's meant to go hi>med>low>strobe>flash, but mine sometimes goes to strobe too quickly and misses out flash altogether. Not the end of the world but a bit of a pain. It would be great of they made one that just did high>medium>low as the flashing modes are pretty pointless for most people.


Have you contacted DealExtreme about this with a suggestion?


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## momentum... (Dec 14, 2007)

No I haven't, but it's a good idea!


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

momentum... said:


> It would be great of they made one that just did high>medium>low as the flashing modes are pretty pointless for most people.


The next time you're lost at sea you're going to be glad you have that SOS mode  
That's a common complaint both here and on the DX forum. But I guess the flashlight fanatics dig all the crazy modes, so they keep building them like that.



Cat-man-do said:


> They have one mounted on a white round board ( like your good one )


Cat-man, I just bought a half-dozen of those Q5s on the 16mm round white board....they're not exactly the same as the ones in my TR-801. But they are bright. I did a side-by-side "white wall" comparison last night, my TR-801 on high vs. one of those Q5s, driven by the cheap DX driver, through the cheap DX cree narrow optic. It was slightly brighter than my 801, with a similar beam. I also have some of the black ones on the "premium star". Not sure what makes the star "premium"....it is thicker aluminum than the 16mm round, and has more solder points. But the light output is the same, to my eye.

JZ


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

My TR801 only has an "SO" mode, it's missing the last S now.


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## qdave (Jun 5, 2007)

Just for the record, I got a 1-mode TR-801 in November that works great with very white light. Ordered a 5-mode which I received last week and it is a bit dimmer than the previous 1-mode, plus the color is a bit orangish(?). This light was delayed by the back-order that DX had. Maybe Trustfire had issues getting a decent batch of Q5's. Bad contact quality when threading on the head on the 5-mode as well, but that is patched now with a little solder.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

qdave said:


> Just for the record, I got a 1-mode TR-801 in November that works great with very white light. Ordered a 5-mode which I received last week and it is a bit dimmer than the previous 1-mode, plus the color is a bit orangish(?). This light was delayed by the back-order that DX had. Maybe Trustfire had issues getting a decent batch of Q5's. Bad contact quality when threading on the head on the 5-mode as well, but that is patched now with a little solder.


I got a 1 mode and a 5 mode that I ordered back in October, that were white and bright as can be. I am very happy with them... but it seems their vendor may have cheaped out and bought a huge bin of cheap, off color reels of LED's. I get the feeling perhaps Deal Extreme gets good product when it first comes out as a new model from TrustFire, the reviews get written up as how wonderful they are, they get burried in backorders and then TrustFire subtitutes lesser quality/lower priced or inferior emitters later on down the line to boost profits.

I've got three 5 modes on order now... if they arrive and the color and brightness don't match my existing TR801's Q5's lumen and color output, they will go back again to Deal Extreme. I refuse to pay for misrepresented goods of inferior quality, when there's lots of good emitters out there.


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## Rock Climber (Jul 25, 2007)

I know you have already sent your bad batch back to DX, but just for the record I opened up mine TR 801 last night and my emitter board was white and said cree on the top, looked exactly like the good one you posted. 

I really want an SSC P7, but I am leery of the issues people have with DX. I am fairly mechanically inclined, but haven't dealt much with electronics and I am not interested in basically fixing all of the QC issues when I get a brand new flashlight. I would prefer it to work out of the box, but I guess when a light that bright is so cheap I can't expect the quality of Dinotte or L&M.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

I have not heard of any issues for the P7 lights. Clean the threads up if need be and call it good. Myself, I think 3 Q5's in the single mode TR801 provides more light and more running time than a single P7. The problem with the P7, while a great light, is that it does not have good reflectors to redirect the light of a 4 square emitter, so you don't get a lot of good forward projection. This is fine if you want a big flood light. Deal Extreme, if you get screwed by them is time consuming in the sense that you will be going back and forth by email, a day at a time to resolve it.

Right now, I don't trust TrustFire or Deal Extreme on the single mode TR801's, so I ordered 5 modes to replace the three single modes that they screwed up. We'll just have to wait and see on the quality of the emitters, hope they are good on the 5 modes.

I've ordered the 5 mode TT801's today, 12-11-08... a month after my original order


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## jmk999 (Oct 18, 2006)

Three weeks after placing the order, my two single mode TR 801s arrived. And while torrential rains have prevented a real field test (I have checked runtime and compared light output), I'd say it was worth the wait. (the same wait - by the way - I've experienced on my two previous DX orders).

My aresnal of bike lights now includes: (2) TR 801s; (1) 8-Mode SSC P7; (1) Fenix L2D QE and a Cygolite Dualcross 200. And while each system has its virtues, of the four, the TR 801s represent the best combination of usable light, runtime and cost effectiveness.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

jmk999 said:


> Three weeks after placing the order, my two single mode TR 801s arrived. And while torrential rains have prevented a real field test (I have checked runtime and compared light output), I'd say it was worth the wait. (the same wait - by the way - I've experienced on my two previous DX orders).
> 
> My aresnal of bike lights now includes: (2) TR 801s; (1) 8-Mode SSC P7; (1) Fenix L2D QE and a Cygolite Dualcross 200. And while each system has its virtues, of the four, the TR 801s represent the best combination of usable light, runtime and cost effectiveness.


Would it be too much trouble to ask you to get a couple pictures of the emitters in your single mode TR-801's and post them here? Also the date of your order and the date they arrived? Thanks! I'm hoping it's just me and trying to narrow the time frame down that Deal Extreme was sending out bum emittered lights.


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## GeeTeeOhh (Sep 19, 2006)

*S-o-s-o-s-o*



RandyBoy said:


> My TR801 only has an "SO" mode, it's missing the last S now.


I received one of thes TR801's - it too sends an "SO" message from day 1.

Other than that, I love the light, great spot, extremely bright with none of the issues mentioned above.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

Well, my 5 modes were in shown as "in stock" December 11th, now it's December 16th, still has not shipped. Must be a Chinese holiday of some sort, or something in Hong Kong going on.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

It's 12-24-08... I ordered 3 of the TR801 5 modes, paid seperately for them and now I'm reading that they have switched out the driver on the 5 modes and they aren't running more than 700 mah, and are now less bright than the single mode. 

And I've still not been refunded for my 3 lights from 11-11-08 after having to place a new order for 3 more 5 mode TR-801's. The people there at Deal Extreme keep stalling in refunding my money. I think I'm done doing business with them for flashlights for a while. Their idea of a timely refund and how they handle defective product returns from their vendor is weak sauce. Really, I blame this all on TrustFire... they seem to like to get good new product out, build a name for it with good reviews, then milk it when they switch emitters or drivers out with non performing or less expensive ones that aren't selling well. They do a "product dump" on Americans.


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## HuffyPuffy (Jun 9, 2008)

RandyBoy said:


> It's 12-24-08... I ordered 3 of the TR801 5 modes, paid seperately for them and now I'm reading that they have switched out the driver on the 5 modes and they aren't running more than 700 mah, and are now less bright than the single mode.
> 
> And I've still not been refunded for my 3 lights from 11-11-08 after having to place a new order for 3 more 5 mode TR-801's. The people there at Deal Extreme keep stalling in refunding my money. I think I'm done doing business with them for flashlights for a while. Their idea of a timely refund and how they handle defective product returns from their vendor is weak sauce. Really, I blame this all on TrustFire... they seem to like to get good new product out, build a name for it with good reviews, then milk it when they switch emitters or drivers out with non performing or less expensive ones that aren't selling well. They do a "product dump" on Americans.


