Drop-in for Maglite 3D? No Malkoff, no Terralux.

[Jash]

Also jash is there any way you could get some picks of your sst 50 as it would be awesome as you take great picks. Dont have the money but would like to stare and dream.

Have a look at this thread. And if you think that's bad, now he's thinking about making a 3300 lumen drop-in that will cost $275 if he makes it.

 

[Swedpat]

I bought one of his 6 AA to 2 D Maglite battery holders for my latest Maglite projects with a TLE-300M-EX and it works great! I *really* wanted to use one of the Malkoff Devices drop-ins for that project, but there were none to be bought.

I have a 6AA to 2D adapter in my new purple 2D, and with a Malkoff P7 dropin. These dropins are unfortunately discontinued since some year.

 

[tx101]

Build him a dropin :thumbsup:

H22A heatsink available here on the forum
XPG on a 14mm board, AMC7135 multi mode
board, glass lens and metal OP reflector available from KD

I think your Dad will be more impressed if you built him a dropin

 

[Black Rose]

The newer models use a Luxeon Rebel that doesn't have the color-shift related overheating problems. I have both the TLE-6EXB (2-3 cell model, rebel emitter, 100 OTF lumens) and the TLE-300M-EX (4-6 cell tri-xre, 600 OTF lumens) and I have been very satisfied with them both.

I really like the 2D Rebel Mag that I have - any issues with the beam produced by the TLE-6EX-B?

 

[veleno]

Try the nite ize 1 watt led upgrade. Less than $20 bucks. I have it on my 2D oveready oops eveready I should say. Your dad gonna love it coz its a warm white led.

This sounds good!

The fusion 36 led drop in for maglite, looks good, all flood but it's got 400 lumens I think

I prefer avoid a blue tint. :thinking:

Hi, for around $ 50-60 you can buy your father a nice, new, smaller, brighter light.

True. In fact I don't want to spend a lot of money for a Maglite, but since my father still has it in car I thought to update it with a not too expensive led.

I already gave him an Arc AAA-P and an Inova T1-MP.

If I was your father and I heard that I wasn't worth enough for you to get me a Malkoff module for my maglite I would cut you out of the will.

Nah... he knows I love him.

As HarryN said, I prefer to buy a new flashlight rather than spending a lot of money for a Maglite.

+1, get him a TK20. He'll be blown away

I'm considering the new LD25 too.

The most important thing is a simple interface without SOS/strobe and with 2 or maximum 3 levels. A warm light is also very desirable.

What kind of budget are your working with?

I thought about 50 dollars (international shipping included).
The Mac Customs SST-50 is too expensive, it costs more than Malkoff!

the TLE-6EXB (2-3 cell model, rebel emitter, 100 OTF lumens)

I was very interested, but I found bad comments even about this, so I thought to avoid Terralux. I don't want to have problems due to the heat.

I think your Dad will be more impressed if you built him a dropin

I would be impressed too if I built a drop-in. :laughing:



Thank you very much for all your suggestions, now I read again the thread and then I take a decision.

 

[Locoboy5150]

I was very interested, but I found bad comments even about this, so I thought to avoid Terralux. I don't want to have problems due to the heat.

Honestly, based on Bigchelis' light output tests done on my own and others lights, almost all Maglite drop-ins have problems with bad heat dissipation. Maglites were originally designed for incandescent bulbs and nothing else and their design has changed little over the years, if at all. Some drop-ins are better than others, but they all show diminishing light output as the LEDs heat up. Yes, this includes the very highly regarded Malkoff Devices ones too.

That's why I usually don't recommend modifying or upgrading Maglites if ultimate light performance is one's goal. Modifying Maglites is very fun for me because I get a personal feeling of self satisfaction knowing that the Maglite in my hand is *my* light that I built to my own specifications and needs. However, if I want ultimate light performance in terms of constant output even as the LEDs get warm, I reach for one of my ready made and same as everyone else's light.

I just thought that I'd let you know that though drop in upgrades are a lot of fun, they all have their limitations to some extent, especially when it comes to heat dissipation. Thus, don't expect them to perform as consistently well as a regular production light from a well known company.

 

[dougie]

I'm surprised by your comments about Gene Malkoff's Maglite LED drop-ins. I've never heard anyone else complain about any of his drop-ins having colour shift even after prolonged run times. I've got one of his creations and have never experienced this phenomenon. In addition Gene was very careful to ensure his creations kept within the manufacturers design specs for temperature disappation. When I compare the amount of heatsink Gene's modules provide against some commercial products it appears to me to have more than enough mass l to prevent potential issues? Could I ask you to let me know why your drop-in experienced a colour shift?

 

[recDNA]

How do you install the fusion d36? I don't consider the malkoff a "drop in" because you have to mess with the reflector. I also agree that $105 is too much to spend on a maglite. I'd rathee toss the mag and buy a fenix. If $23 gets me 400 lumens with ez installation then I'm in.

I've got both the Fusion 36 and Mac's SST-50 drop-in. No guesses as to which one is the best, but the Fusion 36 is still a ripper of a drop-in that will transform any old mag light into a super flooder for $23 delivered. Mac's SST-50 ended up costing a little over $110 with shipping, but so very worth it.

For the money, the Fusion 36 won't disappoint.

 

[Jash]

How do you install the fusion d36? I don't consider the malkoff a "drop in" because you have to mess with the reflector. I also agree that $105 is too much to spend on a maglite. I'd rathee toss the mag and buy a fenix. If $23 gets me 400 lumens with ez installation then I'm in.

