great info.. Malkoff are very basic and literally solid lights. A couple of modes, extra thick bodies and heads, mechanical switches, and potted drivers. Great to hear your impressions.
What are your impressions of some of the infinitely variable models? Any experience w HDS? They use potting, but the switch is electronic, and they have a rotary tail that steps through 24 modes (not infinitely variable, but at least they have a Rotary UI).. Did they survive duty carry and grandchildren too? ;-)
Thanks for your thoughts.. Have a great weekend! ;-)
My experience is that frequently the lights with multiple steps did not stand up to long term hard use. Or, they were to complex to use in stress situations. Including the Surefire U2.
Here are some lights that I currently have and a report on how they have stood up to actual use. All were new from authorized dealer and unmodded unless noted.
Vinh-modded Supbeam K40M. 7 total steps with rotary dial. In the about 6-7 years of ordinary household use, it has performed flawlessly every time.
EagleTac M2C4. was supposed to have about 7 total steps with rotary dial. The dial has become loose, and one or more steps are missing. This light was returned to me by the LEO who initially used it and found it unreliable. (He traded it to me for a Surefire 6P bored for 18650s, UCL installed with McClicky switch and Malkoff M61. That light has been totally reliable for him day in and day out for years now.)
NiteCore HC90 Green, red and blue led, plus lever adjusting out put. I don't remember what the factory said, but it appears "infinitely adjustable" output with no visually apparent changes in level. This light has worked great for years with one exception: It drains batteries when in the off position. So, i have to keep the batteries out of it until use.
Sofirm SP10Pro. Electronic switch adjustments, also such small output steps that it could be fully adjustable. This is only a month old. It is rated for 14500 which is one of the reasons that I wanted to experiment with it. Unfortunately, the step frequently does not want to move. That is, button pushed properly, but no change in output. It is a fun light and I will use it to finish off old Alkaline batteries.
So, as I review the above 4 lights, three of them have problems of one sort or another. And, these are the ones that I have kept, not the ones that over time I either returned or discarded.
Now for another category: the manual output controls:
Here are three at my desk right now:
Malkoff MD2 with hi/lo switch. That adjustment is made mechanically. And, has worked flawlessly in many dozens of Malkoff lights that I have owned or obtained for others.
Surefire EDCL2-T and Tactician. Both have mechanical adjustment, the first in tailcap and the other in head tightening. So far in only months testing, both have worked flawlessly.
Well, with one proviso: The EDCL2-T works flawlessly with CR123s. It also works with 16650 batteries but with a noticeable reduction in output. (It does not work at all with RCR123s)
The Surefire Tactician on the other hand works great with all three types of batteries. I've removed the clip because I don't like lens up carry and it is getting a lot of pocket time in the house.
One more: The brand new Cloud Defensive MCH with 4 programable levels. I have been testing two of these for about a month and am not prepared yet to recommend it for duty use, but so far, they both have worked flawlessly over many hours of testing and programming changes. This may be the very first light with electronic switching controls that I will be willing to recommend to my LEOs for duty use.
I hope that these real world experiences help.