MagLED 3D version

[arty]

Patric - The Malkoff dropins are much brighter than the MagLed. I can't compare them to the Terralux in a 2D, since I don't have the model you are interested in.
I can say that the Malkoffs are really bright in a 3D or 4D. I have a MagLed in 4D and the Malkoff makes it look dim.
Runtime won't be as good, but the light is much brighter. I don't have the time to do runtime tests, but I do recommend the dropins. My 3D uses a Malkoff stippled reflector and it produces lots of output with adequate throw. The 4D has a smooth reflector and it will light up a house that is more than a block away. It has way more throw than the MagLed, and a wide spill that is useful for walking. It is dark in my neighborhood at night.

 

[sikl]

In my country brand names like Inova, Maglite, Surefire et cetera are almost unknown :shakehead. So these brand names meant nothing to me when I started to look for a good flashlight few months ago. My friends and I walk often with our dogs (their "boys" Great Dane and Rhodesian Ridgeback and my "girls" Malamute and Israeli Canaan dog) in the forest at evenings and since it darkens early in the winter I thought it would be a good idea to get a better flashlight than cheap generic ones we used before. I wanted a flashlight that is not very expensive <(50$-100$), has a good lighting distance and battery life. MagLed 3d seemed to be too heavy to carry around a lot so I bought 2d version. It's size and weight are fine :thumbsup:but it is not as bright as I thought it would be. It has amazing battery life but I wonder how can I make it a little brighter without shortening the battery life too much. I see people recommend Malkoff a lot but it costs over 100$ (incl shippment) and seem to be too bright for my needs. I consider buying non-led version of maglite and then upgrade it with TLE-6EXB but it seems to get somewhat mixed reviews here so I wonder if it's worth it. :thinking:Can someone recommend another branded flashlight that is brighter than MagLed 2D but not too much brighter, has a good throw, not too expensive and still has good battery life.
I consider getting Streamlight TwinTask 3C and just wonder how this flashlight compares to Mag Led 2D.

 

[arty]

I have a Streamlight Twintask 2D and it is not as bright as a Maglight. I got it for long runtime
The Streamlight Tasklight 2L can be had for a decent price and has better throw than a Maglight. It is not as bright as the Malkoff dropin in a 3D or 4D, but it is a little less expensive on Amazon.

 

[f22shift]

For a cheap upgrade if you already have magled module, replace the luxeon with a seoul, it's only six bucks from DX. Down side is if you don't succeed the first time, you fry the module.

I have a seoul on order from DX, wish me luck, heh.

agreed. i don't know why other people dont do it. it's probably not as bright as a malkoff (1a to the emiter i think) but it'll run longer and is much cheaper. i'm going to guess the magled is somewhere around 500-600ma. current pull at the battery is 650-700ma. just a guess.

i wonder if it's as simple as bending the prongs of the ssc downwards and replacing the stock 3 watter. some thermal glue to hold it in place. the prongs are a little different though.

 

[StefanFS]

i wonder if it's as simple as bending the prongs of the ssc downwards and replacing the stock 3 watter. some thermal glue to hold it in place. the prongs are a little different though.

It might work with only bending the arms or prongs on the emitter. I trimmed them down and soldered the SSC contacts directly to the contacts on the driver with thin copper wire instead of 'prongs', this means disassembling the M*gled module (which is easy) and some delicate soldering. That and some thermal epoxy. Now it's about 60-65 % of my modded 3D's that run at 1.2 A. Very bright.
Stefan

 

[jzmtl]

How do you disassemble it? Just pry out from the back?

My SSC is already on its way from DX, not often you get to double efficiency for only six bucks.

 

[StefanFS]

How do you disassemble it? Just pry out from the back? My SSC is already on its way from DX, not often you get to double efficiency for only six bucks.

Take off the emitter - just lift the metal casing up off the module - straighten the positive tab on the module and slide the driver board out.

Be very careful when soldering this little board, too much heat and it falls into pieces. With pretinned wires it only takes a fraction of a second to secure them onto the driver board contacts. I use liquid flux for this.
Stefan

 

[jzmtl]

Thanks, sounds easy enough, can't wait for my emitter to get here.

 

[jzmtl]

Finally got my emitter from DX and put it on. All I got to say is if you have magled module lying around, you really should swap it.

I did it like stefan's pic above, opened up everything and soldered the wire onto the board contact, instead of just insert contact in. If you do this just take care to mark polarity on each component.

 

[Cydonia]

Upgrade to MagLED is a great idea. I did it to two 3 cell magLED's here.

I use them in C size Maglights using Downloads awesome MagCTower to completely heatsink the MagLED. This way the MagLED operates at peak initial start up efficiency all the time. The MagCTower works amazingly well... after half an hour continuous operation it is just warm to the touch.

How much current then, does the 3 cell MagLED put to the SSC P4? I don't know... I don't have a VOM with current measuring ability! :mecry:
So how much current does a 3 Cell MagLED provide to the SSC P4 when heatsinked?

But Newbies huge MagLED review has some interesting numbers that you may find helpful.