Is there an upgrade to the Nitecore MH20GT?

[MiamiGuitarMan]

I have several lights including Nitecore, Olight, Zebralight, Thrunite, and a few others. My favorite pocket thrower is a Nitecore MH20GT. It was discontinued a few years ago and I had always figured that Nitecore would put out an upgrade to it with a little more throw and a little more spill but so far all I've seen from them is an MH23. On their website they say it's an upgrade to the MH20GT but based on the specs, I'm not really seeing it.

It is rated at more lumens but quite a bit less throw so it looks to me like a floodier MH20GT but with less throw. I already have plenty of pocket floodlights that are much brighter and have just as much beam distance as the MH23.

I'd really like a pocket thrower like the MH20GT, just brighter and with a little more throw. Approximately the same size. I've seen some other Nitecores that have the specs I like but they are much longer so not as much a "pocket" light as I'd like.

Is there such a thing or is the MH20GT still the best I'll find? The only thing I don't really like about it is it suffers from a lot of parasitic drain and I have to unscrew the head a bit when not in use otherwise it'll drain the battery in a week or two. And of course, I'm always looking for something brighter and better!

 

[CarpentryHero]

The short answer is not both.

The extended version is ;
The osram w1 and w2 will give lights of the same size as your GT more throw, however
Only the w2 can be driven hard enough to go over 1000 lumens and still be reliable.
Tir optics have made some amazing advancements but the beam profile doesn't lend much spill.
Acebeam e10, Thrunite Catapult mini, Manker mc13 are all smaller and hit near 600 meters but they aren't brighter.
Lumintop, emisar and noctigon do come with different led options with tir optics. I don't put any of them at Nitecore quality but that's just my opinion. (Some options are high cri)
If you don't like tir optics you won't get both more lumens and more throw without getting a larger light.
Maybe someone else might have an idea, sorry I couldn't be more help

 

[MiamiGuitarMan]

The short answer is not both.

The extended version is ;
The osram w1 and w2 will give lights of the same size as your GT more throw, however
Only the w2 can be driven hard enough to go over 1000 lumens and still be reliable.
Tir optics have made some amazing advancements but the beam profile doesn't lend much spill.
Acebeam e10, Thrunite Catapult mini, Manker mc13 are all smaller and hit near 600 meters but they aren't brighter.
Lumintop, emisar and noctigon do come with different led options with tir optics. I don't put any of them at Nitecore quality but that's just my opinion. (Some options are high cri)
If you don't like tir optics you won't get both more lumens and more throw without getting a larger light.
Maybe someone else might have an idea, sorry I couldn't be more help

Thanks. That's what I thought after spending a long time looking. I guess I'll keep the Mh20GT as my favorite pocket thrower for a while and maybe consider something a little bigger like one of the Nitecore MH25 line or smaller like the Thrunite Catapult Mini. I do have a 3 or 4 year old Catapult and it's a beast of a thrower but not too much spill and the size of the head makes it impractical for a "pocket" light. Not a great dog walking light.

The MH20GT is almost perfect for a dog walking light especially along the beach. Decent spill to see around my area and good throw to see any hazards from a distance. Plus the relatively narrow beam profile works very well when there's some mist in the air. I guess for the time being there's really nothing better. Kind of surprising considering it's 5 or 6 years old now. If only they would have done something about the battery drain when it was still in production....

 

[alohasurftoad]

if you don't mind a similarly shaped, palm size light that is 25% larger and a bit heavier, 21700, USB-C rechargeable. Imalent R30C, 78960cd at 9000lm max. it is has much more throw and overall lumens for a small increase in size.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Acebeam L17 looks good.

 

[MiamiGuitarMan]

Thanks for those suggestions. The Imalent...wow! That thing looks like a beast. My biggest concern with that one would be that it seems to get very hot very fast so the brightness might not be very practical other than for very short bursts. But I could see having one for special situations.

The Acebeam L17 has the right beam specs but the size is a bit bigger than I want. The Mh20GT is right around 4" long. The L17 is 5.5", plus the tactical ring makes it not quite a pocket light...at least not my pockets unless I'm wearing cargo pants.

