15 years of Malkoff

[etc]

I got my first module in 2007 or 2008. Malkoff M60, it was the first device Gene made. 230 lumens. Nice tint, nice profile, good lux.

I had a SF 6P and a 9P, making 60 and 100 lumens, respectively. Or something like that. I don't recall if I got the 200 lumen bulb. I do remember the 9P runtime was scary short. 15-20 mins. Anyway. Got the M60 and that was the beginning of that journey. It had the most amazing runtime coming from the 9P/200 lumen camp. And the Malkoff bulb did not blow up like incans. Shortly after that, maybe circa 2009 got the M60L and M60LL. I think that was my entire malkoff family for 5 years. I got some things after 2010 but can't remember what, anymore. Actually thinking back the very first Malkoff I got was for the Mag, 3D, circa 2007.
Then I expanded into FiveMega, both "12P" and '9P' variants, and Leef. Those were the days. Learned the difference between different cells. Amazingly I still have AW's 18500 from those days which work. I am sure the capacity is 300mAh.

Somehow time flies at warp speed.
2010-2018 were turbulent years. I left the scene for the most part. I don't think I have any lights left from my initial pre-2010 era. I had a brutal custody fight and had to step away for a number of years. My ex stole one of my lights. A big 3D Maglite. She thought it was the best one out of the entire collection, being the biggest. The process almost destroyed me but I prevailed. Now I am a happy single father. My 15-year old posterity also got a Malkoff. But he is not as committed as myself. He got common sense and realizes you can't actually use more than one light at a time.
Life happens, you know. I was in my early 30's when I entered the field and now almost at the door of big five-oh, which is scary in and of itself.

These Malkoffs I have will outlive me. I am confident of that. My posterity will still be using them. For now he repurposed just one from me, his fav 18650 Hound Dog. I got about 9 Malkoffs (I lost count) and truthfully, don't even need that many. About 3-4 overlap in purpose with HD Super and other Hound Dogs being 'different'.
The new ones have polarity protection. And they are all potted and heatsinked. There are no moving parts and it's solid state.

So much for a nostalgic look at Malkoff devices.
Sometimes I miss the time before Malkoffs, circa 2001, when all I had was a minimag which generated 2 lumens and constantly blew bulbs.

 

[NH Lumens]

I was in my early 30's when I entered the field and now almost at the door of big five-oh, which is scary in and of itself.

Great post!

It's been a while, but I believe my first Malkoff product was a M361-LMH which I still have, even though I no longer care for toggling through output levels via the clicky switch. I have grown to love the high/low bezel switch.

The 50s are still prime time - enjoy them! I turn 70 at my next b-day, how I'd love to be in my 50s again.

 

[RWT1405]

My first Malkoff order, at least from his site history, was April 8, 2008

I wish I could say I only have 9 Malkoffs, or that I only had 1 Mini-Mag in 2001

I had already spent several hundred dollars on Flashlights by 2001, as I had started down the SureFire hole in 1995, not to even talk about the StreamLights, MagLites, Pelicans, etc., since I started in 1979.

My first 5 Malkoff orders, I was already several hundred dollars down the Malkoff hole at that time, I hate to think how much I've spent since then.

 

[this_is_nascar]

I still have some of his original maglite LED drop-ins, that I use quite often.

 

[bykfixer]

My first Malkoff order, at least from his site history, was April 8, 2008

I wish I could say I only have 9 Malkoffs, or that I only had 1 Mini-Mag in 2001

I had already spent several hundred dollars on Flashlights by 2001, as I had started down the SureFire hole in 1995, not to even talk about the StreamLights, MagLites, Pelicans, etc., since I started in 1979.

My first 5 Malkoff orders, I was already several hundred dollars down the Malkoff hole at that time, I hate to think how much I've spent since then.

