Magic Fire 40W HID 4000-Lumen 4x18650 HID Flashlight

[Colonel Sanders]

+1 to all the above.

As a side note that bears repeating to all current MF owners, do yourself a favor and screw the bezel/reflector out a bit. You will be pleasantly surprised with how this affects the beam pattern and reduces the artifacts of the beam. I wish I had realized this could be done on day one. It really is a solid performer with just the few issues above that need to be addressed. Most are easily fixed with just a little effort and a dremel but these are certainly issues that should not be present to begin with.

 

[BVH]

+2 to all the above with comments below.

1. An additional .025" inside diameter of the tube is all that is really needed in my opinion. Looks like the tube wall thickness at the bottom of the thread groove might be around .090". I'd guess that an additional .025" (.0125" per wall) increase in bore size would be possible without increasing tube OD, leaving a wall thickness of about .0775".

2. There's more than a couple reports of 29+ Watts from those who can and have tested. I would guess that the majority of the lights are in the 29 - 30 Watt range. As Patriot states, when advertised as a 40 watt, that's what is expected + or - a Watt, possibly 2. If it's really 30, then so be it but call it that.

Having used the light for a week, there are a few things that I really like about it. However, there are 5 issues that would improve value, usability and potentially increase this light's status among end users, primarily the CPF crowd.

If you're listening Ric, here they are...

1) Increase the width of the battery compartment to allow for a wider range of 18650s, especially those with higher capacities. Even .0100 would help greatly in this area.

2) Chamfer / bevel the interior edge of the battery tube. Even when there's ample cell clearance it's just asking for trouble to have a 90° machined edge present, ready to peel back the protective covering of expensive cells.

3) Get rid of the two solder blobs on the head of the light. If you load or unload the batteries from the head side, the blobs hook the the battery carrier contact springs and bend them. Alternately, fix issues 1 & 2 and give specific instructions to only load from the tail cap side. I recommend removing the blobs regardless.

4) Offer this light with both smooth and orange peel reflectors. It's not really a throw HID due to its compactness and although some will take all of the throw this design can achieve, others would appreciate a smoother, all purpose beam.

5)Update the ballast to provide an actual 40 watts or simply change the advertising description to 35W Magic Fire. Each of us who purchased this light before BVH's tests bought on the notion that we were sending money for a 40W ultra-compact HID. Turns out it's only 32-36W, depending on sample variation. Frankly, I'm not disappointed with the output considering the size and price. A 35W light results in a bit more run-time and lower exterior temperatures as compared to a 40W version. I just like to know exactly what I'm buying regardless.


The Magic Fire doesn't replace dedicated, top tier, HID search lights and wasn't designed to. However, it could certainly fit the bill as a recreational light for walking the dog, taking night time nature hikes, zoo nights or other non-critical activities. At under $200 shipped, I think the Magic Fire is a solid HID with a conventional form factor. It sets itself apart from the proprietary battery packs and baseball bat sized HIDs of the ebay variety. If these few, mostly minor things were addressed I think this light would earn credit with the CPF community. The shipping issues are being addressed elsewhere.

 

[RichS]

So my Magic Fire arrived today.. it came in the dreaded envelope with a couple wraps of bubble-wrap.

I nervously opened the package....

Perfect!! I was thrilled that it was in mint condition with no dings, scratches, or anything. It even came with an extra full set of o-rings and an extra switch. My AW 3100 batteries fit in the light via the tail cap with a little bit of wiggling. Hit the button and....light!! This thing is actually an amazing little light! My Stanley 35W wasn't charged to compare it with yet, but it has an amazing amount of output in such a small light, and the throw is great for how relatively small the reflector is. Feels solid as a rock, the knurling is perfect...I'm loving me some Magic Scorpion!!!

Beam shots to follow...:devil:

So, question - is there another HID this compact that has more output? (at any price)

 

[Ginseng]

So, question - is there another HID this compact that has more output?

I'm guessing not for $180 bucks.

I continue to be very happy with my unit's 30+ watt performance.

Wilkey

 

[Patriot]

There's more than a couple reports of 29+ Watts from those who can and have tested. I would guess that the majority of the lights are in the 29 - 30 Watt range. As Patriot states, when advertised as a 40 watt, that's what is expected + or - a Watt, possibly 2. If it's really 30, then so be it but call it that.

Thanks for the reminder Bob. I edited my post to reflect that 29-35W reality. There's really no way this should be called a 40W light. It would really be good of Ric and I'd respect him that much more if he altered the stated specifications of this light to "35W Max"





RichS, you're light looks like the models pictured in the sales thread! Thank goodness a few CPFers are receiving these the way they ought to come. Glad to hear that you're happy.

 

[Patriot]

So, question - is there another HID this compact that has more output? (at any price)

Yes, the 35W & 40W Firefox lights but availability might be a problem. Member ma_sha1 owns one or both, can't remember.

 

[Ginseng]

+1 to all the above.

As a side note that bears repeating to all current MF owners, do yourself a favor and screw the bezel/reflector out a bit. You will be pleasantly surprised with how this affects the beam pattern and reduces the artifacts of the beam. I wish I had realized this could be done on day one. It really is a solid performer with just the few issues above that need to be addressed. Most are easily fixed with just a little effort and a dremel but these are certainly issues that should not be present to begin with.

Just to clarify,
It seems there is some variation in the location of the sweet spot. Some need the bezel screwed way out. Mine, however, focuses most tightly only 3/4 of a turn from totally screwed down. So the lesson is play around a bit...just don't crush the return wire.

