MagLite 6D

[litemup]

Hey all, I've got a Maglite 6D cell flashlight with rechargeable batts. I've got the terralux led drop in, it's bright, but NOT nearly bright enough for my taste. Can anyone tell me how I can make this monster as bright as possible for a hundred bucks or less? That is, without any major technical modifications on my part... As of now, I am considering the Malkoff drop in, and the Terralux 3 emitter drop in. I want the most super bright white light bang for my buck.
Thanks in advance!
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL:twothumbs

 

[tebore]

Hey all, I've got a Maglite 6D cell flashlight with rechargeable batts. I've got the terralux led drop in, it's bright, but NOT nearly bright enough for my taste. Can anyone tell me how I can make this monster as bright as possible for a hundred bucks or less? That is, without any major technical modifications on my part... As of now, I am considering the Malkoff drop in, and the Terralux 3 emitter drop in. I want the most super bright white light bang for my buck.
Thanks in advance!
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL:twothumbs

Unless you're going multi emitter I would say mod it incan style. It's got the room for a good power pack that can take heavy draw. I'm thinking a ROP or a philips 5671 in a Bi-pin adapter.

All the other LED options won't get much brighter just longer runtime. This is because you can't heatsink the LED very well.

 

[litemup]

Wouldn't the Malkoff drop in have better throw etc, than the Terralux 6 led that is in the mag now?

 

[tebore]

While it is brighter, I saw the words "monster" and the words "as bright as possible". I figured I'd throw in a little observation/opinion and a suggestion.

If you want to stay LED you're looking at 250lm max and a lot of runtime. Unless you go with more than 1 emitter.

Going with Incans you're looking at 500-1500lms with some runtime.

Just something to ponder.

 

[ynggrsshppr]

I don't know about the Malkoff, but like tebore says, if you want bright you want to go either multi emitter or incandescent.

Since you already have rechargeable batteries in the 6D turning it into some kind of monster hotwire with good runtime shouldn't be a problem. I personally prefer the white color of a good incan over the glow of a white LED.

 

[litemup]

Without sounding too awfully ignorant, (I haven't really done any technical flashlight modding), exactly how would I go about doing some sort of Incan mod to the 6D cell maglite?

Thanks

 

[litemup]

Or, would the Terralux TLE-300 3-emitter drop-in be the way to go?
It seems the forementioned just might fit my needs??

 

[gnef]

the new terralux is definitely the easiest path to go. I believe elektrolumens also has a tri-emitter drop-in for the mag, but not sure how many cells it is rated for.

If you are willing to put some time into it, you can do the hotwire modifications, but you are looking at a bit more work.

 

[Toohotruk]

Wouldn't the Malkoff drop in have better throw etc, than the Terralux 6 led that is in the mag now?

As far as that question goes YES! A Malkoff is the way to go if you want the best LED drop-in. VERY bright, with a huge heatsink that really works and great runtime. And Gene just started making 4 - 6 cell versions.

As far as going incan...you could turn it into an ROP by getting an aluminum reflector, a Borofloat lens and an ROP 3854 bulb. That would be VERY bright! :naughty:

 

[litemup]

As far as going incan...you could turn it into an ROP by getting an aluminum reflector, a Borofloat lens and an ROP 3854 bulb. That would be VERY bright!

How would I go about locating the reflector, lens and bulb? Would this be the component combination I would need to make this 6 cell mag as bright as possible, within the price and technical knowledge taken into consideration???

 

[Toohotruk]

ROP bulbs HERE

Reflector HERE

Borofloat lens HERE

And HERE is a good thread on the subject.

Edit: Actually, Lighthound.com has Borofloat lenses as well as bulbs.

 

[litemup]

Toohotruk, will I be able to use the 6 d cell rechargeable batts I have now in the maglite with the ROB mod? I checked out the bulb, reflector and lens you have listed - prices are great.
What sort of lumens will I be able to see with this mod?

 

[mdocod]

assuming you have good NIMH cells, (like 9000mAH or better), you will get probably over 1000 bulb lumens on the ROP mod. If you do some resistance fixes to the switch and tailcap you will be pushing into the realm of possibly blow bulbs frequently but will be well into the 1200+ lumen range.

 

[Beamshot]

I say go with the ROP, you wont be disappointed! Even with the low bulb its very bright. I have been thinking of putting together a 6D rop with the lo bulb myself.

 

[arty]

I have a Malkoff in a 3D mag and just ordered one for the 4-6D mags. I plan to use it in a 4D.
The Malkoff Mag dropin is the brightest light that I own. I have bought the Everled and others, but want the light output of the Malkoff combined with good runtime.

I don't know how much light you need or want, but the Malkoff works fine for me.

 

[litemup]

For around 30 - 40 bucks for the upgrade, (bulb, lens and reflector), and be able to see about 1000 lumens - wow! I think this is what I will try for now. The Malkoff sounds like one of the best quality maglite led mods out there. Maybe Malkoff upgrade will be on the agenda soon.

PS, which bulb on the ROP mod would I need to use, the Low or the High?

 

[litemup]

Which lens is better, Borofloat or UCL?

 

[Beamshot]

PS, which bulb on the ROP mod would I need to use, the Low or the High?

Either one you want, the lo will give you a little better runtime and is still pretty bright. I use the high in my 2D ROP and keep a lo in the tailcap.

 

[iSleep]

Which lens is better, Borofloat or UCL?

Borofloat is the glass you find in some test tubes or boiling tubes ... so they have pretty good resistance to thermal stress ...

UCL (Ultra-Clear Lens or Water-White glass), as the name implies, it allows more light to get out from the bulb ...

Unless you want to squeeze that few percent out of the ROP, most would say that the Borofloat lens would be a safe bet ... (They don't call the ROP a hotwire mod for nothing ... :laughing

 

[Watchguy]

You might check this thread out too. Might do it myself.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=182370