Daaaaaaaaaam!!! 2 pages 😱


When I first arrived I thought Malkoff was a Russian flu virus, and what are these drop in things everybody is raving about? My first was an M61WLL for a 6P. I don't have 2 pages of orders with them but I have acquired quite a few over the years. Some second hand. One of which is an M60 with a serial number decal and pat pend carved on the brass. Another is a Kroll switch hi/lo version with an M61NL.

I also enjoy a few limited edition group buy items. Clipped to me trousers now is an MDC1x123/VME with a group buy M361W using an RCR to keep it in regulation.

Some friends of mine who void lifetime warranties ended up with MD-2 hi/lo lights that still work.

 

[pnwoutdoors]

These Malkoffs I have will outlive me. I am confident of that.

Pretty much how I see it, as well.

My own are the M61 drop-ins, in SureFire bodies. There are brighter options, but none as high-quality. They're my everyday carry units, for the car, for trips, hiking. They work in tight spaces, hot or cold, as defensive units in a pinch. And, so far at least, across 10+ years of using them, they haven't failed me. Barring multiple-drops-on-the-pavement lunacy from me, I suspect they'll outlive me. It's refreshing to find high quality and reputation fully deserved, these days.

 

[RWT1405]

Daaaaaaaaaam!!! 2 pages 😱


When I first arrived I thought Malkoff was a Russian flu virus, and what are these drop in things everybody is raving about? My first was an M61WLL for a 6P. I don't have 2 pages of orders with them but I have acquired quite a few over the years. Some second hand. One of which is an M60 with a serial number decal and pat pend carved on the brass. Another is a Kroll switch hi/lo version with an M61NL.

I also enjoy a few limited edition group buy items. Clipped to me trousers now is an MDC1x123/VME with a group buy M361W using an RCR to keep it in regulation.

Some friends of mine who void lifetime warranties ended up with MD-2 hi/lo lights that still work.

Some might say I'm a Malkoff fan! LOL

When something works, count me in!

My first 4 orders in 2008

Gives you an idea of how Malkoff's "grow"!

 

[etc]

Great post!

It's been a while, but I believe my first Malkoff product was a M361-LMH which I still have, even though I no longer care for toggling through output levels via the clicky switch. I have grown to love the high/low bezel switch.

The 50s are still prime time - enjoy them! I turn 70 at my next b-day, how I'd love to be in my 50s again.

Thank you )

I remember when the 361 was introduced. Had one myself, wasn't using it as much and gave it away to another guy going through a custody fight as a sign of male solidarity. the 361 had some form of Surefire 6P attached to it.

 

[etc]

Pretty much how I see it, as well.

My own are the M61 drop-ins, in SureFire bodies. There are brighter options, but none as high-quality. They're my everyday carry units, for the car, for trips, hiking. They work in tight spaces, hot or cold, as defensive units in a pinch. And, so far at least, across 10+ years of using them, they haven't failed me. Barring multiple-drops-on-the-pavement lunacy from me, I suspect they'll outlive me. It's refreshing to find high quality and reputation fully deserved, these days.

Yep and yep...

Not only that but you swap Malkoff's clicky for the Z41 twisty to add a bit of reliability. That's to those who roll with MDx devices. You already likely use the SF twisty.

As a side benefit of Z41, it's more compact than any clicky. Well, almost any.

 

[etc]

Some might say I'm a Malkoff fan! LOL

When something works, count me in!

My first 4 orders in 2008

Gives you an idea of how Malkoff's "grow"!

I won the tint lotto and my M60LL and M60 had that nice, creamy tint. Not into the SF incan land but not ugly white/ blue. Remember, this is 2007-2008 we are talking about when the alternatives were mostly a bunch of angry blue led lights.

The M60LL rhymed with Surefire 9P and 2xAA in it for a good runtime.

 

[RWT1405]

I won the tint lotto and my M60LL and M60 had that nice, creamy tint. Not into the SF incan land but not ugly white/ blue. Remember, this is 2007-2008 we are talking about when the alternatives were mostly a bunch of angry blue led lights.

The M60LL rhymed with Surefire 9P and 2xAA in it for a good runtime.

