souptree
Flashlight Enthusiast
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2005
- Messages
- 1,175
This post got way longer than I expected, so I decided to break it into two sections, a brief history of how I got into McGizmos, and then a review of the C-pack.
Part the First - The souptree McGizmo Saga
When I first became interested in McGizmos, the light that I sat here staring at in utter lust was the Ti S27-C. There was something about it that just screamed "I am the perfect light!" to me. I lurked for a while, marveling at the limited availability and the superheated aftermarket.
It was this photo in the Ti McGizmo FAQ showing all the Lego options that really pushed me from lurker to buyer. Hey, I only need to buy two lights -- a Ti PD-S and a Ti S27-C -- and I can create 4 Lego lights with them! What a bargain! So I decided to take the plunge, forego some other luxuries and await my chance.
Super cool so far. But then I ran into a problem. Everyone else thinks so too! I started to feel like even if I decided to make the jump and try to get one, it would be nearly pointless as they don't go up for sale very often, and when they do, they're snapped up in about 4 minutes flat. Plus, one after another, after another, I saw S27-PDs hit the BST for 15 minutes or less, but the S27-Cs were nowhere to be found. 19s of various iterations, PDs of various iterations, the occasional XR19-C, but the combo I was after seemed elusive. Was it even produced? I don't know.
So I figured I'd take what I could get, and sell or trade extras down the road. I managed to catch Don's wave of Ti PD-S, and jumped at it. That's the light that went up Half Dome, incidentally. That light ain't NEVER getting sold or traded. Nope, no sir! (Note: I always see this light described as "Ti PD-S", but wouldn't it be more correctly "Ti S19-PD" ?)
Then quite unexpectedly, along came the Mules. The Mule is really the perfect light for 90% of my lighting needs, and is exactly what I've been seeking all this time in my non-McGizmo flashlight quest. When they came along, I lurked like a maniac for weeks in a fever to catch the wave. I jumped for 2 of them, neither intended as collectibles or shelf queens, and both have seen near daily use. The fact that they were Ti and/or prized collectibles was really irrelevant to me. They were just the perfect lighting tool for my needs. And they only came as PDs.
So let's catalog where we are at now. Remember -- the original object of lust was an S27-C. I now had 3 Ti McGizmos -- a PD-S and two Mule-PDs. No S27 head, no C-pack. Pretty solid show for a person not trying to collect Ti lights or McGizmos!
Around this time, talk from Don was mostly Mule focused with occasional proto LunaSol discussion. Not much word on the recent and soon to come waves of S27s at that time. So I was starting to despair of waiting around forever, plus you have to be quick and fortunate to catch the waves even if they break. And the S27 lust kept increasing. So I decided I was going to snag the first S27 head I saw at any quasi-reasonable price and be damned with it, with the vague idea that I'd track down a C-pack later if it wasn't part of the light I found. Snagged an S27-PD for more than I probably should have paid on BST, and have been stunned by it. It's really everything I dreamed it would be. And I was halfway there.
At this point, the quest shifted a bit. I did get really motivated to acquire the C-pack, but mostly because for my big hands, the Mule-PD is just too short for comfortable momentary. I started feeling like the C-pack was more necessary for the Mule than for the S27 I had originally intended to use it with. Plus, at this point, I had 4 PD-packs, which is simply too many when the C-pack was the one I wanted in the first place. So it was time to offer up a PD-pack in trade for a C-pack and Morpheus1 answered the call with a straight trade. Since Morpheus1 is in Norway, this means my C-pack went from Maui to Norway to Los Angeles, and goodness knows how far before it was a completed light. This is some world we live in! Given it's long and winding road, I intend to take it somewhere very special and report back on it's travels. Maybe I will have a party for it when it hits the 50,000 mile mark. Someone recently mentioned starting a flashlight travels thread. I favor this suggestion, for both general flashlight discussion and a McGizmo specific thread, because they're just that special.
