Malkoff MD4 Wildcat

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I received my gen2 Wildcat yesterday and immediately took it out on patrol to compare it to my gen1 Wildcats. But first, a little background...
When I got my hands on my first M60, I said, "Wow!" I replaced all of my P60/P61/P90/P91 lamp assemblies with Malkoff drop-ins. I had M60 drop-ins in my Z2, in the 6P on my patrol rifle, in the 618FA on my short barrel shotgun at work, in a C2 at home, and in the 617FA of my personal shotgun. I also put M60L drop-ins into the G2s that I keep in my car and my wife's car. I toyed with a 9P with an MC-E drop-in but found that it didn't meet my needs, and I just received my first M61, which I will also put into the rotation.

When I received my gen1 Wildcat, I again said, "Wow!!!" With it's compact size, great output, and perfect dual-mode momentary plus constant-on user interface; it immediately became one of my patrol lights. Shortly after, I was fortunate to get my hands on a warm gen1 Wildcat. Its huge hotspot and its wonderful warm tint made this light my go-to light for building searches. Yes, I carry two Wildcats on duty!
​
Now, I have a gen2 Wildcat in my hands. My reaction when I turned it on was, "WOW!!!" Why is it that Malkoff products keep impressing me again and again? As compared to the gen1 Wildcat, the gen2 Wildcat had noticeably greater output, a bigger hotspot, and a wider flood. I didn't notice the gen2 to throw significantly further than the gen1, but it illuminated items at a distance better than the gen1 simply because of the larger hotspot and the increased amount of light emitted. My gen1 is tinted ever so slightly to purple, while my gen2 is tinted very slightly to the green; but you would never notice unless you shined the beams alongside each other.

Adding excellent customer service to a fantastic lineup of products, I can wholeheartedly give Malkoff Devices and the gen2 Wildcat an enthusiastic thumbs-up! :twothumbs

(Sorry, folks. No pics. Someone else is going to have to handle that.)
 
Kato, thanks for the comparison!!! 🙂

You certainly didnt help my willpower to buying a gen2 when I have a perfectly good gen1. 😱

How would you say the spill compares, is the Gen 2 a "circle"? The Gen 1 has the optic spill that fades to black, as opposed to a abrupt stop to the spill.

BTW, :bow: to carrying TWO WC's on duty!!! :party:

Stay safe....
 
PoliceScannerMan said:
How would you say the spill compares, is the Gen 2 a "circle"? The Gen 1 has the optic spill that fades to black, as opposed to a abrupt stop to the spill.
Click to expand...

The spill is not a perfect circle; but because the spill is so wide, it's hard to tell unless you hold it still and roll the light in your hand.

The edge of the spill is abrupt with little fading; but again, because of the the large spill, I never feel that my eyes are locked into the beam.
 
Kato said:
I received my gen2 Wildcat yesterday and immediately took it out on patrol to compare it to my gen1 Wildcats. But first, a little background...
When I got my hands on my first M60, I said, "Wow!" I replaced all of my P60/P61/P90/P91 lamp assemblies with Malkoff drop-ins. I had M60 drop-ins in my Z2, in the 6P on my patrol rifle, in the 618FA on my short barrel shotgun at work, in a C2 at home, and in the 617FA of my personal shotgun. I also put M60L drop-ins into the G2s that I keep in my car and my wife's car. I toyed with a 9P with an MC-E drop-in but found that it didn't meet my needs, and I just received my first M61, which I will also put into the rotation.

When I received my gen1 Wildcat, I again said, "Wow!!!" With it's compact size, great output, and perfect dual-mode momentary plus constant-on user interface; it immediately became one of my patrol lights. Shortly after, I was fortunate to get my hands on a warm gen1 Wildcat. Its huge hotspot and its wonderful warm tint made this light my go-to light for building searches. Yes, I carry two Wildcats on duty!
​
Now, I have a gen2 Wildcat in my hands. My reaction when I turned it on was, "WOW!!!" Why is it that Malkoff products keep impressing me again and again? As compared to the gen1 Wildcat, the gen2 Wildcat had noticeably greater output, a bigger hotspot, and a wider flood. I didn't notice the gen2 to throw significantly further than the gen1, but it illuminated items at a distance better than the gen1 simply because of the larger hotspot and the increased amount of light emitted. My gen1 is tinted ever so slightly to purple, while my gen2 is tinted very slightly to the green; but you would never notice unless you shined the beams alongside each other.

