csshih
Flashlight Enthusiast
For inclusion in the review section…
Hello Everyone, again!
This will be my second review.
Up for review is the MG RX-1 MC-E, one of the latest offerings from Bryan over at ShiningBeam.com
I purchased the light from Bryan on 4/10/09, and I received it today, 4/13/09. Light was well wrapped up in bubble wrap, and included accessories. There is no presentation box for the light.
here is a quick summary of the specs, taken from Shiningbeam (link is here.):
The light was announced on 4/9/09 in this thread.
Bryan over at shiningbeam notified me of receiving the lights a day beforehand, so I told him I would review one.
This light is built to have an even balance of flood and throw, being a quad die LED light.
Here is the light up for review.
Here is the name of the product, and the serial of my specific light.
A view of the accessories that came with the light.. an extra tailcap, a GITD tailcap, Lanyard, Forward clicky, and switch retaining ring.
A view of the light disassembled.. the back of the reflector, strangely enough, seems dirty. I can't tell what the grime on is made of.. maybe some form of adhesive.
2 Orings at the tailcap :thumbsup:
On the far right Is an unprotected Samsung 18650 cell.
A view down the head of the light without the reflector installed.
Here is the Cree MC-E LED installed. The LED circuit board is covered by an adhesive black disc.
Here a picture with the black disc removed. Strange.. seems the solder pads on the top and bottom were poked at. Also, the LED seems slightly misaligned with the board.
A view of the tailcap.. currently, the reverse clicky is installed.
A shot down the head. I apologize for the bad picture. The reflector is rather well textured.
Note: the LED seems slightly misaligned :shrug:
From Left to right:
MG RX-1, Nitecore D20, Jetbeam II IBS, Nitecore EZAA, Panasonic unprotected 18650, L91 AA cell, AAA cell, CR123A cell.
Indoor Beamshots
On the left is the nitecore D20, right is the MG RX-1
hmm.. sorry for the weird blobbing.. the camera was set on medium quality.. somehow.
These shots are on high:
These shots are on low
Shots ~11 feet away from wall, in attempt to show a donut hole.. this light doesn't have too much of one.
Comparison to the Tiablo ACE-G
MG RX-1 is on the left, Tiablo is on the right.
Outdoor Beamshots
Distance to the back fence is ~85 Feet.
Nitecore D20 is on the left, MG RX-1 is on the right.
Runtime:
currently having some problems with reliable 18650s.. if anyone can donate a reliable AW cell, it would be most helpful.
Got 1 AW cell! need more!
Note.. I am not using any equipment specifically designed for measuring runtime.. just a camera using CDHK, and a script provided by jirik_cz
He led me through the process, and helped me a lot.. THANKS!
Also, I have changed the way I graph the runtime.
Now, the graphs use the raw lux values from the camera!
Here it is, on high!
hmm...
the runtime I get is like this:
but!
through another tester.. he got 60-so minutes.. the AW cell I have may be older than I thought!
mine isn't flat, though it should be.
PLEASE DISREGARD RUNTIMES FOR NOW.. CURRENTLY HAVING AN ISSUE REGARDING ACCURACY.
This light is very well regulated, according to another tester..
also, there is a sudden drop after 2.9V, the light stays on in an flashing emergency mode! (camera samples every 2 minutes) so no drops in output shown, but the light is indeed flashing.
First Impressions:
This light's anodizing is nice! Even though it does not have HA, the coating feels.. solid, and slightly texture-y.This texture makes the light comfortable and easy to grip.
All the threads on this light came well lubed, there were no problems opening it up to feed.
Booting up:
The classic Cree "Donut Hole" is hardly noticeable, until close ranges, though I doubt this was built as a close range light.
Low and medium are at a decent level, though this would probably be too bright for night adapted eyes.
Low and medium are also achieved through "PWM", and the "stroboscopic effect", as coined, is visible.
The frequency of PWM is decently high, so that's not an issue.
Though, I do not see myself using the other modes on this light.
Notes:
The connection between the head and the battery tube is sealed. According to the manufacturer,
this is because if the pill is adjusted, MC-E might get scratched... (this is not the case on the single die versions of this light)
Conclusion:
This will make a great introduction to MC-E lights for the lower budget users.... knock your socks off if you're used to poorly driven DX single die lights.
It will probably be better than those "DX" MC-E lights, too :nana:
I would say this is a great pocket rocket.. but it isn't exactly pocket sized for most people... (but hey.. I pocketed it for a night walk..aimed the light mainly at the sky too see the beam)
Combined with Bryan's great support, fast shipping, this is a great deal!
Come on guys! Comments are needed, as I develop my review style.
Hello Everyone, again!
This will be my second review.