Part the Second - The souptree McGizmo Ti C-Pack Review
[This is the part you clicked for -- you made it! Congratulations!]
Some observations on the C-pack:
• The first thing I noticed was how stiff the clicky is on it. Compared to a SureFire clicky, you have to really exert some force. Morpheus1 pointed me to this thread, which has info on replacing the boot for a softer mechanism. Personally, I am not sure I would like to make any adjustment, as I sort of like the added stiffness, but I am always interested in knowing what options are out there.
• Second -- and I think this is kind of spooky -- my Ti PD-S and Ti Mule-C are EXACTLY the same length when the heads are screwed all the way down. I mean, EXACTLY the same length. Don, was this intentional or incidental? I have concluded that 3.5" x 1" is the unimprovable EDC size for my hand. We all know a 3D Maglite is too big, but I have found too small to cause usability issues as well. I noticed that 3.5" is almost exactly the width of my knuckles closest to the palm. This is an aside.
• Third, the clips on all 4 -- now 3 -- of my PD-packs are MUCH stiffer than the clip on this C-pack. I do not know what to attribute this to, whether it's the added length of the clip, different Ti stock used to create the clips, thinner clip on the C-pack, or what, but the difference is dramatic. I have already found situations with both where one is clearly better suited to the task than the other, so as far as I'm concerned, I win both ways.
• I didn't realize how much I had come to like the PD-pack or how used to it I had gotten after a couple months of EDC until I switched to the C-pack. When I first started using it, I found myself being confused by the fact that the high did not come on when I pressed harder, and I kept turning it off by unscrewing the head, not by using the clicky. Then I'd go back to click the light on and... no light because I had turned the head before. A couple hours later this phenomena had mostly stopped and I had reverted to normal clicky usage. It's interesting how muscle memory works... In any event, I have been surprised by how much more I prefer the PD to the clicky for EDC purposes, when I had considered myself a resolute clicky person. As an interface geek, part of what makes this hobby interesting to me (and boring for the poor folks around me!) are these small insights into usability.
• I really like the extra 2 lanyard holes in the C-pack tail and wish that feature could be added to PD tail. I am somewhat tempted to plug those holes with glow epoxy to compensate for the absence of tritium.
Part the Third - Questions and Conclusions
I do find myself wondering if the best of both worlds could be had. It seems that the primary functionality tradeoff between PD and C is access to both low and high momentary vs. clicky for constant on. Additionally, from a pure functionality standpoint, if there is any single biggest limitation in the PD format for me, it's the inability to lock out the high beam and still use the momentary action with low. The possibility of accidentally disturbing night vision is a necessary risk with the PD momentary function, and one I really dislike. I accept every tool for what it is, but in the quest for perfection, I still wish for momentary low ONLY, for those times when use of a momentary action and protection of night vision are simultaneously desirable.
What I am wondering is why it's not possible to do both. Press for momentary low. Press harder for momentary high. Press even harder to click for continuous on. Rotate head to lock out high beam; rotate further to lock out both low and high beams. ** This is intended as a question. ** Is such a mechanism possible? Is this an idea that you considered and discarded for any number of reasons? I am no mechanical engineer, and don't know how one would implement such a thing. Maybe there are patent issues here that I am not aware of. I claim full ignorance of assorted limitations and problems with actual production and sale of such a beast, and I am sure there are many. I only know what I want as a user.
Conclusion: So I made it. I have my S27-C and PD-S. I can play Legos just like the big kids do in those pictures I saw on the Tee-Vee! Along the way, I managed to do exactly what I set out NOT to do, which is to become a McGizmo collector. I have 2 Mules, but I am kicking myself for not snagging a third on the 4th of July. If I miss the LunaSols, I might sell blood to make up the difference for what it will cost to get one on BST, but I WILL get one.... or two.... and then mod it down the road. Your sickness has caught. I am one of you now. Screw you guys! :nana: :kiss: :wave:
Part the First - The souptree McGizmo Saga
When I first became interested in McGizmos, the light that I sat here staring at in utter lust was the Ti S27-C. There was something about it that just screamed "I am the perfect light!" to me. I lurked for a while, marveling at the limited availability and the superheated aftermarket.
