Help the newbie

Well I just got into this and have currently an E1B, E2D, 6p/Malkoff, and a new HDS 170T.

Now I want to understand what I am looking at in these Mcgizmo lights and specifically the Haiku styles. I dont know what the XRE or XPG is what lumen ratings are or how durable these lights are. Are there different levels of low,mid, high? I honestly know nothing other they they are expensive and look very cool. So for me to spend the cash I want to know what I am getting or if these are even available any longer.

If these are the holy grail of all lights I want to understand that before buying so school me please.

Thanks for any help you guys can offer and I will cont to research more and read on.

Try here

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=51

:devil:


Couldn't help myself :nana:

I read through it and find bits and pieces but you guys all talk in your own way and I dont get most of what it means.

Besides there is just 1 page not 100 so I am running out of info to read.

Brian1911 said:

I read through it and find bits and pieces but you guys all talk in your own way and I dont get most of what it means.

Besides there is just 1 page not 100 so I am running out of info to read.

Click to expand...

Your right, I never liked that the history was too short (edit - it seems that all the pages are now available?). But a search will still turn up lots of information. Try searching through all of McGizmo threads he started. Good Luck!!


http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/search.php?searchid=5170765

The McGizmo lights are in fact the holy grail of lights.

I've written a lot about them. If you Google stuff I've written about McGizmo you'll get a lot more than I have the energy for today. I wrote especially a lot for a guy named Per-Sev in his thread about the Arc6.

They are thoughtfully designed. Every millimeter of the light has been painstakingly crafted and thought out. There's never any gripes about a McGizmo design, it is PERFECT.

They are tough and reliable.

They are timeless. In flashlight years, a five years old design without a refresh is practically obsolete. Not so with McGizmo.

They are also good-looking, but you knew that.

So I CCW daily and carry a light that I like to reach out far and be very blinding when needed.

If I am getting this straight the Haiku XPG seems to be the most well rounded but would I be happier with the XRE since it throws farther?

I will start my quest of reading but based on what I like can someone please tell me which will suit my needs so I can read about it?

Also are these lights even available or just in runs at certain times?

Read this awesome review by run4jc:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/259652

The Haiku XPG you can buy from Don(McGizmo)


And the XRE you can find it on the secondary market(custom B/S/T)here is one for sale at a very good price:


https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/283538

Brian1911 said:

So I CCW daily and carry a light that I like to reach out far and be very blinding when needed.

If I am getting this straight the Haiku XPG seems to be the most well rounded but would I be happier with the XRE since it throws farther?

I will start my quest of reading but based on what I like can someone please tell me which will suit my needs so I can read about it?

Also are these lights even available or just in runs at certain times?

Click to expand...

Good info thanks.

So these lights have sapphire lens? They seem well made so I am guessing for my needs the XPG is the way to go. I just want to know which light will reach further and keep in mind I want to use this for lighting up a persons face and should I need to do so. A floody style isnt what I am going for is my point.

Get the XRE if you want throw then.

Got it.

I will have to look at just buying one and see what the fuss is about. I want to get something that is rated higher in lumens then my current 170T from HDS/Ra so I am not sure which Mcgizmo would do that.

What about lube on these lights? Another member is helping my and I just bought Nyogel for my other lights since I was using the silicone oil I had from my RC hobby. At least I didnt use WD-40, lol.

Is there anything special I am not aware of in caring for these or any lights?

McGizmo recommends Krytox 50/50 from the Sandwich Shoppe but I've always had a good experience with Nyogel.

I guess if you have a lot of disposable income, go for it. It is very odd for a newbie flashaholic to jump right to McGizmo.

Most buy various lights and get a good feel for what they really want in a light. If nothing else, it will make you appreciate the McGizmo more.

