P60 or MN03

[springfieldfortyfive]

Which bulb P60 or MN03 do you consider to be better, i.e., longer lasting, durable, brighter, ect.:huh2: ?

 

[highorder]

the bigger reflector on the P60 gives better throw and captures more photons.

 

[lightemup]

IMHO the MN03 is more durable as the filament is thicker and generally more robust. This is from my eyeball and from what i've read on the forums in the past.

The P60 gives better throw, and gives more light to my eye. The P61 (120 lumen) filament is also thicker and more durable than the P60 in my opinion. It doesn't give off much more throw than the P60 (65 lumen), but a bigger area in the hotspot and also brighter...

 

[dchao]

brighter: If the two bulbs have the same rated voltage and power. The brightness/throw is defined by the reflector. MN03 has a built in reflector inside the head, so I would imagine SF could use better material for the internal reflectors than the P60's disposable ones.

 

[chamenos]

As far as I know, there is no compromise in quality in the P60's reflector despite them being disposable. In fact, that means you get a fresh new reflector everytime you change out the lamp assembly. The MN03 also tends to fog up the reflector in the E series bezels when left to burn for more than 5-10 minutes at a time, but the P60 has no such problem. I also dislike how the MN03 is always in danger of falling out whenever the bezel has to be removed for battery changes.

That said, I do prefer the beam profile of the MN03 for general use, being by far the most round and consistent between different lamps. My current EDC is an E2e with the MN02 low-output lamp.

 

[highorder]

The MN03 also tends to fog up the reflector in the E series bezels when left to burn for more than 5-10 minutes at a time, but the P60 has no such problem. I also dislike how the MN03 is always in danger of falling out whenever the bezel has to be removed for battery changes.

I have never heard about this fogging, could you have moisture in your head?

I also dislike the lack of containment of the MN03 in the head, so I switched to running a P90 in a Z44 on a E2e body with a step up adaptor and 2xrcr123A's.

small, bright, and guilt free lumens.

 

[chamenos]

The fogging of the reflector seems to be a problem specific to the MN03 and the E series. This happens even if the flashlight has never gone near water. I've had an M2 and early E2 bezel leak before, and the condensation formed when the light gets hot usually forms on the lens, not the reflector. Furthermore the fog on the E2e reflector disappears once the bezel cools down.

Some have speculated that the fogging is simply due to the excessive heat produced in such a confined space, which does make sense since I've seen a friend's ROP reflector fog up as well after prolonged use.

 

[ValhallaPrime]

RE: Fogging......yeah, my E2D does it too, starts showing up about 4-5 minutes into being on. Dissipates after about 30 secs of being off. Mine as well has never really been dunked or such. I just assumed it was the sweat and tears of PK slowly leaching out of the product.

 

[supes]

I agree with the MN03 being more durable and solid, I've dropped my E2e from 3-6 ft distances on cement, pavement, and carpet floors, the bezel is a little messed up but the bulb shines likes new.

I've also used the P60 and yes it gives out more lumens because it has a bigger reflector but for some reason it doesn't seem as good as the MN03 in overall durability. I dropped a 6p with one and it did not survive the hit but I've also had other P60's that have survived other abuses.

I still EDC my E2e with MN03 because it just doesn't give up!