Flashlights are one of the most popular tools around the world. When you buy a toolbox, or if you have just bought a house with a garage or out house, then one of your first thoughts might be buying a good reliable flashlight.
Whether there is a power outage, your walking the dogs in the early morning, or your taking a tour of the basement or loft – you might need a flashlight to remain safe.
The flashlight market is often saturated with an arms race for the most ‘modes’ and brightness, sometimes you just want a flashlight that is reliable, and does the job it was always meant to do.
The last thing you want to do is waste money on a flashlight with a strobe light, so light and 6 other modes you have to click through to turn it off. Sometimes simplicity is the best design.
UltraFire is a company dedicated to making American made flashlights for the average joe, their products can range from the most extra flashlights to the most simple and reliable.
In this review we’re looking at the UltraFire WF-502B which is a single mode flashlight for multiple uses, this is potentially the only flashlight you’ll ever need to consider and could be worth your money.
Read on to find out more!
Design Build
The body of the flashlight is made of aluminum alloy which has 1.5 metres impact resistance to endure even the most unlikely rough and tumble situations.
They claim it is made from military grade Type 3 hard coat anodizing which is a seriously hard wearing type of finish that makes it very durable.
The marketing for the flashlight seems to suggest that you can break glass with the flashlight, although we wouldn’t suggest doing this, unless you have found yourself in a really sticky situation we wouldn’t suggest you rely on this feature.
Moreover, they claim the flashlight has the highest level of waterproof design IPX-6 which can help the flashlight continue to work when raining, but it still won’t survive getting dropped into the lake.
The XP-E V6 LED itself is 1000 lumens which is decent for the market standard. This is more than enough to light up most situations, UltraFire suggests that it can light 200 metres ahead which seems more than enough.
Some other flashlights on the market can have lumens settings that get brighter or dimmer, but with this flashlight you only have the one setting although this one setting should be all you need for general usage, such as illuminating paths and signs.
Features
One of the things about the flashlight is the lack of features, with products such as flashlights sometimes customers want a simple product rather than a complicated one.
UltraFire has chosen to focus on the build design and making the flashlight durable and reliable. The button on the flashlight has a simple operation of on and off.
This is perhaps it’s most attractive feature. There’s nothing more annoying than clicking through different colors and modes to turn the thing off.
Sometimes we just want to simply press a button and have enough light to illuminate what’s in front of us, anything else can feel like a nuisance.
One thing worth mentioning about this purchase is the batteries and charger this purchase includes.
UltraFire not only provides a battery charger but also rechargeable batteries to use in the flashlight, which is handy.
The batteries included are 3.7v rechargeable batteries, UltraFire suggests that their booster circuit has a high voltage that can utilize the batteries most efficiently.
If you can remember to recharge the batteries so that you always have at least some power in the flashlight then this should be more than enough for most situations, remembering to recharge the batteries fully before embarking on a long expedition.
The rechargeable charger is a good addition that is more than adequate for the generally inexpensive price of the flashlight.
The plug of the charger is a normal US input but doesn;t include USB which could be handy for charging in the car or when out and about and is something we felt could have been added.
The recharged batteries should last for a good amount of time, just don’t forget to charge them when necessary.
What is a good design choice is that the flashlight only takes one battery, but UltraFire provides two and the charger takes two batteries too.
This means that you can always have a spare one ready to go when you need it most and can save you in some sticky situations.
Our Final Say
We really enjoyed the UltraFire WF-502B, it does what it says on the tin, and these simple products are often the best. As mentioned this is a great flashlight for those who don’t want something that’s too extra.
The simple binary operation of the light is actually desirable in a market dominated by an arm race of how to have the most features.
We think this would be ideal for those who want the simple operation, a security guard for example needs the simplicity of the on and off function, or for dog walkers who find themselves walking in the darkness.
The flashlight has enough durability to last and the rechargeable batteries are the only feature you need to remain prepared in the event of a battery running out – you should always have a fully charged spare for replacement.
Someone who goes hiking often may want something with a few more options, sucha s dimness for reading or SOS lights for emergencies, but for your everyday ernie this flashlight could be all you need.
If you want simplicity of design, a simple on and off operation, and the knowledge of having rechargeable batteries and spares, then this flashlight could be the only flashlight you will need.
For a fairly inexpensive price, and the addition of a charger, there’s not much to lose by giving the UltraFire WF-502B a go!