I know...I'm picky. I have plenty of lights so for an upgrade to the MH20GT I'm looking for something pretty specific.

I've actually been reconsidering the MH23. Right size, not as much distance as the MH20GT but brighter at shorter distances and still decent throw. Still not entirely convinced but it's an option....

 

[alohasurftoad]

i have both mh20gt and mh23. tbh, I was slightly disappointed with the mh23. Stick with mh20gt.

yes, the imalent gets hot quickly but high or medium will probably be where turbo is on nitecores.

 

[alohasurftoad]

Acebeam E10 has similar form factor but with TIR optics, no spill.

I believe Astrolux may have some mini thrower models but you'd have wait to wait as it comes from china.

 

[MiamiGuitarMan]

i have both mh20gt and mh23. tbh, I was slightly disappointed with the mh23. Stick with mh20gt.

yes, the imalent gets hot quickly but high or medium will probably be where turbo is on nitecores.

Do you experience the battery drain on the MH20GT that I've experienced?

 

[gottawearshades]

It sounds like what you need to do is swap the emitter on your mh20gt, and get a little more output, a bit more throw, in the light you like.

I'm trying to sell one of these right now, and this thread is making me want to keep it. It's a classic. If I can't sell mine, I might try an SSt40 in there.

 

[alohasurftoad]

Do you experience the battery drain on the MH20GT that I've experienced?

yes, i noticed the drain, so i have the tailcap loosened since i keep it in my car for emergencies.

 

[MiamiGuitarMan]

It sounds like what you need to do is swap the emitter on your mh20gt, and get a little more output, a bit more throw, in the light you like.

I'm trying to sell one of these right now, and this thread is making me want to keep it. It's a classic. If I can't sell mine, I might try an SSt40 in there.

Yeah, mine isn't going anywhere. I'm just surprised that they haven't been able to improve on a light that came out 6 or 7 years ago.

 

[NiteRunR]

My Nitecore Mh20GT just died this week. It was a great light for running, hiking, and biking (with a Fenix bicycle mount). However, I am done with Nitecore as this is the third product to die recently. (A charger was dead on arrival and an HC60 stopped charging while still under warranty. Getting Battery Junction to fix both was like pulling teeth.) I am done with Nitecore for now. Can anyone recommend a good replacement that is 18650, okay thrower, descent brightness control, simple UI, and reliable?
Perhaps the Acebeams look promising.

 

[MiamiGuitarMan]

My Nitecore Mh20GT just died this week. It was a great light for running, hiking, and biking (with a Fenix bicycle mount). However, I am done with Nitecore as this is the third product to die recently. (A charger was dead on arrival and an HC60 stopped charging while still under warranty. Getting Battery Junction to fix both was like pulling teeth.) I am done with Nitecore for now. Can anyone recommend a good replacement that is 18650, okay thrower, descent brightness control, simple UI, and reliable?
Perhaps the Acebeams look promising.

The Acebeam L17 looks great for a thrower but the things I don't like about it are the tactical ring, a beam profile that is very tight without enough spill, and call me lazy but I've gotten spoiled by Olights and Nitecores with their external charging systems that can charge the battery without having to remove it from the light.

If you are ok with a floodier light check out the Olight Seeker series or even some of the Batons. The Seekers are great flooders that can reach out to 200 meters or so but do have a purely flood beam profile. The Baton line is a hot spot with spill.

Sadly, the MH20GT is the best combination of both for my needs. Still searching for a perfect replacement. I'm realizing that I may have to make some compromises though. Right now I'm looking more closely at the MH25S

 

[NiteRunR]

A "purely flood beam profile" does not seem great for distance. I do not need a real far thrower but use it for navigating in the woods and the mountains. I also find the MH20GT was good for lighting the road on my bike to avoid pot holes and other obstacles going down hills with a good spot a bit in front of me. Flood beams seem to get lost. The Nitecores are great lights except for the reliability problems (or my bad luck).

 

[alohasurftoad]

EagTac DX3L MkII clicky with osram

Emisar D1, if you can find one