That sounds about right for DX, however in my experience, they do eventually send a refund. It may be simpler to get an exchange, though if you have asked for a refund I would not do that now (no need to confuse the issue). You just need to keep on them and if they don't answer your support case, open a new one and reference the last one, but keep track of everything (I also summarized the last case in the new case I opened just to "help" the CS folks understand the issue). Eventually they will refund - and if that does not work, complain to PayPal. With all that said, I will still buy from DX since they are cheap and are not a true customer service black hole (just a customer service labyrinth). Good luck with your quest :thumbsup:

The 801 still sounds like a neat light, though it needs to be priced lower if they have changed it, then I would just swap the driver and emitters to bring it back to it's former glory.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

I want to make clear I am very satisfied with the lights I ordered in early October and received in November. They are what Deal Extreme represented them to be, true Q5 emitters that delivered as specified and manufactured by Trust Fire. But TrustFire is now not to be trusted with having any standards of consistency in their builds, or Quality Standards, and are the ones making Deal Extremes position of marketing them an accounting/crediting nightmare.


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## dogstar (Dec 16, 2005)

I got my five mode about four days ago. It seems bright, but not oh-wow bright. I've been using a new version 50 Lumen PT EOS and while the light is brighter than that, it's not 4+times better. In rough comparison with my 200 lumen Husky 2D, it seems slightly less bright. It's hard to tell because the Husky is a pencil-beam thrower and the TR-801 is a much wider pattern. Still it seems less bright. 

Your info about a driver change makes me wonder if I got hit by this. So, how to I measure what it's being driven at? If they changed it but sold me it to be based on previous specs, I'm not sure I want to keep it -- or I want a new driver or something. 

I was kind of hoping this could be my only light for daily road commutes, but I feel like I might need one more light. I'm a tad disappointed with the light and with DX.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

For daily road commutes, I would recommend a minimum of two Q5 lights on the bar and one on the helmet, that should get about 550 to 600 lumens out front and give you 3 batteries,/ lights with 2.5 hours of run time. The 2 on the bars should have an extra O ring installed by you, to open up the beam and make it more floody, so those to the sides of you can see your lights, while the 3rd light should not get an extra O ring and should be mounted on top of your helmet.


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## dogstar (Dec 16, 2005)

RandyBoy said:


> For daily road commutes, I would recommend a minimum of two Q5 lights on the bar and one on the helmet....


Actually, I've been doing this with first a 25 lumen PT EOS on blinkie (then upgraded to the 50 lumen version) and a 1W crappy luxeon mounted on my front basket and it's been fine. The commute is in city with streetlights almost the whole way so it's more of an issue of being seen. I was hoping for 200 lumens of laser beam on the helmet for getting the attention of distracted drivers -- right now that beam seems not much more impressive than the Eos.

My main issue is whether or not the DX lights are delivering what they promise, or at least delivering what they have been delivering for others for the past few months. I'll figure out how to measure what the light is being driven at and go from there.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

dogstar said:


> Actually, I've been doing this with first a 25 lumen PT EOS on blinkie (then upgraded to the 50 lumen version) and a 1W crappy luxeon mounted on my front basket and it's been fine. The commute is in city with streetlights almost the whole way so it's more of an issue of being seen. I was hoping for 200 lumens of laser beam on the helmet for getting the attention of distracted drivers -- right now that beam seems not much more impressive than the Eos.
> 
> My main issue is whether or not the DX lights are delivering what they promise, or at least delivering what they have been delivering for others for the past few months. I'll figure out how to measure what the light is being driven at and go from there.


I have no experience using these lights commuting... it's far too dangerous to commute on a bike around Los Angeles when half the drivers here are illegal aliens with no drivers education, no drivers license, no insurance, and no concept of accountability for their actions when they hit someone when drunk. Their standard operating procedure after an accident is to leave the country and go back to Mexico, where they can't get caught. Gotta be a cager with a big one here in LA to survive, driving anything on the streets is a contact sport, with no referees or judges around.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

HuffyPuffy said:


> That sounds about right for DX, however in my experience, they do eventually send a refund. It may be simpler to get an exchange, though if you have asked for a refund I would not do that now (no need to confuse the issue). You just need to keep on them and if they don't answer your support case, open a new one and reference the last one, but keep track of everything (I also summarized the last case in the new case I opened just to "help" the CS folks understand the issue). Eventually they will refund - and if that does not work, complain to PayPal. With all that said, I will still buy from DX since they are cheap and are not a true customer service black hole (just a customer service labyrinth). Good luck with your quest :thumbsup:
> 
> The 801 still sounds like a neat light, though it needs to be priced lower if they have changed it, then I would just swap the driver and emitters to bring it back to it's former glory.


Yeah, I've saved all the documentation, but they still haven't given me a refund back yet after 2 weeks. The girl said they are having a flood of returns before the holidays and that they are swamped. They might not be swamped with emails and wasting their time answering them and typing if they'd just issue the credit to my PayPal account.

What a waste of time... The idiots closed out the ticket before they issued me the credit back... so I had to open up a new ticket. PIA dealing with them... I had to tell the girl to reopen a claim, that I hadn't received my credit yet. She did half the job, issued me a credit of $1.70 for one small item, and closed the ticket for the refund of the balance on the same order for $53 for qty of 3 of the flashlights.

Still waiting.... 2 weeks and counting.


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## mwmtb (Sep 7, 2008)

Can't believe customer service is so horrible! I received my 2 TrustFire TR-801 Cree Q5-WC 5-Mode Memory 230-Lumen LED Flashlight (1*18650) after 4 weeks. Went on my first night ride tonight(just around town to test the light on my helmet). It worked great! Now I just need to figure out a diy bar-mount. I ordered the Fenix mount from DealExtreme at the same time and every week it gets a new pending date. I sent a message to cancel that part today but I'll be calling on Monday. Good luck with the rest of your return. It shouldn't be that hard to get a $53 refund! Insane!



RandyBoy said:


> Yeah, I've saved all the documentation, but they still haven't given me a refund back yet after 2 weeks. The girl said they are having a flood of returns before the holidays and that they are swamped. They might not be swamped with emails and wasting their time answering them and typing if they'd just issue the credit to my PayPal account.
> 
> What a waste of time... The idiots closed out the ticket before they issued me the credit back... so I had to open up a new ticket. PIA dealing with them... I had to tell the girl to reopen a claim, that I hadn't received my credit yet. She did half the job, issued me a credit of $1.70 for one small item, and closed the ticket for the refund of the balance on the same order for $53 for qty of 3 of the flashlights.
> 
> Still waiting.... 2 weeks and counting.


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

I ordered a 5Mode and compared to my fancy Q5 1200ma runs on a 18650 it's down hugely on power and focusing. 

Just tie the light on MWMTB with some inner tube works better than great.


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

mwmtb said:


> Now I just need to figure out a diy bar-mount.


Matt, I just use a couple of fat rubber bands, in the Dinotte style (see photo 9)....with light on top of bar, bands go over front of light, under bar, and over back of light....2 bands, just in case. Works fine. If you don't want it to look that "ghetto", you could buy the correct size o-ring at any hardware store to complete the Dinotte look 

Someone in another thread came up with the idea of slipping a piece of road-bike size tire tube over the mid section of the light which makes the dinotte method even more solid.

Bummer that people aren't happy with the recently shipped 801s....mine is still rockin' along nicely  Now I wish I bough more!

JZ


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## HuffyPuffy (Jun 9, 2008)

RandyBoy said:


> Yeah, I've saved all the documentation, but they still haven't given me a refund back yet after 2 weeks. The girl said they are having a flood of returns before the holidays and that they are swamped. They might not be swamped with emails and wasting their time answering them and typing if they'd just issue the credit to my PayPal account.
> 
> What a waste of time... The idiots closed out the ticket before they issued me the credit back... so I had to open up a new ticket. PIA dealing with them... I had to tell the girl to reopen a claim, that I hadn't received my credit yet. She did half the job, issued me a credit of $1.70 for one small item, and closed the ticket for the refund of the balance on the same order for $53 for qty of 3 of the flashlights.
> 
> Still waiting.... 2 weeks and counting.


Sorry to hear that. I found that I had to keep re-summarizing everything so that the next person would be able to understand what was done and when, and make it clear what you expect from them. It seemed like a ridiculous amount of effort, but for me it was the principle. I also got the feeling that they thought they could wear me down by bouncing the case between reps and issuing partial refunds of much lesser amounts to confuse the issue - and just ignoring my posts in the case (which caused me to open new ones to get them back on task). I always keep things cool, though I am not sure how the alternative approach would work.

