27LT Rant

Ok so I order a 27 LT. Just as Don says it won't win any beauty contests. To be frank I was hoping that Don't next light was to be a single cell version of the PD using the 27 Lt's reflector.
I have a feeling that that light is not that far down the road and it will be made from TI it will cost too little from Don's point of view and too much from many others point of view and the people who get to order one and pay the too low price that don will charge will be very lucky people indeed.
I hope to be one of those people because I love my Pd's so very much and my McLuxIII T is my most prized flashlight especially with the clip that was made for me from Damascus steel. I love that light and wish I had thought of the idea of buying the prototype of the mcLUX III ti 27lt pd.

Enough of all of that lets examine the 27LT.
What a hunk of a light. what a great beam.
I love the brightness level. I am not crazy about the choice of emitter. Works great outside in the spring when it is green.
I am pretty sure that it will take a few YEARS of use before one handed use becomes a reality for me anyway. The dual O-Ring system will prevent that.
When it comes to smooth action I doubt Don or anybody else will ever top the smooth action of my first U-bin (what bin was that Don) McLuxIII PD. That is a smooth action.
So I want outside when it got dark and compared the uBin PD with the 27LT. The beams are both beautiful the 27lt just has WAY more throw.
I also notice (maybe I haven't left the thing on long enough but it doesnt seem to get HOT. certainly not on LOW. I love the LOW mode. Low is a good level. This driver must be very efficient. I haven't really looked, but if I know Don he has done another one of those balancing acts between run time brightness and the ability of the light to move heat.

This light is chunky...Oh I said that already. CHUNKY just like those old candy bars called chunky.

Don has a strange sense of aesthetic. My LT has literally has 1/2 of the visible machine marks that my PD has.The edges are a bit sharp, I most likely would have tumbled the part a bit ...time money....The 27 LT is a fine value. certainly a better value than the MxLuxIII PD.
I look forward to receiving a TI CB for the 27LT I do have a problem with it though the bezel size doesnt appear to be the dame diameter as the 27LT Head. Making the TI Bezel slightly smaller than the head. This is not true of the PD. If I were ordering more bezels I would correct this. But that is just me.
I will not be able to EDC this light. it is just way too big. a PD version with a single cell and the 27mm reflector would likely be too wide for me to EDC as well. The McLuxIII PD is still the perfect EDC light for me.
Now for Night walks, road trips, noise in the back the 27LT and a .45 make a fine combination. This light will work great for me on night shoots. In my business a good flashlight is a must. I find that I am usually the guy with the best flashlight on the set except for maybe the property master.

Don has a preference for HEX screws to hold on the clips. I personally prefer a different type of skew simply because I have in the past had galling issues with these screws that don't have with Phillips head screws. I am sure that these issues are more my fault than the choice of screw. In any event I will be changing mine out. Thread spec please Don.

There are only a few flashlight makers in the works of note. Don happens to be one of them. His designs revolve around the TOOL aspect of these lights.
Man I would have killed for one of these at summer camp. KILLED!!
As a tool grade flashlight the 27 LT is as good as it gets. The design is unique the electrical path concept is perfect. Don makes these lights and then sells them to us. Not the other way around. (talk is cheap MF is what comes to mind) I would have liked an option on the emitter maybe a tritium thingy. When you go on the the snap on tool truck you don't say to the guy hey give me one of those wrenches and stick a tritium indicator on it and do me a favor make it green. It isn't going to happen.

As with the PD whose options have grown (the clip change was a must and is genus) and the Ti Bezel makes the light happen.
Possibly the options for the LT will grow. The thing is this light is what it is. It is a true tool grade light designed to be used and god forbid abused for life. MY grandad who was a grease monkey for the better part of his life would have LOVED this flashlight because of the very toolness of the light.
Those of you who plan on buying one of these to stick on your shelf (sorry about this Don) please don't bother to get this one. This is not a pretty shelf queen. Nope this is a worker. It begs to be worked. I will at some point order another one of these for my work belt to replace my ageing 6P. In the mean time even though it is too big for EDC for me I will still drag is around with me with the hopes of giving it some character.
Yes this has been a bit of a rant if you have rant this far thanks. When Don says this light will handle the pressure at depth better than a human he isn't kidding. This is another one of those lights that I will just as it is for as long as I can.
Funny I have bought a number of lights recently which were "systems" I am still attempting to figure out how to best use them and for the most part with a couple of exceptions don't find myself using them much. My Pd's and now this 27LT will become the main fixtures of my flashlight usage.
Enough is enough. The 27LT is a FINE flashlight. Don't buy one unless you need a workingman's flashlight. It will be a waste of your money and Don's time otherwise.

