Maximizing on-body lighting capability in a simple system.

[KITROBASKIN]

@KITROBASKIN Which Malkoff drop-in did you choose and what are you running it in?

Kind of you to ask: Years ago purchased an Oveready Wasp cooling head and a 2X18650 Oveready body. Sold the Wasp. Wanted a 9 volt capable engine. The 4000 Kelvin SST-20 emitter works well for me.
We will see if the M61N High has the medium throw needed for the terrain we live. Our house also has a few single 18650 Oveready hosts that would gladly accept a Malkoff. The idea of a single mode for singular seriousness was also a consideration and an avenue to explore.

Long time ago, I called Malkoff Devices. The man who answered was courteous and knowledgeable; worthy of respect. Kind of felt bad that he did not have what was desired back then. Now he most certainly does. Might even spring for a Hound Dog (maybe Super) 4000K; Especially if it would fit the Oveready body.

As said previously, thanks for this thread direction. Given that you have buckets of CR123, you are sitting pretty indeed.

 

[ekardscribner73]

I'm eager to hear how your setup works for you. Glad this thread helped you find a use for that 2x18650 body!

Long time ago, I called Malkoff Devices. The man who answered was courteous and knowledgeable; worthy of respect. Kind of felt bad that he did not have what was desired back then. Now he most certainly does.

Dealing with Gene and Cathy has been the closest thing to a local-shop experience that I've had on the internet. I'm so impressed with the service and the quality of the product that I find myself wanting to find a Malkoff solution for everything!



As the second light in my system, I've started to contemplate a Malkoff MD1 with a high/low ring and one of three dropins (running on 1xCR123A, referencing the Malkoff Runtime Graphs thread)
- M31LL 219B (60 regulated lumens for about 4.25 hours)
- M31LLL 219B (19 regulated lumens for an apparent eternity)
- M61LL (who knows how many lumens for reportedly a long time)

@thermal guy Would you mind lending your opinion on which will work better in a better close-up, low output two-level light? You mentioned in this post achieving runtimes of 50-60 hours on an M61L with a single CR123A. I presume that you meant at an M31LLL level, around 19 lumens? Do you know what kind of low output I could expect with these three dropins using the high/low ring? I've been unable to find anyone else trying this type of setup.

EDIT: Messed up link

 

[ekardscribner73]

After a couple of months, I've settled into a system that I love and is really working for me.

My primary light is a Malkoff M61T H/L MD3. The beam profile is tight, which increases the effectiveness of its output. Runtimes are awesome. It's useful in pitch darkness, in and among streetlights or other light sources, and even in broad daylight such as when working in an engine compartment under direct sunlight. The low mode is a useful level and again the tight beam profile helps it be effective in a variety of lighting conditions.

Day-to-day, I carry only this light in my back pocket, with backups in my truck or bag. I find the M61T lacking when I am illuminating something very close up or want an extremely dim moonlight mode, so I often supplement my carry with a M31LLL 219B v3 H/L MD1 or a WM61LLLL MD2 if I know in advance that I'll want one of them. The M31LLL gives about 20 lumens (~1 on low) and the WM61LLLL puts out about 20 but in a slightly more concentrated beam that is highly flexible.

I run the M61T MD3 on primaries. I don't run it for extended amounts of time on high so these last me a while. When I swap in fresh cells, the partially spent ones are used to fuel the supplementary lights.

This is working for me now. I've got a bunch of other lights on my wish list and I'm sure I'll continue to adapt my system as I discover new things.

Cheers, CPF, and thanks for helping me start this journey with some good stuff.