If you can get PayPal involved somehow it may help get their attention, though that would probably be just as challenging, if not more. It really sux that DealExtreme cannot seem to process refunds without issue. I still shop with them, but now take a different approach - a more cautious one, which has also helped me save some money and get into building my own lights.


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## mwmtb (Sep 7, 2008)

Yep, $1.25 at True Value got me the o-ring and now it looks as professional as a Dinotte! Ha ha! Thanks! For the helmet, I just use velcro and a zip-tie. Works great and looks just fine!



JimZinVT said:


> Matt, I just use a couple of fat rubber bands, in the Dinotte style (see photo 9)....with light on top of bar, bands go over front of light, under bar, and over back of light....2 bands, just in case. Works fine. If you don't want it to look that "ghetto", you could buy the correct size o-ring at any hardware store to complete the Dinotte look
> 
> Someone in another thread came up with the idea of slipping a piece of road-bike size tire tube over the mid section of the light which makes the dinotte method even more solid.
> 
> ...


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

mwmtb said:


> Yep, $1.25 at True Value got me the o-ring and now it looks as professional as a Dinotte! Ha ha! Thanks! For the helmet, I just use velcro and a zip-tie. Works great and looks just fine!


Ya, I'm using a velcro strap through two vents, and a rectangle of closed-cell foam under the light so I can snug it down tight.

JZ


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

12-29-08, my 5 mode TR-801's arrived today, all three of them. I must say, this is a good lot I got off the reel this time... very white light for these WC emitters. Good brightness and color, same Pulse width modulation for the brightness and same "SO" instead of "SOS" on the 5 mode. Comparible to the other lot I got in October, perhaps even a bit brighter with more lumens, all of them run on fresh hot 4.22 volt 18650's. These get just as hot on high mode as the last batch I got, and not quite so warm on Medium mode, with almost the same intensity from the emitters.

When these are built with the right components and good Q5 emitters, they are a very nice light.


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## Datalogger (Jul 5, 2008)

Good to hear you got a good batch this time!


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## capnstem (May 5, 2006)

Randyboy - glad to hear you're all sorted. IMO, it was all going well for trustfire and this torch until they brought out the P4 version and someone got drivers and LEDs mixed up. I have had mine for over 6 months and these quality assurance related matters were never an issue back then (and I have bought 7, and friends have bought them too).


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

capnstem said:


> Randyboy - glad to hear you're all sorted. IMO, it was all going well for trustfire and this torch until they brought out the P4 version and someone got drivers and LEDs mixed up. I have had mine for over 6 months and these quality assurance related matters were never an issue back then (and I have bought 7, and friends have bought them too).


I wouldn't quite call it all sorted out... I bought 3 more lights, but I'm still waiting for them to credit me for the 3 defective lights I got from my 11-11 order, plus the credit for my shipping return charges to Miami, FL.


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## dogstar (Dec 16, 2005)

RandyBoy said:


> ... Pulse width modulation for the brightness and same "SO" instead of "SOS" on the 5 mode.


Congrats, RandyBoy. Glad you have some good lights again.

I don't get the "SO" problem -- doesn't it repeat? In other words, SO is OK, because it shows up as SOSOSOSOS -- it's all SOS, right? Or do other versions have a space after completing the SOS cycle?

Also, do your new ones have the memory mode? On the DX forums they say that's one place the driver "change" manifests-- the low power ones don't have mode memory. Mine just starts on high every time.

I'm still thinking mine is being under driven. Ithink I'm going to order a new one and if it turns out OK, I'll send back the old one for an exchange. Or maybe I'll just have them send me a driver like they did for someone else -- though I'd then have to figure out how to put it in..

I'm still thinking mine is being under driven.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

dogstar said:


> Congrats, RandyBoy. Glad you have some good lights again.
> 
> I don't get the "SO" problem -- doesn't it repeat? In other words, SO is OK, because it shows up as SOSOSOSOS -- it's all SOS, right? Or do other versions have a space after completing the SOS cycle?
> 
> ...


The light should flash SOS...SOS....SOS...

The new ones, now that you mention it have short memory mode. That is to say they will remember the next mode for a short while... I haven't measured how long the memory is, but if left over night, it will operate on high mode first, then medium, then low. However... if you are playing with the light, say for 5 or 10 minutes with the various modes, it will remember the last mode you were on. I just don't know how long the memory stays functional before it defaults to high mode when you start up.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

HuffyPuffy said:


> Sorry to hear that. I found that I had to keep re-summarizing everything so that the next person would be able to understand what was done and when, and make it clear what you expect from them. It seemed like a ridiculous amount of effort, but for me it was the principle. I also got the feeling that they thought they could wear me down by bouncing the case between reps and issuing partial refunds of much lesser amounts to confuse the issue - and just ignoring my posts in the case (which caused me to open new ones to get them back on task). I always keep things cool, though I am not sure how the alternative approach would work.
> 
> If you can get PayPal involved somehow it may help get their attention, though that would probably be just as challenging, if not more. It really sux that DealExtreme cannot seem to process refunds without issue. I still shop with them, but now take a different approach - a more cautious one, which has also helped me save some money and get into building my own lights.


Well, after a week of DealExtreme ignoring my refund, my emails and just letting things slip, hoping I would forget about it, after sending a paltry $1.70 credit with another $52.91 still outstanding, and not applying the credit to my new replacement order, I notified PayPal.

We'll see how that goes, it showed up right away though, that Processing had been suspended due to a Pay Pal Complaint on my DX account. Funny how they can't handle it in house, but when the source of payment serves them notice... they post it up right away.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

Situation finally resolved on January 4th in Hong Kong, after filing with PayPal on December 30th. I received my credit, after venting a little bit under the product, which didn't seem to make a difference as much as filing a complaint with PayPal, the ones that gave them my money in the first place.

They claimed they tried to give me my credit, seems once PayPal got involved, I got the credit I was long overdue issued. Only had to file for Support with Deal Extreme on 4 different claims to get it resolved, with 3 different people from the Customer Support Staff involved.

I'd say they just try to run you down... make sure you save all correpondence, _everything_ with these folks, document everything, and leave a clean audit trail, otherwise, they'll run you down, hand you off, avoid you, and in general just hope that you'll quit and give up on your refund.

On a positive note... very good batch of LED's on this lot of 5 mode TR-801's, tint, brightness, color. I just can't believe how well they work.


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## donvito (Nov 1, 2008)

How are you guys mounting these "flashlights" to your helmet?


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## HuffyPuffy (Jun 9, 2008)

RandyBoy said:


> Situation finally resolved on January 4th in Hong Kong, after filing with PayPal on December 30th. I received my credit, after venting a little bit under the product, which didn't seem to make a difference as much as filing a complaint with PayPal, the ones that gave them my money in the first place.
> 
> They claimed they tried to give me my credit, seems once PayPal got involved, I got the credit I was long overdue issued. Only had to file for Support with Deal Extreme on 4 different claims to get it resolved, with 3 different people from the Customer Support Staff involved.
> 
> ...


It is good to know that you got your money back :thumbsup:. Unfortunately DX is very sticky when it comes to trying to get a refund, and your experience mirrors mine (though I did not need to involve Paypal). These are shady tactics, and they don't seem to mind wasting a ton of your time, but it is a risk to run with them considering their prices, at least for some things.


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

donvito said:


> How are you guys mounting these "flashlights" to your helmet?


Velcro strap, up through 2 vent slots and around the light. A piece of medium density foam between the light and the helmet lets you squish it down tighter, and you can cut or sand the foam into a wedge shape if you're having trouble pointing the light where you want it.

