The Malkoff Front Porch

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ilikeguns40 said:
1-2v AA MDC arrived. 519a 4500k. I have to say it's incredible. May be the best light I have ever tried so far.
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Now that I have 519a 4500Ks in several lights, I've gotta say it's quickly becoming a favorite all-around emitter. Although I'm not familiar w/ that particular Malkoff model, I'm confident it's a great one, and w/ that emitter I can easily understand how it might become a 'favorite' of yours. Good move!
 
Random Dan said:
Anybody have thoughts on the 4000K 95CRI SST-20 that Malkoff uses in the MDC? How does the tint compare to nichia? Should I just wait for the CR123 MDC to be available with a 519A?
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I'll complicate things and say I prefer the SST-20 in my MDC AA, though the 519A really has a beautiful tint, and I prefer the 519A at higher voltages.

I have three SST-20 (MDC AA, M361 v2, and M61N) and two 519A (MDC AA, M61NH) Malkoffs. In the AA, my preference for the SST-20 is strong. For the M61, my 519A is at 3500K, and it's REALLY nice (and still available, too) - so I might prefer that slightly. My M361N v2 has a pretty noticeable green tint, and the mode spacing with a 16340 isn't super useful (I can barely tell a difference in medium and high), so that's maybe my least favorite of the group (it's probably 60% my dissatisfaction with the most spacing in the configuration I have, to be fair).

I just got the MDC AA with the 519A, and it's an absolutely beautiful tint, but using them so far, I was surprised by how much I prefer the slightly warmer, moderately yellow SST-20 light, even with the ever-so-mild green tint. My MDC AA has maybe the absolute best SST-20 tint I've ever seen. I don't see any green in it unless I compare it directly against a more "rosey" emitter's beam.

Not surprisingly, comparing them directly, the SST-20 is more green, while the 519A has an almost perfect neutral white tint (I don't see any pink) - it's really one of the most truly neutral beams I have. I think, objectively, the 519A in 4500K is my favorite emitter, but subjectively, I really like the SST-20 at 4000K in my MDC AA and the XP-L at 4000K in the M91BN.

I think, color rendition wise, the 519A is obviously better, but when I'm using them, the bias towards green from the SST-20 seems to end up being better. I live in the Midwest, so half the year it's super green, and the other half it's different flavors of tan and white. Though, to complicate matters even more, I was shocked that my SST-20 MDC AA lit up the color on the royal catchfly in my garden arguably better than the 519A in my MDC AA. The 3500K 519A did an amazing job, while the M361's SST-20 wasn't super great (the XP-L was somewhere in the middle). I know people rave about the R9 of the nichias vs. the competition, but if you've ever seen a royal catchfly flower in the sunlight, it's a red so vivid, your brain and eyes almost start to hurt by trying to process the color if you stare at it for a few seconds, so a "green biased" light doing a better job is pretty shocking in my book. I don't doubt the 519A would probably measure better with a standardized color board, but in real world use on prairie forbs is a lot more informative to me.

I find nichias tend to have a more distinctive hotspot, while the SST-20 has softer edges on the hotspot.

So, between my preference for maybe a moderately warmer light, and my STRONG preference against noticeable hotspots, I like the SST-20 in use, at least for the AA. For the higher voltages, there's enough light that the distinctly round hotspot of the nichia is "muddled" with the spill, so it doesn't bother me as much.

All in all, I think you'll be happy enough any way you go. If you don't mind something a bit yellow with a green tint, the SST-20 is great. If you want something warmer with a moderate rosiness, the M61NH is still available, and does work with a 123. I think the 4500K 519A in the MDC AA was a bit of a mixup, and was originally planned as an M61NH, so you might be able to wait for that to come out (I'll probably get one of those, too). The 519A with the sm453 is maybe the most absolutely neutral beam I've ever seen, so if you really want that, waiting might be the way to go.
 
Schokokeks said:
my preference for the SST-20 is strong
Click to expand...

Gotta smile, as you guessed my other 'favorite' emitter (besides the 519A 4500Ks I mentioned). I also have SST-20 4000Ks in several lights, and each of the two is slightly preferred in particular situations, but I can't go far wrong if I grab either one in most cases. They're both great choices in my book.
 
aznsx said:
Gotta smile, as you guessed my other 'favorite' emitter (besides the 519A 4500Ks I mentioned). I also have SST-20 4000Ks in several lights, and each of the two is slightly preferred in particular situations, but I can't go far wrong if I grab either one in most cases. They're both great choices in my book.
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100% agreed. The SST-20 is a great compromise in beam quality, throw, and efficiency. Initially, I was a bit surprised Malkoff was "still using" the SST-20, but I've learned better than to second guess Gene's emitter choices, haha. I actually find the 519A to be absolutely sublime in a floody light (like the Skilhunt H150 - which is my favorite headlamp in 4500K), where the distinct hotspot blurs away into a beautiful, clean wall of neutral goodness, haha.