It was this photo in the Ti McGizmo FAQ showing all the Lego options that really pushed me from lurker to buyer. Hey, I only need to buy two lights -- a Ti PD-S and a Ti S27-C -- and I can create 4 Lego lights with them! What a bargain! So I decided to take the plunge, forego some other luxuries and await my chance.
Super cool so far. But then I ran into a problem. Everyone else thinks so too! I started to feel like even if I decided to make the jump and try to get one, it would be nearly pointless as they don't go up for sale very often, and when they do, they're snapped up in about 4 minutes flat. Plus, one after another, after another, I saw S27-PDs hit the BST for 15 minutes or less, but the S27-Cs were nowhere to be found. 19s of various iterations, PDs of various iterations, the occasional XR19-C, but the combo I was after seemed elusive. Was it even produced? I don't know.
So I figured I'd take what I could get, and sell or trade extras down the road. I managed to catch Don's wave of Ti PD-S, and jumped at it. That's the light that went up Half Dome, incidentally. That light ain't NEVER getting sold or traded. Nope, no sir! (Note: I always see this light described as "Ti PD-S", but wouldn't it be more correctly "Ti S19-PD" ?)
Then quite unexpectedly, along came the Mules. The Mule is really the perfect light for 90% of my lighting needs, and is exactly what I've been seeking all this time in my non-McGizmo flashlight quest. When they came along, I lurked like a maniac for weeks in a fever to catch the wave. I jumped for 2 of them, neither intended as collectibles or shelf queens, and both have seen near daily use. The fact that they were Ti and/or prized collectibles was really irrelevant to me. They were just the perfect lighting tool for my needs. And they only came as PDs.
So let's catalog where we are at now. Remember -- the original object of lust was an S27-C. I now had 3 Ti McGizmos -- a PD-S and two Mule-PDs. No S27 head, no C-pack. Pretty solid show for a person not trying to collect Ti lights or McGizmos!
Around this time, talk from Don was mostly Mule focused with occasional proto LunaSol discussion. Not much word on the recent and soon to come waves of S27s at that time. So I was starting to despair of waiting around forever, plus you have to be quick and fortunate to catch the waves even if they break. And the S27 lust kept increasing. So I decided I was going to snag the first S27 head I saw at any quasi-reasonable price and be damned with it, with the vague idea that I'd track down a C-pack later if it wasn't part of the light I found. Snagged an S27-PD for more than I probably should have paid on BST, and have been stunned by it. It's really everything I dreamed it would be. And I was halfway there.
At this point, the quest shifted a bit. I did get really motivated to acquire the C-pack, but mostly because for my big hands, the Mule-PD is just too short for comfortable momentary. I started feeling like the C-pack was more necessary for the Mule than for the S27 I had originally intended to use it with. Plus, at this point, I had 4 PD-packs, which is simply too many when the C-pack was the one I wanted in the first place. So it was time to offer up a PD-pack in trade for a C-pack and Morpheus1 answered the call with a straight trade. Since Morpheus1 is in Norway, this means my C-pack went from Maui to Norway to Los Angeles, and goodness knows how far before it was a completed light. This is some world we live in! Given it's long and winding road, I intend to take it somewhere very special and report back on it's travels. Maybe I will have a party for it when it hits the 50,000 mile mark. Someone recently mentioned starting a flashlight travels thread. I favor this suggestion, for both general flashlight discussion and a McGizmo specific thread, because they're just that special.
Part the Second - The souptree McGizmo Ti C-Pack Review
[This is the part you clicked for -- you made it! Congratulations!]
