Are modded lights worth it?

outofthedarkness

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Are modded lights worth it? With the heat issues allowing little run time would it be better to just buy stock?
 

TheShadowGuy

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Mods aren't necessarily limited to maximizing lumen output- they can include better drivers, switches, swapping to high CRI LEDs, improved heatsinking, and more. Don't forget that those monstrous output modes are generally just one of many modes on the light, and that access to even that short burst of light is often useful especially when you get relatively normal modes to use as well.
That said, the title question is an interesting question that comes down to individual preferences.
Pros:
1. Often better parts
2. Customization options not found as readily in commercially available products
3. Alternative UI options
4. Generally excellent customer service
5. Some mods aim to maximize performance beyond what is commercially available
Cons:
1. Might require high drain unprotected batteries
2. Increased cost
3. Decreased availability
4. More lumens=shorter runtimes
Whether the pros outweigh the cons here will really come down to personal preferences.
 

richbuff

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Instead of buying stock, I sell puts, and I buy modded lights.

If you buy a stock light, the highest mode will get hot sooner than the lower modes. If the same light is amp boosted, it will get hot sooner in the highest mode, but the extra power is there if you need it, in the same size/weight light.

Also, modded in what way? Options are many, and include different emitters, improved heat sinking, etc.

Yes, they are worth it, to folks who want what modding has to offer.
 

ven

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Yes other wise they would not be popular and have many many threads from different modders. Custom lights and modded lights are what make this interest(or tools) very special in many ways.


As said said its not just about extra output , but heat sinking , LED options and drivers . These days you can make a good light out of the box amazing and ground breaking !

Life wise, well better heatsinking and better components add to the life IMHO , I know the 20yrs or 50yrs life is a load of ****, but pretend you can get 20yrs ,would you really know if it lasted 18yrs and would you be bothered? ...... It would be probably 10 yrs down the line of lots of use, the host would be battered and LED's would be outdated anyway. Hi cri and perfect tint throughout the output range with no major heat issues should be around the corner........the corner might be a 5 or 10yr one but it will happen. Not long back 100lm from an LED was ground breaking, to say 1000lm from
one was crazy, now we have over 4500 from a single LED.

Whats crazy now will be the norm and took for granted in time......

If you have a passion for flashlights, want to be picky on led's and tints. You want programable drivers and custom lights , you can have it all. Or just get a mag, it will do pretty much what it did 10yrs ago and work for most people . Me....I like to have more options and the ability to light up past that field......and the field after that!

Just becsuse they are boosted , does not mean they can't be used in lower modes with better heatsinking =potentially longer life. And the nice tint you want over ice cold blues and snot green tints that can be often found in production lights . Modded tend to be hand picked!

So yes, very much worth it IMO anyway .
 

SG Hall

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I have to agree with the guys above. More light from the same size is a huge bonus, and a lower mode to get back to stock performance and better heat and run time.

Some of the smaller lights can be quite expensive, but they can also be really impressive output too. The Toolvn is a good example. Depends what you want to spend, but you can end up covering two lights in one.
 

bykfixer

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I'll cite a SureFire 6P with it's P60 module vs a Malkoff M61 Warm/Low/Low.

Very similar brightness. Very similar tint. Much nicer beam and 10x the runtime.
It costs about $40. But say a pair of 123 cells are $3.
10 hours using the P60 would be about $30 as it goes through a pair in about an hour.
The Malkoff module cost would be $3. So in 10 hours you already got $27 of the cost back in battery savings.
 

ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond

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I would say it depends what you are looking for. If you can find all the features you are looking for in a production light - then modding may not be for you.

If you have very particular tastes in LED, tint, beam pattern, driver features, programmability, etc. then a modded light could be just what you are looking for.