Adding excellent customer service to a fantastic lineup of products, I can wholeheartedly give Malkoff Devices and the gen2 Wildcat an enthusiastic thumbs-up! :twothumbs

(Sorry, folks. No pics. Someone else is going to have to handle that.)
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing your impression. But I find your information a bit surprising. Malkoff states that the new Wildcat has a narrower beam than the former, with 12deg instead of 15deg. This information concerns to the hotspot, with the spill the beam is much wider of course.
You tell that the new Wildcat has wider flood as well, also seems surprising because it looks like beeing a typhical reflector light which usually has a narrower beam than the former Wildcat. Any beamshots?

Regards, Patric
 
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Swedpat said:
You tell that the new Wildcat has wider flood as well, also seems surprising because it looks like beeing a typhical reflector light which usually has a narrower beam than the former Wildcat. Any beamshots?
Click to expand...

I was also surprised at the beam, too. I also expected a narrower beam (and maybe hoping for a bit more throw), based upon the description on the Malkoff website. I know that the SF lights that I have that use the TIR lens seem to have tighter beams than those with reflectors, but I guess that would depend on the lens.

As I'm writing this, I'm looking at two of my throwers: an EagleTac M2XC4 and a Lumapower MVP (triple Q5 version). Both have reflectors that are noticeably deeper than that on the gen2 Wildcat. Perhaps the shallower reflectors on the gen2 Wildcat are not projecting the light as tightly as I had expected. Also, the gen1 uses a 15 degree optic while the gen2 uses a 12 degree reflector. Would that explain the discrepancy?

Sorry I'm not a techie with regards to these things. I'm just a gearhead! :grin2:
 
Kato,

I am looking forward to beamshot comparison between Wildcat gen1 and 2 if you or anyone else can give it. I have the gen1 and am very impressed with it. The hotspot is very wide and it has a very wide gradually diminishing spill. My brother in law liked it more than my Fenix TK30 because of the very wide hotspot brightly illuminating an entire house at ~20-30 meters distance. No intruder around the house could escape it! These lights have very similar total output, but TK30 has a narrower and more intense hotspot and throws better.

I also have EagleTac M2XC4, in neutral, which is a good thrower with bright spill (though an ugly beam at white wall). I find this light quite complicated with the battery holder however... changing batteries out in the field would not be a hit. And definitely demanding another light as support...
Still I am doubtful about one thing: reflector based lights hardly can provide the same wide beam as the gen1 Wildcat (as well as the Malkoff M60). Did you really compare the ENTIRE beam out in the field or in real darkness? Inside it's easy to miss the outer part of the total beam of gen1 Wildcat. I mean it's actually ~160deg or so!

Regards, Patric
 
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Swedpat said:
Inside it's easy to miss the outer part of the total beam of gen1 Wildcat. I mean it's actually ~160deg or so!
Click to expand...

You're probably right about the flood. The fact that the gen1 flood fades away and because the gen2 flood is so bright might have made the gen2 flood look larger.

Quick story before I run off to work.

Thursday night was my first night with the gen2. My officers know that I like expensive, powerful lights; and they knew I had just purchased a new one. Two of my officers had detained four subjects in an unlit picnic area of a park. I could see the pitiful beams from their SL20X flashlights as I approached. I announced my presence and positioned myself on a footpath overlooking the picnic area. I turned on my gen2 Wildcat which lit up the whole picnic area. One of the officers exclaimed, "Damn, Sarge!" Both officers simultaneously pocketed their flashlights and went on with their investigation. I just smiled. :grin2:
 
Kato said:
You're probably right about the flood. The fact that the gen1 flood fades away and because the gen2 flood is so bright might have made the gen2 flood look larger.

Quick story before I run off to work.

