disappointed by 900 lumens ?

[Mirko]

Good morning all
I bought a Ultrafire MCE 900 LM that was advertised for 900 lumens

It was quite cheap so I am not that disappointed however I expected the output to be noticeably brighter than my Tiablo A9 or my Fenix TK10

Is that because it is overrated or all 900 lumens lights are not much brighter than 250 ??

I am now reluctant to invest in Tiablo A10 MCE....

any advice?

thanks
Mirko

 

[Outdoors Fanatic]

Good morning all
I bought a Ultrafire MCE 900 LM that was advertised for 900 lumens

It was quite cheap so I am not that disappointed however I expected the output to be noticeably brighter than my Tiablo A9 or my Fenix TK10

Is that because it is overrated or all 900 lumens lights are not much brighter than 250 ??

I am now reluctant to invest in Tiablo A10 MCE....

any advice?

thanks
Mirko

Maybe you should try an incandescent hotwire for a while, instead of spending a lot of money on trendy LED lights which came out just about every week around here... You can make a ROP for dirty cheap. I can guarantee you that it will blow all your LED lights out of the water-- including current MC-E/P7 monsters.

 

[WadeF]

It's probably more around 450-600 lumens. I'm not familiar with that exact model. The better MC-E lights are in the 630-750 lumen range (out the front lumens).

Also keep in mind MC-E lights are generally floodier than XR-E lights, so the hot spot is often not as intense as what you'd be used to with a Tiablo A9, etc. This means the extra lumens are more diffused into a larger hot spot, brighter spill, etc. Try a ceiling bounce between your MC-E light and XR-E lights (TK10, etc). When you hit a white, or light colored ceiling, with your light, note how much it lights up the floor, and compare the two lights this way.

The Tiablo ACE would have a more intense hot spot than the Fenix TK10, but not as intense as the Tiablo A9.

This is due to the size and design of the reflectors used in those lights.

 

[HKJ]

I bought a Ultrafire MCE 900 LM that was advertised for 900 lumens

It was quite cheap so I am not that disappointed however I expected the output to be noticeably brighter than my Tiablo A9 or my Fenix TK10

Is that because it is overrated or all 900 lumens lights are not much brighter than 250 ??

The light is probably not 900 lumen, but even if it was 900 lumen, it might not be brighter than A9 or TK10.
I have a TK40 and a M1X, the lumen of the M1X is only 70% of the TK40, but is looks brighter. This is because the M1X is focusing the light into a smaller spot. Generally when comparing MC-E/P7 lights with single die emitters, they will be less focused, i.e. even if they have more lumens, they will look less bright. But they will light up a bigger area.

 

[DocD]

Lots of leds lights say 900 lumens but really a lot less but still 600 or 700 is still a very bright light, icans make loads more lumens but at the cost of run time, battery choice,size of torch body but don't forget HID
So some times it's a trade off, run time, super bright, short run time incans, but maybe the not so bright led and good run times with less battery it's all a matter of choice i like all three :twothumbs
and please befor this turns in to a incan vs led thing i have all three and enjoy them all for very diffrent reasons
just my thoughts cheers DocD

 

[seaside]

900 lumen is like max brightness of high bin MC-E can put out at ideal condition.

For example, you can not expect anything more than 700 lumen with "MC-E (BIN K-WC) LED Flashlight w/ 1800mA driver".
It is more like 500 lumen at best, because max brightness of K bin MC-E is about 700 lumens when it is driven by 2800mA driver.

Some manufacturers just use this 900 number for marketing purpose regardless of the particular flashlight can do it or not.
In reality, you may get arround 450 ~ 760 lumens depends on the LED/driver circuit/battery configuration used with your flashlight.

Multi chip LED like MC-E has wide beam pattern, which means it distributes light over wide area. This may make you feel your MC-E is not much brighter than your R2.

 

[Patriot]

It's likely putting out at least 450 lumens but because of the flood nature of the LED doesn't seem to be that much.

If you're looking for something much brighter than what a single MC-E can output you'll have to purchase a multi-emitter light. They're still more efficient than incan if the efficiency is important to you, otherwise consider incan.

 

[bigchelis]

If you want a true 700 to 900 lumen light unfortunately you have to spend more money. MrGman helped me test some of my lights and here is a summary.

1. The light has to have a P7 or MC-E or several R2's.
2. The light has or needs good heatsinking.
3. The light needs to run on big capacity cells or at most cells that can handle the current. IMR cells and NiMH have been good to me..

