Fivemega Single 18500

[recDNA]

I've been carrying a Dereelight shorty with an IMR16340 and 1.2 amp single mode Dereelight drop in for a while now. Sometimes I put in the 3 mode drop in if I have reason to believe I'll need more runtime.

The problem with this setup is the IMR16340 only holds 550 mAH. I could go with the RCR123 but it is noticeably brighter with the IMR16340.

I have been thinking about a single 18500 setup for some time now - hoping for a 1.5 amp Peak 2 mode brass with XP-G R5 and an 18500 body but while I'm waiting I decided to try a Fivemega single 18500 body with Surefire bezel and tailcap (Z41 w McClicky and brass).

I was purchasing a bunch of AW Li Ions to replace most of my primaries with guilt free lumens and spotted the Fivemega so I gave it a go. I added a Solarforce clip with an extra o-ring for EDC. The Fivemega is a perfect fit with the Surefire parts. I'm not crazy about the Solarforce clip because the lanyard holder sticks way out the back but it does keep the flashlight in my pocket.

It's just as comfortable in my jeans pocket as the shorter Dereelight Shorty but of course it is heavier. The Fivemega is just the right size for my hand.

Now I've got 1500 mAH to play with (AW RCR18500) so I've been fooling around with the 1.2 amp Dereelight single mode and a Nailbender SST-50 2.8 amp 3 mode drop in. I love the versatility the P60 affords.

It's funny, using the Nailbender drop in my runtime would be just about the same as the Dereelight Shorty with R5 and IMR16340! Seems like I didn't really want more than 25 minutes of runtime after all!

I'll tell you though, I kind of like the 18500 size body for pocket carry. I still haven't decided which drop in to go with but the Dereelight will probably win out. It's darn bright and would give me nearly an hour of runtime.

Anybody else carry a single 18500 sized flashlight?

 

[iacchus]

Anybody else carry a single 18500 sized flashlight?

No, but I have been carrying a Malkoff MD2 recently, and find it a lot more comfortable than I thought it would be.

I always figured my Ra was about as big as I wanted to go for EDC (I know, I know...to some the Ra is HUGE), but carrying the MD2 so easily has made me think twice.

I am a pretty big guy, so I guess that helps some.

A single 18500 is an interesting idea that hadn't occurred to me. I will have to look into this further....thanks for bringing it up :thumbsup:

 

[purelite]

pics my good man pics!!!!

 

[recDNA]

Thanks for asking but it basically looks like a mini 6P. Pretty nondescript. Really more construction worker than beauty queen. I don't think there's much interest here in the single 18500 format. I have small hands so its perfect for me. The key is you can easily improve it with the latest d26 sized drop in.

I have tried the Fivemega with Surefire parts and Solarforce parts and I can say it works better with Surefire. For some reason to get the Solarforce tail to work I had to take all the O-rings off of the body. The Surefire bezel and Z41 with McClicky are smaller anyway. I can say I wish I got the hard press McClicky instead of the light press one. Oh well...next time.

At the moment I'm using the Dereelight R5 drop in that comes with the Javelin. I measure 1.5 amps at the tailcap which surprises me because I thought it was a 1.2 amp driver.

This isn't refined nor programmable like the RA. More of a blunderbuss than a Longbow T-76

 

[tandem]

Interesting combo ... what is the overall length of that combo (except for the tail button boot)? How do you find the clip works?

 

[recDNA]

Interesting combo ... what is the overall length of that combo (except for the tail button boot)? How do you find the clip works?

I've included a picture of a SF 6P LED body (Solarforce head and tail) and a Quark 123 x 2 for size comparison.

With an extra o-ring installed between the clip and the body the Solarforce clip works well. Without it - it rotates on its own. You can't use the extra o-ring with a Solarforce tail for some reason so I would suggest a Z41. Oh, I almost forgot, it has a ring for a lanyard that sticks way out on the other side of the clip. It extends 1/4 inch on the other side of the body from the clip. I hate the lanyard holder. I may cut it off or bend it down so it doesn't stick out so far.

Notice the FM "nameplate" is blank. I'm thinking of having it engraved with something stupid like Monkeyfire. LOL

 

[tandem]

Thanks for the perspective shot, that helps. I'm surprised at how much trimmer it looks. Have you ever considered a CR123A sized body? You could call that one a TinyFire!

 

[recDNA]

Thanks for the perspective shot, that helps. I'm surprised at how much trimmer it looks. Have you ever considered a CR123A sized body? You could call that one a TinyFire!

It is funny that the FM looks narrower than the 6P since it takes a wider battery than the 6P holds!

I've got lots of single CR123 sized flashlights. My fav is the Dereelight "Shorty". It's also a D26 host. I tried the FM 18500 to get a little more runtime. It's still noticeably smaller than a 6P or C2 when clipped in my pocket. The C2 seems to stick into my leg when I pocket it and I don't like to carry bezel up.