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This V3 4500k head will be a good option for those who don’t wanna get cells mixed up by using a 16650 or CR123 tube vs a AA/14500. I think 16650 tube would be a better option considering the voltage range on these

Worth noting that running 2xCR123 the low will be a bit brighter

Yes I had to order one, it’s gonna be an awesome Malkoff to own. I’ll be running mine on various cell tubes. CR123 tube with Vapcell T9 950mah will be one of my favorites, it’s also worth noting these have LVP so unprotected batteries in smaller tubes like a CR123 tube will be nice. Protected 16340 cells I’ve noticed like to shut off at higher voltages.

These 8amp vapcells would power this bad boy real nice. Around 42 minutes on high (700 lumen) before step down

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illumn.com
 
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JJZ109 said:
Yes, and although I would much rather see SM453 emitters be used to build more AA 1-2V flashlights, a unique offering instead of a repeat is the Kōsen way, and I can’t fault that.

As for mode selection, I’ll stick with the default L-M-H, as the only other mode group that I would tend to use would be L-M, and that is absent. 😐
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Yeah, I also thought that L-M would be more of my jam, and was surprised it isn't an option. Cycling through the modes, with 700 lumens for high is going to be EXCITING for you inside, haha.

But yeah, I get the idea behind doing a special option. I'm still thinking about it because the programmable modes seems interesting, but I'm not sure what kind of an emitter I'd want for that.
JJZ109 said:
😆

It will happen!
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What is it the hippy chicks say, "We're going to manifest it"? Just do that, but maybe get a crystal of some kind, too. Casios are quartz action, so that's gotta work, right?
ilikeguns40 said:
This V3 4500k head will be a good option for those who don’t wanna get cells mixed up by using a 16650 or CR123 tube vs a AA/14500. I think 16650 tube would be a better option considering the voltage range on these

Worth noting that running 2xCR123 the low will be a bit brighter

Yes I had to order one, it’s gonna be an awesome Malkoff to own. I’ll be running mine on various cell tubes. CR123 tube with Vapcell T9 950mah will be one of my favorites, it’s also worth noting these have LVP so unprotected batteries in smaller tubes like a CR123 tube will be nice. Protected 16340 cells I’ve noticed like to shut off at higher voltages.

These 8amp vapcells would power this bad boy real nice. Around 42 minutes on high (700 lumen) before step down

Loading…

illumn.com
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I do think the head is the selling point on this one, due to that range. The 16340 configuration will be crazy, haha.
LVP is a nice addition, simply because it's getting harder and harder to find protected cells these days. And, since this is really built for Li-ion, LVP makes a lot of sense versus CR123A stuff, where you DO want to drain them.


But, ultimately, I feel like I'm a humanitarian, here, for leaving one more of this fantastic lights for someone who hasn't experienced the 4500K 519A.
 
Schokokeks said:
But, ultimately, I feel like I'm a humanitarian, here, for leaving one more of this fantastic lights for someone who hasn't experienced the 4500K 519A.
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This is my position right here. I wouldn’t put it through its paces enough for what it deserved and would just be observed. Also, if I was really hankering for some 4500K 519A goodness, I’d just spend the extra for an HDS Rotary as they still have some sw45k stock left.
 
This is a nice setup 519a 4500k V3. Mode spacing is similar to a li-ion, just not as bright on high
IMG_4567.jpeg

IMG_4569.jpeg
 
ilikeguns40 said:
This is a nice setup 519a 4500k V3. Mode spacing is similar to a li-ion, just not as bright on highView attachment 97021
View attachment 97022
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Wait, you got it already?
Can you do a sweet beamshot like you did with the 2700K outdoors?

Even though my plan has worked, and it's now sold out, I am curious.

I actually think this is a neat head, too, because if you set it to start on high, it's very much similar to the bodyguard.

Also, I assume it's not as bright due to the 3V of the cell vs. the 4.2V of Li-ion?
 
ilikeguns40 said:
High level isn’t as bright, but still very useful, low and medium are the same. Didn’t do any runtime tests with it but it’s nice they will run on a 3v battery
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That's actually pretty cool. I think the LVP is 2.7V? With a regulated 3V output, that just skims by, haha. I assume a LFP cell would turn off after just a bit of running.

Now, you just gotta find a 3xAA body to run it, hahahahaha.
 
