MXDL V3, good, bad, ugly?

http://www.qualitychinagoods.com/3w-mxdlreg-v3-p-332.html


Crap or not?

I haven't found any reviews for it.

BTW since it uses 2 x CR123 is it safe to assume that uses a regulation circuit?

Here is a review: http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/mxdl_3watt.htm
A very similar MXDL 3w light, just the AAA battery version.

Overclocker said:

BTW since it uses 2 x CR123 is it safe to assume that uses a regulation circuit?

Click to expand...

At that price?
At that price the regulation circuit probably consists of a dropping resistor.
A 10 ohm 2 watt resistor should do the trick. With lithiun cells you should still get fairly flat output.

On this page they indicate which lights are regulated. I do not see the word in the description of any of the MXDL.
http://www.qualitychinagoods.com/luxeon-lights-c-76_87_89.html

not sure if it's identical but they look similar:-

http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/ledleft.htm

oops..the link doesn't seem to work but you can find the review unde "Nitestar 3W Luxeon Flashlight" under the LED FLASHLIGHTS CR123A section.

btw, a friend of mine has that light - bought it from qualitychinagoods. i thought it was quite decent with a bright, white, small hotspot and decent-sized (but not very bright) spill. the tail-end clickie had a very nice responsive feel.

http://ledmuseum.candlepower.us/3nite.htm
This link works.

I was about to by it but I decided to by Kamen 3w regulated for 20$ instead.
(by the way, not very impresive with 3V cr123 but I´ve got a better output with 3,6V recargeables).

But I´ll have bought both the MXDL V1 and V2 lights and I must say that I prefer the clicky-swith in the V1. In fact I didn´t like the V2 switch at all and the V3 seems to have the samt type of switch as V2 so i don´t recomend it.

john2551 said:

Here is a review: http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/mxdl_3watt.htm
A very similar MXDL 3w light, just the AAA battery version.

Click to expand...

That is not exactly the same light as pictured here (I have both).

I have the one asked about in the thread. When I first got it, I turned it on and was very impressed with the brightness. After about 15 seconds, it quit.

I fooled around with the switch and then noticed that wonderful burned-up-electronic-component smell. I set the light down and went upstairs for about 10 minutes. When I returned, I decided to try again, and when I picked the light up it was about 150 degrees F!!! I immediatly removed the batteries.

If I hadn't picked it up to give it "one more try", I'm certain it would have gassed and exploded.

I wouldn't trust this design.

It's best to take the batteries out at first sign of letting out the smoke.

MXDL 3W have more bodies than a morgue. Three different tailcap clickie bodies and one side clickie at last count I think.

To follow up, when I got home, I took the dead flashlight apart, and it was quite clear what the problem was.

You can see looking through the lens that there is insulation protruding near the LED. I remember that I twisted the head slightly to see if it was focusable...and apparently that action shorted the insulated lead and POOF!

The other photos show the shorted lead... and the boiled solder!

Lousy QC.

Malfuntion said:

I was about to by it but I decided to by Kamen 3w regulated for 20$ instead.
(by the way, not very impresive with 3V cr123 but I´ve got a better output with 3,6V recargeables).

But I´ll have bought both the MXDL V1 and V2 lights and I must say that I prefer the clicky-swith in the V1. In fact I didn´t like the V2 switch at all and the V3 seems to have the samt type of switch as V2 so i don´t recomend it.

Click to expand...

we have some Kamen in stock here:
http://www.qualitychinagoods.com/regulated-kamenreg-p-254.html

nice light.

Dae.

I only had experience with the MDXL 3W V1... I ordered 2 from Dae. The frist one is my toolbox light and a real winner in the fake luxeon lottery with a very bright cool white color. The second one I ordered for my dad (a budding flashaholic) to put in his toolbox. His did worse in the lottery, horribly uneven beam with rings and spots and a rotten dog vomit green tint... but still good enough for the toolbox...

Reading the other reactions here I think the MDXL lights are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get But then again, same goes for some surefire models...