So far the only lights that I know of that can deliver are the Leggion II which is big, heavy, and expensive. Really nice looking and runs on 3 18650's.

The Malkoff Tripple R2 gets 688 out the front. Very well made and the Drop-in sell for around $150 in the Market place.

A P7 Maglight build with the best raw materials like Electrolumens heatsink ect... My Nailbender 2D P7 Mag running 3 C NiMH did 870 turn on lumens out the front= not cheap, but my best value light. NOte: I ran the exact same set-up with an IMR 18650 and the lumens out the front were 703, but dropped close to 600 after 3 minutes. This makes me think the bigger capacity cells are responsible for the extra lumens and flatter lumen curve. More testing will confirm this in the comming weeks..

Zed has Surefire M6 drop-ins for sale in the custom section. Again not cheap, but mine has 5 R2's and it made 850ish out the front and after 3 minutes the lumens were well above 800 out the front. The low current allows me to use 3 17670 AW cells in FM holder.


Hope this helps in your search for the brightest MC-E/P7 type lights. If anything it gives you an idea of what to look for when you purchase your next 600 plus lumen light.

Jose

 

[kramer5150]

Im not familiar with that particular light but if its a low-Lux flood type beam that could be throwing off your brightness perception.

Take it into a small bedroom and ceiling bounce compare it to your other lights. If its driving the emitter with sufficient current it should at the very least be in the ~350 Lumen ball park, and appear brighter than a ~220 Lumen XR-E design.

AFIAK... none of the "900 Lumen" lights on DX actually emit that much light.

 

[MrGman]

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=230967&page=2

Check out my list of lumens outputs for the various lights. I will be putting this in my own thread soon. G.

 

[bullettproof]

What this guy needs is a good driver in that light.I wont buy any cheapo lights anymore from DX.The quality just isnt there and they skimp on Drivers.Out of all of the lights I have had I think the best bang for your dollar is the Solarforce L950M.It is much brighter then any of my other non HID lights and throws very well also.I prefer the P7 personally as long as its driven at spec you will be happy.

 

[toby_pra]

Perhaps you are dissapointed, because it was too cheap?! :huh: :wave:

 

[KRUPPSTAHL]

i have the MTE P7.....running on 1 18650.

no need to run this light for longer then 5 min.....i walk my dog with it.

extremly bright, of course not the mentioned 900 lumens.

well machined, wide spill......and good throw.

running reliable since month now....

36 bucks !

i dont even get a surefire sparebulb for that money....

a hell lot of light for the $.

 

[toby_pra]

There are a lot of flashaholics that are not satisfied with cheap
flashlights. Either with the finish nor with the problems of the driverboard
or the poor buildquality...

 

[nohcho]

I have Solrforce L950m, and although not 900 lumen but it is tad brighter than my TK40, and the tint on that P7 is amazing not purple as hell like TK40. Overall i like L950m way more than TK40. The thickness of TK40 tube is just inconvenient as a duty light.

 

[bigchelis]

i have the MTE P7.....running on 1 18650.

no need to run this light for longer then 5 min.....i walk my dog with it.

extremly bright, of course not the mentioned 900 lumens.

well machined, wide spill......and good throw.

running reliable since month now....

36 bucks !

i dont even get a surefire sparebulb for that money....

a hell lot of light for the $.

Steven,
I have always read nothing but good stuff about the P7 MTE and after seing yours in person I can see why. It would be good if MrGman tested your MTE because it might be the holy grail of sub $40 dollar lights.

I think it will make 400 plus lumens out the front, but due to it being direct drive I am not sure a single 18650 will power it to its full potential.

If MrGman is willing to test the MTE and you are willing to get it tested it would be great to see how it does.

FYI: MrGman lives about 2 miles down the same main street from me and he is a very knowledgable flashaholic. Dont forget to tell him you have the Solarforce L950M. MrGman already tested the previous model it would be great to discover if the new one gives more lumens.

Jose

 

[Illum]

I can guarantee you that it will blow all your LED lights out of the water-- including current MC-E/P7 monsters.

Side-effects includes drowsiness [due to overexcitement], dry mouth [due to the inability to close your jaw], and headaches.
You'll loose perspective of "bright" very quickly and be even more hungry for runtime...as with hotwires, you'll be lucky if it lasts more than 20 minutes without dimming on you