Wilkey

 

[Tain]

So, question - is there another HID this compact that has more output? (at any price)

Magic Fire has announced 65W HID(6000lm), the body is exactly same with Magic Fire 40W HID. They will offer 65W upgrade kit for 40W owners. The release date is TBA.

Fire-Foxes will release a compact 40W HID with in 1~2 month.
Length: 149mm
Weight: 420g(w/o 4x18650 batteries)
They are releasing a batch of 40 samples today. I will try to get one and compare it to MF 40W.

 

[TEEJ]

Magic Fire has announced 65W HID(6000lm), the body is exactly same with Magic Fire 40W HID. They will offer 65W upgrade kit for 40W owners. The release date is TBA.

Fire-Foxes will release a compact 40W HID with in 1~2 month.
Length: 149mm
Weight: 420g(w/o 4x18650 batteries)
They are releasing a batch of 40 samples today. I will try to get one and compare it to MF 40W.

LOL - Figures

 

[spaz815]

LOL - Figures

Thats what I said when I read that.

 

[BVH]

Just posted in Ric's thread asking about this.

 

[TEEJ]

Let me guess, the upgrade kit will end up costing $30...and be delivered in paper boats from China, blown by the winds of commerce.

 

[Tain]

Just posted in Ric's thread asking about this.

Both the upgrade kits and 65watt HID lights are not available to the public yet.

 

[nitekayak]

I finally received a set of 18650 AW3100s. My light works fine with these cells! With the JetBeam 2300mAH cells it would just flicker then cut out altogether. Using the JetBeams, I was almost instantaneously tripping the PCB in one of the four cells. The battery would recover if power was immediately removed. If I left the light on for 2-3 seconds, the PCB would latch and the battery would indicate 0 Volts until it was placed onto the charger. This was definitely not a malfunction and part of the cell's design intent, as it would occur in any one of the 8 cells, as I discovered by rotating the mix.

After installing the AW3100s, I measured the current on first strike and found it would peak my Fluke 87 at > 10 Amps. Both 1 msec and 100 msec recording intervals yielded the same result. Once the inrush current would drop off, I was reading ~4.4 Amps at 14.2V (~61 Watts input).

As Patriot stated, it appears different manufacturers are using PCBs with varying thresholds.

I found a specification sheet for a 3.7V Lion Battery Protection Circuit.
This shows one manufacturer's design thresholds and monitoring parameters.
I could not find which particular cell size this PCB was designed for:
Over-charge protection voltage: 4.300V+/- 0.050V
Over-discharge protection voltage: 2.40V +/- 0.100V
Over-current protection voltage: 2.2-3.4A
Maximal continuous discharging current: 2A
Maximal current consumption: 10uA
Short circuit protection: Automatic Recovery
Protection circuitry resistance: =< 65mOhm

Anyway, I'm a happy camper now that my light turned out not to be DOA after all. I have a set of AW IMR18650s on the way, but since the higher capacity AW3100s are working out, they will be relegated to being my backup batteries. Here are some charts showing how Voltage/Amperage/Wattage vary with time during the startup/warmup phase. The Ballast Output Power assumes 90% efficiency for the electronic ballast. This seems to align with what I've read about low wattage metal halide ballasts.

 

[mohanjude]

Looks like you also have a ballast that is consuming more power than the average. I was getting similar readings on current draw - average 2.6-2.8amps at stabilised voltage of around 15.8V

Having used the light for around 2 weeks now it is clear that when the batteries are low on their charge the 'PCB' is tripping. I can only assume that some of the other members lights that would flicker on and not worked may be in a similar situation and not really DOA.

 

[kashmir]

:wave: Finally got my AW 3100 cells in and charged. Dremeled out the bottom of the body and wiggled in the battery carrier and.......it fired up! I know i'm late to the party but I had to tell someone (I told my wife and she just replied "well isn't it supposed to work with new batteries")? A few artifacts on a white wall but sounds like most of you guys saw the same thing. Ric offered to refund something for the damage but I told him to hold off till I made sure the thing worked. I ended up charging the cells one at a time on my Pila because it kept terminating charge at 4.15-4.16 even after hitting the reset button.

 

[TEEJ]

:wave: Finally got my AW 3100 cells in and charged. Dremeled out the bottom of the body and wiggled in the battery carrier and.......it fired up! I know i'm late to the party but I had to tell someone (I told my wife and she just replied "well isn't it supposed to work with new batteries")? A few artifacts on a white wall but sounds like most of you guys saw the same thing. Ric offered to refund something for the damage but I told him to hold off till I made sure the thing worked. I ended up charging the cells one at a time on my Pila because it kept terminating charge at 4.15-4.16 even after hitting the reset button.

OW

Its 4.20 +/- 0.05 v

That means 4.15 v is GOOD.

Over charging shortens the cell life....and the difference in run time between getting another 0.05 v or so in there is not worth it.

 

[nitekayak]

:wave: I told my wife and she just replied "well isn't it supposed to work with new batteries".

Haha! My Wife asked me "What's in the bag?". When I told her it was just another flashlight, she replied "You have issues". I guess it's sometimes hard to understand the passion!

 

[TEEJ]

Haha! My Wife asked me "What's in the bag?". When I told her it was just another flashlight, she replied "You have issues". I guess it's sometimes hard to understand the passion!

LOL

That's why I have stuff delivered at WORK (Justification = I USE them for work....).

So I only have coworkers think I "Have Issues".

 

[kashmir]

OW

Its 4.20 +/- 0.05 v

That means 4.15 v is GOOD.

Over charging shortens the cell life....and the difference in run time between getting another 0.05 v or so in there is not worth it.

I think I better just take them off the charger when it says they're done, thanks. For what those cells cost, I don't need shorter shelf life