I think this is a wonderful all-around flashlight especially because
of the zoom function. It has a very good flood and it can throw
unbelievably far.
I have modded this with a Cree XR-E R2 (WG)(sku.15943)
and a 16-Mode 3.7V 1000mA
driver (sku.7612).
The light is somewhat brighter and with the modes it got more
practical and I think more efficient (runtime - I will test it,
before was ~2hours with 900mAh
rechargable AAA's).I am posting some photos and I have a whole
bunch of others if anyone needs some help. I have also put some
tape to tighten the focus slide as described by some reviews.
I think this is the best flashlight for its money and the AAA
batteries are so
easy (and cheap) to find.
Here are some pics:
before with cree P4:


img src: http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/2034/befx.th.jpg



http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/2034/befx.jpg

after with cree R2 & driver:


img src: http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/4241/aft.th.jpg



http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/4241/aft.jpg

connection of the driver:


img src: http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/6831/conn1.th.jpg



http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/6831/conn1.jpg

and another one with all parts: (AFTER THE MOD):



img src: http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/5876/all1.jpg

stgram12 wrote, that it isn't possible to change the LED, so, can you write how you did it?
Maybe with a photo if it's hard to describe :)

I would also like to change it with a brighter LED. Maybe Q5, maybe a better one.

If your able to do it, would you (or someone else) show us (me :D) some pictures where something 10m (30ft) away is spotted (I don't know if it's the right word, School and School-English is so long ago... ;))

Thanks!

Ok, just look at these pictures they show the very first 3 steps to disassemble the flashlight.
The first step is to unscrew the metal ring that holds the lens.
You can see that the moving part of the flashlight consists of 2 metal parts.

Step 1: Unscrew the metal ring from the rest of the moving part of the flashlight




img src: http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/3226/step1w.jpg




In the inside of the head you will see the parts that are shown in the next picture.
To remove this you have to use a very thin, plain screwdriver (see step 2)
and unscrew it from the body (step 3). You will then have in your hands exactly
what is shown in the next pic.
Then take out the rest of the moving head (it has a metal ring in the inside "holding" it).




img src: http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/2774/step23.jpg




Then use the same screwdriver to take apart, with care, the white plastic thing
that holds the led and a plain reflector. When you do that the reflector comes
out easily and you see the led. If you know how to use a soldering iron, you will
surely be able to unsolder it and solder a new led. I have put an R2 Cree.


THE THING THAT I DON'T MENTION ABOVE IS THAT WITH THE NEW LED THAT I
HAVE PUT (R2) AND THE 1000mA DRIVER, THE RUNNING TIME (WITH THE SAME BATTERIES)
IS A BIT LESS THAN BEFORE (~1h45m instead of ~2h10m) - BUT ONLY IN HIGH MODE!!
If you use it in lower modes you will get better running time. Also with this driver,
when in high mode and the batteries drop, it starts to blink (not 100% brightess though)
instead of dimming the led.

Great, Thank you!!

To Johnfocus85 - Great mod and instructions! Thanks much. I just bought my first one of these a couple of weeks ago and modded it to accept an RCR123, as well as 3 AAA. I wanted the versatility but the bonus was the noticeably increased brightness too. That single RCR123 drives this light nicely with little change in heat. I haven't tested runtime yet but plan to with both battery types.

Did you buy the Q5 / driver here and, if so, what is the sku?

"I have modded this with a Cree XR-E R2 (WG)(sku.15943 Auto-Link: SKU 15943 )
and a 16-Mode 3.7V 1000mA
driver (sku.7612 Auto-Link: SKU 7612 )."

Both products above are bought from DX.
I will soon post new pictures showing the difference in brightness between the original
and the modded one. I'm waiting 2 more of these for some friends and I will compare
them with mine as soon as they arrive.


Another thing that would make this flashlight a little better, is the possibility that
we could have a small reflector instead of the flat base of the led, so more light could
be utilized through the lens, instead of beind wasted inside the moving head.
If anyone understood a thing, and has something in mind, even in initial stage,
let's exchange opinions and see if we can figure this out.

Well, i ordered mine and i got a question :)

Would it be godd, if you polish the inner of the cylinder?

It looks like it's black, so the light wouldn't be reflectet, but if it would be polished...

First - let me say that this light is absolutely worth the tiny amount it costs. Thanks to the posting by johnfocus85 above I ordered an R2 and the same controller board and this is a very worthwhile modification.

There is a couple things about the R2 mod that deserve comment. I needed to trim one of lobes of the star to fit it in the recess. No problem to do - side cutters work perfectly. The other is the controller board. It fits between the star and the "back" of the puck. This limits the size of controller you can actually fit - I didn't measure it (silly me) but 5 or 6mm is the max. Personally, a lo/hi board would be my choice, but there isn't one!

Polishing can't be done. The inside has a white plastic sleeve. The actual lost light is pretty small - I wouldn't worry.

Only irritation:the head of the torch rattles due to the circlip - I think replacement by an O-ring (25/26mm) would fix this but I don't have a suitable O-ring to try this with.

I will use this driver:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.7612

@ Mode 2 you got only 3 Modes, so it's great for everything.

Got this in my Modded Mag 3D Cell with Seoul P4. It's very very thin and it'll fit definitely!


This light is great, also without modding, beats out my 1000mAh Sepul P4 Mag :D

Those are awesome instructions johnfocus85 and I especially like all the little arrows you drew.