Updated - full review added here.
I haven't felt like writing any reviews lately. Granted, there are lots of cool lights being introduced regularly, but these lights are typically variations on something that's already out there. And there are so many true reviewers out there that do such great jobs with their reviews!
But there are 5 particular American builders who I pay particular interest to…the "4 Ms" (McGizmo, Malkoff, Mac and Milky) plus the one and only Data. 4MD?
Gene Malkoff announced the MDC back in December. Like many others on this forum and elsewhere, I have a huge appreciation for the quality of Malkoff products, but even more appreciation for Gene and Cathy. IMHO, they exemplify kindness, honesty, fair dealings and the true American entrepreneurial spirit. A great success story – if you haven't already read about how Gene got started, you ought to take a minute and read the story HERE.
And to this day I find my collections of Malkoff lights to be among my most used.
So when the MDC was revealed, I was naturally pleased to see it and ready to jump on one or two as soon as they were available. As more and more details were revealed, excitement was so-so, but still I knew I'd want a couple.
So my first choice was this one – the MDC HA. I did consider the MDC HA SHO, but wanted a multi level for my first acquisition. (Still may get an SHO.) Next for me will be an AA variant.
So let's keep it brief. The quality of the light is apparent. My light has nice, even anodizing and a smooth finish. I thought at first that it would be slippery, but these 'slots' in the body of the light add grip. It has a rock solid feel to it.
The nice, flat areas on the head (as well as the clip) help to prevent the light from rolling.
The beam is typical Malkoff /McGizmo with the cool white emitter and the McGizmo reflector.
Gene shows 200/60 lumen in his specs – my light reads 210 and 80 in my home made sphere. The beam throws fairly well with good spill, and has a beautiful almost neutral white tint. Not the slightest hint of blue or green – just a nice white tint. In this photo you can see the tint compared to a Milky ML1 Extreme with an SSC P4 U2SW0H emitter (known for being very snowy white.)
Many have wished out loud for a lower low. I, too, like a low setting for moving around the house at night without disturbing my wife or messing up my night-adjusted vision. But maybe that doesn't apply to this light. It's a daily carry light, and what I've noticed on the 3 times I've used it outdoors (with a Hound Dog in backup ) walking my dog in the dark is what we all probably already know – there's not much discernable difference in the high or low setting. So why have both settings? Run time! Gene's stated estimated run times are 75 minutes on high and 300 minutes on low. I haven't tested the run time, but if I can get 4x run time with the minimal difference in perceived output, that's actually probably more useful to me than a lower low. This light isn't intended to take over for my uber low night lights anyway.
While strobe isn't a big deal for me, I can see were this could be of great use for signaling – just like Gene said. It's not a tactical light – it's not going to blind anyone – but if you want to get a buddy's attention across a lake or field, this would do a nice job. Maybe this short video can give you an idea of the strobe.
I'm not a big fan of clips, but quality clips are very much appreciated. This one is solid and attractive, and while it prevents 100% stable tail standing, it will still tail stand. And I considered taking it off (Torx screws) but for now it's staying on. I like the extra grip.
The weight is awesome. It's so nice and lightweight. Almost un-noticed in my pocket.
The size is really nice for an EDC. Here it is next to some well known lights, left to right:
McGizmo Haiku, Malkoff MDC, Surefire L1, Malkoff MD3 body with MD2 head, Hound Dog with MD3 body, Wildcat with MD4 body. (I have an MD2 turn key but it's in my truck and I was too lazy to go get it.)
So there you go – a mini review/first impressions. It's a keeper – it combines many of the things that we all love about Malkoff lights into a smaller, easily pocketable package. And while, as stated early in this post, I was only "so-so" excited, maybe that is the real point. This is a great, quality, useable tool that has a great chance of being in my pocket when I need it, and working when I want it to. Nothing fancy, just a very high quality small light - and made in America for those of us who that is important to. And that's a good definition of "Daily Carry" and I believe that the MDC will find its way into being just that – Malkoff Daily Carry light. Great job, Gene!