Yep, the original M60, M60LL, and MagLite drop-ins I purchased, changed my mind about LEDs in flashlights forever.

The LEDs I was using before Malkoff (Inova X-5s and drop-ins for MagLites, which all had those "angry blue LEDs"), did nothing to convince me to switch to LED lights.

It took those Malkoff M60 and M60LL, and MagLite drop-ins, to convince me that LED Flashlights were the future, for me.

 

[etc]

I think with the original M60, Gene tried hard to replicate the Surefire P60 incan. Similar beam profile, similar tint (as much as possilble at the time).

I understand why. He had to sell the idea to million users. That it's the same thing, only better.

Then I remember when the M61 got introduced and that caused a lot of controversy. I think I was in the sceptics' camp. But once I embraced it, it was nice. Got the whole L, LL, LLL team. It's funny how M61T is a full return to the M60 land, except better and improved, with twice the lumens and better candela I am sure.

The olde M60 is still a big improvement over any incan and I am gonna go on a limb here and assume there are still incans floating around. Surefire came up with a sad attempt at the LED, with its P60L which was, well.

 

[thermal guy]

SF P60L is/was absolutely horrible!!

 

[RWT1405]

The olde M60 is still a big improvement over any incan and I am gonna go on a limb here and assume there are still incans floating around. Surefire came up with a sad attempt at the LED, with its P60L which was, well.

I agree!

I may, or may not, have been involved in a few threads, and had not nice things to say about the P60L, and it's false claims.

That was coming from a long time SureFire user.

 

[RWT1405]

SF P60L is/was absolutely horrible!!

You are absolutely correct!

 

[Megalamuffin]

SF P60L is/was absolutely horrible!!

I was late to the game on all this stuff, but a while back I bought a new in package P60L just out of curiosity.

I will say I'm glad it was cheap! Even with a minus green and a tint filter it's pretty ugly. I'd rather just use a P60 bulb than that thing.

Of course Gene has us covered with the excellent M61W's. I have all three. The 61WLL is currently in regular use in a green G2 on my nightstand, sipping on all my mostly depleted 123's.

 

[RWT1405]

I was late to the game on all this stuff, but a while back I bought a new in package P60L just out of curiosity.

I will say I'm glad it was cheap! Even with a minus green and a tint filter it's pretty ugly. I'd rather just use a P60 bulb than that thing.

The real problem with the P60L (at least for me, and many others) was their completely unrealistic/dishonest listed "run-time".

Many/Most flashlight company's, especially at that time, gave completely unrealistic "run-times" and Lumen estimates, for their flashlights.

SureFire, however, until the P60L, used honest and realistic Lumen estimates (and usually underestimated) and "run-times" for their flashlights, so for me (and many others), we lost a lot of respect for SureFire over the P60L.

There were a few threads here about it, and they may have gotten a little heated at times, as many were very unhappy with SureFire over this, I may or may not have been involved in a few of them.

 

[NH Lumens]

Not only that but you swap Malkoff's clicky for the Z41 twisty to add a bit of reliability. That's to those who roll with MDx devices. You already likely use the SF twisty.

As a side benefit of Z41, it's more compact than any clicky. Well, almost any.

The shorter SF style "twisty" tailcaps takes about a 1/2 inch off the OAL of the light vs. the Malkoff tailcaps. However, they also shorten the battery compartment length making the use protected cells problematic (CR123s and flat top cells are fine).

LF makes clones of the old Z14/31 tailcaps using solid copper for the plunger;



The actuation feel of these plunger switches is superb.

 

[etc]

The sad thing was, P60L *was* a step ahead of the incan it replaced. Both in lumens, reliability and longevity. But not the puke-blue tint.

 

[thermal guy]

So was the SF KL2. 19 leds in one head. Always wanted one ever since I saw one in their catalog. I have one now and it's true what they say. Never meet your hero.It's terrible! just terrible. But cool looking 😁