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McGizmo - 2018

McGizmo

Flashaholic
Joined
May 1, 2002
Messages
17,290
Location
Maui
Hi guys and first off Happy New Year to all of you!

Thanks so much for the support over all these years. I remember when LED's were trying to get even footing with incandescent lamps and the emphasis was primarily on throw. Now there is little mention of lux and the lumen output of some of the lights is simply unbelievable based on outputs 15 years ago!

I have people contact me questioning what I presently offer because some of these threads are so old. I am still offering the same lights and builds as mentioned in the thread pertaining to offerings. I realize that not offering something new or different means that for many of you, I have nothing really to offer. Hopefully the lights you did get from me are still providing you with utility and service. I would certainly enjoy more business and especially in light of all of the competition out there now. But to offer something different just to be different doesn't fit with my "mission" as it were. I would love to come up with something new and of merit and who knows, maybe I will.

A few questions keep coming up and I would like to address them here.

I have been asked for tritium vials to be installed and included in my present lights. I think H3 is cool and I believe I was the first to use them in lights here on CPF. However I have realized as time has marched on that the reported half life of H3 has become a significant factor as some of my early lights have aged. I am of the thinking these days that H3 should be included in a light design with an understanding that it need be replaced down the road if the light is intended to serve indefinitely, as my designs are intended. I think it's cool for users who do their own mods and realize that they will witness the vials go dim over time. They can elect to live with the dim or replace the vials.

Another request I often get is for one of my lights to be made using a different metal. For the most part, this is based on cosmetic or exotic considerations and not function. I can certainly appreciate the looks of some of these lights out there these days but again, my focus is on function and longevity. Boring. Sorry.

Well thanks again for all of your support and I hope to continue in the future providing some lights and utility to those of you who want what I offer. :bow:
 

F89

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 15, 2014
Messages
1,420
Happy New Year, Don! Thanks for your timeless designs. [emoji16]

I agree with m_yo, timeless designs.
Nothing new is not necessarily bad news when it comes to Don's lights. The best kind of boring around when it comes to lights.
 

archimedes

Flashaholic
Joined
Nov 12, 2010
Messages
15,780
Location
CONUS, top left
Your illumination tools continue to fulfill their mission admirably for me.

Nor am I any fan of change, simply for novelty, if it brings no significant functional improvement.

As more makers and manufacturers (apart from a few other notable exceptions) actually appear to be moving away from modularity concepts, the more I appreciate the lighting "ecosystems" you have created.

Thanks, cheers, and happy new year to you as well ... !
 

jeffb

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 17, 2004
Messages
1,251
Location
Indiana
Hi Don,
Am still using your lights, as I have, since joining CPF.

Am heading to Maui again this summer for a wedding and have fond memories of our visit, ten years or so ago, when we visited Maui. (Paradise!)

Best Regards,

Jeff
 

Legenddkk

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 13, 2016
Messages
27
Your lights are legendary. End of story. Happy New Year Don 🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽
 

light-modder

Enlightened
Joined
Jul 15, 2014
Messages
599
Location
Kansas
Happy new year, Don! Someday I will own a haiku. Was thinking about it just yesterday. I think it would be the perfect size.
 

F89

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 15, 2014
Messages
1,420
I've raved, as have others, about Don's (Nichia's) 119V LED.
Just today I finally got my hands on some 219B sw45k R9080 LEDs. I'd been looking forward to these and sure enough they made many flavours of high CRI 219B and C look very average side by side. A revelation?
Ok so out comes the benchmark, a Haiku 119V (I usually use one with the XRE/XML reflector for it's beam spread) for comparison.
The good old 119V not only held its own but was subjectively even. The latest and greatest humbled by Don's old gem.
Nothing new you say Don, no problem!
 
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nbp

Flashaholic
Joined
Dec 16, 2007
Messages
10,970
Location
Wisconsin
A few McGs have come and gone through my hands over the years but some remain and always will. I have two Haikus that continue to get steady work as I think they are among the more perfect lights ever made. I also still have a Sapphire Mule - perhaps the most prized light I have on account of its extreme rarity. I cannot even remember the last time I saw one go up for sale. I still need to try a TerraRam one of these days, somehow I have not added one to my collection yet. While Don's designs may not be by definition "new" I would agree that they are timeless. Their classic aesthetics and ergonomics coupled with durability and modularity mean they should be working as long as there are guys with soldering irons - probably long after we're dead. Don has been a pioneer on CPF and his influence is, in my opinion, the stuff of Flashlight Legends.
 

