Compact P7/MC-E w/ 1x18650 EDC Recommend?

[magikality]

Hiya! Been lovin the light for years (ever since I got me a little luxeon mag2AA drop-in from the Sandwich Shoppe back in the day)

I got some 2AA lights for EDC (3W minimag, and now a fenix LD20, man it's bright!). Even grabbed a cheep Brinkmann 3AAA headlamp with some cree in it (spot as bright as my fenix but unreg, decent spill, perfect neutral tint, only $20 at target) With disperse film its great for a basic light.

I'm ready to take the plunge into the world of 18650s, MC-Es and P7s. I've been reading up a ton of threads here, checking some decent manuf. sites (and the temple of quality, DX)

Looking for an EDC that will throw 400-500lm on a single 18650 when I sometimes need it, but generally will be used on Mid to be on par with the fenix or eagletac 2AAs. Basically have that 2x brighter option in a somewhat similar package.

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My req's:

--Small - meaning between a mag2aa & a TK40/Legion-II. Straight head/body (not cone) < 32mm so I don't have a 50mm bulge in the pants LOL

--BRIGHT! P7 or MC-E for 400-500ish lm range. Floodier is fine, as I'll use some disper film if too throwy.

--Tint should be neutral. No bluish/purplish.

--1x18650 prot., Capable for CR123As for backup?? common DD fine since kinda flat discharge curve. 30-45min on high OK, since most usage is med 100-200lm. Should be a couple hrs on med.

--3 mode pref. (100%, 20-30%, low), more modes OK but not pref. 2 hi/low if necessary.

--Puddle-proof (IPX-8 a big plus), decent quality (sorry DX lol)

--talk clickie, (green or glowing a big plus)

--price range up to $130ish

--pref. textured body for grip. HAIII a plus of course.

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I considered the following:
a. Wolf P7 Sniper - head too big and pricey at like $200 w/ battery/chrgr

b. Deree CL1H - too long w/ 2x18650s & tube, RCRs runtime would suck?

c. custom build 1 (looks good, but don't want to wait months for next run):
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=225925

d. custom build 2 (same)
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=218409


What do you recommend?? If nothing off-the shelf (i'm not ready to start soldering, drilling and lathing, baby steps!), someone want to build me one for a fee if I order parts?

Thanks!!
Brian

 

[bullettproof]

Ive been doing this for about 2 months and I have learned a lot.The DX light are ok but you never get all the Lumens that you want and you always want more.Your better off spending a little more money and getting something of some good quality.My first light was a Fenix LD20 which is a nice light but you will soon want more as you are already looking at the MC-E and P7 lights.The problems that you run into with Cheaper MC-E and P7 from DX are that the heatsinking is not very good and the LED is not being ran efficiently.At some point there will most likely be some failure such as the LED burning up or the driver doing the same. The CL1h light is very good and will easily outperform your Fenix that you have with the Q5 in it.You can get the Cl1H in different configurations and you can use a single 18650 in it. I have the CL1H that uses 2xrcr123 run time is about 40 minutes on high.But also the Cl1H in R2 is running very strong at 1.2A which is roughly 270 emitter Lumens.You also have to take in to consideration the size of the Head on the light and also the depth of the reflector.In a smooth reflector the Bigger & Deeper the Head the better the throw.OP (orange peel) reflectors decrease throw and smoothe out the beam with a larger hot spot.MC-E and P7 are quad die Leds and a Q5 is a single die MC-E quad die Leds are more for flood and also have medium throw.I have tried several light in the past 2 months about 15 of them I think you would be happy with in a P7 light the Solarforce L950M. The lights not to big but has excellent run time on 2x18650's 180 minutes I belive.Also the output is 950 Lumens and it runs great and dosent get hot I love mine.The light has a massive deep head. It throws way better then average light for a quad die and its the nicest buit light I have seen regardless of price.My other choice would be the CL1H with an R2 in it. If you get a CL1H get both reflectors SMO/OP its fun to play with it that way.Its a great small light I use mine daily but it is hard to beat the L950M when I want to light stuff up. You already have a decent Fenix get the L950M then the CL1H or get both but you will be happy either way. I have dealt with both people in the links below and they are both great people to deal with . I no what its like to be new I was there not long ago I read non stop.

You need 3 post to receive or send PM's


Heres a Brandnew L950M for sale in the marketplace CHEAP!!