I can't say I'm surprised, though. 700 lumens is pretty bright, so that's a "turbo" mode, and outside of larger lights, "pocketable" lights just never maintain those levels for long.

For example, here's the runtime of the D3AA on Li-ion:
1784935237324.png

And that's for a light built entirely around efficiency.

Malkoffs are built entirely around reliability, so I don't see this as shocking or disappointing performance.

This is also why I don't get super attached to turbo mode outputs, and peak numbers. Most of the time, I'm using lights at 200 lumens or less - often 100 or less. I know some people love having these short-lived turbo modes (and yes, they can be fun), and don't mind that they disproportionately eat the battery power.

Overall, since our irises adjust, and - much like sound - light measurements are logarithmic, generating the extra heat and eating the power to double the output is never nearly as impressive in person as it looks on paper, haha.

Unfortunately, those paper stats are what moves lights. Gene catches a LOT of F.L.A.K. for "only" having 4-700 lumens in most of his lights, while his Chinese competitors might have 1-2,000 lumens (which is often only just perceptibly brighter, anyway).
With simple math, the difference sounds WAY brighter, but with logarithmic math, it's...not a huge difference...but the human brain REALLY struggles with logarithmic scales, which is why sound, light, and interest (both in yields and rates) tend to really confuse, surprise, and fudge us, haha.
 
Schokokeks said:
I can't say I'm surprised, though. 700 lumens is pretty bright, so that's a "turbo" mode, and outside of larger lights, "pocketable" lights just never maintain those levels for long.

For example, here's the runtime of the D3AA on Li-ion:
View attachment 97062
And that's for a light built entirely around efficiency.

Malkoffs are built entirely around reliability, so I don't see this as shocking or disappointing performance.

This is also why I don't get super attached to turbo mode outputs, and peak numbers. Most of the time, I'm using lights at 200 lumens or less - often 100 or less. I know some people love having these short-lived turbo modes (and yes, they can be fun), and don't mind that they disproportionately eat the battery power.

Overall, since our irises adjust, and - much like sound - light measurements are logarithmic, generating the extra heat and eating the power to double the output is never nearly as impressive in person as it looks on paper, haha.

Unfortunately, those paper stats are what moves lights. Gene catches a LOT of F.L.A.K. for "only" having 4-700 lumens in most of his lights, while his Chinese competitors might have 1-2,000 lumens (which is often only just perceptibly brighter, anyway).
With simple math, the difference sounds WAY brighter, but with logarithmic math, it's...not a huge difference...but the human brain REALLY struggles with logarithmic scales, which is why sound, light, and interest (both in yields and rates) tend to really confuse, surprise, and fudge us, haha.
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For extended use, I also often stay below 200 lumens, probably closer to 120 if i need "bright", and below 50 lumens for "working" i.e. under sink, car, etc. For walks in the burbs, I'm probably using 5-20 lumens. I now find myself wishing that some of the lights would lock in on lower mode efficiency, i.e. sustained runtimes of 100 lumens or less...Malkoff at any level are pretty efficient, but an extra 15% more runtime would be awesome based on certain lumens/watt measurements. (That's conjecture, but based on brightness/runtimes that others have done in the past.)

I believe that below about 12ish lumens, the d3aa driver REALLY takes a hit. While it will still run for quite a while, it's only about 75% efficient, and less efficient as it goes down low.

While the SST20 seems to produce a very good hotspot, In terms of lumens per watt, Malkoffs seem to be leaving at least 10% on the table by using the sst instead of the Nichia 519A. For task specific lighting, I would concede that the sst is more effective at downrange lighting. But for my layman purposes, bringing back a narrow angle TIR with a 519A with the same lumens (reduced power) would be ideal. I would love a 2×AA physical hi-lo selector 519A 3500k malkoff with a 2-5 degree TIR, running 35/0.3 lumens (100mA/1mA). On standard eneloops, that should be almost 20/2000 hours of well focused light. (although, I have a feeling it would be closer to 15 hours because of malkoff circuitry, but I digress...)
 
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I think the SST-20 vs. 519A is interesting in that, especially at lower levels, the extra candela of the SST-20 "looks brighter" than an equivalent 519A light, so I don't need to bump things up a level.

Though, I do agree that a high/low AA centric Malkoff would be amazing. I rarely use the higher outputs, but would LOVE a lower output centric model.
 
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