I'll try to put up a photo later (if I can figure out how to move a photo from a Verizon phone....they won't let you just transfer via USB :bluefrown: I think you have to do it through their website :madman:

JZ


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

RandyBoy said:


> Well, after a week of DealExtreme ignoring my refund, my emails and just letting things slip, hoping I would forget about it, after sending a paltry $1.70 credit with another $52.91 still outstanding, and not applying the credit to my new replacement order, I notified PayPal.
> 
> We'll see how that goes, it showed up right away though, that Processing had been suspended due to a Pay Pal Complaint on my DX account. Funny how they can't handle it in house, but when the source of payment serves them notice... they post it up right away.


Seems a complaint with PayPal got the ball rolling again, enough to overcome inertia and get me my refund. Chinese are funny, once they get a hold of your money, about returning it.

Maybe when some R4's come out, I'll order some emitters from Deal Extreme.


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## bikecop (May 20, 2004)

*which batteries??*

Hey capnstem etal, i am almost sold on the TR-801 and WF-139 charger. 1/10th the cost of the exposure joystick and same power. the only issue is run time and i think if i order spare batteries i can work around that.

so question: which batteries? are all 18650s the same? what are "protected" batteries and will they fit the TR801?

thanks, you guys are really stretching my christmas $$ to the max!


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## pricecw (Jul 24, 2008)

I am using protected batteries from DX in the TR801, my understanding, they prevent under and overcharge of the cell (potential thermal runaway issue). Protected cells are recommended when the unit they go in (light, charger, etc) doesn't have the protection circuit.


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

Yeah, get the protected cells. They do fit the 801, and price difference is small. Way back on page one of this thread there should be a post where I put a link to the batteries I bought. They've been working fine.

Can't believe this thread has gone 6 pages!

JZ


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## Rock Climber (Jul 25, 2007)

*Make the lens waterproof?*

Went for a ride last night in a killer rain storm, and when I got back there was water on the inside of the lens. Not much, but I was wondering if there is a good way to to seal the lens better. Maybe a tiny amount of silicone on the inside edges of the lens or an o-ring in between the reflector and the lens?

I live in Seattle so rain is a given on most rides and I don't want to have to take the light apart after each ride to dry it off.


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## CathastrophiX (Sep 28, 2008)

The TR-801 doesn't have an o-ring between the bezel and glass.
Thats why it's not really suitable as a bike light in my opinion.
It is very hard to put an o-ring there, since they just tend to pop out, because the "edge" holding the glass is to narrow.
One way is to put an o-ring from the inside, around the reflector, under the aluminium "locking ring" like this (TR-803, but it's the same construction as the TR-801, By "Takebeat", Google translated from Japanese):

http://translate.google.se/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftakebeat.asablo.jp%2Fblog%2F2008%2F08%2F01%2F3668356&sl=ja&tl=en&hl=sv&ie=UTF-8


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## Rock Climber (Jul 25, 2007)

Did you see the thread where the guy submerged his light in a Toilet? Crazy. I don't think I need it to be that waterproof


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

Rock Climber said:


> I was wondering if there is a good way to to seal the lens better. Maybe a tiny amount of silicone on the inside edges of the lens


That's probably the simplest way....a thin bead of silicone around the glass, on the front face, then reassemble and wipe off whatever squeezes out. I did mine that way after finding some moisture inside the glass after a wet ride....been good ever since.

JZ


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## Rock Climber (Jul 25, 2007)

*Comparison to Stella and MiNewt*

I rode with some people who had a MiNewt and a Stella, and my impressions of how the 801 compared. The stella is a claimed 180 lumens I think, but it was brighter than my 801. I would guess maybe 10% brighter. Not enough that I think I would actually notice it on the trail though. So maybe that means the 801 puts out 160 lumens? The Stella also seemed to throw just a little bit farther, but that could easily be due to the increased brightness.

The 801 is brighter than the MiNewt though. The MiNewt has a very nice beam with no hot spot or transition at all. Just a wide light area that is all the same brightness, I think it had more spill too. My 801 has a little more of a hot spot in the center and then the spill around the hot spot.

Overall I am very happy with my light especially for the price.

There was another guy on the ride who had built his own lights and had four of them on his helmet. It was amazing. I tried to ride in front of him as much as possible, it was like the sun was right behind me :eekster:


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## S.O.B. (Mar 17, 2008)

donvito said:


> How are you guys mounting these "flashlights" to your helmet?


I have been using this for one or two night rides a week: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12000 
and it works great! I actually just leave it attached to an old helmet.
You can also use a twofish mount if needed (the same mount some people use on their handlebars).
Just type in twofish in google or yahoo and you will find vendors.


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## Pedal/Paddle (Nov 3, 2005)

When people say that DX shipping is slow they aren't kidding! I ordered 2 801's + batts and charger 1/1/09. Supposedly they left Hong Kong on 1/9. Still not here:skep: I was prepared to be patient but still..... When I put the tracking # into USPS the status hasn't changed in a week

[/vent]


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

Sounds perfectly normal to me 

I usually figure 3 weeks from order to delivery to the US, *if* the status says "in stock" at the time you order. If the status says anything else, well, sit back and relax 

JZ


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

Guys, I just finished re-reading this entire thread again because I'm thinking of ordering one of the TR801's. Some have said that the single mode versions have more of a *flood beam ( * or does the mult-mode have the same beam pattern? ). A flood beam is basically what I am looking for. My purpose for buying this is that I want *a torch I can carry in my bag for emergencies,* one that I can mount to the bars quickly, output a nice floodly beam of about 200lm and run for at least an hour and a half on one 18650 Li-ion cell. Is this the torch to order or does D/X have something else that would be better? ( Note: I'm looking for something small and light-weight and the TR801 fits this requirement ) _Are there any beam shots of the TR801 that I can look at? _ I've just about gone brain dead looking at all the torches on D/X and I keep coming back to the TR801. I've almost got my list for D/X ready, help me out if you can. Thanks.


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

Cat-man, I think the 801 meets all of your requirements. As for the "flood beam", I guess that's up to personal interpretation......I would call it more of a spot with a lot of spill around it. But from what I read it is floodier than any of the other small DX torches. If you're familiar with the DX1920 optic, the hotspot is a little broader than that, but with more spill. Personally I think it will make a great in-case-of-emergency light, and I plan to keep mine in the camelback for that purpose, once my DIY lights are up and running.

I don't own the single-mode, but RandyBoy might be able to chime in here for a beam comparison, as he has (or had?) both. I would guess everything is the same except the 5-mode driver, but that is just a guess. Someone did post some 801 beam shots somewhere once, but as I recall they weren't a very good representation of what the eye sees.

Some have had quality (brightness) issues with the single-mode. The 5 mode lets you extend runtime further (on medium it seems to run forever). So I'd have to recommend the 5 mode for an emergency light. Plus you can annoy your buddies with the rapid strobe mode :incazzato: 

My list for my next DX order keeps growing and growing.  Everything there is inexpensive, but it's still easy to rack up a big bill!

JZ


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## Calina (Apr 8, 2008)

Cat-man-do said:


> Guys, I just finished re-reading this entire thread again because I'm thinking of ordering one of the TR801's. Some have said that the single mode versions have more of a *flood beam ( * or does the mult-mode have the same beam pattern? ). A flood beam is basically what I am looking for. My purpose for buying this is that I want *a torch I can carry in my bag for emergencies,* one that I can mount to the bars quickly, output a nice floodly beam of about 200lm and run for at least an hour and a half on one 18650 Li-ion cell. Is this the torch to order or does D/X have something else that would be better? ( Note: I'm looking for something small and light-weight and the TR801 fits this requirement ) _Are there any beam shots of the TR801 that I can look at? _I've just about gone brain dead looking at all the torches on D/X and I keep coming back to the TR801. I've almost got my list for D/X ready, help me out if you can. Thanks.


Maybe you'll find this thread interesting. It reviews quite a few of KD's and DX's lights.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=215569


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## pricecw (Jul 24, 2008)

JimZinVT said:


> Someone did post some 801 beam shots somewhere once, but as I recall they weren't a very good representation of what the eye sees.


That was me, on this thread. However, I lost a lot of images off of my host with a snafu. Anyway, I am trying to get the images back up now, will re-post them when I do.