Thursday night was my first night with the gen2. My officers know that I like expensive, powerful lights; and they knew I had just purchased a new one. Two of my officers had detained four subjects in an unlit picnic area of a park. I could see the pitiful beams from their SL20X flashlights as I approached. I announced my presence and positioned myself on a footpath overlooking the picnic area. I turned on my gen2 Wildcat which lit up the whole picnic area. One of the officers exclaimed, "Damn, Sarge!" Both officers simultaneously pocketed their flashlights and went on with their investigation. I just smiled. :grin2:
Click to expand...

Nice story Kato!

I don't doubt that I will get the new Wildcat soon. Gene Malkoff knows what he's doing! If I find the new one better than the former my brother in law can take the gen1! :twothumbs
 
I got a test sample today and the beam is still flawless:hitit:


I want to test it with 2 AW 2600mAh cells and 2 AW 18500 cells.......


WildCat.png
 
Hey thanks for the chart! How about runtime graphs as well 🙂

I just got my new MD3 Wildcat and it sure is bright! Ceiling bounce and throw tests show at least 20%++ more light than my Olight M30, both on 18500's. The bezel twist hi/lo is so smooth it makes my Olight M20/M21 seem like cheap junk in comparison. I Tried a SF clicky on it but I much prefer the OEM Judco switch. I also tried a Sandwich Shoppe 2 stage tailcap on it and that makes it even more useful, although I still question the overall reliability of this tailcap given the small pieces and retrofit nature.

Anyone know if the Judco switches are supposed to be super reliable or tougher than other switches? They feel like they are much better than your average Fenix/Olight switch.

Dennis.
 
The Judco switch in the Malkoff MD4/MD3's is limited to 2A according to Gene. (I called and asked him).

The stock Surefire twistie works great too and I bet that one will never go out:thumbsup: You can trim the rear of the tube a couple mm off and the Surefire twistie fits flush when twisted on. It will be shorter and sorta custom this way.
 
Got my wildcat yesterday and its awesome here is two quick indoor shots at 30ft.


Wildcat Gen 1

1z1z8n8.jpg



Wildcat Gen 3

6nyz47.jpg


Alex
 
Got my Wilcdat today 😎 and I'm very pleased with it.

Tailcap current readings:

full charged 2 x 18500, high - 1.18A // low 0.10A

1/2 charged 2 x 18500, high - 1.30A // low 0.09A


(I could have got better accuracy for the low reading but I fried the low current fuse on my DMM) Interesting that; on high, the current increases and on low, the current decreases. This suggests that low has less flat regulation.

Based on the 1/2 charged currents I would roughly estimate runtimes of:

high; 1 hr 10 mins // low; 16+ hrs (2 x 18500 1500mAh)

high; 2hrs // low; 28+ hrs (2 x 18650 2600mAh)

(on fully charged relatively new batteries)

My opinions of the wildcat:
pros:
- very well machined, excellent fit and finish
- wide variety of battery configs
- very functional minimalist design packs big battery capacity into small size
- good output
- good flood
- appears to run efficiently on both high and low

cons:
- PWM flicker on low with 2 x li-ion (not too bad though). Less noticeable on 3 x cr123.
 
monkeyboy said:
cons:
- PWM flicker on low with 2 x li-ion (not too bad though). Less noticeable on 3 x cr123.
Click to expand...

Wildcat, and other Malkoff's do not use PWM for low mode. The brass ring has a resistor for low mode, and according to your figures, there is very low drop in output in low mode.

Bill
 
To maintain regulation, the battery current needs to increase as the voltage drops. This is evident on high where it goes from 1.18A to 1.30A. Assuming constant power draw in high, then just by scaling, low shows about 20% reduction in power draw between full and 1/2 charged.

As for the flicker, It may not use PWM but my unit has a definite PWM like strobing effect on low which you can see when you wave your hand in front. There's no doubt about it. Are other people seeing the same thing? (I have the new 3 x XP-G version)

strobesmall.jpg

Here's a picture I took just in case no one believes me. Long exposure with me waving the light in front of the camera.

Don't get me wrong here the strobe effect is not that bad and low mode is still perfectly usable.
 
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