Let's list our advice for someone's next Mac's EDC purchase...

Ya know, as much as there is said in this section about the selection of Mac's lights, I think it might be a great idea to list our best advice for making Mac's Customs selections. There are a ton of choices to be made when dreaming up our ideal Mac's light and it can be quite intimidating, especially for a newbie, in deciding what light and what options we want. So, I thought I might share what little I know, as well as provide a place for all of you to share what you know so that it might be a little less daunting for the rest.

I'll be tossing out some tidbits about Tri-EDCs (since that's what I have) but I ask that ya'll (that's a contraction for "you all" here in Alabama) offer whatever tidbits you have about ANY Mac's lights. Here goes...

1. "How much throw does a Tri-EDC have?" I measured my 2.8a neutral XP-G Tri at 3900 lux @ 1m. That's not a little for an EDC and it's not alot. It'll do just fine for most things. My Zebralight SC60 is about 3000, if I recall, and my Zebralight SC600 is about 5800 if that gives you an idea. The Tri-EDC is no doubt a powerhouse but it mostly shows it's muscle in the MASSIVE hotspot that it affords. The "spill" is moderate but the spot is well defined and HUGE compared to most EDCs. This, IMO, is what makes this light so incredible.

2. "Should I get cool white, neutral, or high CRI XP-G Tri?" I have both neutral and, now today, high CRI. The neutral was, until today, by far my favorite tint of any EDC of any brand I have ever owned....that is, UNTIL today. Now I would *HIGHLY* recommend the high CRI. Do not be scared of loosing intensity. I promise, you won't notice the difference. If measured on a meter, it's just a number. Again, you eyes will thank you for the high CRI. I can't stress this enough. DO NOT BE SCARED of the high CRI!!! You owe it to yourself to have one of these. I have owned many cool white EDCs and for no reason would I buy another. In fact, now, I don't know that I'll ever buy another neutral EDC. Opinions vary and this is just mine....so, I'm just sayin' is all.

3. "Should I get the 1.4a or the 2.8a driver?" If you will running IMR cells then by all means get the 2.8a driver. You would be surprised how much light it'll put out on medium which will afford plenty of runtime. You can even get custom programming to get the best of all worlds so do think about that. You can have any levels you want. Custom programming is just a few bucks away and I highly recommend it.

4. On the subject of custom programming... Repeat after me, "I want moonlight mode...I want moonlight mode...I want moonlight mode......Get it? Trust me on this one! Strongly consider the "hybrid" memory programming, especially if you will using one mode (like moonlight) alot. In choosing the levels, consider what kind of runtime v/s output you would like out of your different levels.

5. "What rechargeable cells should I use?" I have done some good discharge testing of the AW IMR 18350 cells and I can tell you that they are EXCELLENT! They hold their voltage exceptionally well under load and actually exceed their rated capacity even at higher loads. Now isn't that a breath of fresh air??? Don't think, just buy 'em. They are the best cells for your 2.8a Mac's light.

6. "Should I consider a copper Mac's EDC or just go with aluminum?" I have both. The aluminum is just fine, really. However, at higher current levels it get's hot FAST! The copper light takes much longer to get hot. The aluminum light will even get quite warm on medium after awhile. Advantages of aluminum? It sheds heat fast (that's why it feels hot so fast), is VERY light weight!, and it's finish doesn't patina like copper (which is desirable to some and not to others.) You will be shocked how lite an aluminum Mac's Tri-EDC feels in the hand and similarly shocked how heavy and SOLID a copper one feels. Myself? I much prefer the sturdy, solid, quality feel of the copper light.

7. Get the glow treatment. Why? Cuz you want it.

8. And absolutely get the crenelated bezel! Put it on moonlight mode with it facestanding (is that a word) and you'll never wonder where on the nightstand your Tri is again. VERY nice!

Ok, that's enough for now but I'm sure I'll have much more to add later.

Oh, and THANKS MAC!...for these wonderful lights!

Thanks for the info! I didn't know he did a high-CRI light. My high-CRI lights are the ones that I use the most. When I emailed him, only cool, neutral, and warm were available....

BTW, his high CRI (or at least the one I have) is warm at 3000k. Don't let that scare you, it really is VERY nice! I never thought I'd like one this warm but it is truly my favorite and not by a small margin. Then again, I was in to incans long before LEDs so maybe I'm biased. The more my LED experience has matured, the more I find myself leaning warmer. It's not just about the highest lumens for me anymore (hey, that's what HID lights are for!)

Ask questions when you need to. It's really hard to find a complete list of available options on these lights anywhere in the subforum, or even explanations of options sometimes, other than a picture. There is a good chance what you are looking for is offered, but you may not know it.

When ordering from Mac, can he program the sequence of the light (ie. L-M-H) and add a moonlight mode? For memory or not?

Thanks.

I think he uses pre-programmed drivers, and does not do custom programming. If I am wrong, someone please correct me. There are some members who can do such work though.

I got my Flucero custom programming straight through Mac. I did work one on one with Flucero in deciding how I wanted it programmed, however, Mac took care of shipping it to him to program. My copper Tri came straight from Mac with the programming already done.

Yes, programming is available and Flucero can do just about anything you want including moonlight. The two drivers he did for me have 5ma (that's <1L) moonlight modes in addition to three other levels.

Same here. Frank did my custom programming too along with emitter swap. Very good modder.

Just to get this flowing again, what is the "hybrid" programming mentioned in the OP?

With a normal memory it always advances to the next level when making a mode change after a memory is programmed. With hybrid memory it will advance to the first level in the sequence upon a mode change.

My ideal programming would be Ml-L-M-H and always turn on to ML. I don't like to be blinded with the brightest amount of light right off.

kadinh said:

My ideal programming would be Ml-L-M-H and always turn on to ML. I don't like to be blinded with the brightest amount of light right off.

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He can do that, no problem. :thumbsup:

I'm having a heck of a time deciding between a neutral or high CRI emitter!! I have 2 high CRI lights now and 1 neutral...

Is the programming by Frank done on the stock circuit board provided by Mac? Or would he be using another board of his own?

Heh heh, I see you're exploring another branch of the Custom tree Andy. :devil:

Frank put a new board in for me. Up to 9 modes at your choice of current levels, including disco modes, three memory options, three memory timing options. He programs it all just how you ask for it. Saweet.

So if that's the case, do I still specify the emitter types when ordering from Mac? Not quite sure how do I go about with the ordering process. I am just trying to get a grasp on things. At this stage I am not too sure if I like the idea of a short runtime on high, and also not sure if I would like to splurge on the Damascus light.

Guys, i've asked mac to put the 219 emitters in my tri that i ordered. He just started using those and he measured 500 lumens on the stonewashed tri he made. The only thing that was stopping me from buying hi cri lights was the low output.

What do u think this would look like as I only have cool white lights and the only high cri I had was a mule but I traded it coz I wanted higher output

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Is the neutral version very lower in output than the cool white version?

jalal20 said:

Is the neutral version very lower in output than the cool white version?

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I hope not! Just ordered one

Hehe well lets here from the experts till u and I get ours and check for our selves

kadinh said:

I hope not! Just ordered one

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