L3 Illumination L11c Durability and Experiences?

hap124

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jon_slider

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since I don't have the thousands of dollars to commission a custom production line I need to settle

Tough call. Buy both?:)

there are 9 Nichia MDC left:)
$110 Nichia MDC AA
Modes: 0.3/8/70 lumens (with pwm)
56 grams (for the CR123, cant find AA weight)
drop proof

$35 Nichia L11c AA
Modes: 0.09/3/30/140 lumens (no pwm)
29 grams
not drop proof
 

Kamerat

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The size is what's keeping me from buying the MDC AA. It is bigger than an HDS. Even the diameter is greater.
 

Kamerat

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And by the way, I've bought 3 L3 Illumination AA and two of them died after short drops.
 

wolfgaze

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I dropped my L11C once and fortunately it survived.... But yeah, the build quality on these lights leaves much to be desired. Which is a shame because it's got one of the best beam profiles of any light I have tried - love the tint & high color rendering... I'm using the 3-mode Nichia model.... I wish they would take this light and just build it like a rock... I'd pay a $60 price tag for that...
 

KeepingItLight

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There is a long thread about problems with the L3 Illumination L10C. Supposedly, most of them were fixed with the release of the L3 Illumination L11C.

My L11C has taken a couple of drops onto the kitchen floor, but nothing worse. Fortunately, it survived.
 

gunga

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Wow. That mdc is huge. I was interested but it's bigger than many of my 18650 lights!

How about a zebralight sc52w? Eagletac d25a?
 

archimedes

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Well, if only @calipsoii had the time to finish his Spyglass update, we would be all set :devil: ...

HDhT2IH.jpg
 

jon_slider

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How about a zebralight sc52w? Eagletac d25a?

Zebra does not do Nichia. The Eagletac has PWM and the modes seem to not match spec

$52 D25A
claimed modes 0.5/7/55/88 turbo.. review says 5/19/94 (with pwm on med)
24 grams (aluminum)
drop proof?


D25A Ti Review:
ToyKeeper said:
I measured the D25A I received, and here are the results:
Tint: About 4300K or 4400K. The spec said 5000K.
D25A-219 low / "moon-mode enabled" group:

  • Low (spec=0.5lm): 4.67 lm, current-controlled
  • Med (spec=7lm): 18.5 lm, with PWM
  • High (spec=55lm): 93.5 lm, current-controlled
So, I noticed some pretty large differences between the official D25A-219 specs and my own measurements.
Lumen output
There is no moon mode. Not even close. That mode is so far off spec that it's actually brighter than the "low" mode on my other lights.
 
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jon_slider

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That review was a bad sample. I got the same light with a definite moonlight mode

That sounds a lot better, thanks.
Was the review also mistaken about PWM in the D25A? (selfbuilt's review says the Eagletacs do not have PWM, just "circuit noise")

do you feel the D25A holds up to dropping better than the L11c? They look very similar, and the specs for the Aluminum weight is very similar to the actual weight of my L11c (29 grams, even though the specs say 20).
 

KeepingItLight

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Selfbuilt reserves the term "PWM" for drivers that rapidly cycle power between 0 and max. Modern drivers, however, such as the one found in the BLF A6 and BLF Kronos X6 use PWM in a more rational way. They cycle between max and a non-zero output level. On the oscilloscope this results in a ripple that selfbuilt, at least to-date, has not called PWM.

I do not know much about the Eagletac D25A, so I cannot say whether this has anything to do with the reports of PWM on it. I have, however, seen convincing photos posted by CPF member reppans.

Selfbuilt did not test the D25A, which is all I own. The D25A only uses PWM on a couple of modes (and it's the fastest I've ever photographed), and moonlight has slow PWM-like pulsation (depending upon sample and voltage) on moonlight.

Here are three D25A samples swept along with an HDS across a time exposure. You really can't "see" PWM this fast unless you know exactly how to look for it - I never noticed it until another reviewer pointed it out.

19928723585_1a23e4c744_z.jpg


And a typical D25A moonlight on low voltage vs a Quark moonlight - cellphone test and time exposure.

7939898512_17392d11b3_z.jpg
 

parametrek

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Apr 3, 2013
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L11c sized single AA light with a forward clicky, Moonlight/Low/High settings, and no PWM ... [and] a good bolt on clip

Maybe the older Thrunite T10 before they changed the clip? Upgrade the switch to a forwards clicky and there is your grail. Okay, maybe not as sturdy as a Malkoff, but you could afford to get three :) The new T10 might work too but you'll be tapping holes and using a generic aftermarket clip.

For what it is worth I've had zero retention problems with the clip-on clip that the new T10 comes with.
 

jon_slider

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Maybe the older Thrunite T10
Does it offer a Nichia option?

a bit more about Eagletac circuit pulses:
#95
Since we are splitting hairs, I think this old photo (a time exposure sweep) is a pretty good visual representation of the progression from "oscillation noise" to true PWM. L to R: SC52, Quark AA, D25A and MDC AA. I swept them all together, and fast as I can possibly swing my arms. Focus on the very bottom of the beam swipes.

14308084037_135e533055_c.jpg


IMHO: the SC52 and Quark show oscillation noise, and are undetectable with the naked eye (which I consider myself pretty good at), and an HDS will look similar, but this is not PWM. By my definition, the D25A crosses the line of true PWM (on ~3 modes) but I really need to concentrate to see this one (and it's one of my favorite lights, own a half dozen).... it is the fastest PWM frequency I've seen/photographed. The MDC AA is kinda slow, and it see it annoyingly frequently.

But if you don't know how or what to look for, my advice is - do not learn!
 

markr6

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Jul 16, 2012
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I just took my L11C and beat it against the ground pretty hard (hard carpet so I don't ding it up). Also a few drops. After 8 pretty solid hits, it's still fine. I don't really want to do more than that, though!
 

Calemerson

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I broke 2 of the L11C by dropping them on the tile bathroom floor from about 2 foot up. I sure didn't buy any more.
 

markr6

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I broke 2 of the L11C by dropping them on the tile bathroom floor from about 2 foot up. I sure didn't buy any more.

I'm sure that's a much sharper hit than my carpet, but I'm afraid to try it. Tempting though just to see if they're all susceptible to short drops.
 

staticx57

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There is good news and bad news about breaking your L11c. I have found a suitable replacement driver (I have not asked the original manufacturer due to how fragile they are anyways). The bad part is it is of questionable quality. It is a budget solution with PWM, I have not dropped tested mine so no guarantees on quality but it does in fact revive a dead L11c. Also it has blinkie modes :(

YzQCtG9.jpg


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