SCblur
Enlightened
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2005
- Messages
- 818
I have been wanting an M3 for a long time, but I hadn't found a rechargable option for it that I was totally sold on. Then Leef started making bodies, and I had all the pieces for the light I had been envisioning. I promptly bought an M3 and ordered a 2x18650 leef body (C tail and M head) from Lighthound. It arrived today, more beautiful than I had anticipated. Leef does amazing work.
This is my new favorite light. The whole package feels very balanced in my hand, and for whatever reason, the SF twistie is actually easier to depress with the Leef body than with the stock one. I am very happy with the HAIII match; I've had an A2 and E2e whose individual pieces didn't match nearly as well as the leef body does with the M3. The knurling is perfect and the threads are SF quality.
One little touch that I particularly appreciate was an unexpected surprise. It seems Leef designed a narrowed opening at the head of the body so that the 18650 cells won't come out when changing lamps. I prefer to tail load my cells when able since I don't have to risk dropping a lamp in the dark and losing it, and likewise, when I change lamp assemblies I don't like having to worry about my cells falling out the front. I know this is a litle thing, but I really like it. Also, Leef has left plenty of room for the standard lanyard ring attachment. The body has been grooved to accept two o-rings at both ends, and includes one set with the body. Enough talk, here are some pictures: (scroll to bottom for beamshot comparisons)
I wanted to compare the MN11 in the leef body to the stock SF setup, and especially my ROP-LE, since that is the most similar light to this one that I own, in terms of output. The beamshots below compare the Leef body (2x18560s) to the stock SF body (3xCR123s) with both lamps. I'm happy to say that the MN11 is noticeable brighter on 18560s, with an approximate runtime of 45minutes. I was even more excited to find that the Leef MN11 was considerably brighter than my ROP-LE-Low, but not the high bulb. Here are the pics:
ALL PICS ARE TAKEN AT F8.0 AND 1/3SEC.
You might notice that the leef MN11 doesn't appear much dimmer than the ROP-HI. What the pictures don't show as well though, is the increased sidespill put out by the ROP-HI. The ROP lights up ambient objects all over the room, (notice the lit cabinet in the foreground on the left) much more than the MN11. Otherwise, the hotspots aren't that much different, with the ROP taking a slight lead.
With similar runtime to my ROP-LE-low, and more output, in a smaller and more ergonomic package, this will from now on be the light I grab when I need serious light. I'm anticipating this will be an even more viable setup when Lumensfactory comes out with their M3-compatible lamps this month. A turbohead might have to be my next purchase, giving me an M4 setup for a fraction of the cost. For anyone considering Leef bodies, I highly recommend them. Aside from his excellent quality and attention to detail, playing legos is just so much darned fun!
This is my new favorite light. The whole package feels very balanced in my hand, and for whatever reason, the SF twistie is actually easier to depress with the Leef body than with the stock one. I am very happy with the HAIII match; I've had an A2 and E2e whose individual pieces didn't match nearly as well as the leef body does with the M3. The knurling is perfect and the threads are SF quality.
One little touch that I particularly appreciate was an unexpected surprise. It seems Leef designed a narrowed opening at the head of the body so that the 18650 cells won't come out when changing lamps. I prefer to tail load my cells when able since I don't have to risk dropping a lamp in the dark and losing it, and likewise, when I change lamp assemblies I don't like having to worry about my cells falling out the front. I know this is a litle thing, but I really like it. Also, Leef has left plenty of room for the standard lanyard ring attachment. The body has been grooved to accept two o-rings at both ends, and includes one set with the body. Enough talk, here are some pictures: (scroll to bottom for beamshot comparisons)
I wanted to compare the MN11 in the leef body to the stock SF setup, and especially my ROP-LE, since that is the most similar light to this one that I own, in terms of output. The beamshots below compare the Leef body (2x18560s) to the stock SF body (3xCR123s) with both lamps. I'm happy to say that the MN11 is noticeable brighter on 18560s, with an approximate runtime of 45minutes. I was even more excited to find that the Leef MN11 was considerably brighter than my ROP-LE-Low, but not the high bulb. Here are the pics:
ALL PICS ARE TAKEN AT F8.0 AND 1/3SEC.
You might notice that the leef MN11 doesn't appear much dimmer than the ROP-HI. What the pictures don't show as well though, is the increased sidespill put out by the ROP-HI. The ROP lights up ambient objects all over the room, (notice the lit cabinet in the foreground on the left) much more than the MN11. Otherwise, the hotspots aren't that much different, with the ROP taking a slight lead.
With similar runtime to my ROP-LE-low, and more output, in a smaller and more ergonomic package, this will from now on be the light I grab when I need serious light. I'm anticipating this will be an even more viable setup when Lumensfactory comes out with their M3-compatible lamps this month. A turbohead might have to be my next purchase, giving me an M4 setup for a fraction of the cost. For anyone considering Leef bodies, I highly recommend them. Aside from his excellent quality and attention to detail, playing legos is just so much darned fun!
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