--Carl


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## pricecw (Jul 24, 2008)

OK, here is a single TR-801, small image (still trying to upload the big ones).

The white squares are printer paper on dowels at 25 paces each.










This next one is a R2 drop in, in my surefire.










In reality, both are brighter to the eyes than the pics show, I could see the 100yd paper when I took the pics (75 yd shows on the pics) with the TR-801.

--Carl


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

pricecw said:


> ....In reality, both are brighter to the eyes than the pics show, I could see the 100yd paper when I took the pics (75 yd shows on the pics) with the TR-801.
> 
> --Carl


Yep, I remember those pics. It was hard though trying to tell where the torch was pointed as the trail is not clearly seen in the photos. It does look to throw very much with a flood pattern.
Still haven't made my mind whether or not to go single or multi-mode.


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## pricecw (Jul 24, 2008)

Sorry, trail isn't easy to see because there isn't one. This is the berm down the side of my property, by my field, no trail there. I have the slightly larger R2 5 mode from DX (can't remember the number right now, and am thinking about picking up the 5mode 801 at some point (use med/low to get up the hill.

--Carl


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

JimZinVT said:


> Velcro strap, up through 2 vent slots and around the light. A piece of medium density foam between the light and the helmet lets you squish it down tighter, and you can cut or sand the foam into a wedge shape if you're having trouble pointing the light where you want it.
> 
> I'll try to put up a photo later (if I can figure out how to move a photo from a Verizon phone....they won't let you just transfer via USB :bluefrown: I think you have to do it through their website :madman:


OK, here's the promised photo. Sorry if the quality is poor...it's off my cellphone's camera. (I _did_ confirm that Verizon blocks direct transfer of photos...you have to pix message them to their website, at $0.25 per photo :skep: Good reason to change companies when my contract expires.)

JZ


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## SkUG (Feb 19, 2008)

JimZinVT said:


> OK, here's the promised photo. Sorry if the quality is poor...it's off my cellphone's camera. (I _did_ confirm that Verizon blocks direct transfer of photos...you have to pix message them to their website, at $0.25 per photo :skep: Good reason to change companies when my contract expires.)
> 
> JZ


I bluetooth mine across for free!  (bluetooth dongle cost about £5 - thats about $7ish in todays market )


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

*off topic rant*

My phone doesn't have the blue teeth :bluefrown:

[rant mode on] :incazzato: Verizon is the only US cell company that does this....just another way to milk a few more dollars out of the customer. I downloaded a trial version of some third-party software that was supposed to let you get around this, but when I tried to access the file transfer function it gave me a message that there was no way to do USB file transfers from _most_ Verizon phones. Mine, of course, was on the long list of blocked phones. [rant mode off]

Sorry for that interruption.....we now return to the light-oriented content :yesnod:

JZ


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## C_Heath (Oct 29, 2008)

I just received my trustfire today. Its surely worth the $$$


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## pratoni (Sep 19, 2008)

Does Romisen has a similar model to this trustfire tr-801?

I mean:
- small and light weight for helmet application;
- cree q5 led (or better);
- multi mode;
- cr123 ou 18650 battery(ies);
- good spill of the light;

I ask this because all small models of romisen with q5 leds, that I saw, only have 1 mode.
Other small models of romisen with multi mode have instead a p4 led...

I'm asking for romisen because it's a brand with good build quality reviews everywhere I look for and you report some reliability issues with your trustfire tr-801 that make me somehow uncomfortable with this model...


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## Pedal/Paddle (Nov 3, 2005)

My order finally arrived yesterday 1/21. Initial impressions: Wow! Thats a lot of light for such a small torch. Small, cheap, and bright, exactly what I was looking for. :thumbsup:


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## pratoni (Sep 19, 2008)

can't anyone answer my question please?...


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## S.O.B. (Mar 17, 2008)

pratoni said:


> can't anyone answer my question please?...


In my short experience on this forum, people are pretty good about posting an answer to a question if they know the answer. People may not know the answer to your question off the top of their head, and so you can probably search DX's site and the web just as well as anyone else. When you find the answer, post it as others may be interested.

Good Luck.


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## CathastrophiX (Sep 28, 2008)

pratoni said:


> Does Romisen has a similar model to this trustfire tr-801?
> 
> I mean:
> - small and light weight for helmet application;
> ...


You are correct about Romisen being high quality light, especially considered the price.
The newest version of the RC-N3 has been reported to have three modes, but it has less flood.
A single mode alternative to the TR-801 is the Sacredfire NF-016.
The Romisen RC-C5 (Q3 single mode) has a floody beam also, and a warmer tint.

On lights with P60 "drop-ins", the beam can be adjusted by screwing the pill in or out.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

pratoni said:


> *Does Romisen has a similar model to this trustfire tr-801?*
> 
> I mean:
> - small and light weight for helmet application;
> ...


I too was looking for a similar model, did a search on D/X but couldn't really come up with one that I could be sure would have a like beam pattern. The TR801 as cheap as it is looks to be somewhat unique....a small light weight torch using a Q-5 LED ( and 1-18650 li-ion cell ) that is offered in both single and mult-mode that looks to have a very usable beam pattern. Yes, the quality should be better but for the price why not just plunk down the coin and take your chances like everyone else.(?) If there was something better in the same _price/weight/beam pattern/size range_ I think someone would have mentioned it by now.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

I continue to do night rides and run the TR801 5 mode and the 12060 P7 emitter on medium mode for the climbs and high for the descents down the twisty single tracks. I aim the TR801 a bit further out and let the DX sku 12060 with the P7 emitter cover the floody close up portion. 

Getting this stuff from Deal Extreme will prove a long wait, and I don't know how the lights will handle abuse or crashing, I haven't crashed in a long, long time, knock on wood, but for my purposes, getting 600 Lumens combined when I need it is perfect. 

Thanks JimZinVT and Turveyd for steering me in the right direction.


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## S.O.B. (Mar 17, 2008)

RandyBoy said:


> I don't know how the lights will handle abuse or crashing, I haven't crashed in a long, long time, knock on wood, but for my purposes, getting 600 Lumens combined when I need it is perfect.


I have bit it a few times with two SSC P7's on my bars--both with the Fenix mounts and one time with the two-fish mounts. The two good wrecks (over the bars in a creek bed type stuff), both lights took impact and bent back in the holders. I have them tightened down enough to where they do not slip with the regular roots rocks and jumps; however, on a good impact, they give enough to not do any damage to the lights. Hopefully I will not keep testing the crash ability, but with night riding you just never know.


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## twindaddy (Jun 18, 2007)

RandyBoy said:


> ... I don't know how the lights will handle abuse or crashing, I haven't crashed in a long, long time, knock on wood, but for my purposes, getting 600 Lumens combined when I need it is perfect.


Coincidentally I bit dirt last night. The 801s on the bars are fine, but I cracked the lens in my helmet mounted P7. It still works fine although I suppose I've compromised its "weather-ability" with the crack. Plus there are a couple tiny pieces of glass inside the reflector now. Not sure what happens when they bounce into the emitter. Probably *POOF* when/if they do.


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

twindaddy said:


> Coincidentally I bit dirt last night. The 801s on the bars are fine, but I cracked the lens in my helmet mounted P7. It still works fine although I suppose I've compromised its "weather-ability" with the crack. Plus there are a couple tiny pieces of glass inside the reflector now. Not sure what happens when they bounce into the emitter. Probably *POOF* when/if they do.


I can assure you it's much, much less expensive to replace a lens and a P7 LED over replacing a HID and a ballast for about $120. You can get a whole new flashlight, 3 of them, for the price of the HID bulb and ballast. Plus you'll crap and go bankrupt replacing the battery pack for an 11.1 volt LI Ion pack with any decent run time for a HID.


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## 96m2comp (Oct 12, 2007)

I know, I know, a "blast from the past!

I just wondered if any fellow members have ordered one of these 2 model flashlights recently and if so, was it a Cree model like it is suppose to be?