When I am looking at production lights I look at the design and features and see if they will work for me. I know I can put in a LED that will be more to my liking without much problem. This has opened up a much wider range of lights than would normally be available in a warmer more neutral tint. Also having the option to install a triple into a very nicely designed small light can make it more useful to me.
 

recDNA

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I know my TC-R2 is a hell of a lot better now that it is modded with Nichia 219b rather than the horrid green s2 it came with. Kudos to the modder.
 

bykfixer

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Getting 1000 lumens from Mag 2C that originally put out like 30?
Worth it some to spend $100 to make a $17 flashlight as bright as an automobile headlight.
Many others would say it would be better to buy a production light that does that for less.

The real question is "what would the flashaholic do?"
 

ven

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Trouble is with this thread, your going to possibly get (so far so good) 50% saying no, it makes them unreliable or they get too hot , 50% saying you can get the LED's and drivers, current bump for higher output.

There is no right or wrong again, everything is subjective...................why mod a car when it has 400hp................because we want 600hp..................or 800hp.

My advice is, decide what you want, does the LED/tint/UI and ouput suit what you want...............if yes go for it
Do you want more output, better heat sinking, better customer service (over most manufacturers) choice of UI and tint options , then yes go modded.

Thats it really, no one can decide for you, has to be you.....................i will say most definitely and by far the best move i have gone. As SOYCD states, making smaller lights more useful and agree 100% with triples etc. Swapping LED's for the tint you want and programmable driver..........=flashaholic perfection
 
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outofthedarkness

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Trouble is with this thread, your going to possibly get (so far so good) 50% saying no, it makes them unreliable or they get too hot , 50% saying you can get the LED's and drivers, current bump for higher output.

There is no right or wrong again, everything is subjective...................why mod a car when it has 400hp................because we want 600hp..................or 800hp.

My advice is, decide what you want, does the LED/tint/UI and ouput suit what you want...............if yes go for it
Do you want more output, better heat sinking, better customer service (over most manufacturers) choice of UI and tint options , then yes go modded.

Thats it really, no one can decide for you, has to be you.....................i will say most definitely and by far the best move i have gone. As SOYCD states, making smaller lights more useful and agree 100% with triples etc. Swapping LED's for the tint you want and programmable driver..........=flashaholic perfection

Because im so new to this and have no understanding of tints or leds, I am obsessed by lumens/lux, I just want brightness and throw so im going for the wow factor more than anything at this stage of my addiction

I want the best, I want something that is going to light up football fields and shine so far it actually impresses people.

I on the other hand don't want to be stepping down after a minute or two to less lumens than the actual stock light gives out.
 

ven

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Trouble is, much over 3000lm, maybe 4000lm its going to step down due to heat, often the step down to the eye is not that noticeable tbh.

To go twice as bright to the eye at 4000lm, your going to need around 16,000lm!!! roughly 4 times the lumen to appear twice as bright as a rough rule.

Check out the new thrunite tn40, great performer out of the box.............

Other than that, i can say the rc40vnT will kick out 8000lm and throw 500kcd for long duration's.............you need HUGE . Unfortunately for performance and heat management it will never be cheap



This will run for 10+ mins if needed..............maybe indefinitely but not needed it on that long. Most of my uses are to scan and fun, then drop down to a usable output which still kicks the a55 out of most standard lights anyway.


For good value and excellent performance , i will recommend the t6vn, that will impress!!!
 

outofthedarkness

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Trouble is, much over 3000lm, maybe 4000lm its going to step down due to heat, often the step down to the eye is not that noticeable tbh.

To go twice as bright to the eye at 4000lm, your going to need around 16,000lm!!! roughly 4 times the lumen to appear twice as bright as a rough rule.

Check out the new thrunite tn40, great performer out of the box.............

Other than that, i can say the rc40vnT will kick out 8000lm and throw 500kcd for long duration's.............you need HUGE . Unfortunately for performance and heat management it will never be cheap



This will run for 10+ mins if needed..............maybe indefinitely but not needed it on that long. Most of my uses are to scan and fun, then drop down to a usable output which still kicks the a55 out of most standard lights anyway.


For good value and excellent performance , i will recommend the t6vn, that will impress!!!

