Just got my M series Lumens factory LA*updated*

trouble

Newly Enlightened
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May 18, 2006
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It finally arrive ! I recently got a SF M4 and have been running 2x17670's with an MN15, I've been disappointed with it's performance. After reading several threads here about the LF LA's I decided to give one of their EO-M3T's a try. Their site says 450 lumens, just playing around in the house with it I'd say IMO it's closer to 400 in my particular setup. The beam is very white and tightly focused, it's round unlike SF LA's which are oval shaped. I can't wait for darkness so I can really test it out while walking the dogs, I'll post my thoughts after having it outside later, come on sunset!:thumbsup:**Edited to add: Well the test was great, throw is phenomenal out of the M4 with this LA! It lights up buildings and trees out to 200 yds easily, very white beam as stated earlier tihgtly focused with a soft corona of light around the bright main beam. IMO it's a better setup than the 2x17670/MN16 setup that I had used before. The LA itself is of very high quality consisiting of a white metal body and spring, it differs from SF LA's in that it actually comes up into the TH housing itself instead of stopping at the bottom of the reflector it protrudes probably 1/2". Runtime is stated at 30/35 minutes with this LA being designed for running on Li-Ions. My overall initial impression is very good and I'd certainly recommend this and their other LA's for those of you running a similar setup with recargeables.
 
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Excellent! Thanks for your impressions, trouble. I have a SF M4 too and really like its design but don't like feeling its hungry appetite for batteries just for 250 lumens. Looks like I need one or two or three of these lamps.

Did you use that lamp with 2 X 17670 Li-Ions?

How was the heat? Have you tried to run it down to the stated runtime? Let us know if you every get a chance to test its runtime. I'm just curious esp. with 2 Li-Ions together.
 
Are you sure that the performance of your EO-M3T is not similar to the MN16, another 9 volt bulb. Surefire advertises 20 minutes with the MN16. Never mind the lumen ratings.

Bill
 
Are you sure that the performance of your EO-M3T is not similar to the MN16, another 9 volt bulb. Surefire advertises 20 minutes with the MN16. Never mind the lumen ratings.

Bill
those runtime figures are for completely different battery configurations.
also the beam is different between the MN16 and EO-M3T, so even though "better" doesn't always mean brighter, it still can be better for a specific user or purpose.

also see this list for guesstimated output levels on 2x17670 batteries:
Bulb Options:
SF MN15: 9.5W, 80 min, 155 lumen
SF N2: 9.5W, 80 min, 155 lumen
SF MN16: 20W, 30 min, 370 lumen
SF MN20: 19W, 30 min, 310 lumen
LF HO-M3T: 15.5W, 40 min, 310 lumen
LF EO-M3T: 18.5W, 30 min, 350 lumen

please do keep in mind that the MN16 was designed for CR123's, and under the load they would be under the voltage sag would be significant. therefore it is designed for lower voltages and a higher current then the EO-M3T. If used with li-ions that don't sag as much, the bulb is pushed significantly harder, which reduces bulb life, and possibly be much more expensive in the long run. possibly even worse then just running it on primaries (though this might be a bit extreme).
 
Excellent! Thanks for your impressions, trouble. I have a SF M4 too and really like its design but don't like feeling its hungry appetite for batteries just for 250 lumens. Looks like I need one or two or three of these lamps.

Did you use that lamp with 2 X 17670 Li-Ions?

How was the heat? Have you tried to run it down to the stated runtime? Let us know if you every get a chance to test its runtime. I'm just curious esp. with 2 Li-Ions together.
Yes I run it with 2x17670's in my M4, it doesn't seem to heat up significantly more than the MN16 that I used to run with this setup. I run unprotected batts so I don't want to run them down that far. I rotate this light with a Leef bodied KT1 2x18650/MN21 setup so it only has maybe 15 minutes run time so far, both are dog walking lights in my less than safe neighborhood. So far I'm very impressed with this setup, output seems about right with the chart above but my guess is very unscientific just using my "MK1" eyeball:p
 
Jon, did you get your LF EO-M3T bulbs yet? If so, how do you like it? I was thinking about this for my M3 and M4's, which have now taken a back seat to my M6's because of the new rechargeable options. Now I don't have to feel my wallet lighten everytime I fire them up :D
 
Has anyone tried to run the flashlight for more than 10 minutes with mn16 , ho-m3t or eo-m3t? I was wondering if it's going to have heat problems on the lense like I have with some 6p and 9p bezels.
 
Has anyone tried to run the flashlight for more than 10 minutes with mn16 , ho-m3t or eo-m3t? I was wondering if it's going to have heat problems on the lense like I have with some 6p and 9p bezels.
Heat problems? All SureFire M series got Pyrex lenses and those bulbs from Lumens Factory, generate not a single degree more of heat than the stock SureFire lamps. In fact, they run cooler than SureFire HOLAs.
 

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