mcgizmo for mechanic

i have ben trying to sort out all this information on this sight to find the best mcgizmo for me. i am a mechanic. advice for this type of work seems to be the mule. my worry with this is sometimes i have to pinpoint an oil leak in an engine bay and maybe pure flood is not the best. i have been carrying an aa so think that diameter works for me. my thoughts so far are a haiku or mule in single aa and hi cri. i am also having a hard time deciphering all the lead's. the other thing that i find difficult is there is lots of info but much of it is old so it is not so easy to put it altogether when people are talking in the past. i am very interested in your opinions. thanks

For what it is worth, you may want to look at the Sundrop XRU. It is a cross between Haiku and Mule. I have one as my EDC for close to medium range work and find it works verry well for this. As a systems engineer/PC tech and am looking in computer cases, phone closets, data closets, and under desks all day. I have found the beam perfect for this type of work.
Also....:welcome:

Stick with warm to neutral tint. cool white the glare will blind you. A bright light is good for some but close up work you want something easy on the eye.

I would go with the Haiku AA version with a XP-G2 led.

I agree with Greatscoot. A Sundrop is perfect for the work described. Having used a mule for mechanical work, I find you have to drive it too hard to see what you need - with the effect of reduced run time and heating the light up unnecessarily. The Sundrop is the best compromise for a mechanic in my humble opinion.

eala

Yeah I think you would do well with a SunDrop with the Nichia 119 and AA converter on a AA body for that type of work. If you would like it also for just general EDC needs, then maybe the same arrangement in a Haiku head for a little better all-purpose beam.

I'm a Mcgizmo using mechanic. My best advice is to consider where you will be using the light. I work outside a lot and a mule simply doesn't produce enough lux to compete with the ambient sunlight when I'm trying to pinpoint oil leaks or inspect something in detail. If most of your work is in a darker shop environment, then you might benefit from the mule or sundrop.

I personally like the Aquaram the best.
1- Despite its longer size it actually carries very nice due to the flat tail section. The tail diameter is the same as the cr123 pak but it carries better because of the flat section that is opposite the clip.
2- It has much better thermal management abilities than the Haiku.
3- It has better runtime. It is not rare for me to kill a 16340 in one day.

If you are considering the Haiku size light I would definitely recommend the xp-g2 option. I personally feel that I need lux more frequently than I need flood but that is due to the environment I work in. I really benefited when I switched from the hi-cri 119v to the xp-g2 because of the extra output.

If you are wanting to use AA batteries definitely go with the Haiku AA XPG2. It has great color rendering, beam profile, and output. Size wise it is one of my favorite lights to carry. If you want to use li ions (14500 cells) you can order it in that configuration as well and have increased output.

The Aqua Ram or Terra Ram are great as well if you're looking to use 18650 li ion cells. Terra version would be more convenient for single hand operation. Good luck and welcome to the forum.

i really appreciate everyones input. i did not know i could use 14500's which is good for me because i already have a charger. i am going to look into the rams as kdm suggested. i do already have 18650's but
this might be to big for me to carry. right now sun drop is first then haiku. all the info is slowly beginning
to make sense. again thanks for the help.

Not a mechanic by trade but I have found that for me when I need to use a flashlight to examine some part of a vehicle I find I prefer and need a light with some focus/throw and a neutral Hi color rendition tint . I have discovered a mule type beam just doesn't reach far enough into the area I need to see and as mentioned if your outside its almost completely useless. I used to EDC a Peak Mule Nichia but I found myself always cranking it up to high just to get enough light onto where I needed to see so I went back to a

There are times when a Mule is handy to have but if you cant afford to buy one of each I would also go with a more focused beam . everything is a compromise of features and weaknesses in life

If you ask me, I think a Haiku XML, warm or cool would be a good light for a mechanic, and here is why. When looking at and inspecting vehicles of all types, the XML offers a nice medium flood with a little throw and the 3S offers different levels that depending on the ambient light, will help you select the correct brightness level, and the extre spill can connect other problems with a good clear spotty-flood.

This comes from a photographer that must understand lighting, in addition to being a motorcycle racer years ago, and rider today, working on my cars and being a pilot.

If you are trying to look at an engine for details, outside in the sun, you need some lumens and a little lux, which the Haiku XML provides, perfectly.

hope this helps,

Good day and good luck,

RL

Keep in mind if u get a Aqua Ram it is a twisty. You can always order a TerraPak body and make it a clicky. Not to mention the bodies of the Rams look like a camshaft lobes.
For me cool white LEDs make the wire colors wrong to my eyes. Be very careful.
Good luck Don is a incredible maker.

Str8stroke said:

Keep in mind if u get a Aqua Ram it is a twisty. You can always order a TerraPak body and make it a clicky. Not to mention the bodies of the Rams look like a camshaft lobes.
For me cool white LEDs make the wire colors wrong to my eyes. Be very careful.
Good luck Don is a incredible maker.

Click to expand...

Good point on the wiring colors, neutral tint would make the most sense overall.