An excellent post from Don from another thread. :

McGizmo said:

ma_sha1,
I am inclined to comment on your observation but not in my defense as it were. If you feel my design infringes on or follows from the DX design you have shown that is your call. I realize that ultimately I do compete with other builders and manufacturers but I don't look at the competition for their styling or as a means of identifying some possible edge or opportunity. I moved into a niche which at the time was not occupied by others to any extent a few years ago. That niche was high end titanium lights and hopefully based on the merits and integrity of the lights themselves. If there were better or more viable choices than my offerings, so be it. I sought and seek to make honest, straight forward in function lights and with the luxury of not compromising in material selection as based on price. I design and build the kind of light I want to have with price as no object; within reason. (diamond window and heat sink are probably still a bit down the road)

There are only so many ways one can alter the surface and form on these cylindrical flashlights. As for the tear drop flutes, I too find them esthetically pleasing and I believe SureFire was first in using them on the E series. I considered using a teardrop on the Makai but with an eye to function, I suspected the full width of the flutes that it does sport would provide a better grip in the hand and at the possible expense of appearance. Holding the light in hand, I think I was right. I do attempt to let function dictate form because I think I have a much better sense for function than I do for form and I consider function a priority anyway.

You say it is critical to differentiate from the competition and likely that makes it much easier to be considered as an alternative. There is simply no way I could compete with 99% of the flashlight providers out there nor do I have any desire to do so. As a result, I don't even pay attention to what it is they are doing. With blinders in place, I seek a clear path ahead from where I have been and not where others are or are going. I realize this could be a problem and at some point I might have to cease my endeavors. Until then, I will do what makes sense to me and hope that it works.

There are all kinds of legitimate and compelling reasons people won't consider getting a Makai and so be it. If there are others who do wish to get a Makai then I haven't failed completely and I can continue to move on. :tinfoil:

Click to expand...

Might help you understand the guy and why his lights are among the best avaialble on earth

Brian1911 said:

Got it.

I will have to look at just buying one and see what the fuss is about. I want to get something that is rated higher in lumens then my current 170T from HDS/Ra so I am not sure which Mcgizmo would do that.

What about lube on these lights? Another member is helping my and I just bought Nyogel for my other lights since I was using the silicone oil I had from my RC hobby. At least I didnt use WD-40, lol.

Is there anything special I am not aware of in caring for these or any lights?

Click to expand...

McGizmos are not really for Lumen junkies...

The Haiku XP-G is surely a little more powerfull than the 170T, but don't expect double brightness. The throw is less, the XR-E throws better (than the XP-G), but isn't really brighter than the Clicky.

Don speaks of his lights as tools and he doesn't put any Lumen on them, he just may tell us what he read in the sphere in a posting. As for HDS, it is the whole concept that makes a McGizmo desirable. The Haiku XP-G is the best in my opinion, because it has a well equilibrated beam, it is more than bright enough, it works as it should (the 3-speed converter is high class) and it feels and looks great.

If you are after a McGizmo AND a thrower, go for the Makai, if it isn't to big for your purpose. I wait for the 2-cell version to show up, that one surely will be built for brightness, the 1-cell vrsion currently available is already bright, comparable to tha Haiku in total output I guess, but as it's built as a thrower it concentrates these Lumen in the Hotspot (we call that Lux...).

Okay, important things to know about the Haiku:

1. It runs on either a CR123 or RCR123 battery, and it can handle input voltage in a range of ~2.5V-5V.

2. There are three emitter choices at present: Cree XP-G, which produces a smooth beam with a fairly bright center; Cree XR-E, which "steals" some light from the inner part of the corona to make the center brighter; and Nichia UV, which is only useful if you need a blacklight.

3. The XP-G version is newer and more efficient, so it's slightly brighter than the XR-E version (though the center of the XR-E beam looks brighter, due to the "stealing" I mentioned before). The XP-G version is also available in cool-white and warm-white. Personally I recommend cool-white, but everyone has a different opinion (and reasons for it) regarding tint.

4. It's made entirely from titanium, which is harder than hell, won't corrode (ever!), and just as easy to polish as it is to scuff. You'll have to hit it with an axe to do more than scuff it.

5. Titanium is bad at conducting heat, as far as metals go anyway, so Don designed the head of the Haiku to include a heatsink that would dissipate heat near the source instead of relying on your hand to keep the light cool. It's very effective, possibly the best thermally-designed titanium flashlight I've ever seen.

6. The heads and battery packs are compatible with Surefire E-series flashlights. You can also unscrew the electronics as a unit and put different ones in as they become available. It's called the Aleph system, which is an obtuse reference to mathematics dealing with infinity, with the obvious implication that you can come up with an infinite number of parts combinations. In real life, the number of combinations is somewhat less than infinite, but they're working on it.

