MagCharger60/85 questions and usefulness

hi guys

im close to aquiring a MC60/85 setup and have a few questions, specifically on their REAL WORLD USEFULNESS.

im buying the setup looking for a rechargable, "monster" (relative) light. I say relative because USLs and beasts are wayy out of my league.

i actually want to USE my lights, for night walks etc. I would also use it for things like searching for my lost cats (who have no sense of direction) around the streets at night.

so my questions are:

1) i know these things put out a lot of heat, does this affect their usability? how long can you leave them on for without excessive heat? would you burn yourself or the things you're lighting up?

2) what runtimes can i expect from the stock battery system for both the MC60/85? consequently what would the runtime be with better nimh cells?

3) I was originally dreaming of an M6-R, but these are not available yet and the MC system is less than half the price of a stock M6 alone. how comparable are the two in terms of throw and overall output?

4)noob qn: the MC is not regulated right?

5) additional accessories: borofloat lens and fivemegas LOP reflectors, are these absolutely necessary or will the stock parts be able to handle the heat? how would the LOP affect the beam?

6) since these are rechargables, am i right in assuming that they have limited use in camping? since there isnt any way to power them using disposable cells. in which case i might have to get an M6 after all

7) finally, for a real, practical light, should i be conservative and stick to the the MC60 instead of the MC85? does the MC85 become too impractical that the drawbacks outweigh the additional lumens?

thanks

1) As long as the batteries can manage, eventually it lost heat as it lost voltage. Won't burn anything unless you put it face down for a long time.

2) Donno, people generally get new better batts from Ginseng

3) Really depends on your bulb and reflector.

4) Course not.

5) Stock parts will handle the heat, no problem with the stock lens, but with MC85, your socket slug might melt, thats where the mica shields are needed. LOP will improve the beam.

6) Its not with rechargeables, but with the size and weight, unless you are doing those car camping.

7) MC85, have fun.

I second everything sjackal said, and I would like to add something to question 2): Don't forget that a MC85 setup needs a higher voltage than MC60. Most people solve this by using 9 AA batteries in holders. This obviously complicates the charging setup, but a simple charger mod can alleviate this (shorting the blue resistor on the MC charger circuit board lowers the charging amperage and allows for the constant-current circuit to charge a higher voltage - there's an old thread on this somewhere).

This thread covers pretty much everything you could want to know (and much more than I could follow) on the MC charging circut & mod.

dandruff said:

hi guys

i actually want to USE my lights, for night walks etc. I would also use it for things like searching for my lost cats (who have no sense of direction) around the streets at night.

thanks

Click to expand...

For walking at night, both under street lights (rare) and in the dark of the country side I find my QIII is most useful. It will slow cars if I turn it on as they get close, illuminate and stop dogs, and let me see a good distance away.
I'd want something like my Modamag light if I was looking for lost cats as I'm probably not going to see a cat at the distance they will shine and the wall of light will show them up clearly at closer distances.
At it's low setting (and at least 48 hour burn time) it's more than adequate for most things...