Up for review is the MG RX-1 MC-E, one of the latest offerings from Bryan over at ShiningBeam.com
I purchased the light from Bryan on 4/10/09, and I received it today, 4/13/09. Light was well wrapped up in bubble wrap, and included accessories. There is no presentation box for the light.
here is a quick summary of the specs, taken from Shiningbeam (link is here.):
- Features a Cree MC-E emitter, M bin with WC tint
- 700+ lumens on high mode
- Comes with tactical momentary-on switch(forward clicky) and regular switch
- Compatible with 1x18650, 1x17670, and 2xCR123A
- 3 Modes: Low > Mid > High
- Current output: 200mA on low, 1000 mA on medium and 2500 mA on high
- Regulated circuit for constant current output
- Built in Voltage protection, will cut off at 2.8V
- Reverse-polarity protection prevents wrongly installed batteries from damaging the circuit
- The memory feature will memorize the last mode
- 53 mm x 42 mm orange peel reflector for flawless beam pattern
The light was announced on 4/9/09 in this thread.
Bryan over at shiningbeam notified me of receiving the lights a day beforehand, so I told him I would review one.
This light is built to have an even balance of flood and throw, being a quad die LED light.
Here is the light up for review.
Here is the name of the product, and the serial of my specific light.
A view of the accessories that came with the light.. an extra tailcap, a GITD tailcap, Lanyard, Forward clicky, and switch retaining ring.
A view of the light disassembled.. the back of the reflector, strangely enough, seems dirty. I can't tell what the grime on is made of.. maybe some form of adhesive.
2 Orings at the tailcap :thumbsup:
On the far right Is an unprotected Samsung 18650 cell.
A view down the head of the light without the reflector installed.
Here is the Cree MC-E LED installed. The LED circuit board is covered by an adhesive black disc.
Here a picture with the black disc removed. Strange.. seems the solder pads on the top and bottom were poked at. Also, the LED seems slightly misaligned with the board.
A view of the tailcap.. currently, the reverse clicky is installed.
A shot down the head. I apologize for the bad picture. The reflector is rather well textured.
Note: the LED seems slightly misaligned :shrug:
From Left to right:
MG RX-1, Nitecore D20, Jetbeam II IBS, Nitecore EZAA, Panasonic unprotected 18650, L91 AA cell, AAA cell, CR123A cell.
Indoor Beamshots
On the left is the nitecore D20, right is the MG RX-1
hmm.. sorry for the weird blobbing.. the camera was set on medium quality.. somehow.
These shots are on high:
These shots are on low
Shots ~11 feet away from wall, in attempt to show a donut hole.. this light doesn't have too much of one.
Comparison to the Tiablo ACE-G
MG RX-1 is on the left, Tiablo is on the right.
Outdoor Beamshots
Distance to the back fence is ~85 Feet.
Nitecore D20 is on the left, MG RX-1 is on the right.
Runtime:
currently having some problems with reliable 18650s.. if anyone can donate a reliable AW cell, it would be most helpful.
Got 1 AW cell! need more!
Note.. I am not using any equipment specifically designed for measuring runtime.. just a camera using CDHK, and a script provided by jirik_cz
He led me through the process, and helped me a lot.. THANKS!
Also, I have changed the way I graph the runtime.
Now, the graphs use the raw lux values from the camera!
Here it is, on high!
hmm...
the runtime I get is like this:
but!
through another tester.. he got 60-so minutes.. the AW cell I have may be older than I thought!
mine isn't flat, though it should be.
PLEASE DISREGARD RUNTIMES FOR NOW.. CURRENTLY HAVING AN ISSUE REGARDING ACCURACY.
This light is very well regulated, according to another tester..
also, there is a sudden drop after 2.9V, the light stays on in an flashing emergency mode! (camera samples every 2 minutes) so no drops in output shown, but the light is indeed flashing.
First Impressions:
This light's anodizing is nice! Even though it does not have HA, the coating feels.. solid, and slightly texture-y.This texture makes the light comfortable and easy to grip.
All the threads on this light came well lubed, there were no problems opening it up to feed.
Booting up:
The classic Cree "Donut Hole" is hardly noticeable, until close ranges, though I doubt this was built as a close range light.
Low and medium are at a decent level, though this would probably be too bright for night adapted eyes.
Low and medium are also achieved through "PWM", and the "stroboscopic effect", as coined, is visible.
The frequency of PWM is decently high, so that's not an issue.
Though, I do not see myself using the other modes on this light.
Notes:
The connection between the head and the battery tube is sealed. According to the manufacturer,
this is because if the pill is adjusted, MC-E might get scratched... (this is not the case on the single die versions of this light)
Conclusion:
This will make a great introduction to MC-E lights for the lower budget users.... knock your socks off if you're used to poorly driven DX single die lights.
It will probably be better than those "DX" MC-E lights, too :nana:
I would say this is a great pocket rocket.. but it isn't exactly pocket sized for most people... (but hey.. I pocketed it for a night walk..aimed the light mainly at the sky too see the beam)
Combined with Bryan's great support, fast shipping, this is a great deal!
Come on guys! Comments are needed, as I develop my review style.
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