I have a simialr model from Shiningbeam, but at 1/2 the price considering one of these models. I have been very happy with the SB LG Mini model, though I have the 2-cr123 battery version. Very bright, though I haven't used it on the bike yet. Great beam pattern with the o.p. reflector.

T.Y!
Chris


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## sergio_pt (Jan 29, 2007)

is it possible to replace the TR-801 LED with an MC-E? 
I need an helmet light and as I have a spare MC-E I could do a mod to an existing flashlight to make things easier.
My dual MCE dragonfly is great! but it needs a complement.


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## CathastrophiX (Sep 28, 2008)

sergio_pt said:


> is it possible to replace the TR-801 LED with an MC-E?


Yes, a friend of mine has done it, he changed the driver too, I'm very jelaous....
It is a very nice light with MC-E, and the TR-801 seems to handle the heat well also.
I think there is a few MC-E modded ones over at CPF also.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

CathastrophiX said:


> Yes, a friend of mine has done it, he changed the driver too, I'm very jelaous....
> It is a very nice light with MC-E, and the TR-801 seems to handle the heat well also.
> I think there is a few MC-E modded ones over at CPF also.


Interesting....but trying to run an MCE with the size reflector that fits inside the TR-801.......unless he chose to mod using an optic (?)
Anyway, I can't help but wonder what the beam pattern would look like. Is there a link to some photos of the beam?


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## CathastrophiX (Sep 28, 2008)

Found one of the CPF threads:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=218409


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

CathastrophiX said:


> Found one of the CPF threads:
> 
> http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=218409


After the reading the review of the modded TR-801 it looks like there is a heat problem when the torch is run on high. Of course this is because CPF usually reviews for people who are holding the torches in their hands. For bikes there would be moving air that would help keep things cool however from what was said in the review these modded torches still would not have much throw. They could however make a real nice bar mounted flood light if you could get a variable mode option. _Sergio_ wanted a small torch for his helmet undoubtedly with some throw ( like most people ). Not too many people want wide flood lights for their helmets. Currently I use an Aurora M3-2 2-mode MC-E driven torch for my helmet. Diameter of the reflector is about 38mm but it is this reflector size that makes it very usable as a helmet torch as it provides lots of throw. Since the M3-2 is much larger than the TR-801 this is probably not what he wants. Believe me, if there was a torch that was smaller, utilized a P-7 or MCE and had the same throw I would be all over it myself.


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## CathastrophiX (Sep 28, 2008)

The design is changed, the new version is larger, the battery rattles and on the received one is the retaining ring for the reflector missing.


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## rideandshoot (Dec 18, 2006)

*new TF 801*

is the battery rattle fore and aft or is the ID too big?

how does it work ?


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## Kyle2834 (May 4, 2007)

CathastrophiX said:


> The design is changed, the new version is larger, the battery rattles and on the received one is the retaining ring for the reflector missing.


Why is this new version longer? Is the switch design perhaps changed at all?


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

Kyle2834 said:


> Why is this new version longer? Is the switch design perhaps changed at all?


That's what I was thinking as well. Hopefully it is to accommodate a better switch. Not sure I like the idea though if the battery is rattling around inside. CathastrophiX, are you using protected cells?


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## Kyle2834 (May 4, 2007)

Well I have one of the newer models, and my battery (2400mah trustfire black label, protected) definitely rattles around side-to-side. Doesn't seem like it would take much tape to fix, however.

The switch is extremely sensitive when pushing the button to change modes. Just touching is usually enough to change mode. I wish it wasn't so sensitive but that's the point of a DX light, teaching me all about every part of a light.


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## CathastrophiX (Sep 28, 2008)

Received yet another version...
Same lenght as the old one.
Smooth reflector.
"Pill holder" is plain brass, no chrome.
Crenelation is thicker, probably to accomodate o-ring better.
Brighter than the old one.
This version pulls 1.38A @ 4.09 volt vs. old one 0.94A @ 4.09 volt.


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

Or it might just be chinese quality control and they where supposed to be same.

2 X's the version with a smooth reflector would likely make a perfect helmet setup, light and good run time.

I'm holding out for XP-G though, then I want 2 similar and got P60 ( hoping ) Smooth Reflector Dropins here and ready to go to


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## rideandshoot (Dec 18, 2006)

*new version modes?*

Are any of the longer ones the single mode version?


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## qdave (Jun 5, 2007)

I have a longer single mode version, similar to the one shown above. Trustfire logo is different though. Seems as bright as the smaller one that croaked on me.


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## rideandshoot (Dec 18, 2006)

qdave said:


> I have a longer single mode version, similar to the one shown above. Trustfire logo is different though. Seems as bright as the smaller one that croaked on me.


What 'croaked'? I love my single mode and if I cant get my MTE P7 to quit blinkin I was going to buy another one.


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## qdave (Jun 5, 2007)

I took my original single mode hiking and the led suddenly went very dim on me. Can't tell if it's the led or the driver. At $14 for a new one, I wasn't sure it was worth the parts and time to fix it. I bought another one, since I use it for a helmet light while mountain biking.


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## fightnut (Jul 5, 2007)

Just thought I'd add my review of the Trustfire TR 801 light (sku# 13095 - 1 mode) as a bike light.

I had read a lot of posts here and on DX about how this light makes a good bike light. I have even seen beam shot photos and it looked impressive (actually, it was these photos that sold me on buying one - http://fonarevka.lux-rc.com/ ).

But after using it last night on a night ride, I'm kinda disappointed. To me it didn't look near as floody as the pics in that beam shot link.

As a flashlight, it's great. It's a really nice looking flashlight. It's very bright, nice white light.

But it's too much of a tight hotspot for a bike light for my taste. I had the impression from what I had read and seen in photos that is was going to be more "floody", but it's definitely not.

I had it mounted on the bars (and a Magicshine on my helmet), and the pinpointed hotspot got on my nerves as I watched it bounce all around in front of me with every movement of my bars. It was just distracting.
Now, I do think it might be a _little_ better mounted on the helmet because your head doesn't bounce left and right as much as your handlebars do. Also having it a little higher up and away from the ground might make the tight hotspot less tight (maybe?).

I will try it on another ride mounted on my helmet, but to be honest, I think it's going to end up just being used as a regular flashlight for me.

If you want to go with cheap flashlights for bike light use, I prefer using 2 of the zooming flood to throw lights on DX (sku#18304 - 3xAAA), one on bars, one on helmet. These are much better "bike light" candidates, and provide a much more usable light for riding.


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

I think it should be the other way around.....spot beam on the hat and floodier light on the bars. You can de-focus the -801 a bit by loosening the front a little and get a slightly wider hot spot. I liked mine as a helmet light last season, but have since built something that's twice the lumens for headlamp use. The -801 is the back-up light now, stowed in the camelback.

JZ


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

fightnut said:


> Just thought I'd add my review of the Trustfire TR 801 light (sku# 13095 - 1 mode) as a bike light.
> 
> I had read a lot of posts here and on DX about how this light makes a good bike light. I have even seen beam shot photos and it looked impressive (actually, it was these photos that sold me on buying one - http://fonarevka.lux-rc.com/ ).
> 
> But after using it last night on a night ride, I'm kinda disappointed. To me it didn't look near as floody as the pics in that beam shot link....


You could try finding some translucent clear plastic and making a lens to go over the outer lens. I did this to one of my Dinotte 200L's before getting a standard flood optic and it worked pretty good at scattering the light. It does though cut down on the brightness of the beam. You'll still have a ( subdued ) hot spot but with a bit more side spill. Another option would be to mod the reflector if you know how to do that sort of thing. Heck, what did you expect for $15....another P-7 ?


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

The AB10a on DX looks interesting, just ordered 1, similar size to the 801 Cree R2 LED and sounds like it runs direct drive but has heat activated step down to Mid mode, so make a great helmet mounted short burst additional light for fast sections.


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## rideandshoot (Dec 18, 2006)

Turveyd said:


> The AB10a on DX looks interesting, just ordered 1, similar size to the 801 Cree R2 LED and sounds like it runs direct drive but has heat activated step down to Mid mode, so make a great helmet mounted short burst additional light for fast sections.


