The Official Malkoff Junkie thread - Part 2

[Beard Man]

I would add a nitrile glove to your gripping hand.. @WebHobbit - Definitely stay away from wood fixtures and vice, even with soft jaws there's too much chance to distort head threads

I use my hands and Malkoff MD2 Head Wrench,works great.

There is absolutely no chance to distort head thread,everything smooth and precise.

 

[INFRNL]

I use my hands and Malkoff MD2 Head Wrench,works great.

There is absolutely no chance to distort head thread,everything smooth and precise.

I think he was referring to webhobbit getting crazy with the vise, channel locks, etc. I agree though bare hands and tool for the win

 

[archimedes]

Several off topic posts were removed ... @knucklegary I can't find what thread you were referring but you are welcome to post your question there (in the proper location)

 

[WebHobbit]

Look what the mailman brought yesterday...

MDC 1xCR123 body, VME head, and M31W drop-in. This thing is a pocket rocket! Haven't had a warm drop-in yet, so this is a first, but it's really nice. Reminds me of the good ol' incandescent days.

Shoutout to NH Lumens -- seeing your setup was the final push! And thanks to Gene for getting back to me so quickly, and the crew at Malkoff for speedy shipping!

That looks great! Do you (or anyone else) have an MDC CR123 with standard MDC head that you could take a picture of them together? Would like to know which is longer and how much wider the VME head is? I'm still considering a single level CR123 MDC. Looks like with the cool versions its 250 lumen with standard head versus 280 with the M31 and VME. The standard MDC head lists 45-60 minutes for run-time. Is the VME M31 longer?

 

[RI Chevy]

I believe the VME is shorter.

 

[INFRNL]

That looks great! Do you (or anyone else) have an MDC CR123 with standard MDC head that you could take a picture of them together? Would like to know which is longer and how much wider the VME head is? I'm still considering a single level CR123 MDC. Looks like with the cool versions its 250 lumen with standard head versus 280 with the M31 and VME. The standard MDC head lists 45-60 minutes for run-time. Is the VME M31 longer?

Should have asked me before I sold everything off. I could have showed you all kinds of variations.

I believe length and head diameter are very similar. Nice thing about the m31 is the voltage range is .8-3.x v so many different battery combinations will work. Technically the mdc 123 has the same voltage range but my experience is modes can get weird.

M31 will not have pwm, no modes to roll through (if these are concerns) and woods mentioned mdc's not having reverse polarity protection. Just some other things to consider with the mdc lights.

 

[dhunley1]

Started a run time test on the M61NLL using Rayovac primaries. 3 hours in right now.


Also, the tricap is awesome! Will definitely be better for gloved hands and gives the MD2 an overall better feel. Makes the light more aesthetically pleasing as well.

 

[INFRNL]

That looks great! Do you (or anyone else) have an MDC CR123 with standard MDC head that you could take a picture of them together? Would like to know which is longer and how much wider the VME head is? I'm still considering a single level CR123 MDC. Looks like with the cool versions its 250 lumen with standard head versus 280 with the M31 and VME. The standard MDC head lists 45-60 minutes for run-time. Is the VME M31 longer?

not sure if these help or not. best i can do for you now. 1st pic all the way to the right, you can see they are about the same

 

[glimmer]

Would like to know which is longer and how much wider the VME head is?

They are virtually the same length, but the VME is larger in diameter.

edit- Infrnl beat me to it!

 

[INFRNL]

They are virtually the same length, but the VME is larger in diameter.

edit- Infrnl beat me to it!

haha, i try. if i recall, the vme is not much larger in diameter though, or is it the same dia as the mdx head? I think the design makes it seem smaller than it is. I guess it depends on what would be most beneficial for his use/needs. either choice is a win but i personally can't do single mode. I'd choose md1 with h/l ring and change the resistor, but thats me. or md2 with dummy cell, or md1.5 with AA, list goes on

 

[marco.weiss]

superb collection

not sure if these help or not. best i can do for you now. 1st pic all the way to the right, you can see they are about the same

 

[dhunley1]

A little over 15 hours in and the M61NLL is cranking out I'm guessing 2 maybe 3 lumens. Turned it off for a second and it came back on with no problems.

