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#Post#: 1918--------------------------------------------------
XTAR UL1 Multi-usage Mini USB light
By: JohnnyMac Date: August 7, 2013, 1:15 pm
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[html]<h1>XTAR Multi-usage Mini USB Light UL1</h1><p>*XTAR UL1
provided for review by Xtarlight.com</p><p><a
href="
HTML http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3714/9429380557_c567b53f17_o.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
HTML http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3714/9429380557_1047ddb3e1_z.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p><a
href="
HTML http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7433/9429381861_0dc48b7b5f_o.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
HTML http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7433/9429381861_ab9b8e6da3_z.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p><strong>PROS</strong></p><ul><l
i>Best
USB light I've ever seen or used</li><li>Really nice tint and
smooth beam</li><li>Solid but lightweight
construction</li><li>Included goose neck extension is long
enough to position the light where you need it.</li><li>4
excellent modes</li><li>Doubles as a flashlight if plugged into
an external power charger</li><li>Can be used as a laptop light,
map light in your car if plugged into a USB adapter, or
versatile room lighting if plugged into a wall wart
charger.</li><li>Excellent heat transfer from emitter to outer
body.</li><li>Choice of two colors: Silver or Electric Blue
</li></ul><p><strong>CONS</strong></p><ul><li>Can put a lot of
stress on the USB port of a laptop if hung out further from the
side.</li><li>Gooseneck, while just tight enough, could be a
just a little stiffer to be perfect in my opinion</li><li>My
sample had a small bend in the male end of the extension but was
easily corrected</li></ul><p><strong>MANUFACTURER
SPECIFICATIONS</strong><br> <br> ANSI Illumination levels: Turbo
High Mid Low <br> Luminance: 180Lm 160Lm 60Lm 3Lm <br> Max Range
: 47m<br> Max Intensity: 555cd<br> Impact Resistance: 1.5m<br>
LED: CREE XP-E R3 LED<br> Working Voltage: 2.75-5.5V<br>
Battery: USB 2.0/3.0<br> Switch: Clicky Side switch<br> Size: Ø
22.0mm&#65288;Head dia&#65289;x Ø
48.0mm&#65288;Length&#65289;<br> Net Weight
:18.0g&#65288;Excluded Metal Hose&#65289;<br>
Hard-anodized anti-abrasive finish <br> Features:<br> 1.Optical
PMMA material<br> 2.The groove around the switch is good for
positioning <br> 3. Multi-usage, could be used as flash light
(connect with the power bank), desk lamp (with the computer),
wall lamp (with adaptor)<br> Street price: Around $15
USD</p><p><strong>ADDITIONAL
SPECIFICATIONS</strong></p><p>Number of modes: 6<br> Mode Order:
Main modes: High/Turbo/Mid/Low<br> Hidden
modes: Strobe/SOS<br> Lens: TIR (diffused)<br> Extension
length: 14"</p><p><img
src="
HTML http://www.xtarlight.com/05-chanpin/uploadpic/2013513175911154.jpg"<br
/>alt="" width="640"
height="428"></p><p><strong>CONSTRUCTION</strong></p><p>The UL1
is actually very well made but considering it is made by XTAR it
should come as no surprise. If you are used to the normal USB
laptop lights then the quality will truly surprise you. The
main head is fully finned and anodized aluminum. Machining and
anodization is impeccable. The back half of the light is made
of plastic but doesn't really feel cheap. The switch is very
small but easy to operate and has a nice feel to the click when
pressed. The USB male connection is something that always has a
little bit of looseness in most USB powered accessories where
they are attached to the body of the accessory but this one is
solid with zero play or slop. The entire light feels like it is
one solid piece and does not disassemble for service. I doubt
you would ever need to take it apart for repairs.</p><p>Below is
a picture from XTAR that shows the driver board, TIR optic and
Cree XP-E emitter on it's MCPCB that are used in the
UL1.</p><p><img
src="
HTML http://www.xtarlight.com/05-chanpin/uploadpic/201351317582968.jpg"<br
/>alt="" width="640" height="428"></p><p> </p><p><a
href="
HTML http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7432/9429379377_9d139da3e0_o.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
HTML http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7432/9429379377_1050bcb940_z.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>The fins are nicely spaced and
well machined. The switch is small but has good feel and the
tapered edges surrounding the switch make it easier to
press.</p><p><img
src="
HTML http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2847/9432156096_7d00c22f09_z.jpg"></p><p><br
/></p><p><a
href="
HTML http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7286/9429385469_55ae16772c_o.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
HTML http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7286/9429385469_342a80b7ae_z.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>Below you see how the end of th
e
extension arrived with a crimp in it.</p><p><a
href="
HTML http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3722/9432165270_65ccdfa800_o.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
HTML http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3722/9432165270_d78ea31719_z.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>A couple seconds with the tip o
f
my pocket knife and it is better than new.</p><p><a
href="
HTML http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3734/9429384285_6995bf9819_o.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
HTML http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3734/9429384285_087950bd6e_z.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>The ends of the extension are
sturdy and fit the UL1 well.</p><p><a
href="
HTML http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3782/9432164120_993af04730_o.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
HTML http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3782/9432164120_425d9cd7ee_z.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p><a
href="
HTML http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3742/9432162992_e3bca7a1df_o.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
HTML http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3742/9432162992_f6595db6e0_z.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>All lettering is cleanly laser
etched with clean edges and solid fill. The model name of the
light and the Serial Number plus the obligatory "Hot Surface"
warning. In this case it's needed as extended runs on Turbo
leave the head very hot.</p><p><a
href="
HTML http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7426/9429391115_a30d357da1_o.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
HTML http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7426/9429391115_375525d66c_z.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>The XTAR logo and website URL a
re
molded into the rear of the UL1.</p><p><a
href="
HTML http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5465/9432157248_3e85e4bae4_o.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
HTML http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5465/9432157248_8e45198ebb_z.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p><strong>PERFORMANCE</strong></p
><p>XTAR
claims ANSI lumens of 180, 120, 80 & 3 lumens OTF and my tests
in my Integrated Sphere confirm those number pretty closely.
