Item arrived via regular mail and standard USPS envelope. The lamp assembly was packed in a zip lock bag with G&B cardboard top.

This review is simply a modified version of the one done for the UltraFire WF-500L Cree because I'm simply using the same body as a host for this G&P R500 lamp assembly. Take note that you have to purchase the entire R500 lamp assembly and not just the bulb because it does not match the the Cree reflector that came with the 500L. The bulb module of the R500 and emitter module of the 500L are totally different in terms of physical specifications. Once you've purchased one R500 lamp assembly, you can then just purchase only the R500 bulb in the future saving you quite a bit of cash. The Xenon module screws on nicely centered with the reflector. The R500 has a nice textured reflector similar to the 500L, they even have the same depth. The difference between these 2 reflectors are that the R500 has a more curved dome shape than the 500L without the flat base, and the end where the bulb screws in is narrower than the base for the emitter module of the 500L.

Now onto the main body of this light. It looks very similar to a G&P R500. Obvious difference is this one doesn't come with a built in charger for the Li-Ion batteries. On the other hand, you can choose to use any other brand of 18650 cells. It has a hefty weight as should be expected from it's size, mostly around the head area. However it feels well balanced when held in hand. Coating on the outer surface is all very nicely done. There were some chipped off coating which was probably the result of shipping such a large and irregular shaped item without a box. The threads on the 500L are nice and thick, they feel very tough and secure but I did encounter some grinding and cross-threading. The threads on the end of the top half of the battery tube was poorly finished as can be seen from the images below. The battery tube can be unscrewed into 2 parts for different battery configurations. Both protected and unprotected Li-Ion cells work fine in this light with ample room to spare. This light has lots of o-rings throughout, 1 at the lens, 1 at the neck, 2 at the battery tube's mid-section and 2 at the tail cap. All accept the ones at the mid-section and lens came generously lubricated. There are a few narrow strips of knurling along the body which don't really help with grip, thankfully the flat surfaces machined on the battery tube help instead. Heat sinking works very well, the head gets warm after 5 minutes of use. After 30 minutes the entire body gets hot. Protected 18650 fit fine with ample room. Take note that if you are using flat topped 18650 cells, you will need to use magnetic spacers.

The tail cap on my sample encountered some problems during tests. Initially I was able to tighten it all the way down and have the light working perfectly fine. Later, tightening it all the way caused the light to remain stuck in the on position. I had to loosen it a full turn to have the reverse push button switch to work properly. This was caused by some intermittent contact problems between the components in the switch assembly, reassembling it fixed this problem. The tail cap is also just a scaled up version of the C2's with the same tri-point design which helps with grip when unscrewing during battery changes. The problem with the 500L's tail cap is that the threading is excessive, I had to keep twisting it way too many times before the tail cap would finally come off. The push button switch is moderately stiff, it's not very smooth though, as I could feel some grinding friction with each press. The rubber cap has a nice checkered texture and is positioned high above the tail cap, so tail standing is impossible.

Output is very impressive with the this advertised 500 lumen Xenon bulb. The brightness intensity may not be apparent if you are used to using LED lights as white light might seem perceptively brighter than the warm tint of an incandescent bulb. Once you get to test this outdoors however, it's superior throw will become apparent. The beam profile is very nice and smooth with a medium sized spot, only slight artifact are noticeable along the outermost edge of the spill beam. I doubt you will be using this light in such close proximity situations to notice it anyway.

Just a note of caution when using 18650, be it protected or unprotected cells. Running the R500 on 18650 cells fresh off the charger may cause the 7.2V bulb to burn out on the spot, or cause severely reduced life span. For the runtime test below, I used AW's protected 18650 cells measuring about 4.1V each. With continuous running, the light will get too hot to touch.

Runtime 2x 18650 2200mAh Protected Default 00:32 to 50%

The Good - The entire assembly looks very well made and feels sturdy. Everything fits together nicely with no loose parts.

The Bad - The price tag for this R500 lamp assembly is questionably high.

The Relative - The reverse push button, some people like it because it reduces the chance of accidental turn on while stored in pockets or bags, others hate it because it doesn't allow momentary on functionality.

Bezel (front view).

Bezel (side view).

Bezel (rear view).

Lens.

Reflector (front view).

Reflector (side view).

Reflector (rear view).

Bulb module (front view).

Bulb module (side view).

Bulb module (rear view).

Head (front view).

Head (side view).

Head (rear view).

"+" contact retaining ring.

"+" contact (front view).

"+" contact (side view).

"+" contact (rear view).

Battery tube, top half (front view).

Battery tube, top half (side view).

Battery tube, top half (rear view).

Battery tube, bottom half (front view).

Battery tube, bottom half (side view).

Battery tube, bottom half (rear view).

"-" switch module retaining ring.

"-" contact spring and place holder (front view).

"-" contact spring and place holder (side view).

"-" contact spring and place holder (rear view).

Switch module (front view).

Switch module (side view).

Switch module (rear view).

Rubber cap (front view).

Rubber cap (rear view).

Tail cap (front view).

Tail cap (side view).

Tail cap (rear view).