Tonight my wife decided to go out for a bit. Once I got the kids to bed I decided to take a few photos of my two Cree lights:
Sandwich Shoppe A19 XR-E: One cell, HA Nat with Ti bezel (currently running in a HA Black 1.5 Aleph body w/ AW 17500)
MilkySpit ML-1 w/ P4 WH Cree: One cell (primary), two stages, HA Nat
With the 1.5 cell body the A19 is about the same length as the ML-1. The A19 uses an 819mA converter, and the ML-1 around 350-400mA. On a primary the A19 has been tested to a little less than 30 minutes runtime; the ML-1 should be good for well over an hour (haven't tested runtimes yet on either light).
As for beam quality... The A19 is the thrower, the ML-1 is the flooder. The A19 definitely has more output, and it does throw with a bright but narrower spill beam. The ML-1 does throw but not nearly as well as the A19; rather, it has a LARGE bright spill. I walked through the yard (in the rain, what I won't do for my fellow CPF'ers) and confirmed the ML-1s beam to be superior for walking and hiking. I took both on a long night hike a couple of nights ago and found myself using the ML-1 for most of the journey: two useful levels, and the spill and color rendition was great for hiking on a trail.
Both lights are simply fantastic. The A19 is BRIGHT and I love the Surefire legos capabilities: next hike I'm going to use the E1L body with the A19 head and clip it to the bill of my cap as a headlight. However, on a 123 the runtime is a bit short. The ML-1 puts out a wonderful pattern of light for real-world use, and the vanilla tint is great for color depth and perception, at least to my eyes. Plus the ML-1 should have fantastic battery life on a single primary.
Here are a few pics:
A19, A2, and ML-1 (beamshots)
The A19, A2, and ML-1 with an E1L
ML-1 GITD ring doing its stuff
A pair of family photos
Closeup of the ML-1 Cree
Summary? Both are pocket rockets. The A19 cost me around $240 (I think) and the ML-1 around $180 (I think)... I try not to remember how much I've spent on lights, car parts, watches, knives, electronics... But hey, I just got a $400 Coach bag for my wife for Christmas, so cut me some slack! Oh, back on topic- the Milky is a fantastic light, less expensive by around $70, and the fit and finish are Surefire+ quality. The A19 is also very well built too. One is a product of a modding genius, MilkySpit, the other the product of custom building geniuses, McGizmo (original design) and Wayne and Cindy (Sandwich Shoppe). I'm proud to own both. Which do I edc? The ML-1. The two stages are great, the battery life is phenominal too. Now I can't wait to see the next "big thing" in LEDs in the upcoming months. This is quite an exciting time!
On next week's hike I'm going to compare the A2-RD and the ML-1 and may take the A19 as my headlight. Should be interesting, eh?
Sandwich Shoppe A19 XR-E: One cell, HA Nat with Ti bezel (currently running in a HA Black 1.5 Aleph body w/ AW 17500)
MilkySpit ML-1 w/ P4 WH Cree: One cell (primary), two stages, HA Nat
With the 1.5 cell body the A19 is about the same length as the ML-1. The A19 uses an 819mA converter, and the ML-1 around 350-400mA. On a primary the A19 has been tested to a little less than 30 minutes runtime; the ML-1 should be good for well over an hour (haven't tested runtimes yet on either light).
As for beam quality... The A19 is the thrower, the ML-1 is the flooder. The A19 definitely has more output, and it does throw with a bright but narrower spill beam. The ML-1 does throw but not nearly as well as the A19; rather, it has a LARGE bright spill. I walked through the yard (in the rain, what I won't do for my fellow CPF'ers) and confirmed the ML-1s beam to be superior for walking and hiking. I took both on a long night hike a couple of nights ago and found myself using the ML-1 for most of the journey: two useful levels, and the spill and color rendition was great for hiking on a trail.
Both lights are simply fantastic. The A19 is BRIGHT and I love the Surefire legos capabilities: next hike I'm going to use the E1L body with the A19 head and clip it to the bill of my cap as a headlight. However, on a 123 the runtime is a bit short. The ML-1 puts out a wonderful pattern of light for real-world use, and the vanilla tint is great for color depth and perception, at least to my eyes. Plus the ML-1 should have fantastic battery life on a single primary.
Here are a few pics:
A19, A2, and ML-1 (beamshots)
The A19, A2, and ML-1 with an E1L
ML-1 GITD ring doing its stuff
A pair of family photos
Closeup of the ML-1 Cree
Summary? Both are pocket rockets. The A19 cost me around $240 (I think) and the ML-1 around $180 (I think)... I try not to remember how much I've spent on lights, car parts, watches, knives, electronics... But hey, I just got a $400 Coach bag for my wife for Christmas, so cut me some slack! Oh, back on topic- the Milky is a fantastic light, less expensive by around $70, and the fit and finish are Surefire+ quality. The A19 is also very well built too. One is a product of a modding genius, MilkySpit, the other the product of custom building geniuses, McGizmo (original design) and Wayne and Cindy (Sandwich Shoppe). I'm proud to own both. Which do I edc? The ML-1. The two stages are great, the battery life is phenominal too. Now I can't wait to see the next "big thing" in LEDs in the upcoming months. This is quite an exciting time!
On next week's hike I'm going to compare the A2-RD and the ML-1 and may take the A19 as my headlight. Should be interesting, eh?
Last edited: