Mc-E or P7?

[sol-leks]

I think I am going to give in and get a mc-e or p7 light soon, but I'm not sure which to get? MC-E is brighter right? Is one floodier than the other? The MC-E is newer and more efficient right? Basically what is the best 1x 18650 Mc-E or P7 light on DX right now and what are the differences?

 

[PhantomPhoton]

The difference between the LEDs matters very little, it's the light around it that matters more. The beam pattern, driver, quality of the build etc. There isn't a good P7 or MC-E ligth on DX as far as I'm concerned. There are lucky people who "won the lotto" and got decent ones from DX; but it's a gamble. The one thing that does set the MC-E apart is that on high quality lights it can be wired to run 2S2P or even 4S which may have advantages. ALso MC-Es can be ordered in neutral and warm tints which make them far more effective outdoors. But you're not likely to find a nice warm tinted DX light. You're not going to be able to tell the difference in brightness with your eyes between the two LEDs when similarly driven. Our eyes just aren't that sensitive when we start comparing lights with that much output. So final word, buy a good quality light that will last and has a good dealer or manufacturer standing behind the workmanship. You'll get a better more useful beam which in the end is more important than 100 lumens.

 

[SimpleIsGood229]

I think it comes down to what you plan on running it off of. If you like primaries, go for the M60 MC-E. If you like 17670's or 18650's, go for the P7. Actually, Gene says you can run the M60 MC-E off of 3 rechargeables, if you want.

If it were me, I'd get the MC-E, as it made it to Gene's catalog, whereas the P7 didn't.

EDIT: Oops. I thought the OP was referring to Malkoffs.

 

[sol-leks]

Yeah it would be nice to save up for the tk40, so expensive though....just dont know if I can swing it.... oh well.

 

[love flashlight]

i love mce

 

[electric sheep]

Just ordered the 2.4A MC-e from Dereelight for my CL1H . Running two 18650's .

 

[LEDninja]

I'd be reluctant to buy an MCE light from DX at this time.
They are too new and there are no long term review on them at this time. Reliability should take precedence over brightness in selecting any DX torch.

The MCE size is very small and with the DX manufacturer's tendency to use unknown glop to attach the LED to the heatsink instead of reflow soldering, thermal epoxy or arctic alumina makes the MCE more prone to frying than the great big P7.

The MCE reportedly has a lower Vf. Since the 1*18650 lights are DD with PWM the MCE can fry much more easily than the P7.
Recently a CPFMP member sent a PM to a MCE DD torch builder, then warned the rest of us not to use freshly charged batteries. Nobody has a problem with the earlier P7 lights from this builder.

There is a 2*18650 MCE with a buck controller but there are numerous reports of dead 2*19650 P7 torches (suspected cause failure of the controller) so I would stay away from 2*18650 torches at this time.

Do search for threads on any light you are interested in and look for reports of failures or improper assembly. Read also the reviews on DX's site.