Re: HELP -- Whats the brightest drop-in LED for a MAG 4D?
The aboslute best you can probably get is the Malkoff drop-in, but actually getting one may be an ordeal (they sell out fast, and international shipping is a problem). That is a custom copper heatsink that performs very well, 1A drive, and uses very high quality parts, and good packaging. Short of that, the next best thing is the do-it-yourself route:
Is that it? One of the best known brands in the flashlight market and thats it? What if I was prepared to do a simple do-it-yourself mod? Would that change things some what? Thanks
here
is a recent thread about doing just this, it has links to where to buy the necessary parts.
I would recommend buying the Seoul Emitter ($7), and 800mA buck drivers (3.6-9v input, 4 for $7) from Dealextreme.com. Heat sink modules can be purchased from Litemania on the board ($12 + shipping), and for an optional extra boost in throw, you can buy a UCL from flashlightlens.com ($5.50 + shipping).
total cost to do the mod yourself will be almost the same as buying one of the drop-ins bulbs, and you will end up with a much better product. The fact that you have a heatsink means that the LED will be able to tolerate a much harder drive current, and it will have better longevity. You also won't be stuck with the dilemma of choosing between an LED that dims itself (like the MagLED, to keep from overheating) or cooks itself (like the Terralux, which has no temperature sense at all...)
If retaining the bulb socket, and the ability to switch to an incan or different LED is critical, I'd recommend upgrading a MagLED to a Seoul Emitter, as it's still the only drop-in with thermal protection.
