Need advice,TK30 or M30?
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It most of all depends on your personnal taste.
My personnal no-sale pointer for the M-30 was the lack of regulation:
Look at some regulation graphs for both these lights: the M-30 doesn't seem to have any, which means the second you turn it on, it starts to dim.
On the other hand the TK30 has excellent regulation: it will have the same output until the batteries are too low and then just go to the next lower level until the batteries are too weak for that level again (at this point not very very long, though), and so on.
Then ask yourself which of these two aspects do you prefer. I haven't found any beam shots that compare the two diretly, so if you don't have a light that strong yet, you'll probably like how bright the thing is when you receive it, no matter which one you choose.
As an extra, I just got a Jetbeam M1X (exellent regulation as well) and already have a TK40 (which is the same as a TK30 except for battery type and apparently user interface) and I can say that there is no visible difference in intensity and spot size, but the user interface is different (twist the head for high and loosen the head for user-defined mode on the M1X) The M1X interface is more straightforward (can't talk about the M-30 since I don't have one) and I like it a lot, but for those who like to go through all the modes on a regular basis, the Fenix interface is better suited for that... just thought I'd give you a heads up on a very similar light
My personnal no-sale pointer for the M-30 was the lack of regulation:
Look at some regulation graphs for both these lights: the M-30 doesn't seem to have any, which means the second you turn it on, it starts to dim.
On the other hand the TK30 has excellent regulation: it will have the same output until the batteries are too low and then just go to the next lower level until the batteries are too weak for that level again (at this point not very very long, though), and so on.
Then ask yourself which of these two aspects do you prefer. I haven't found any beam shots that compare the two diretly, so if you don't have a light that strong yet, you'll probably like how bright the thing is when you receive it, no matter which one you choose.
As an extra, I just got a Jetbeam M1X (exellent regulation as well) and already have a TK40 (which is the same as a TK30 except for battery type and apparently user interface) and I can say that there is no visible difference in intensity and spot size, but the user interface is different (twist the head for high and loosen the head for user-defined mode on the M1X) The M1X interface is more straightforward (can't talk about the M-30 since I don't have one) and I like it a lot, but for those who like to go through all the modes on a regular basis, the Fenix interface is better suited for that... just thought I'd give you a heads up on a very similar light
This helped me decide or just confused me more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp2KU7tdd2U
I got the TK30 yesterday, puts out a huge amount of light. I don't know if you're supposed to or not but I used two AW RCR123 batteries and it's just as bright as with the tube extender and two 18650s although the run times won't be as long, maybe they drain to fast? I used it sparingly with the 123s. It's still good with one 18650. I like the small size of the light without the extender. It has good battery combinations and is built well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp2KU7tdd2U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp2KU7tdd2U
I got the TK30 yesterday, puts out a huge amount of light. I don't know if you're supposed to or not but I used two AW RCR123 batteries and it's just as bright as with the tube extender and two 18650s although the run times won't be as long, maybe they drain to fast? I used it sparingly with the 123s. It's still good with one 18650. I like the small size of the light without the extender. It has good battery combinations and is built well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp2KU7tdd2U
Last edited:
skyfire
Flashlight Enthusiast
i like the M30 mainly because of its size and form. also it has a very wide bright spill, which i prefer.
ive been able to use a co-workers Jetbeam M1X alot, its size and form are very similar to the TK30, and its just too big for my liking. if i were to get a big light, ill get something huge, maybe a thrunite catapult, or olight SR90. but thats me. also with the new SST emitters, manufacturers will be coming out with new lights designed to make full use of them.
check out selfbuilt's round-up review on MC-E lights.
ive been able to use a co-workers Jetbeam M1X alot, its size and form are very similar to the TK30, and its just too big for my liking. if i were to get a big light, ill get something huge, maybe a thrunite catapult, or olight SR90. but thats me. also with the new SST emitters, manufacturers will be coming out with new lights designed to make full use of them.
check out selfbuilt's round-up review on MC-E lights.
carrot
Flashaholic
I only have the Olight M30 Triton out of all of the discussed lights but I am exceedingly happy with it. M30 has great regulation on 2x18650 or 4x123. If you need it to be smaller, remove the 1-cell extender and use 2x18500's instead. Only downside is on 3x123 you get poor regulation, but on the other three mentioned configurations the regulation is excellent and you get a runtime of 1h20m which is pretty awesome. Heatsinking is excellent and the light doesn't seem to get too hot when you are walking around with it for extended periods of time.
The M30 is a solid light and pretty good looking too, for what it's worth. IMHO the biggest selling point of this light vs. the competition is that it can be carried in your pocket, thanks to the excellent pocket clip and compact bezel design. I walked around all weekend with it clipped to my front pocket and it was very comfortable to carry.
The M30 is a solid light and pretty good looking too, for what it's worth. IMHO the biggest selling point of this light vs. the competition is that it can be carried in your pocket, thanks to the excellent pocket clip and compact bezel design. I walked around all weekend with it clipped to my front pocket and it was very comfortable to carry.
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