Wow that looks one hell of a light! Is that the T6VN in your pics?

Is the T6VN more impressive than the TK75vnQ ?

For me its tough as I was looking for a floody light but I want to be wowed!

If you could buy 1 light from Vinh for $300 what would it be?

I do want to be impressed if im buying a special light off vinh
 

ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond

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Because im so new to this and have no understanding of tints or leds, I am obsessed by lumens/lux, I just want brightness and throw so im going for the wow factor more than anything at this stage of my addiction

I want the best, I want something that is going to light up football fields and shine so far it actually impresses people.

I on the other hand don't want to be stepping down after a minute or two to less lumens than the actual stock light gives out.

If brightness and throw are what you are looking for have you considered HID lights? Those have tremendous output and throw and will be able to run for the full duration of a battery charge. Check out some of the Polarion HID lights - not cheap but serious output. I have a FireFoxes4 that makes me smile everytime I turn it one - there's just something about a HID bulb warming up that is mesmerizing!
 

ven

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Wow that looks one hell of a light! Is that the T6VN in your pics?

Is the T6VN more impressive than the TK75vnQ ?

For me its tough as I was looking for a floody light but I want to be wowed!

If you could buy 1 light from Vinh for $300 what would it be?

I do want to be impressed if im buying a special light off vinh


Pics are rc40vnT,
The t6vn does have higher specs than the tk75vnQ yes, so t6vn is my recommendation for your wants/needs and might as well get v54 engraved:cool:
 

torchsarecool

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Well, I love my tn32utvn. Better wiring and heatsinking etc. Sure the stock version is great too but this is amazing



BTW this isn't a long exposure shot, it just wasn't that dark
 

outofthedarkness

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Pics are rc40vnT,
The t6vn does have higher specs than the tk75vnQ yes, so t6vn is my recommendation for your wants/needs and might as well get v54 engraved:cool:

Watched a video of the t6vn and wasnt that impressed to be honest.

I don't think there is enough flood.

I think I want more of a flooder, still resorting back to the MM18vn or the TN36UTvn, Arrh im going crazy! I do love the TK75vnQ tho aswell but the price hike is massive, too much to justify for me at this stage
 

Str8stroke

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Just to be honest, if you are not impressed by the T6vn, I don't even know how to respond to that.

I think maybe you would be well served by something like a Noctigon M43vn or the Niwalker MM18vn72? Depending on the depth of your pockets, maybe order a few and sell of the ones that don't work for you. It is hard to tell sometimes until you have them in hand and put some photons downrange. Sounds to me like you would like a wall of light with a decent hot spot? That would be something like the Niwalker.
I can also say, modded lights (depending on the light and quality of work) are normally well worth the extra investment. They typically hold their resale values respectively if you keep them in good order and keep all documents. So generally speaking, you can buy with little worry of huge losses. Only loss out of your control that hits lights is Time. Technology improves.

Good luck on your endeavor!

Edit: One pretty impressive light out the box (Stock) is a Acebeam X60M. Wish I currently had a vn version of that light.
 
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liteboy

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If you're asking about modding and you truly desire more output and throw, then you'll eventually end up down the modding route, no other way. That said, modding isn't for everyone a most of whom wouldn't know to ask in the first place....
 

ven

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Just to be honest, if you are not impressed by the T6vn, I don't even know how to respond to that.


+1,

don't always go off videos or pics as it does not show the real life beam, my pics show about 30% of what I see as the brightness over whelmes the camera or it simply can't pick it up at distance. Beam pics you see on manufacturers sites lighting up mountains from a single cell light is done by very slow shutter speeds.

If the t6vn does not impress you for the money, 6000lm and 400kcd with lots of spill, you seriously need to up the budget and as my original suggestion, back to the rc40vnF for ultimate flood.

You were looking at a tm26 iirc or had one, the t6vn wipes the floor with it in output and throw, yet lots of spill for good money .....

Good luck, out of suggestions now.
 
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