Nice to see a manufacturer claim accurate OTF numbers on their
lights. Here is what my tests showed. Please note that the
actual mode order is High, Turbo, Medium, and Low.</p><table
style="width:
50%;"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Mode</strong></td><td><strong>OTF
Lumens</strong></td></tr><tr><td>High</td><td>131</td></tr><tr><
td>Turbo</td><td>173.1</td></tr><tr><td>Medium</td><td>69.8</td>
</tr><tr><td>Low</td><td>3.46</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The
hot spot is nicely diffused and large. Unlike most TIR optics
the beam is still round and not square. The tint is neutral and
very creamy vanilla in tint. The modes are nicely spaced. A
click of the switch starts the light in high mode. Subsequent
clicks cycle through the regular modes. Once on and in any
regular mode, a double-click of the switch puts it into blinking
mode where it flashes twice per second. A second double-click
puts it into SOS mode. A single click when the light is in
either blinky mode will return the light to High mode. To turn
the light off just press and hold the switch for 1.5
seconds.</p><p><a
href="
HTML http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7326/9433344710_9f66072a09_o.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
HTML http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7326/9433344710_01ba54fb50_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a><a
href="
HTML http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7317/9433342194_e8457b9c75_o.jpg"><img<br
/>src="
HTML http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7317/9433342194_71c0fdbf37_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a><br> <a
href="
HTML http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3744/9430568545_31f6fa479b_o.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
HTML http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3744/9430568545_f6b175c08c_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a><a
href="
HTML http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5539/9433338684_443b5fa581_o.jpg"><img<br
/>src="
HTML http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5539/9433338684_1be620c661_n.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p><a
href="
HTML http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3797/9430556943_476a5d5d8f_o.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
HTML http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3797/9430556943_96ae7d676e_z.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>The included goose neck extensi
on
allows you to direct the output of the UL1 pretty much anywhere
you need. It hold it's position very well but in my opinion
could be just a tad stiffer. I think with use it will slowly
loosen. Being a bit stiffer from the start would allow it to
hold up to extended daily (or nightly) use.</p><p><a
href="
HTML http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7424/9430536709_f4125f9d7b_o.jpg"><br
/><img
src="
HTML http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7424/9430536709_287c5a49e0_z.jpg"<br
/>class="auto-style1"></a></p><p>Plugged into a wall wart if mak
es
for nice auxiliary lighting and would be great in a small room
like a bathroom instead of a night light or to light up a desk
or workspace.</p><p><img
src="
HTML http://www.xtarlight.com/05-chanpin/uploadpic/2013513175848737.jpg"<br
/>alt="" width="640" height="428"></p><p>The UL1 comes in a choi
ce
of two colors: Silver and Blue</p><p><img
src="
HTML http://www.xtarlight.com/05-chanpin/uploadpic/201351317574653.jpg"<br
/>alt="" width="640"
height="428"></p><p><strong>CONCLUSION</strong></p><p>This is a
pretty sweet little light. Arguably the best USB light you can
buy and for just $15 it's a hell of a deal. Add in the fact
that it turns into a versatile flashlight if plugged into an
external backup power supply and it is the perfect accessory for
the laptop bag or glove box. I can recommend this light without
any reservation!</p><p> </p><p><img
src="
HTML http://www.boatbookings.com/images/thumbsup.gif"<br
/>width="150" height="225" style="-webkit-user-select: none;
cursor: -webkit-zoom-out;"></p>[/html]
#Post#: 1921--------------------------------------------------
Re: XTAR UL1 Multi-usage Mini USB light
By: MRsDNF Date: August 7, 2013, 4:46 pm
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$15.00. Sounds like a steal after reading your review JM.
Thanks.
#Post#: 1924--------------------------------------------------
Re: XTAR UL1 Multi-usage Mini USB light
By: Xtar Lights Date: August 7, 2013, 9:55 pm
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Thanks for your time and work, thanks very much.
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