The Official Malkoff Junkie thread - Part 2
- Thread starter Greta
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Now that you mention it, that would be a pretty sweet light... :thumbsup:
Reporting back after some testing with the SHO:
The CR123 that the light cut out with still measures 2.5V (US made Surefire).
I then took another identical fresh CR123 and ran it for some time, checking the voltage from time to time. The light pulled the voltage down all the way from >3V to 2.8 to 2.5 to to 2 to 1.2v before I stopped to test. Took about 1h30m.
Now I sit with 2 identical (same batch, purchased together) CR123 batteries. The one at 2.5V does not light up the SHO, but the one at 1.2V does.
My only conclusion is that the battery must be damaged, although still giving a relatively high voltage reading.
Any wisdom?
The CR123 that the light cut out with still measures 2.5V (US made Surefire).
I then took another identical fresh CR123 and ran it for some time, checking the voltage from time to time. The light pulled the voltage down all the way from >3V to 2.8 to 2.5 to to 2 to 1.2v before I stopped to test. Took about 1h30m.
Now I sit with 2 identical (same batch, purchased together) CR123 batteries. The one at 2.5V does not light up the SHO, but the one at 1.2V does.
My only conclusion is that the battery must be damaged, although still giving a relatively high voltage reading.
Any wisdom?
peter yetman
Flashlight Enthusiast
Not really wisdom, but it obviously can't deliver the current. Dunno why.
So glad it's not your light.
P
So glad it's not your light.
P
With primary cells, voltage is not a good indicator of capacity.
Modernflame
Flashlight Enthusiast
It's hard to say based on the sample size of tested cells, but my best guess is that the non-functioning battery has too much internal resistance. How old is that batch of batteries?
Edit: Slumber Pass is correct. Generally, when a CR123 drops below 3v, it is mostly depleted.
GoVegan
Enlightened
I think the best wisdom to take away from this is to always carry spare batteries no matter how reliable the light is, and always carry a backup light too.
In fact your tests have reaffirmed my own thoughts about CR123 batteries and in particular about carrying spares.
I've always thought that although CR123 batteries pack the most capacity (relatively speaking to other small batteries), deliver higher voltage, have the highest/lowest temperature specs, and technically the most reliable, you can't be sure that the spare CR123 battery/batteries that you are carrying aren't from a bad batch. I've seen reviews on Energizer lithium AA batteries where the whole pack was bad, and if they had taken these to a remote location and where depending on them, then they would have been left in the dark, literally.
Taking this into account besides being usable hundreds of times, and being able to step out the house with full capacity, rechargeable Ni-MH batteries have an often overlooked advantage of being constantly tested in day to day usage, so if you generally use the same few cells then you know their characteristics and can trust that they aren't going to fail on you.
People put a lot of thought and research when buying the best, most durable, most reliable, toughest "tactical" lights but then go and use crappy batteries, when in-fact the batteries are usually always going to be the highest point of failure in any flashlight no matter what the brand of flashlight or the brand of battery. Not saying that Surefire batteries are no good, on the contrary they are probably the best, just some thoughts about batteries in general.
thermal guy
Flashaholic
Totally agree on the battery point. I run surefire in my elzetta's because I know they will work when I need them.
GoVegan
Enlightened
Yep, for Elzetta's intended usage, I won't run it on anything less (well I do use Battery Station cells in my Alpha). Many of the folks on the Surefire threads are guilty of running inferior cells, gotta have the latest brightest Surefire and love to tout their reliability, but then feed them cheap Chinese cells that always cut out short and leave them in the dark with zero light. :shrug:
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CREEXHP70LED
Enlightened
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I run Surefires in all my lights because I buy 72 of them at a time. lol. It is the only brand I ever used except the free ones from Battery Station with Malkoff and Elzetta lights and some Energizers that came with the old Surefire lights but all 4 of those come from the same Panasonic plant in Georgia or so I have been told.
etc
Flashlight Enthusiast
You didn't mention the most important thing -- how many primaries are you using with this SHO?
It's a rare module designed to run off 12V unlike most M61 modules that are only 9V.... thus M61 SHO needs 4x123 cells, anything less and you are not running in the optimal configuration.
It should theoretically run off 3x123 and it does but... a MD4 type body runs either off 4x123 *or* 2x18650, giving you the needed flexibility for this module.
It's a rare module designed to run off 12V unlike most M61 modules that are only 9V.... thus M61 SHO needs 4x123 cells, anything less and you are not running in the optimal configuration.
It should theoretically run off 3x123 and it does but... a MD4 type body runs either off 4x123 *or* 2x18650, giving you the needed flexibility for this module.
Kestrel
Flashaholic
Hello etc; in the interest of avoiding further confusion, we already determined that this particular 'SHO' is apparently a low-voltage MDC configuration, not the high-voltage SHO P60 dropin that I was thinking & posting about earlier.
Personally, I can't understand calling a 1xCR123 (?yes?) light "SHO"; that would be like calling a 4-cylinder Dodge, a "Hemi".
Edit: Frankly, I'm still not sure that I have any of this right - I don't follow the MDC lights at all, just no time & little interest.
I really wish we ran two Malkoff threads at the very least; one for the P60 dropins and a separate one for the MDC line of flashlights.
We actually do have threads for those topics, but there seems to be little member interest in utilizing that sort of organization - so we just get this 17,000+ post mess here ...
Personally, I can't understand calling a 1xCR123 (?yes?) light "SHO"; that would be like calling a 4-cylinder Dodge, a "Hemi".
Edit: Frankly, I'm still not sure that I have any of this right - I don't follow the MDC lights at all, just no time & little interest.
I really wish we ran two Malkoff threads at the very least; one for the P60 dropins and a separate one for the MDC line of flashlights.
We actually do have threads for those topics, but there seems to be little member interest in utilizing that sort of organization - so we just get this 17,000+ post mess here ...
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Kestrel
Flashaholic
No worries FDP, you're totally cool & perfectly clear; just the nature of this catch-all thread.
thermal guy
Flashaholic
Now THAT would be a great light! More and more my Malkoff's have been taking the place of my HDS lights.With a Malkoff AAA we could probably get real low lows. Similar to the lows on an HDS. I think then I'd be all set.
How does running a M61 on 2 li-ion cells compare to running it on 1 li-ion cell (i.e. 2x18650 vs 1x18650)?
Does it run brighter?
Does it run longer?
Does it run hotter?
Is there an efficiency gain or loss when the input voltage goes up?
--flatline
Does it run brighter?
Does it run longer?
Does it run hotter?
Is there an efficiency gain or loss when the input voltage goes up?
--flatline
Modernflame
Flashlight Enthusiast
Hello etc; in the interest of avoiding further confusion, we already determined that this particular 'SHO' is apparently a low-voltage MDC configuration, not the high-voltage SHO P60 dropin that I was thinking & posting about earlier.
Personally, I can't understand calling a 1xCR123 (?yes?) light "SHO"; that would be like calling a 4-cylinder Dodge, a "Hemi".
Edit: Frankly, I'm still not sure that I have any of this right - I don't follow the MDC lights at all, just no time & little interest.
I really wish we ran two Malkoff threads at the very least; one for the P60 dropins and a separate one for the MDC line of flashlights.
We actually do have threads for those topics, but there seems to be little member interest in utilizing that sort of organization - so we just get this 17,000+ post mess here ...
+1
So without knowing how it would be done (like Ben Franklin knew electricity was there, but could not find someone who knew how to harness it so he flew the famous kite thing), I ponder if there is a way to post a post on page 1 for example that would link those separate Malkoff series in one place. A sticky post.
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