The new Malkoff M61SHO

[NH Lumens]

Here I am trying to pocket an MD4 with a clip attached. Awkward to say the least. 😂

FYI, a MD4 with a standard size (non Hound Dog) head fits perfectly in the right-front zippered pocket of Duluth Foreman's Pants, and carries quite comfortably there despite the beastly weight.

 

[ilikeguns40]

Those look like some nice pants wouldn't mind trying them, however my flashlight addiction has led me to Walmart Wrangler Ranger work pants. I actually like them a lot. Around $32

 

[knucklegary]

Those look like some nice pants wouldn't mind trying them, however my flashlight addiction has led me to Walmart Wrangler Ranger work pants. I actually like them a lot. Around $32

Are those the western cut with cargo pockets?

 

[etc]

I did a little comparo tonight. First is m61t in md2 with fresh 18650, and m61SHO is C2 with fresh 16650. Roughly 40~ yards to the bench.

Quite clearly the m61t has more punch, and the m61sho has more spill.

Can you post some more pics, against a wall? The second pic - is the SHO pointed at the bench? If so, its punch is weak.

 

[aznsx]

M61T:
"This design utilizes a tightly focused TIR optic. The Optic offers a tight beam for maximum throw. The Lux at 1 meter is 12,000. It is an outstanding medium to long range spotter. It will easily illuminate objects at 450+ feet and will blind opponents within a 150 foot radius. This Flashlight is Designed for Maximum Reach in a Small Format. If You are a White Wall Hunter, This is NOT the Light For You (it does not have a beautiful, symetrical beam on a white wall)."

M61SHO:
"This design utilizes a custom orange peel reflector designed by Don McLeish. The reflector offers a very nice balance between throw and spill. It is an outstanding room lighter and short to medium spotter."

Looks like about what I'm seeing in @Megalamuffin 's photos. Working as advertised. The web site descriptions sound pretty accurate to me.

That's good in my case, 'cause I went with the M61SHO, and got what I expected. Also got a M61N while I was at it, and got what I expected with that too.

Like the old Holiday Inn line: 'No surprises'.

 

[etc]

The complete description of M61SHO lists its lux as 11K, almost as high as M61T. At least on paper. It should have lumens and almost as lux and be overall brighter and throw as well. Something is wrong here as the pics suggest SHO's lux is much closer to 8K lux of M61.
It appears to be a somewhat brighter M61 but still can't hang with any of the T variants when it comes to throw.

 

[Megalamuffin]

The complete description of M61SHO lists its lux as 11K, almost as high as M61T. At least on paper. It should have lumens and almost as lux and be overall brighter and throw as well. Something is wrong here as the pics suggest SHO's lux is much closer to 8K lux of M61.
It appears to be a somewhat brighter M61 but still can't hang with any of the T variants when it comes to throw.

They were both pointed at the bench. Keep in mind that was with both drop in's on a fully charged 3.7v li-ion, which doesn't give them full output.

When I get a chance I'm going to do another park walking comparison with them both on full output voltage, which I think will show a larger difference in favor of the SHO.

 

[etc]

They were both pointed at the bench. Keep in mind that was with both drop in's on a fully charged 3.7v li-ion, which doesn't give them full output.

When I get a chance I'm going to do another park walking comparison with them both on full output voltage, which I think will show a larger difference in favor of the SHO.

I am confused. What is a fully charged 3.7V Li-ion?
Do you mean a regular 18650 Li-ion that has been charged to 4.2V? If so, why does the test need to be-rerun on full output voltage?
Or do you mean you ran the above with a 18650 discharged to 3.7V? Or do you mean the 18650 was fully charged but you now want to re-run it on 2x18650 to get full output?

Can you get a few white wall shots... ? The SHO output seems downright disappointing. I would go on a limb here say this ain't 11K Lux. Thanks for your contribution.

 

[Megalamuffin]

I am confused. What is a fully charged 3.7V Li-ion?
Do you mean a regular 18650 Li-ion that has been charged to 4.2V? If so, why does the test need to be-rerun on full output voltage?
Or do you mean you ran the above with a 18650 discharged to 3.7V? Or do you mean the 18650 was fully charged but you now want to re-run it on 2x18650 to get full output?

Can you get a few white wall shots... ? The SHO output seems downright disappointing. I would go on a limb here say this ain't 11K Lux. Thanks for your contribution.

Sorry for the confusion.

Yes, when I said fully charged 3.7v li ion I am referring to a single 18650 and a single 16650 respectively, both of which were fully charged to 4.2v in this comparison.

The m61t and m61sho do not give the full output they're capable of on a single li-ion battery even fully charged to 4.2v. They need 6-9v for the max output they're capable of. Both drop ins are obviously and noticeably brighter on 6-9v than on 4.2v, so for the next comparison I will be running both of them in the 6-9v range. At the 6-9 voltage range the m61sho will better show it's capability compared to the m61t.

 

[thermal guy]

I'm pretty sure both of them on a fully charged lithium battery will give you full output. At least that what the chart says.

 

[NH Lumens]

I tried the M61SHO on a single cell and two cells - the output reading was identical.

 

[scalpel_ninja]

I tried the M61SHO on a single cell and two cells - the output reading was identical.

Would this mean the output (while identical) would be sustained longer if multiple cells were used? IIRC, these modules drop out of regulation at 3.8v and then run direct drive. A single cell would deplete below 3.8v sooner?

 

[Megalamuffin]

You guys are right, my mistake. Here's the 61SHO specs straight from the horses mouth.

The status quo with most m61's is they're brighter on 6-9v than 4.2v, so that's what I was confusing with in the case of the SHO.