 

[gurdygurds]

Spoke to Gene yesterday and he confirmed that the 2aa head doesn't function like I'd hoped on a single aa. He said runtime and regulation will not be the same as the standard Mdc aa. He's sending me a replacement neutral aa MDC as the copy is have has a low low that is quite bright and not the .3 that I've grown to love on other ones I've had. Execellent service as always.

I didn't do any runtime tests but i didn't like the way the modes were on the 2xaa head using 1aa. Otherwise I'd agree with you.

In theory, the 2aa should behave exactly as the aa head using a single aa, but it doesn't quite work that way unfortunately.

 

[marco.weiss]

Spoke to Gene yesterday and he confirmed that the 2aa head doesn't function like I'd hoped on a single aa. He said runtime and regulation will not be the same as the standard Mdc aa. He's sending me a replacement neutral aa MDC as the copy is have has a low low that is quite bright and not the .3 that I've grown to love on other ones I've had. Execellent service as always.

Good know it.


maybe another time I'll ask Gene for a neutral 2AA mdc.

 

[gurdygurds]

I had him build me one and I ended up letting it go to TrIbull. As I thought might happen I immediately missed it and ordered another. Mode spacing, tint, and everything else about it awesome. A sweet Sweet light. QUOTE=marco.weiss;5141529]Good know it.


maybe another time I'll ask Gene for a neutral 2AA mdc.[/QUOTE]

 

[xdayv]

A little over 15 hours in and the M61NLL is cranking out I'm guessing 2 maybe 3 lumens. Turned it off for a second and it came back on with no problems.

what battery was used? thanks.

 

[INFRNL]

what battery was used? thanks.

Several posts up he said he would be using rayovac primaries

I think i had similar results using 16340 keeppowers/ aw rcr123

They like to run forever, definitely a great choice for emergency purposes

 

[INFRNL]

superb collection

It got a bit bigger after this picture...now its much smaller:laughing:

Spoke to Gene yesterday and he confirmed that the 2aa head doesn't function like I'd hoped on a single aa. He said runtime and regulation will not be the same as the standard Mdc aa. He's sending me a replacement neutral aa MDC as the copy is have has a low low that is quite bright and not the .3 that I've grown to love on other ones I've had. Execellent service as always.

Bummer. I also agree that approx 0.3lm moonlight is about perfect. Although, I only need this mode when I am home.



On a side note: I got my package from Gene today

They did send me 2 spare pins and 4 insulators for my H/L rings:twothumbs Thank you Gene and Cathy!!!

I got 2 Tricaps, lets share some thoughts.

1 has perfect finish on it, while the other has some kind of cosmetic blemish all over it. Similar to some standard tailcaps I have but much worse. It's almost like there was some pitting in the metal before it was coated.(will share a pic here in a bit)

As far as the spring goes, I can see where the complaint is, but this seems like a typical wind and I have other lights that do the same; no matter the brand.
I'm not going to cry about it, will just fix it myself. Will either bend the end of the spring down or carefully file it.

Mine will leave a good mark on the bottom of the cell, but it's not razor sharp to penetrate the protection circuit plate. I could possibly see this being an issue on a primary or unprotected cell.

Tricap keeps light from rolling and adds minimal bulk for its design (much less bulk than Triad). Ergonomics is improved over standard tailcap, but I don't have any issues with standard either. I think the tricap feels better on longer lights and depending on hold, can still feel a little off, more so on shorter lights.

Overall, I think I really like the tricap, and i think Gene did a great job on the design. Simplistic yet very functional.

 

[Modernflame]

I got 2 Tricaps, lets share some thoughts.

1 has perfect finish on it, while the other has some kind of cosmetic blemish all over it. Similar to some standard tailcaps I have but much worse. It's almost like there was some pitting in the metal before it was coated.(will share a pic here in a bit)

Interesting. I've just ordered my first tricap, on board an M61HOT. I do hope the finish is up to par with the rest of my Malkoff gear.

 

[xdayv]

Several posts up he said he would be using rayovac primaries

I think i had similar results using 16340 keeppowers/ aw rcr123

They like to run forever, definitely a great choice for emergency purposes

Thanks. This thread is hard to keep up haha.

And yeah the LL is my fav, long runtime, bright enough for everyday chores.