In fact it wouldn't surprise me to see a few of these on the secondary market pretty quickly because this light is a light that you don't need unless you need it.
It is a tool.
Thanks Don for yet another thoughtful piece of equipment which will last for years of daily use.
Yaesumofo

yaesumofo said:

...this light is a light that you don't need unless you need it.
It is a tool.

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I gotta frame this somewhere. Great line!

Hey Yaesu ... refreshing post !!

I am pretty sure that it will take a few YEARS of use before one handed use becomes a reality for me anyway. The dual O-Ring system will prevent that.

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Then take one of the two off!

certainly a better value than the MxLuxIII PD.

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Why's that?

I look forward to receiving a TI CB for the 27LT I do have a problem with it though the bezel size doesnt appear to be the dame diameter as the 27LT Head.

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The 27mm ti-bezel was made for the Aleph1 head and not for the 27LT. It does fit by chance though, but looks a bit odd as you said. Looking at the wall-thickness of the 27LT's head I wouldn't bother with the ti-bezel. The Aleph1 head really benefits of it though.

There are only a few flashlight makers in the works of note. Don happens to be one of them. His designs revolve around the TOOL aspect of these lights.
Man I would have killed for one of these at summer camp. KILLED!!
As a tool grade flashlight the 27 LT is as good as it gets. The design is unique the electrical path concept is perfect. Don makes these lights and then sells them to us.

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I hear you

You should get the word "toolness" patented ... :devil:

bernie

Great post! The 27LT has a unique look to it, for sure, but I don't think it's ugly. It is a great light tho. As the nights go by, I find this light is becoming more and more my primary-use light. As you said, it's not an EDC and I don't think Don meant it to be EDC'd (although it does fit nicely in the front pockets of your jeans, especially with the great clip :thumbsup. The beam profile and throw is absolutely wonderful. The light has a good tactile grip to it, i.e. it will not accidentally slip out of your hand.

The X1 tint is great outdoors and good indoors. An X0 tint, however, would be more neutral to my eyes and would have been my preference if I had a choice.

In my opinion, the 27LT is one of the best creations from Don, from a utility standpoint. It even surpasses the 5W HD45 (I never tried the 3W version, so I can't comment on that one). I would also say that it surpasses my Surefire U2 due to the longer runtime, longer throw and studier build.

It ain't the prettiest light out there, but it is still a winner!

Oh yeah, I would like to add that a Ti bezel ring that actually is made for the 27LT would definately be GREAT! But I still think that the current 27mm Ti bezel does improve the esthetics a great deal.

WP

Yaesumofo,

Great rant, although I would call it more of a musing on flashlight utility in general, not just the 27LT. It's a great post.

I got my 27LT yesterday and have only made a few observations so far. Most all of this has been covered by this thread already. I will say that I think I will use the low setting for most things and treat the high setting like a turbo for when I really need it. I am also finding two stages to be the most useful option in a light. When I have multiple stages of brightness I usually end up playing with them more than actually using them. Ramp brightness up...ramp brightness down...repeat. Sure, it's fun and I'm keeping the lights, but two stages are "just right". We can go back and forth over what is low enough for low and high enough for high but I think Don's made his choice and he's in a better position than I am to know the tradeoffs.

Every new light shows up shortly on the secondary market. The 27LT will be no different. Mine just won't be one of them.

Just received mine yesterday and Like it very much. I will have to agree with the above and state that this thing is the beefiest light I have seen and welcomes a beating. A jackhammer like tool indeed.

I, however, have no problem with one handed operation, it actually surprised me with its smoothness.

