Maratac AAA Cu tarnish progression

[Sparky's Magic]

That looks great out of the packaging: It's probably a good idea to have 2 of these; one that does not get handled at all. And there is an electro polished 300 SS.version that is pretty 'spiff' as well. CPF is a great source of ideas (read, 'How to spend money')! :twothumbs

 

[TyJo]

OK here are the better shots that my buddy took.

 

[Toohotruk]

Nice! :thumbsup:

 

[mhphoto]

Great pics guys! Can't wait to see how yours progress.

 

[Sparky's Magic]

Fresh out of the foil...



More than a few spots and what appears to be hand prints on the knurling. Disappointing? A little! It would have been good to see it pristine, however having a head start in the corrosion stakes is OK! The spring fell out of the battery tube - Pushed it back in firmly with a twist and a very firm shove with a AAA cell; it seated OK & nicely centered - Hope it stays there!
View large on Black: Click on image then click on Flickr image once.

...to be continued,

 

[Sparky's Magic]

There are some great shots of the Maratac CU on this site but very little mention of just what a great little performer it is as a useful flashlight!

Mine was a little gritty out of the packaging but with spirit (Ethanol), a toothpick and some kitchen towel, the threads soon cleaned up beautifully: Then a thorough lube, incl. rolling the O-ring in lube between thumb and forefinger and the Maratac became my 'light with the smoothest action. One handed activation is a breeze!

The light levels are well spaced and on my sample the tint is a rather attractive cool/neutral with absolutely no artifacts, rings, holes or discoloration of any kind, just pure neutral light with the type of excellent & seamless transition from hotspot to spill that one would hope to see in a 'light costing four or even five times as much...Hope to, but quite often be disappointed with!

Value for money at about $37.00 is very hard to beat. I love this 'light already; and it loves Eneloops which is a big plus. :thumbsup:

 

[Toohotruk]

They are definitely VERY nice little lights! One of the things that really impressed me, was the total invisibility of the PWM...it's at such a high frequency that at least for me, it's undetectable.

 

[Cypher_Aod]

my Maratac CU arrived today from SurvivalDEPOT (finally a source of CountyComm gear in the UK!)

Gonna pee on it later, hopefully it'll go a beautiful shade of reddy purple like bobjane's 😀

 

[mhphoto]

Day 40:

 

[TyJo]

Nice.

 

[mzil]

Wont the tarnish, which is really oxidation I guess, eventually compromise the electrical conductivity of the threads?

 

[shao.fu.tzer]

Wont the tarnish, which is really oxidation I guess, eventually compromise the electrical conductivity of the threads?

I would definitely think so. If I owned one, I would at least keep the threads and contact points shiny. Sorry if I'm repeating myself here (feelings of deja vu coming on): Simichrome works wonders on brass and copper, but honestly, white regular Colgate toothpaste and some toothbrush scrubbing or finger rubbing and then a rinse in hot water has been all I've ever needed to clean everything from copper to silver. It's cheap too since you can buy the dollar store made in Pakistan Colgate and not worry about the propylene glycol or whatever... I'm personally not a tarnish fan so I just gave my Peak Logan brass the Colgate treatment last night and it looks great!

Also, I have to make note of which of you are peeing on your lights in this thread in case I ever decide to buy one of these on the aftermarket! 😀

 

[mhphoto]

I would definitely think so. If I owned one, I would at least keep the threads and contact points shiny. Sorry if I'm repeating myself here (feelings of deja vu coming on): Simichrome works wonders on brass and copper, but honestly, white regular Colgate toothpaste and some toothbrush scrubbing or finger rubbing and then a rinse in hot water has been all I've ever needed to clean everything from copper to silver. It's cheap too since you can buy the dollar store made in Pakistan Colgate and not worry about the propylene glycol or whatever... I'm personally not a tarnish fan so I just gave my Peak Logan brass the Colgate treatment last night and it looks great!

Also, I have to make note of which of you are peeing on your lights in this thread in case I ever decide to buy one of these on the aftermarket! 😀

Mine's been in constant use for two months and the threads are still as shiny as they were when I got it, as is the inside of the body. I don't expect any contact issues in the near future. 😀

 

[TyJo]

Wont the tarnish, which is really oxidation I guess, eventually compromise the electrical conductivity of the threads?

I don't use mine but I cleaned the threads as soon as I got it and put some super-lube on the threads. They look fine.

 

[mhphoto]

Day 72 and it looks pretty much the same as day 40.

I gave it a nice coating of salt water today, so it's at home hopefully doing something. I want to see what the brine will do after a few more applications, then I think I'll polish it up again and start over. 😀

 

[Sparky's Magic]

Out of the Pocket and looking good. BTW this is an excellent Flashlight with great run-times on Eneloops. :twothumbs
2 1/2 mths. in the pocket with just plain use i.e. no enhancements, fluids etc. Click image for Flickr Large on Black.

 

[Sparky's Magic]

:bump:

 

[Toohotruk]

Looking cool...I'm guessing it was alone in a pocket, no keys, or change, right?

 

[Sparky's Magic]

Looking cool...I'm guessing it was alone in a pocket, no keys, or change, right?

No change, keys, knives etc. Not in that pocket, anyway. For a small AAA light the Maratac continues to amaze; the output is just right, the action (now) silky smooth with one-handed activation a breeze. I guess it's not really an EDC. but I carry it all the time. I've got another junk-free pocket for an HDS 200T - come Summer, when the jackets come off, I'll have to rethink where all the "Stuff" goes. :thumbsup:

 

[mhphoto]

Out of the Pocket and looking good. BTW this is an excellent Flashlight with great run-times on Eneloops. :twothumbs
2 1/2 mths. in the pocket with just plain use i.e. no enhancements, fluids etc. Click image for Flickr Large on Black.

Great pic! I'm amazed at how differently everyone's is turning out considering most everyone is carrying theirs in their pocket.