7. The Haiku is not the brightest light you'll ever use, but Don has an unusual talent for designing reflectors that make very usable beams -- the center is bright enough to throw a couple hundred feet, the corona is wide enough so you can see things you're not pointing the light directly at, and the transition between them is very smooth so you're not constantly having to flick the light around to make use of the hotspot.

8. McGizmo pocket clips are among the best you'll ever see; very low-profile and very strong. You can remove them and bend them a bit to get a stronger or looser grip as you desire, but make sure you use a really good 1/16" driver to remove the clip screws, because titanium threads have a tendency to grip like they're welded together and it's fairly common to strip the screw heads with cheap drivers. That being said, you don't HAVE to do anything to the clip to make it work right.

9. Speaking of titanium threads, you'll need special lubrication for the threads that hold the light together. Titanium hates lubrication, and it takes special stuff to stick to the threads and actually do its job instead of getting pushed out of the way so the threads can grind on each other. The most common stuff people use here is called Krytox, which you can find a zillion references to on CPF. I use stuff I made myself called TiTi Twister, but it requires changing the O-rings.

Between the Haiku's utility, durability, and aesthetics, you WILL enjoy using it. On the off-chance you don't, you'll be able to sell it quite easily, unlike cheaper lights. Just ask run4jc, who asked me to talk him into getting one, and then he bought several more.

joe1512 said:

I guess if you have a lot of disposable income, go for it. It is very odd for a newbie flashaholic to jump right to McGizmo.

Most buy various lights and get a good feel for what they really want in a light. If nothing else, it will make you appreciate the McGizmo more.

Click to expand...

I wish I had jumped right to McGizmo. With a few exceptions, most of the inexpensive lights I bought at first have been sold by now, and with the money I spent on all of them I could've bought one or two Gizmos. I ended up here because I eventually figured out quality and durability were of paramount importance to me, and this was the place to get them. I can't knock the learning process, I guess, but when the learning process involves buying stuff, it can be very expensive.

I really appreciate the info it cleared a lot up. As for starting out buying the best i made a better choice then most whom have wasted money on cheap stuff that could have been the best from the start. I learned this a while ago and i am only 31, lol. I had more cheap things thrown away broke to only have bought the best at a later time.

My new question is where to get kryox? If it is suggested i dont want to ignore that and just use nyogel.

So far i am set on the haiku xpg but just need to figure out the kryox stuff.

Also is this light available to buy now and i just follow the instructions listed on the sticky from Don? I emailed him but nothing yet

Nyogel works great. Don't worry about the Krytox. But if you must: http://theledguy.chainreactionweb.com/product_info.php?products_id=710

Hi guys,
Thanks for helping the newbie out!

It has always been my wish for the lights to speak for themselves and obviously they require help in the form of users, speaking for them. I believe it is reasonable for me to make some forms of comment on the lights but I try to remain objective and state the "facts" as I know them and not get into the subjective realm where my vested interest would likely come into question. I did respond to Brian a few moments ago in an e-mail and the only reason I decided to post in this thread is to comment on the Krytox issue.

I think Krytox is the best lube I have encountered so far and it's a bummer that there isn't some viable, off the shelf solution of Krytox to recommend to folks. I first encountered it in a fancy bike lube that a friend gave me years ago but it was not continued when there was a change in ownership and distribution of the Krytox. I also found a good blend of Krytox being packaged as a blue water fishing reel lube but it too went out of production.

I think where the Krytox really makes a difference though is in the PD and LunaSol lights using the piston drive switching. With my present offerings the Krytox is not really an issue beyond the Sapphire 25 which I believe enjoys a good twisty action thanks to the Krytox.

The Haikus, SunDrops and now Makais can be lubed by many other lubes available. I do use EPDM O-rings so petroleum based lubes can be problematic.

I have considered switching back to a pure silicone lube on the lights other than the Sapphire 25 and might do so if and when I run out of Krytox.

Not strictly related to the OP's question, but I have found that a properly-doped petroleum lubricant can actually result in the titanium threads self-polishing instead of continuing to gall against each other indefinitely, hence why I use the stuff I do. Krytox is good, but there still seems to be a sensation of grittiness in the threads which never quite goes away. Maybe others have been more fortunate in this regard.

In any event, since the Haiku isn't a twisty, unless the OP is the sort of person who takes things apart and puts them back together constantly just to keep his hands occupied (like I do), Krytox is more than good enough.