I haven't felt like writing any reviews lately. Granted, there are lots of cool lights being introduced regularly, but these lights are typically variations on something that's already out there. And there are so many true reviewers out there that do such great jobs with their reviews!
But there are 5 particular American builders who I pay particular interest to…the "4 Ms" (McGizmo, Malkoff, Mac and Milky) plus the one and only Data. 4MD?
Gene Malkoff announced the MDC back in December. Like many others on this forum and elsewhere, I have a huge appreciation for the quality of Malkoff products, but even more appreciation for Gene and Cathy. IMHO, they exemplify kindness, honesty, fair dealings and the true American entrepreneurial spirit. A great success story – if you haven't already read about how Gene got started, you ought to take a minute and read the story HERE.
And to this day I find my collections of Malkoff lights to be among my most used.
So when the MDC was revealed, I was naturally pleased to see it and ready to jump on one or two as soon as they were available. As more and more details were revealed, excitement was so-so, but still I knew I'd want a couple.
So my first choice was this one – the MDC HA. I did consider the MDC HA SHO, but wanted a multi level for my first acquisition. (Still may get an SHO.) Next for me will be an AA variant.
So let's keep it brief. The quality of the light is apparent. My light has nice, even anodizing and a smooth finish. I thought at first that it would be slippery, but these 'slots' in the body of the light add grip. It has a rock solid feel to it.
The nice, flat areas on the head (as well as the clip) help to prevent the light from rolling.
The beam is typical Malkoff /McGizmo with the cool white emitter and the McGizmo reflector.
Gene shows 200/60 lumen in his specs – my light reads 210 and 80 in my home made sphere. The beam throws fairly well with good spill, and has a beautiful almost neutral white tint. Not the slightest hint of blue or green – just a nice white tint. In this photo you can see the tint compared to a Milky ML1 Extreme with an SSC P4 U2SW0H emitter (known for being very snowy white.)
Many have wished out loud for a lower low. I, too, like a low setting for moving around the house at night without disturbing my wife or messing up my night-adjusted vision. But maybe that doesn't apply to this light. It's a daily carry light, and what I've noticed on the 3 times I've used it outdoors (with a Hound Dog in backup ) walking my dog in the dark is what we all probably already know – there's not much discernable difference in the high or low setting. So why have both settings? Run time! Gene's stated estimated run times are 75 minutes on high and 300 minutes on low. I haven't tested the run time, but if I can get 4x run time with the minimal difference in perceived output, that's actually probably more useful to me than a lower low. This light isn't intended to take over for my uber low night lights anyway.
While strobe isn't a big deal for me, I can see were this could be of great use for signaling – just like Gene said. It's not a tactical light – it's not going to blind anyone – but if you want to get a buddy's attention across a lake or field, this would do a nice job. Maybe this short video can give you an idea of the strobe.
I'm not a big fan of clips, but quality clips are very much appreciated. This one is solid and attractive, and while it prevents 100% stable tail standing, it will still tail stand. And I considered taking it off (Torx screws) but for now it's staying on. I like the extra grip.
The weight is awesome. It's so nice and lightweight. Almost un-noticed in my pocket.
The size is really nice for an EDC. Here it is next to some well known lights, left to right:
McGizmo Haiku, Malkoff MDC, Surefire L1, Malkoff MD3 body with MD2 head, Hound Dog with MD3 body, Wildcat with MD4 body. (I have an MD2 turn key but it's in my truck and I was too lazy to go get it.)
So there you go – a mini review/first impressions. It's a keeper – it combines many of the things that we all love about Malkoff lights into a smaller, easily pocketable package. And while, as stated early in this post, I was only "so-so" excited, maybe that is the real point. This is a great, quality, useable tool that has a great chance of being in my pocket when I need it, and working when I want it to. Nothing fancy, just a very high quality small light - and made in America for those of us who that is important to. And that's a good definition of "Daily Carry" and I believe that the MDC will find its way into being just that – Malkoff Daily Carry light. Great job, Gene!
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