F89

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 15, 2014
Messages
1,420
A few McGs have come and gone through my hands over the years but some remain and always will. I have two Haikus that continue to get steady work as I think they are among the more perfect lights ever made. I also still have a Sapphire Mule - perhaps the most prized light I have on account of its extreme rarity. I cannot even remember the last time I saw one go up for sale. I still need to try a TerraRam one of these days, somehow I have not added one to my collection yet. While Don's designs may not be by definition "new" I would agree that they are timeless. Their classic aesthetics and ergonomics coupled with durability and modularity mean they should be working as long as there are guys with soldering irons - probably long after we're dead. Don has been a pioneer on CPF and his influence is, in my opinion, the stuff of Flashlight Legends.

Don is the Don of torches (I call them torches, here they're called flashlights).
There's some awesome gear out there and guys designing it but Don is simply the man.
Talk about the Haiku, let alone the rest, what an iconic and simply beautifully functional torch.
What I mean to say is well said nbp.
 

Nitroz

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 29, 2004
Messages
3,258
Location
Monroe
To me one of his greatest creations is the most simple, the "Oil Slick Mule". What a beauty!
 

K2-bk-bl-rd

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 17, 2008
Messages
1,679
I love McGizmo lights! My Haiku was my first custom light and continues to be my EDC. They are timeless, that's for sure! Don, any chance of a head for the 2x123 Pak that's bigger then a Haiku head and smaller then a Makai head? (the Makai is just too big for me) Something like the S27 head, only e-series compatible. Now that would be awesome!!!
 

Hallis

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 23, 2004
Messages
2,590
Location
Dallas, Tx
Happy New Year, Don!

Not many still come around from those good old days. Noticed a few in this thread that joined back in 2004 like me. :) Happy to say that a few years back I was able to pick up some Aleph components and my light that I use almost every day for tasks around the house is an Aleph 3 head, 2x123 body, and a hi-low twisty tail in HA3-Black and get this.. an old trusty Lux-V light engine ;). Even though I use it almost daily it still looks brand new because not only is the coating VERY durable but i'm very careful with it as it's very dear to me. I haven't picked up any of the Mule, PD, Haiku stuff yet... but I'll likely get to that some day, lol. I wish you'd make another run the old Aleph stuff. It was so simple and elegant. But from my understanding some of your newer stuff is compatible (as it's all Surefire E series compatible stuff)?

Anyways, You, Mr. Bulk, Fivemega, Photon Fanatic, etc. to me, represent the golden age of custom flashlights. And I am very much glad that a few of you are still at it after all these years.
 

nfetterly

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 17, 2008
Messages
3,764
Location
Cincinnati area, but lots of travel
Happy new year. I love the PDs (5) and Haiku (2), finally found an oil slick mule a few years ago.

Some of the few lights I regret selling were an old LT27 (w/LED transplant) that had trits in the body and a 6V Haiku head.

Grail would be the black chrome PD.

Selling off some lights, but not any more McGizmos.
 

Beard Man

Enlightened
Joined
Sep 2, 2017
Messages
306
I'm still using your lights, McGizmo Haiku,its just awesome! Thank you!
Happy New year!
 

easilyled

Flashaholic
Joined
Jun 25, 2004
Messages
7,252
Location
Middlesex, UK
I still have 2 PD-Ss, 1 27-PD, 2 Aqua-Rams and a Makai.

The designs of all your lights from both mechanical and aesthetic aspects can not be surpassed in my opinion. Always tough, durable and very handsome. The reflector designs and focussing with their matching leds are also always outstanding. They are all desirable and functional tools.

As you said in your first post, led technology keeps marching on and, with that in mind, I feel that the XPL-HI (a factory dedomed led) would enhance the beam quality and power of many of your lights even more, having tried this in the Makai. Its the best of both worlds between the XM-L2 and XP-G2 in respect of having the intensity of an XP-G2 (at least) with the output of an XM-L2 (at least).

If you could add this as an option in some of the lights you offer, I think it would appeal to many potential customers, although it might involve a slight tweak in reflector design or positioning in some cases.

There seems to be far less tint-shift across the beam with the XPL-His which is another advantage.
 
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