Looking fwd to a full report...

All the usual stuff.. 

Form factor comparison (how big is it)
weight, preferably in grams on a digital scale
beam comments
build quality assessment
any thing else you can think of....


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## pricecw (Jul 24, 2008)

I had mine out last night while camping. My son was carrying it, and it suddenly went dim on him. I had him bring it to me, and the front was loose, tightened it up, and it was as bright as ever.


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## CathastrophiX (Sep 28, 2008)

Buy the new TR-801 instead of the A10b. The TR-801 is a better constructed light overall.


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## fightnut (Jul 5, 2007)

JimZinVT said:


> You can de-focus the -801 a bit by loosening the front a little and get a slightly wider hot spot.


Just thought I'd update. I first tried the tape over the lens idea that has been suggested by a couple people. I didn't like that at all. The spot was still there, and it reduced the amount of light significantly. Perhaps I used the wrong kind of tape, but it didn't work for me.

So then I tried unscrewing the head a bit, maybe 1 full turn or so and that did the trick!:thumbsup: 
It was almost a totally even flood, _almost_ as even as my flood to throw zooming flashlight, only much brighter.
To keep it in that position, I placed one strip of electrical tape around the head.

I haven't used it on the bike yet, but just shining it on the wall and outside I can see that it's definitely better then before. Looking forward to using it on my next night ride.

Thanks for that JimZinVT.


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## ricot83 (Jul 2, 2008)

Just got mine in the mail today, disappointed by the black board i saw under the LED, I almost wrote an email to Dealextreme immediately. Instead I just waited and charged the battery and holy crap is this thing bright. It looks very much like the photos on page 1 for the brighter light. The only thing I see wrong with this light is the tailcap needs to be completely screwed in as tight as it goes so the light will work, but I am going to lube up the threads to see if it is easier to thread on and off.


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

I picked up the very similar Ultrafire A10B today, R2 ~65Grams looks nearly identical, slightly bigger than I remember the TR-801 being, but I think brighter but may of had a duff LED in mine.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.29096

Abit cheaper to boot, same size reflector!!


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

fightnut said:


> Just thought I'd update. I first tried the tape over the lens idea that has been suggested by a couple people. I didn't like that at all. The spot was still there, and it reduced the amount of light significantly. Perhaps I used the wrong kind of tape, but it didn't work for me.
> 
> *So then I tried unscrewing the head a bit, maybe 1 full turn or so and that did the trick!:thumbsup:
> It was almost a totally even flood, almost as even as my flood to throw zooming flashlight, only much brighter.*
> ...


I'll be ordering one of these soon and I'll keep your observation in mind. My real hope is that I might be able to mod this later with an XP-G and have a nice 300+ lm lite weight bar light.


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## atvkilla (Nov 13, 2008)

Just received my first TR-801 and took it for a ride. I would say substantially brighter than my 180 lumen Fenix L2D, so mine has the correct Q5. Very nice overall, but the tight hotspot is a little too tight, so I give it a "B" for the helmet.

My only beef is that it came with the smooth reflector as opposed to the advertised OP reflector which would have been better for riding. You may have seen my comments on their site about that. If anyone knows of a replacement OP reflector to put in this thing, please let us know, but as of right now, I can't find one and they aren't bothering to return my email question on this.

I tried the "unscrewing the head" trick and it did widen the spot a bit, so I'm gonna try that next ride.


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

You could try diffusing the light with something over the cover glass. Scotch tape (the matte finish kind) Glad Press 'n Seal wrap, and waxed paper have all been mentioned here. It will decrease the light output a little, but it's reversible if you don't like the results. 

JZ


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## jmk999 (Oct 18, 2006)

With respect to the dreaded and much reviled hot spot, I tried many - if not all of the suggestions - on this thread (not that it ever bothered me that much). And many helped, the best solution I've found is mounting two TR - 801s on either side of my helmet. 

The trick is to carefully angle the flashlights so the two hot spots join - but not completely overlap - in the middle. Takes a little fussing, but - at least for me - it works like a charm. And - no - the extra weight isn't at all a problem. The added confidence of having two lights (in case one fails) is a big bonus.


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## rideandshoot (Dec 18, 2006)

*survey 801 users*

Does anyone have results of waterproofing approaches?


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## qdave (Jun 5, 2007)

I saw the post about the "hotspot" here and someone mentioned unscrewing the head a little. Previously someone posted adding a second o-ring behind the lens, which I did to mine, and it's helps a lot. The lens also stays in place.


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## Rock Climber (Jul 25, 2007)

rideandshoot said:


> Does anyone have results of waterproofing approaches?


I put a tiny ring of silicone sealant on the outside edges of the lens and it's been totally waterproof through an entire nasty wet Seattle winter. I got the sealant from home depot.


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

Got to do that to my A10B I use, but my other torch is getting a XP-G so might be single torch on my head instead


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## rideandshoot (Dec 18, 2006)

*TF 801 single mode*

I just got my second 801 single mode from DX. Order to receipt time was 23 days (the order included more of the blue TF 2500 mah 18650s).

True to previous posts the new one is a little longer, darker anodizing, and a gold instead of silver ring in front. Unlike the experience of some of the others my batteries actually fit rather tight in this one.

The good news is after about 3 hours of trail riding so far this one works perfect. No thread cleaning or light head shaving required. It is also a bit brighter than my first one even after I added an extra thick O-ring between the head and the body to expand the dia of the hot spot.

In all I'm very happy with the set up&#8230; two 801s on the bars and a Jetbeam Jet III Pro ST on my helmet. Enough light, light weight, two hours run time and no wires I'm going to order another one just to have a spare.

BTW the Jet Beam light is very well made but the truth is the 801 puts out just as much light, is 1/5 the cost and actually seems to run a little longer.


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## ricot83 (Jul 2, 2008)

rideandshoot said:


> I just got my second 801 single mode from DX. Order to receipt time was 23 days (the order included more of the blue TF 2500 mah 18650s).
> 
> True to previous posts the new one is a little longer, darker anodizing, and a gold instead of silver ring in front. Unlike the experience of some of the others my batteries actually fit rather tight in this one.
> 
> ...


Figured I would also add an update... I ordered two other lights recently just to compare the output, plus also because i needed a small form factor to put on the helmet or the bars depending on how I wanted to spread the light on the trail. Anyway, I ordered the sacredfire nf-018 and the nf-007, lemme just say the 18 puts out quite good light for a tiny little formfactor and it has some good spill, while the nf-007 has a huge throw.

comparing the tr-801 to the 007, 1 meter from the wall, it almost looks like the 007 is as bright maybe slightly brighter than the 801, and the 007 is supposed to be a p4 vs the 801 with q5. The 801 throws really really far which is good and it has a higher spill so it will def light up the trail well, where as the 007 has a nice spot and smaller spill, but equally good for lighting a trail.

That being said I did a runtime test with the 801 and it ran for 3 hrs and 20 min!!!!! this along with the fact that my light output matches the p4 in the other light suggests to me that this thing is being grossly underdriven, but since the output is good enough for riding and the freaking runtime is sooooo long on one fresh battery i am not going to mess with it.

back to the nf-007 light for a moment also, this is a freaking great light, output is amazing and throw even more amazing. It will take AA, AAA, and Cr123a or RCR123 batteries. If you are willing to take a dremel to the inside of the thing you can fit a 17500 battery which is basically a AA replacement lithium ion with like 1300mah or so and it will last longer. The runtime on the 007 with a rcr123 battery (16340) was roughly 55min, whereas with a 17500 it will run almost 1hr 30 min.

All these lights can be had at Dealextreme, I just ordered a uniquefire s10 which has an r2 led and I am going to dremel it to make the 17500 battery fit and hopefully this should be another great light.


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## Dictatorsaurus (Sep 11, 2009)

How do you guys like the TR-801 mounted on the handlebars?

I order 4. 2 for the helmet and 2 for the handlebars.