Unscrew the bezel and remove lens, pull out the reflector and lamp (toss it) and pop in the Fusion 36 light engine and then replace the lens and bezel, turn it on and go "Wow, this only cost me $23!"

 

[recDNA]

Unscrew the bezel and remove lens, pull out the reflector and lamp (toss it) and pop in the Fusion 36 light engine and then replace the lens and bezel, turn it on and go "Wow, this only cost me $23!"

Pop in how? Where? Doesn't the maglite stock bulb screw in?

Doesn't seem to matter. Ebay doesn't sell them any more.

 

[Jash]

Pop in how? Where? Doesn't the maglite stock bulb screw in?

Doesn't seem to matter. Ebay doesn't sell them any more.

You don't need the collar that screws in to keep the bulb in place. The lens is what holds the module in place and it really does just pop in. It's easier than replacing a stock bulb.

 

[recDNA]

You don't need the collar that screws in to keep the bulb in place. The lens is what holds the module in place and it really does just pop in. It's easier than replacing a stock bulb.

And where can you buy one? If you have a link please pm me because mods will delete sales links. The old one at Ebay is dead and I searched Ebay and the net to no avail. Wish they sold them at Home Depot.

 

[ZMZ67]

I would also suggest reconsidering the TerraLUX TLE-6EXB.The design of the Maglite is going to be a limiting factor for any drop-in replacement as the bulb tower is isolated with no way to dissipate the heat.The Malkoff replaces the bulb tower but most inexpensive drop-ins will still use it.I have two of the new Rebel TLE-6EXBs and have not had problems with them.Not sure what the TLE-6EXB cost will be in Italy but they are a decent value here in the U.S. IMO.

 

[ama230]

And where can you buy one? If you have a link please pm me because mods will delete sales links. The old one at Ebay is dead and I searched Ebay and the net to no avail. Wish they sold them at Home Depot.

He will put 10 more on there in a couple of days... They are selling fast now that we got some cpfers on here including myself to buy these.

They are worth the wait and if anything email the guy.

Search: " sinounionechnologyld "

These would be huge at home depot.... and lowes....

 

[veleno]

In the end I ordered the Nite Ize 1 Watt led.
My father already uses the Inova T1-MP as primary flashlight, so I just wanted to replace the ugly old bulb of the Maglite with a nicer led. I'm also considering to buy another flashlight for him (a Fenix 2xAA maybe).

The fusion 36 led drop-in would been very interesting, but I can't find one.


Thanks again!

 

[spydie fanatic]

He will put 10 more on there in a couple of days... They are selling fast now that we got some cpfers on here including myself to buy these.

They are worth the wait and if anything email the guy.

Search: " sinounionechnologyld "

These would be huge at home depot.... and lowes....

Here's a link to his eBay store if you want the fusion 36, this way if they're not up for auction, you can contact him or keep an eye on it:

http://myworld.ebay.com/sinounionechnologyld/


Only problem I had installing mine was a flickering issue due to a bad connection, which I solved by doing this:

1st, take the head off the m@g. Disassemble and reassemble the head again by itself with the fusion 36. Make sure you screw the head pieces back together tightly; now screw the complete head back on the body of the m@g. Why do it this way? I have noticed if you try to just drop the F36 into a assembled m@g, when you screw the top piece which holds the lens down, you sometime can't screw it down all the way and you have a gap; doing it this way ensures you get the head piece assembled fully and you get the perfect fit/connection when you screw the head onto the body...even if there's a minute/slight variance in mag or F36.

I hope this helps if anyone else has a flicker issue...

 

[spydie fanatic]

Or how about this one? Looks close to the F36...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ULTRA-Bright-So...7012960?pt=US_Flashlights&hash=item2309b99660

I haven't tried it but makes me wonder?

 

[Locoboy5150]

Could I ask you to let me know why your drop-in experienced a colour shift?

I personally don't own a Malkoff Maglite drop-in. The published test results from Bigchelis that I was referring to are stuck at the top of this forum though. I doubt that the color of the LED changed during the test but the light output did decrease with time though, which is an indication that the drop-in was not dissipating heat as well as other lights whose output remain steady with use.

If you look at his results for other drop-ins, they all experience a decrease in light output with elapsed time, some more than others. Now, whether that decrease is actually noticeable to the user is debatable but it is measurable with test equipment.

 

[ama230]

Or how about this one? Looks close to the F36...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ULTRA-Bright-So...7012960?pt=US_Flashlights&hash=item2309b99660

I haven't tried it but makes me wonder?

Looks interesting as would like to try it out. As for the claim in lumens is way off. You cant squeeze 40lumens out of a single 5mm for very long as it would kill it in a few minutes. A nichia gs will deliver 10 lumens at 20mA and 20 lumens at 40mA but as for higher current it will handle it but lifetime will suffer.

Then the unit claims 100mA per led as this is very high for a 5mm.
In fact too high. Either the lumens are off or its really over driven. As for the claim in runtime its way off as it will not run for 32 hours, more like a 5 hour max or less.

All in all I would like to see it in action as if driven at 20mA each the light would still produce 200 lumens which is still very bright. Very interesting and great find. Kudos, another great player at the table.:twothumbs

Also it looks like nichia outer leds but the inner one are ? I am intrigued!!!

 

[jsr]

Can someone post a link to the Fusion D36 thread or ordering info? I did several searches and can't find a thread on it. Thanks.