That being said, I was also impressed with the XP-L in the M91BN, as it's kind of an in-between of the SST-20 and 519A; throwier like the SST-20, while not quite as neutral as the 519A, but moreso than the SST-20. It's got the more diffused hotspot like the SST-20 (which is a HUGE deal for me). If you like the SST-20 and the 519A, and you don't have the M91BN, I'd imagine you'd love it.
 
I have a single-output, 3V drop-in in a VME head on a CR123 Malkoff body. Any ideas why it would be randomly turning off and on? It's putting out full lumens without any dimming but will go out unexpectedly then come back on without touching the switch. Are there any known contact issues with this combo that I should look for?

Thanks for any help.
 
elzilcho said:
I have a single-output, 3V drop-in in a VME head on a CR123 Malkoff body. Any ideas why it would be randomly turning off and on? It's putting out full lumens without any dimming but will go out unexpectedly then come back on without touching the switch. Are there any known contact issues with this combo that I should look for?

Thanks for any help.
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Get some wire and bypass the switch. That can rule at least one thing out. If it's the switch, easy fix. If it's in the head, you will have to email Malkoff
 
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Yes, 3V Malkoff drop-in from Illumn.

Thanks for the tip on bypassing the switch. I don't use McClicky switches outside the house since I seem to do strange things to them, so I guess if it's the switch then I shouldn't be surprised. 😂

Appreciate the help!
 
elzilcho said:
I have a single-output, 3V drop-in in a VME head on a CR123 Malkoff body. Any ideas why it would be randomly turning off and on? It's putting out full lumens without any dimming but will go out unexpectedly then come back on without touching the switch. Are there any known contact issues with this combo that I should look for?

Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...

Could be a loose switch or loose drop in, that's the only time I've had issues and it was one of those issues, tightened them up and problem solved
 
elzilcho said:
I have a single-output, 3V drop-in in a VME head on a CR123 Malkoff body. Any ideas why it would be randomly turning off and on? It's putting out full lumens without any dimming but will go out unexpectedly then come back on without touching the switch. Are there any known contact issues with this combo that I should look for?

Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...
Maybe stretch the spring on the drop in?
 
elzilcho said:
I have a single-output, 3V drop-in in a VME head on a CR123 Malkoff body. Any ideas why it would be randomly turning off and on? It's putting out full lumens without any dimming but will go out unexpectedly then come back on without touching the switch. Are there any known contact issues with this combo that I should look for?

Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...

Let's start really simple......

Did you check to see if the battery was the problem?

Check voltage?

If not able to check voltage, try a different battery or 2?
 
Update: I tried a couple new batteries when it went wonky yesterday without any improvement. The spring on the drop-in is already pushing against the battery when the body and head come together (before screwing down), so it seems to be making good contact there. I tightened the two halves of the VME head and they maaaaaybe moved a hair. It hasn't acted up since then. Fingers crossed that was the culprit and that it just worked itself loose somehow. I'll avoid troubleshooting the switch for now, since I think I went through the last of the extras in a futile attempt to resurrect my BOSS.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. This is a perfect task light around the house.
 
This is my first MDC series light and I am very impressed. I wish I had the other two Kosen builds to compare side to side

IMG_0084.jpeg



www.kosen.one

Malkoff MDC HCRI Flashlight

Short Specs (full specs below): - Emitter: Nichia 519A LED (sm453 dedomed) - Optic style: McR-series textured reflector - CCT: 3400 (sm453 dedomed)...
www.kosen.one www.kosen.one
 
I am looking to create this combo:
MDC CR123 body
VME head with m361.

Would this run ok on a keep power 800mah 16340?

Anyone have roundabout run times on high?
 
I've ran this combo as well and it's nice. You'll get decent runtimes. Expect about 45 min on high. As long as they didn't change the driver and kept the older 3.4-9v. The new 3.7-9v may have less runtime.

Edit: just checked. They did update the driver to 3.7v. Looks like it draws about 2200mah on high. So figure with an 850 mah you'll get around 23 minutes on high until it starts to drop in output. That's with the SST20, I'm sure the nichias on illumns website are similar
 
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I would run those drop ins with a 3v CR123 primary with reduced output for the expense of high lumens and have longer runtimes. Those newer drivers are better fit for multiple li-ions

I've found if you wanna run a single li-ion, a 14500/AA body and Vapcell F12 1250mah is the way to go with the new drivers. You'll get longer runtimes while still keeping the light small and a AA battery will power that driver and act as a single mode 30 lumen light
 
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