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## Rock Climber (Jul 25, 2007)

Dictatorsaurus said:


> How do you guys like the TR-801 mounted on the handlebars?
> 
> I order 4. 2 for the helmet and 2 for the handlebars.


I had one helmet mounted one last year, and got a handlebar one this year. Having one of each made a big difference. I can see much better now and go faster.


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## Dictatorsaurus (Sep 11, 2009)

Rock Climber said:


> I had one helmet mounted one last year, and got a handlebar one this year. Having one of each made a big difference. I can see much better now and go faster.


So you're running 2 right now?

I'm guessing running 4 would be quite good, right?


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## rideandshoot (Dec 18, 2006)

Dictatorsaurus said:


> How do you guys like the TR-801 mounted on the handlebars?
> 
> I order 4. 2 for the helmet and 2 for the handlebars.


They are really good IF you get them with an OP reflector. The last one I got has a smooth reflector and the hot spot is a lot more defined. Not AS good for bar use, at least for me. I just got a UniqueFire R5 single mode from DX with the XPG LED. I had intended to put it on my helmet but it will go on the bar with the OP reflector 801 and the 801 with the smooth reflector is going on the helmet.

Try the mount from Planet Bike to mount them. I started a thread with pictures. You should be able to find it.

BTW... I'd like to see your double helmet mount....


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## Dictatorsaurus (Sep 11, 2009)

rideandshoot said:


> They are really good IF you get them with an OP reflector. The last one I got has a smooth reflector and the hot spot is a lot more defined. Not AS good for bar use, at least for me. I just got a UniqueFire R5 single mode from DX with the XPG LED. I had intended to put it on my helmet but it will go on the bar with the OP reflector 801 and the 801 with the smooth reflector is going on the helmet.
> 
> Try the mount from Planet Bike to mount them. I started a thread with pictures. You should be able to find it.
> 
> BTW... I'd like to see your double helmet mount....


I'll post pictures once I get the lights and mount them on the helmet.

What is an OP reflector? Could you please provide a direct link? dealextreme site confuses me sometimes.


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## jmk999 (Oct 18, 2006)

rideandshoot said:


> They are really good IF you get them with an OP reflector. The last one I got has a smooth reflector and the hot spot is a lot more defined. Not AS good for bar use, at least for me. I just got a UniqueFire R5 single mode from DX with the XPG LED. I had intended to put it on my helmet but it will go on the bar with the OP reflector 801 and the 801 with the smooth reflector is going on the helmet.
> 
> Try the mount from Planet Bike to mount them. I started a thread with pictures. You should be able to find it.
> 
> BTW... I'd like to see your double helmet mount....


Ride - The R5 looks like a great light, but battery life seems too short. After you've had a chance to use it, would you please do a post on its performance and runtime?


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## rideandshoot (Dec 18, 2006)

jmk999 said:


> Ride - The R5 looks like a great light, but battery life seems too short. After you've had a chance to use it, would you please do a post on its performance and runtime?


The run time in the DX description is apparantly for two CR123 800mah cells. I run it on 2500 mah 18650s. It went for 2 hours with minimal dimming. Even after 2 hours of running it was as bright as my Trustfire 801.

Bump test is tonight!


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## Rock Climber (Jul 25, 2007)

Dictatorsaurus said:


> I'll post pictures once I get the lights and mount them on the helmet.
> 
> What is an OP reflector? Could you please provide a direct link? dealextreme site confuses me sometimes.


I'm not sure how to tell the different reflectors, but the one I bought last year has a more diffused light, the one this year has a very noticeable hot spot. No big deal for me, I use the hot spot one on my helmet an the diffused one on my handelbars.

I don't think you can choose what you get though, they just send whatever they have.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

Dictatorsaurus said:


> What is an OP reflector? Could you please provide a direct link? dealextreme site confuses me sometimes.


"OP" is short for "Orange Peal". It is used to describe a reflector that is textured or dimpled in some way to help disperse the light to achieve a more evenly spread beam pattern. The other type is usually referred to as "smooth", that is almost mirror-like. This type usually produces more of a spot beam effect. I should note here that a couple of the torches I have are more textured than the others but almost all of the newer ones I have are OP.


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## rideandshoot (Dec 18, 2006)

*bump test....*



jmk999 said:


> Ride - The R5 looks like a great light, but battery life seems too short. After you've had a chance to use it, would you please do a post on its performance and runtime?


Did a very rocky ride tonight. NOOO problem with the unique fire R5 

So a quick summary

What it is&#8230;. Uniquefire R5 single mode (basically a P5 host with the XPG drop in)


Beam... warm white tint, noticeable hot spot but useable spill and it worked good on the bars. It is noticeably more light than the Trustfire 801. 
Run time on 2500mah 18650... 1 hour 50 minutes with barely noticeable dimming
Heat&#8230; I put the thermal grease on the interface between the drop in module and the housing. The housing gets warm but no more than the trustfire 801.
Weight&#8230; 45 grams heavier than the trustfire 801
Size&#8230; ¾ inch longer than the trustfire 801and of course the P60 size head
Quality... no problems on VERY rocky terrain

I'm very happy. I might need another one but the diffuse beam on the OP reflector trustfire 801 blends very nicely with the Unique fire R5 so maybe I'll take keep that combo and save the 45 grams. I wonder when or if the trustfire 801 will get the XPG LED. I'd be in for that if it had the OP reflector.


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

RideAndShoot, your still better off with the 280Lumen R2 XP-E ( tiny ones ) in P60 format I think.

I've got to get my smooth reflector of a mate and try the XP-G with that hoping the tighter beam will sort it.


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## rideandshoot (Dec 18, 2006)

Turveyd said:


> RideAndShoot, your still better off with the 280Lumen R2 XP-E ( tiny ones ) in P60 format I think.
> 
> I've got to get my smooth reflector of a mate and try the XP-G with that hoping the tighter beam will sort it.


I'll keep looking... obviously I really like the flashlight approach. Low cost batteries and no wires. The best part about the old Trustfire with the OP reflector is the floodyish beam. Seems like most of the P60 compatible lights are more of a spot.

If they put the XPE in the Trustfire 801 do you think it would have a similar beam but brighter than the 230 L rated Q5 version?


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## Dictatorsaurus (Sep 11, 2009)

So I have purchased 4 TrustFire Tr-801 5-Mode torches.

Torch 1 - LED board is black with no print written on it: Light is dim green tint
Torch 2 - LED board has Cree written on it: Light is white and bright (The only good light)

Torch 3 - LED board has Cree written on it: Light is dim green tint
Torch 4 - LED board has Cree written on it: Light is dim green tint

So 2 out of 4 torches has the Cree print on the board, and only 1 torch is bright and white. The rest are dim with green tint.

Should I just send the dim torches back to DX?

How does DX deal with the exchanges in terms of shipping and charges?


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

the A10B for $14 area on DX is a nicer torch than the 801 similar size and weight, slightly heavier maybe ??? but brighter and all the 1's I've seen have had real R2's in them, where as my 801 had a P4 or Q2 or something OLD in it.


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## Dictatorsaurus (Sep 11, 2009)

Here's comparison between the bright torch and the fake CREE one.


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## NCMt.Biker (May 5, 2010)

where did you get a helmet mount that worked with this light??Thanks:thumbsup:


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## C_Heath (Oct 29, 2008)

here donnie.....

Universal Adjustable Bicycle Mount for Flashlights (2cm~4cm Diameter) - Free Shipping - DealExtreme


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## NCMt.Biker (May 5, 2010)

Thanks C Heath!


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

Wow, this thread is still alive?!

That mount is actually meant for handlebar use, but it should be adaptable for a helmet.

I just use a velcro strap looped through the helmet vents, and a 1" x 2" piece of foam between helmet and light to stabilize and position the light. Works great.


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## S.O.B. (Mar 17, 2008)

Yep, I use that one as well, and it does work good on some helmets, though this one: Universal Nylon Mount for Flashlights and Lasers - Free Shipping - DealExtreme
is what I use on my helmet for the TR-801, the P7's etc.


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