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=193627

And for a CL1H pm Flashcrazy hes a dealer here he can answer all your CL1H questions. Or you can go to his website and also look he is great to deal with.

www.flashlightconnection.com

 

[Mike@PTS]

Hey magikality, :welcome:
Wolf Eyes discontinued the P7 models and replaced them with Cree MC-E models, but there's been another change! Did you know that WE engineers were able to reduce the original size of the reflector from 43mm to 37mm while still improving the beam flood and throw?
Here's a link to the WE website (it loads really slow): http://www.wolf-eyes.com/product/MC-Explorer detail.html

The Wolf Eyes MC Explorer is now truly the most compact Cree MC-E flashlight on the market.

There is also the EagleTac M2 which would be another good choice as it's only 6.5 inches long: http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=193235

 

[old4570]

TrustFire TR-C2 Cree MC-E (BIN M-WC) 3-Mode 430-Lumen LED Flashlight with Clip (1*18650)

DX and KD prob selling them .

If you want real pocket power , get a Solarforce L2 Mini and drop in a MC-E P60 style pill .

 

[magikality]

Bullettproof - thanks for the detailed info, I learned some really good things! That solarforce looks killer. I'll probably pick one up after I get the compact light I'm looking for now (the SF is big in comparison).

Mike - I had no idea about the size reduction. I must've missed that in the WolfEyes site. It definitely seems like the most well-engineered and durable of the bunch. The LRB-168A battery is interesting - thats how they can pull so much power & runtime off of one cell I presume? Any way to user CR123A primaries as a backup? The eagletacs look good but too big for the form factor I'm considering...

Old4570 - just ordered a trustfire to play with. As far as the L2M, sounds great but I searched around the forums - which is a decent MC-E drop-in pill? Malkoffs appear unavail, and not sure if a nice deree would fit...

I appreciate all the detailed responses so far!

Any P7 competitors??

 

[easilyled]

I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the Xtar-C2-SSC-P7 light which I bought from Lighthound.

Its very well built, compact (5 inches) and bright. I would estimate it to be over 500 lumens initially.

Although its Direct Drive, its loss of output is very gradual, only losing about 10% output over the first 40 minutes or so.

If you do a search for XTAR, you will see a detailed review by CPFer Amonra.

 

[easilyled]

The Wolf Eyes MC Explorer is now truly the most compact Cree MC-E flashlight on the market.

I don't think its more compact than the XTAR-C2 SSC-P7 or MC-E flashlights.

 

[richdsu]

You may want to consider this :---

TrustFire P7-F16 SSC P7-WC 3-Mode $36.50 ( from DX )

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.18695


( just launched recently, I've a unit, highly recommended)

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This Flashlight has good heatsinking to the body ( the brass pill is screwed full threaded to the body ).

:welcome:

 

[bigchelis]

A P7/MC-E light compact and 18650 willl probably direct drive and yield you no where near 500 Lumens. In a Surefire 6P type size Light I recommend a regulated quad emitter or a multi-mode. The higher current will yield more lumens if it has a massive heatsink; which contradicts the compact requirement you have. If you want over 500 reall lumens out the front you may have to go big.

I think the only thing that will get you close to 500 lumens and compact is the Malkoff MC-E regulated in a Surefire 6P. I use 2 18650's in a bored 6P with Solarforce extention.
or
Surefire 6P with the Deal Extreme MC-E P60 drop-in. This one makes a true 345 Lumens out the front and has a low mode to allow the light to cool. I use a 17670 cell with a stock 6P.


If you get a cheap DX or Ebay light with a P7 or MC-E you will find it may work for a while but it will eventually require you to play doctor with it. It is very likely you may get lucky and get one that has great contact and works for hundreds of hours with no issues. Choose wisely.

 

[bullettproof]

A P7/MC-E light compact and 18650 willl probably direct drive and yield you no where near 500 Lumens. In a Surefire 6P type size Light I recommend a regulated quad emitter or a multi-mode. The higher current will yield more lumens if it has a massive heatsink; which contradicts the compact requirement you have. If you want over 500 reall lumens out the front you may have to go big.

I think the only thing that will get you close to 500 lumens and compact is the Malkoff MC-E regulated in a Surefire 6P. I use 2 18650's in a bored 6P with Solarforce extention.
or
Surefire 6P with the Deal Extreme MC-E P60 drop-in. This one makes a true 345 Lumens out the front and has a low mode to allow the light to cool. I use a 17670 cell with a stock 6P.


If you get a cheap DX or Ebay light with a P7 or MC-E you will find it may work for a while but it will eventually require you to play doctor with it. It is very likely you may get lucky and get one that has great contact and works for hundreds of hours with no issues. Choose wisely.