Some observations on the C-pack:
• The first thing I noticed was how stiff the clicky is on it. Compared to a SureFire clicky, you have to really exert some force. Morpheus1 pointed me to this thread, which has info on replacing the boot for a softer mechanism. Personally, I am not sure I would like to make any adjustment, as I sort of like the added stiffness, but I am always interested in knowing what options are out there.
• Second -- and I think this is kind of spooky -- my Ti PD-S and Ti Mule-C are EXACTLY the same length when the heads are screwed all the way down. I mean, EXACTLY the same length. Don, was this intentional or incidental? I have concluded that 3.5" x 1" is the unimprovable EDC size for my hand. We all know a 3D Maglite is too big, but I have found too small to cause usability issues as well. I noticed that 3.5" is almost exactly the width of my knuckles closest to the palm. This is an aside.
• Third, the clips on all 4 -- now 3 -- of my PD-packs are MUCH stiffer than the clip on this C-pack. I do not know what to attribute this to, whether it's the added length of the clip, different Ti stock used to create the clips, thinner clip on the C-pack, or what, but the difference is dramatic. I have already found situations with both where one is clearly better suited to the task than the other, so as far as I'm concerned, I win both ways.
• I didn't realize how much I had come to like the PD-pack or how used to it I had gotten after a couple months of EDC until I switched to the C-pack. When I first started using it, I found myself being confused by the fact that the high did not come on when I pressed harder, and I kept turning it off by unscrewing the head, not by using the clicky. Then I'd go back to click the light on and... no light because I had turned the head before. A couple hours later this phenomena had mostly stopped and I had reverted to normal clicky usage. It's interesting how muscle memory works... In any event, I have been surprised by how much more I prefer the PD to the clicky for EDC purposes, when I had considered myself a resolute clicky person. As an interface geek, part of what makes this hobby interesting to me (and boring for the poor folks around me!) are these small insights into usability.
• I really like the extra 2 lanyard holes in the C-pack tail and wish that feature could be added to PD tail. I am somewhat tempted to plug those holes with glow epoxy to compensate for the absence of tritium.
Part the Third - Questions and Conclusions
I do find myself wondering if the best of both worlds could be had. It seems that the primary functionality tradeoff between PD and C is access to both low and high momentary vs. clicky for constant on. Additionally, from a pure functionality standpoint, if there is any single biggest limitation in the PD format for me, it's the inability to lock out the high beam and still use the momentary action with low. The possibility of accidentally disturbing night vision is a necessary risk with the PD momentary function, and one I really dislike. I accept every tool for what it is, but in the quest for perfection, I still wish for momentary low ONLY, for those times when use of a momentary action and protection of night vision are simultaneously desirable.
What I am wondering is why it's not possible to do both. Press for momentary low. Press harder for momentary high. Press even harder to click for continuous on. Rotate head to lock out high beam; rotate further to lock out both low and high beams. ** This is intended as a question. ** Is such a mechanism possible? Is this an idea that you considered and discarded for any number of reasons? I am no mechanical engineer, and don't know how one would implement such a thing. Maybe there are patent issues here that I am not aware of. I claim full ignorance of assorted limitations and problems with actual production and sale of such a beast, and I am sure there are many. I only know what I want as a user.
Conclusion: So I made it. I have my S27-C and PD-S. I can play Legos just like the big kids do in those pictures I saw on the Tee-Vee! Along the way, I managed to do exactly what I set out NOT to do, which is to become a McGizmo collector. I have 2 Mules, but I am kicking myself for not snagging a third on the 4th of July. If I miss the LunaSols, I might sell blood to make up the difference for what it will cost to get one on BST, but I WILL get one.... or two.... and then mod it down the road. Your sickness has caught. I am one of you now. Screw you guys! :nana: :kiss: :wave:
, is that Don hasn't found a 2-level clicky design that meets his requirements for one - simple and reliable. If he ever does, I'm sure we'll see one.