Hi guys,

The 27LT is rough and crude around the edges and it has some rough edges. I sat on these parts for a long time waiting for the right converter to use in them. I did have the parts anodized right off the bat and this precluded any second operations or refinements of the form. I can recall at one point making a comment that I had run out of steam when these were made and that it was possibly unfortunate because I felt the McR-27L was the best reflector I had come up with so far in terms of a beam designed for a LED and concentration of intensity; both spot and corona. I wanted a simple and robust host for the McR-27L and felt it should be in keeping with outside and rigorus duty. I believe this light needs to be broken in, inside and outside. It is certainly no shelf queen! On the ~ 100 mA low, this light can provide reasonable illumination for ingress and egress for a good length of time. I don't consider it a typical EDC and wanted its output to compliment an EDC and not compete with it. :shrug:

McGizmo said:

I don't consider it a typical EDC and wanted its output to compliment an EDC and not compete with it. :shrug:

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Hi Don. I believe you achieved what you intended. I mentioned in other threads that the 27LT is perfect for short/medium to medium/long-range applications. The 27LT + McLux III-PD is the perfect combo for me! :thumbsup:

WP

WAVE_PARTICLE said:

The 27LT + McLux III-PD is the perfect combo for me! :thumbsup:

WP

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this is the starting of a civil war in CPF among those who proclaim "PD+27LT" and the rest of us who say "HD45+PD"

Let the war begin....

Well this is a fine how do you, indeed! I absolutely love my HD45 5W. I really would like to get a 27L and/or a PD... Decisions, decisions.....

270winchester,

You bring up a solid point. These are two very useful pairs you have mentioned and I would be hard pressed to choose the two I thought were the best. I guess I must be secure in the fact that I posses both.

Hey 270 ... one big difference between tge HD45 and the 27LT is that the HD45 can use the fat PILA cell while the 27LT cannot. The second big difference is the head size that might play a role in the decision which to buy.
Then there's the clip. And thge "better" materials (electrical path and window) in the 27LT.

Since I own all four of them (HD45 LuxIII amd LuxV as well as the 27LT LuxIII and LuxV) I would choose the 27LT LuxIII version in general. Or the HD45 LuxIII Joker ... or ... :thinking:

bernie

Yeah bernie, better material, but everytime I turn my 3W HD45 on, I just ohhh and ahhh. Uhh, I guess I have been doing that with my 27LT too as of late. Both excellent lights. I will rest easy knowing I have both and would not choose one over the other.

Hmmmm.....27LT or HD45.....

...I would venture to say that the 27LT takes the lead here, especially if you want to pair it up with a PD. The 27LT is simply more pocketable. If you try pocketing the HD45, you'd have every woman in town wondering "IS THAT A FLASHLIGHT IN YOUR POCKET, OR ARE YOU JUST HAPPY TO SEE ME?"

Think about that!



Hey SGT253!!!

Let me help you with your decision!

sgt253 said:

I really would like to get a 27L and/or a PD... Decisions, decisions.....

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Just replace "and/or" with a simple "and". Done! :naughty:

WP

Thanks WP, I knew I could count on you for sound advice!

I have HD45 and PD and I was really looking forward to 27LT, but I will not get one
The 27LT was everything I wanted except that it cannot use 18650 Li-Ions which is a real show stopper for me, so now it looks like I have to get a Indium Smart instead (if it ever comes into production).

Sigbjoern

I must say that this light grows on you, It is fast becoming my night stand all around utility light. I love the heft and balance of it in my hand and the beam profile is incredible. I was not fond of the crudeness at first but like an ugly puppy, you find yourself falling for it quickly. This may actually become my most USED light. Lots of shelf queens here but this will not be one of them and one handed operation is exceptionally smooth once the light is broken in and you get used to it. The flat sided body and flat tail make it a versatile work light that can double as a hammer if needed! I think I'll keep it.

I agree with Radio. I had this light for a few weeks now and I use it everyday. The only thing I disagree with is that I don't think it is ugly....I think it looks great....especially with the Ti bezel!


WP

Yes, you are probably right, more like the Ugly Duckling that turns into a Swan!

:buddies:

Not to spoil the party ... but I think the ti-bezel looks way better on the Aleph1 than on the 27LT ... and the 27LT seems quite tough without the ti-bezel as well ...
bernie