 

[NH Lumens]

Would this mean the output (while identical) would be sustained longer if multiple cells were used? IIRC, these modules drop out of regulation at 3.8v and then run direct drive. A single cell would deplete below 3.8v sooner?

Yes.

 

[NH Lumens]

You guys are right, my mistake.

The status quo with most m61's is they're brighter on 6-9v than 4.2v. I seem to remember that being the case with the 61SHO when I first tried it, but I'll test that again tonight.

Try the M61T on two Li-ion cells vs. the M61SHO on one. ;-)

 

[Megalamuffin]

I don't have any kind of testing equipment, but I do have the good old fashioned eyeball assessment. Tonight I should be able to do some more park walking comparo.

It seemed to me like the sho was brighter on 6-9v than a single li-ion, but maybe 4.2v quickly drops below 3.7v at which point output is reduced?

 

[thermal guy]

You guys are right, my mistake. Here's the 61SHO specs straight from the horses mouth.

View attachment 48998

The status quo with most m61's is they're brighter on 6-9v than 4.2v, so that's what I was confusing with in the case of the SHO.

Yes and this is the great thing about this SHO. It makes it a real vampire.You get the same output at 3.8 volts as you do at 9 volts. And you can use 2X123's. Before this the M91 was all it. You could run 12 volts you could run 3.8 but the output lowered as the voltage did. And because the draw was so high it was not recommended running 2X123's.

 

[etc]

At the 6-9 voltage range the m61sho will better show it's capability compared to the m61t.

Yep, without a doubt, but then at full voltage the M61T will show its full capability also.
From the pics, I would say M61T is the winner. Maybe lower overall lumens but it's the lux that's greater. What it comes down to, I do not believe the stated lux of the M61SHO. Either Gene made a mistake, a typo maybe but there isn't 11K there that's similar to the 12K lux of the M61T.

 

[etc]

The chart above is wrong/misleading at best. Citing the following post here which is more credible coming straight from the field.
So, M61SHO is drastically over-rated lumens wise, and as I suspect also lux-wise. It's a step up from M61 but doesn't come close to other fine modules. M61T for example has higher lux. M91T has drastically more lumens.

It seems there is no purpose for the M61SHO to exist given there is regular M61 and M61HOT. If you want drastically higher performance, look at 18650 Hound Dog, or M91T, which BTW will run on 1 cell in the MD2 format. The latest version will.

I had established this multiplier for my DIY rig from previous testing and used it to test the lights. The results are as follows;

• M91T on two cells = 780 lumens (rated at 750 lumens)
• M61HOT v.2 on one or two cells = 635 lumens (rated at 740 lumens)
• M61SHO on one or two cells = 570 lumens (rated at 825 lumens)
• M91B on one cell = 450 lumens (no single cell rating)
• M61T on two cells = 425 lumens (rated at 425 lumens)

The important consideration is not the calculated output (which has plenty of potential error), but the comparative output of each module (which has little potential error).

The M91T and M61T are pretty much on target with their ratings. This has generally been the case with all Malkoff lights I've tested in the past.

My sample of the M91B has always been a dog - there's no way it hits the rated 1,000 lumens no matter how many cells it's run on. On four CR123 batteries, the Bodyguard v.2 on a single Li-ion cell still blows it away.

My sample of the new M61HOT v.2 does not reach its 740 lumen rating. Even if I use 900 lumens for the M91T to calculate the multiplier, the M61HOT gets to 730 lumens. I'm inclined to give it a pass due to the potential error in my measuring process.

My sample of the M61SHO was not even close to its rated output, and even any error in my process does not account for it. This was no surprise as my Surefire E2T Tactician (rated at 800 lumens, measured in this testing at 804 lumens) is clearly more powerful by simple observation. According to my measurements and observations, the M61SHO does not match the M61HOT v.2 in either lumens or candela.

Observations - M61HOT v.2 vs. M91T

I had always assumed based on their ratings that the M61HOT and M91T were essentially identical in output. At least with my samples, this appears not to be the case;

• The M91T has greater output (measured and observed)
• The M91T has a substantially tighter and brighter hot spot, and substantially higher observable candela
• The M61HOT v.2 is noticeably cooler in color temperature
• The M61HOT v.2 has a MUCH more uniform beam pattern and no "Donut of Darkness" surrounding the corona like the M91T
• The output of the M61HOT v.2 is rock solid vs. voltage: from 4.0 volts to 8.4, the lux reading remained the same

Conclusions

Even though the output does not match my sample of the M91T (and according to my measurements struggles to meet its rated output), the new M61HOT v.2 remains the top dog of the Malkoff M61 series. Though a bit cooler than I care for, and the noticeable square corona caused by the TIR optic projecting the shape of the emitter, the overall beam is more uniform with brighter spill compared to my sample of the M91T. With the high/low switch installed, the low setting is perfect for night adapted vision inside the house.

As planned it has been installed on my night stand light where it provides a better-than-expected upgrade over my M91B running on a single Li-ion cell.

 

[thermal guy]

The chart above is wrong/misleading at best. Citing the following post here which is more credible coming straight from the field.
So, M61SHO is drastically over-rated lumens wise, and as I suspect also lux-wise. It's a step up from M61 but doesn't come close to other fine modules. M61T for example has higher lux. M91T has drastically more lumens.

It seems there is no purpose for the M61SHO to exist given there is regular M61 and M61HOT. If you want drastically higher performance, look at 18650 Hound Dog, or M91T, which BTW will run on 1 cell in the MD2 format. The latest version will.

i don't know. The SHO spill is crazy bright. That's where all the extra lumens are