mag lite drop in or hf 3w light

billybad

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Joined
Apr 23, 2006
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45
I have a 3 d mag lite and seen the mag lite 3 watt led dropins these are one approved by mag lite for it at wal mart fro 18 dollars but was at habor freight and seen a 3 watt gordon 3 d led lite for 24 dollars was wondering if any one could tell me which way would be the best way to go ty for in put
 

ace0001a

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Jun 29, 2006
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Sactown
Depends on how much you're willing to spend. The whole "approved" thing isn't a big deal either. For the money, the $19 MagLED dropin is pretty good. It's pretty bright when you first turn it on, but drops to 50% output after being on for a few minutes because they designed it that way for heat protection.

The next best bang for the buck dropin is the Terralux MiniStar5:
http://www.batteryjunction.com/tle-6k2.html
It's the brightest inexpensive dropin available for 3-6 cell Maglites.

Currently the ultimate dropin for 2-3 cell Maglites is the custom made one from Malkoff Devices:
http://www.malkoffdevices.com/
It'll cost you $65 (+ $5 for a camless reflector if you don't want to cut yours) and he's on a production schedule, but this is hands down the best dropin that can be bought here in the US.

You could buy the Gordon, but it's not a Mag. Since you've already got the flashlight, you mine as well upgrade it.
 

rcnuk

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Apr 1, 2007
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Utah, USA
billybad,
What are you looking to get out of the upgrade? The basic drop-in will give long bulb life and longer battery run time. The ones ace mentioned will give the the above plus more candle power. I have a older EverLED drop-in and it's not near bright enough for me but probably still better than one from Mag. I have even tried it in a 6d and still not what I would consider bright. One of the CPF members was selling a couple of the Gordon lights upgraded with a better LED over in the MOD B/S/T section. Not sure if its still around but that maybe cheapest and brightest solution.
 
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FlashCrazy

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Jan 7, 2007
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Northern CA
rcnuk said:
One of the CPF members was selling a couple of the Gordon lights upgraded with a better LED over in the MOD B/S/T section. Not sure if its still around but that maybe cheapest and brightest solution.

Yep, that's me. Those have sold, but I should have one more D version ready for sale in the next couple of days. I agree with everyone's advice here. The Mag drop-in will satisfy most people who don't have to have the brightest thing out there. The Terralux looks nice too, for a simple, inexpensive drop-in. The Malkoff drop-in for the money is great...it features a driver that delivers a constant 1000 mA and is heatsinked very well...that's important.

The Gordon lights that I mod with a SSC P4 emitter are very well heatsinked, and I add a resistor to match the Vf of the Seoul to drive it at 1000 mA. This isn't regulated, so the current level will drop down over the batteries' life. You still get plenty of runtime, and don't notice a drop in brightness until about 2 hours into the run...and not much. If I were you, I'd go with a drop in, since you already have the light.

Here's the link if your're curious: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/160102
 
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