XM-L Micro "Maclight"

[Bimmerboy]

Thanks for the beamshots, Johnny. :thumbsup: Looks like an exceedingly useful, close to medium range EDC!

The more I think of it... gotta' hand it to ya', man. A P60 pill in a Minimag head?!? This is an outstanding mod, and I now need one.

 

[JohnnyMac]

It's done?!? :-D

LOL...no, just the pill is done.

 

[havnmonkey]

LOL...no, just the pill is done.

I'm pretty sure many of us might be interested in a drop in pill for a mini m*g, if you'd be inclined to sell a few... I really like the size of a 1xAA mini m*g. My idea so far, since I lack machining capability, is just filling the void between the LED and driver with AA epoxy.

 

[JohnnyMac]

First one built to order. It's a beauty!

 

[cdrake261]

I spy a glow in the dark o-ring

 

[JohnnyMac]

I spy a glow in the dark o-ring

Very observant. It looks quite awesome when you shut the light off. Hope you don't mind that I put one in there. :naughty:

 

[cdrake261]

Me? Mind? pheesh....


Actually, if it hadn't come with one, I was going to put one in it but since it comes with one already......

 

[cdrake261]

Got my flashlight in, damn, it sure is bright!!

My first reaction was "damn, that's bright!!" when I turned it on to the high mode, in fact, it's much brighter then my fenix tk30 at 1" away from the wall(to visually compare output of both flashlights) and just a little dimmer from five feet away due to the floodier light spread. This is perfect for those hands on projects like taking a computer apart or other close by projects resulted from the floodier beam. The SOS can be useful, but the strobe is blinding....much more so then the fenix tk30(Tylenol anybody?). Overall package is really small and light weight, and wouldn't even mind hanging it off my belt, despite not being a fan of belt clips and holsters.

So if that was too confusing to read, let's try cliff notes shall we?

Pros:
Small
Lightweight
Pathetically bright(in a good way)
Nice bluish/purple tint
Ease of operation (single handed?)
Glow-in-the-dark O-Ring

Cons:
Light output has a bit of squarish shape to it (not big fan of it but doesn't bother me enough to complain about it)
Lack of momentary switch (I agree that this is difficult in a small package)
Gets warm after using it on high mode for a while
Wife may want to steal it

Bottom Line:
Great little flashlight, I was expecting a floody flashlight when I ordered it and it's a great size when time comes to work in areas such as small confined space. Squarish pattern isn't ideal, but what do you expect from a mini mag(excuse me, micro mag)? Momentary switch would be nice, but just like the issue of the squarish beam pattern, size is extremely limited. I would recommend this light to anybody and everybody, especially people needing a bright light to work in dark and confined spaces, and also for people wanting to carry something bright without getting bogged down by a larger light. A+ JohnnyMac!!

Pictures(I will upload beam shots compared to my fenix tk30 and maybe my Mac's Custom 4D Mag drop in if it shows up in time later this evening):

 

[JohnnyMac]

So glad you like it! The square spill goes with TIR optics. The hot spot is round. Outside you won't even notice the square spill area. Heat on high goes with the territory when you cram an xm-l into such a small package. Just make sure to hold the head when on high for a while to use blood cooling to wick of the heat. Lack of momentary on goes with twisty lights but the reliability factor with it goes through the roof! I can't tell you how happy I am you enjoy it!

Johnny Mac

 

[cdrake261]

So glad you like it! The square spill goes with TIR optics. The hot spot is round. Outside you won't even notice the square spill area. Heat on high goes with the territory when you cram an xm-l into such a small package. Just make sure to hold the head when on high for a while to use blood cooling to wick of the heat. Lack of momentary on goes with twisty lights but the reliability factor with it goes through the roof! I can't tell you how happy I am you enjoy it!

Johnny Mac

Oh boy how I love it!! If you didn't mind, I took the reflector out of my old AA mini maglite and modified it to fit your light....fixed the square issue, although the reflector was quickly modified and was damaged before I started. Here's some pictures....

 

[JohnnyMac]

Oh boy how I love it!! If you didn't mind, I took the reflector out of my old AA mini maglite and modified it to fit your light....fixed the square issue, although the reflector was quickly modified and was damaged before I started. Here's some pictures....

Nice! I will have to rethink offering modified reflectors as an offering. I avoided it because I wasn't happy with the center hole but perhaps I am to much a perfectionist and critical of my own work.

 

[cdrake261]

Nice! I will have to rethink offering modified reflectors as an offering. I avoided it because I wasn't happy with the center hole but perhaps I am to much a perfectionist and critical of my own work.

I just placed an order of 10 reflectors, I'll modify them for you and your flashlights if you are interested. When they come in, I send one back to you so you can decide if you like them...

Edit: also note this one was quickly thrown together just out of curiosity, future reflectors will be handmade to ensure quality.

 

[JohnnyMac]

That's ok. I get a reflector with everyone I work on.

 

[gqlux]

These look great. Any chance of shipping to Australia?

gqlux

 

[JohnnyMac]

These look great. Any chance of shipping to Australia?

gqlux

There's always a chance. It depends on shipping cost and if you are willing to pay them. You would have to wait a couple of months though as I was recently in an accident and can't put weight on my one leg for 2 more months. This has really put a cramp on my style along with every other aspect of my life. Just let me know if you are still interested. If I can figure out a way to use my workbench (in the basement) I will be much better off. It'd be good motivation.

 

[gqlux]

PM sent

 

[Philabuster]

Cool Mod. :twothumbs

I thought to myself I should try this too since I have some old AA Mags and a few Solar Force XM-L 6P dropins I recently bought. I could not find the correct matching bodies as the pics show. :laughing:

I machined the head and body similar to JohnnyMac's, but I also machined down the reflector that came with the drop in to fit the modified AA Mag head. I faced off the flashlight end cap to reduce the overall length a bit. I plan to remove another 1/4" from the inside of the cap as I am using the drop in's positive spring so the original tail spring is unneeded.

I machined a dummy AA battery instead of cutting off the end of the light. This lets me use the XP-G drop ins on two Eneloops or the XM-L on one AW 14500.

We have a guy at work who uses his AA Mag a lot. After I got done, I asked if I could put some fresh AAs in it and check it out. I was like, is it always this dim? I forgot how pathetic the stock AA Mag beam was. :shakehead

I showed him the XM-L version. Basically a 'sleeper' if you will. :devil: I turned it on high and shined it in the machine. He was like WTF? What the hell did you do to that? How much did it cost? He was hooked.

I am not a pro camera guy, so beamshots and stuff look pretty amateurish, but you get the idea. All pics taken with same room lighting. Auto camera settings, flash/no flash change the look:

 

[cdrake261]

Will you machine me a reflector?

 

[Philabuster]

Will you machine me a reflector?

Just for clarity, I cut down an existing XM-L reflector to fit. I do not know where to get bulk XM-L specific reflectors though. Any suggestions?

I tried to use the stock Mag plastic reflector like you did, but my beam profile looked like crap. I do not have the ability to duplicate the proper parabola and chrome it from barstock though.

I would also like to replace the plastic lens with glass, but I did not find any in the ballpark of the Mag head (22mm x 1mm would work).

 

[cdrake261]

Just for clarity, I cut down an existing XM-L reflector to fit. I do not know where to get bulk XM-L specific reflectors though. Any suggestions?

I tried to use the stock Mag plastic reflector like you did, but my beam profile looked like crap. I do not have the ability to duplicate the proper parabola and chrome it from barstock though.

I would also like to replace the plastic lens with glass, but I did not find any in the ballpark of the Mag head (22mm x 1mm would work).

I know that there's a guy on here(can't remember his screen name) who makes awesome aluminum reflectors, I just do not have any machines to make them fit. I really need to get me a lathe and a drill press...