The Malkoff Front Porch

[HRace]

I'll get back to you on this. I'll see what I can do when I get home

Thanks a lot. I'm not asking for beamshots but wouldn't turn them down. Interesting the 2nd version of the hound dog 18650 XT doesn't ship with any diffusers. I have a feeling I will still go hound dog XT unless you guys all say it's barely more throw vs the unfiltered wildcat which has way more usable spill. You guys all will say buy both, I know! Since I have the old 18650 reflector hound dog I worry the wildcat wont throw further enough to justify the purchase.

 

[thermal guy]

Thermal guy, your photos are really helpful. Wondering if you or another helpful member can an answer this: does the wildcat 18650 no filter out throw the old hound dog 18650 reflector version (neutral tint)? I've seen your 18650 hound dog reflector vs 18650 hound dog XT comparison. And above is the wildcat 18650 vs hound dog 18650 xt. Based off your old photos at the soccer field I thought the HD XT had useable spill for the throw but the wildcat 18650 no filter seems to be getting the nod as I continue to brush up on more recent posts here. Thanks for any advice based on experience.

Boy it's tough to tell but they are damn close. But the wildcat has a much bigger hotspot. first neutral HD second wildcat

 

[HRace]

Boy it's tough to tell but they are damn close. But the wildcat has a much bigger hotspot. first neutral HD second wildcat

Thank you. That's REALLY helpful. It's clear now that to get more throw than the current 18650 HD (on a single 18650) you need to go with the Hound Dog 18650 XT, not the Wildcat. 18650. However......seeing your side by side with the Wildcat makes me consider replacing the 18650 HD with it. The tint on that 18650 HD neutral is barf yellow/green. Gene shows the Wildcat neutral as Hi-CRI R90. Tempting. I want the 18650 HD XT first though. Really appreciate the help with the beamshots.

 

[thermal guy]

No problem. So the new 18650 XT does not come with diffuser film? Did he change something and it's not as throwy?

 

[HRace]

Gene mentioned the V2 has a different LED and the beam is now smoother without the use of the diffuser discs, though still not a white wall hunting tool = ). I don't follow the site close enough to know when the switch happened but I didn't plan on running the diffuser(s) anyway so it sounds good to me.

 

[thermal guy]

oh so that's why the new version list a much lower lux?

 

[HRace]

I would assume so. On page 287 of this thread (Nov. 2022) I saw a post discussing the lower lux on the product listing. I just went back and looked at that post.

Said the original Hound Dog 18650 XT lux was 75,000, tint 5700K
Then said the new Hound Dog 18650 XT lux was 40,000, tint of 6200K <-- Was this labeled as V2 at that time? I'm not sure.
Today, 2/14/2023: the Hound Dog 18650 XT V2 shows lux at 55,000 with a tint of 5700K. Seems the product keeps fluctuating!

I don't know if each of those revisions was due to a new LED. I'd think the product would be V3 if that was the case, not V2 as it is now so I don't know the full story.

 

[thermal guy]

Ok ya I see that. I have the version 1. And she's a thrower.

 

[Dicaeopolis]

I believe I have the 75,000 lux XT. It came with 2 filters. I like it, and don't use a filter, but I probably would use a filter for my needs if I didn't have my old neutral tint reflector version. I really like that light.

 

[thermal guy]

The neutral tint reflector 18650 HD is one of my favorite for sure. Small plenty bright and great tint.

 

[HRace]

The neutral tint reflector 18650 HD is one of my favorite for sure. Small plenty bright and great tint.

Likely a dumb question but here goes: are the wildcat 18650 neutral (diffuser removed) and the old hound dog 18650 neutral basically equivalent? Sure look really really close from thermal guy's photos (which one do you reach for?). But wildcat is high CRI! Really tempted to snag one since I only have one 18650 HD neutral and I love that light even if the tint is not great inside (outside is fine, and that's where I use it). Pretty sure I'm in for the 18650 hound dog XT also. That 55k lux worries me a bit but no choice since I didn't jump on the train when it was 75k lux. I trust Gene's decisions = ).

 

[thermal guy]

The old hound dog 18650 has a much tighter hotspot then the wildcat without diffuser

 

[HRace]

Thanks!

 

[tech25]

Does anyone remember the runtime for the 3-6D maglight drop in?
It's the XPG version running on 3D cells.

 

[whao]

From product description, I remembered the XPG drop in would run 6 hours on 3D cells.

 

[tech25]

Thank you!
I believe it did and than tapered for another bunch of hours.

 

[PoliceScannerMan]

And you can crush someone's skull with it if need be. Win win.

 

[thermal guy]

And you can crush someone's skull with it if need be. Win win.

😂😂

 

[HRace]

It's new Malkoff day for me and I've already messed up! Can one of you advise on the proper assembly order to the wildcat 18650 head / lens / thin black plastic ring? I was carefully unscrewing the top of the head to remove the diffuser and tipped the assembly just enough that the lens, diffuser, and black ring slipped off before I could catch the order.

Where does the black ring go? My guess is under the lens. Inside the top of the head is an oring that looks like it would press on the top of the lens so the black ring appears to sit under the lens to prevent it from touching metal directly? Here's a quick sketch to show the piece I'm asking about. Thanks.

 

[HRace]

I'm awaiting the dark to test out two new Malkoffs for myself after researching pictures you guys posted for the past few years. I've been looking for a close match to my 18650 hound dog neutral (old reflector version). The four sevens maelstrom mxs doesn't have matching throw and is a large grip with the 26650 battery although it has a really nice tinted Nichia! So it's the Hound dog 18650 XT and the Wildcat 18650 Nuetral without diffuser up to test. The Wildcat seems like the closest match and I'm really curious to see how useful the Hound Dog 18650 XT is. Is the lack of spill or narrow beam a deal breaker for my use? Is 5700k too cool? Only one way to find out.
I was surprised to see overall length is reduced. These are slightly more pocketable yet.