I agree with Big Chellis!!! Your better off getting a nice quality light like the L950M.It is really not that big and I think it would best serve you with 2x18650's. Also the price is affordable and your getting quality.

 

[bigchelis]

I agree with Big Chellis!!! Your better off getting a nice quality light like the L950M.It is really not that big and I think it would best serve you with 2x18650's. Also the price is affordable and your getting quality.

Bulletproof,
I saw the L950M in person that MrGman has and everything about it is just awesome. It is not that big, but the throw is in par with any R2 P60 light. Additionally; it is bright and probably a true 700 lumens.

I think another thing the OP should think about is how long he wants the 500 lumens for. A DX light with a P7 on direct drive might only make the 500 Lumens for a couple seconds then drop drastically. The Lumen Curve is also something a person looking for a P7 or MC-E should consider.

 

[bullettproof]

Bulletproof,
I saw the L950M in person that MrGman has and everything about it is just awesome. It is not that big, but the throw is in par with any R2 P60 light. Additionally; it is bright and probably a true 700 lumens.

I think another thing the OP should think about is how long he wants the 500 lumens for. A DX light with a P7 on direct drive might only make the 500 Lumens for a couple seconds then drop drastically. The Lumen Curve is also something a person looking for a P7 or MC-E should consider.

Your absolutely correct Big's. I have a CL1H with the R2 [email protected] and with a SMO reflector in it the L950M throws just as well as the CL1H.But of course there is a lot more light down field.Also the Heat sinking in the L950M seems to be really good I have run it for 45 minutes on high and it barely was warm which is a big plus.I run the CL1H on 2xRCR123 Battery Junctions and run time is 40 Minutes MAX. But the light gets very warm I could only imagine how Hot it would be with a MC-E or P7 in it.Also for those that don't no the CL1H is a P60 host.

 

[easilyled]

I agree that the Solarforce L950M is a great light as I have one myself which I'm very pleased with.

However it certainly isn't compact at 9 1/2 inches long and the diameter of the head is 70mm.

The head is cone shaped.

This is in complete contradiction to the OPs first requirement:-

"--Small - meaning between a mag2aa & a TK40/Legion-II. Straight head/body (not cone) < 32mm so I don't have a 50mm bulge in the pants LOL"

We should try to keep this in mind.

 

[bigchelis]

Also,
the op is making it hard to recommend something with this in mind



Bright, small, long runtime= Pick any two....

 

[easilyled]

Exactly where is long run-time specified?

All that I could see is 500 lumenish bright, and compact.

This would therefore involve lights such as the Wolf-Eyes Explorer and the Xtar-C2 SSC-P7 that I mentioned above.

I would advise the OP to steer clear of DX and Kaidomain lights because they are very hit and miss in their QC.

 

[bigchelis]

Exactly where is long run-time specified?

All that I could see is 500 lumenish bright, and compact.

This would therefore involve lights such as the Wolf-Eyes Explorer and the Xtar-C2 SSC-P7 that I mentioned above.

I would advise the OP to steer clear of DX and Kaidomain lights because they are very hit and miss in their QC.

Opps

I just saw that phrase and I thought I had to say it.
45 minute runtime, 500 lumens, small, = I still say Malkoff MC-E regulated in a 6P.:twothumbs

 

[Mike@PTS]

I don't think its more compact than the XTAR-C2 SSC-P7 or MC-E flashlights.

Actually the MC Explorer is 1mm shorter and the heads are about the same size. WE website doesn't reflect the new size head in their specs. Also, the MC-E pill works better than the P7 in the small size reflector both are using. Quality wise your talking Pinto's and Corvett's :nana:

 

[Stereodude]

You might want to consider the Epsilon ED-P71.

 

[DHart]

I have an MTE SSC P7 18650 2-mode light which I am quite THRILLED with! It has a large and deep enough reflector to give the P7 quad emitter a strong central beam with good throw, while still retaining the characteristically brilliant "wall of light" of the P7 emitter. And yet, the overall size of the light is quite manageable... in the largish-6P realm. Two-levels gives you a moderate and a high. $37 including shipping practically makes it a "no-brainer". This is an excellent choice, in my view. It has exceeded my expectations. Highly recommended. DX SKU 12623.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12623

 

[easilyled]

Actually the MC Explorer is 1mm shorter and the heads are about the same size. WE website doesn't reflect the new size head in their specs. Also, the MC-E pill works better than the P7 in the small size reflector both are using. Quality wise your talking Pinto's and Corvett's :nana:

Sounds pretty good to me. :thumbsup: Ideally I'd like to know that the MC-E is an M-bin before committing to a light in this price-range.