Lumapower MRV dissapointing!!

After months of waiting for my MRV, i've finally recieve it and to be honest - it is CRAP!!
The build quality is quite good, but the output is nothing to write home about. Comparing it to my Eastward YJ http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4424, it is not as bright and furthermore unlike the YJ which has good throw and good spill and the edge of the hot spot blends it the spill - the MRV just has throw and nothing more. In real life use - it sucks. Wherever you shine it, all u see is a round moon. And considering the price i paid for it, im beginning to think that my Surefire U2 is a good buy!
The only positive is that the beam is a nice white/creamy tint - just like my Surefire U2, but then again so is the beam on my new Eastward YJ.
After careful consideration and comparison IMO i reckon that the Eastward YJ is the better light for a fraction of the cost.

Could it be a defect?

My buddy has one and it outclasses his L6 hands down!!

The MRV is designed for throw -- why did you expect a general-use light instead?

skyline_man said:

the MRV just has throw and nothing more. In real life use - it sucks.

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That's pretty accurate, at least with the smooth reflector - it's a very tight spot with decent spill but no flood at all - and that's exactly what it was designed to do. If you look at the sales thread, it's clear that it is a throw-light - there is no mention of EDC, task lighting, or anything else, it's for throwing lots of light a long way. To say that the MRV sucks because it performs its intended task well and doesn't do things it's not designed to do is sort of silly. If you're intrested in making it more "useful" for your purposes, get the OP reflector and explore the possibility of a diffusor lens filter. The MRV isn't what I'd pick up for "bump-in-the-night" stuff - I have my 6P w/Malkoff dropin. It's not what I'd grab for a stoll in the moonlight where you depend on night vision - I've got my M3 or Arc AAA-P for that. But if my girlfriend wants to check on the herds at Virginia Tech without having to go out into the field, we can stand at the fence and count the whole darn herd in several different fields with the MRV. Don't discount the light as junk because you're trying to use it in the wrong situations...

Yeah i guess you guys are right, it's not intended for up close use. But when i compared it to my YJ, the throw of the MRV isn't that great. I expected it to have double the throw of the YJ but it doesn't! Instead It has Maybe a maximum of 25 percent more throw than the YJ. Still i regret buying it.

Just think, if you ever need to rig a flashlight to your car again--God forbid, the MRV can work as your high beam. ;-)

Skyline, chalk it up to experience. We all have a few lights we have bought which we wish we hadn't. Give it as a gift to someone.

Look at the bright side, luckily Rogue the Adelaide cop didn't take your advice to buy one, he would really hate you when he pulled you over then.

You also may be unlucky, many good things are said about that unit. Maybe contact the aussie distributor, seemed like a nice guy and am sure he would want to make you happy.

So Glen C, whats the best Wolfeyes LED light available and how much is it? I think il sell my MRV and give the WE a try.

skyline_man said:

After months of waiting for my MRV, i've finally recieve it and to be honest - it is CRAP!!
The build quality is quite good, but the output is nothing to write home about. Comparing it to my Eastward YJ http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4424, it is not as bright and furthermore unlike the YJ which has good throw and good spill and the edge of the hot spot blends it the spill - the MRV just has throw and nothing more. In real life use - it sucks. Wherever you shine it, all u see is a round moon. And considering the price i paid for it, im beginning to think that my Surefire U2 is a good buy!
The only positive is that the beam is a nice white/creamy tint - just like my Surefire U2, but then again so is the beam on my new Eastward YJ.
After careful consideration and comparison IMO i reckon that the Eastward YJ is the better light for a fraction of the cost.

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Are you sure you don't.....work for dealextreme???

Ilikeshinythings said:

Are you sure you don't.....work for dealextreme???

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Ha ha ha. That's good.

skyline_man said:

In real life use - it sucks. Wherever you shine it, all u see is a round moon. And considering the price i paid for it, im beginning to think that my Surefire U2 is a good buy!

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Haha, I can certainly empathise with your pain. :mecry:Many years ago, I bought one of the cheap dollar Chinese Led lights at the market, and the beamshot was like a 'Round Moon'.. objects which weren't inside the moon were totally invisible at night. Ugh, it was so frustrating to use!
It reminds me of the olden days where people performed a theatrical stage act.. and there'd be a very bright spotlight on him.... however everything else around him was pitch black.

I think it's what people here call as "hard edge" beam. :mecry:

skyline_man said:

Yeah i guess you guys are right, it's not intended for up close use. But when i compared it to my YJ, the throw of the MRV isn't that great. I expected it to have double the throw of the YJ but it doesn't! Instead It has Maybe a maximum of 25 percent more throw than the YJ. Still i regret buying it.

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It takes a lot of extra lumens and careful reflector design to get your stated 25% throw increase while using 4w compared to the 3W of the YJ.

Also, I have to ask but are you sure you have it on high?

After forcing myself to use it for a few weeks, i still cannot learn to like it. The build quality is good but the beam profile is so annoying. Really, i cannot see why the majority of people on this forum like flashlights that have throw. Unless ur searching for someone, something or like looking at moons, i see no advantage of using a light such as this one in normal daily life. IMO a flashlight that has more flood is more useful and pleasing to the eye.

I have a Tiablo A8 which is similar in most ways to the RV. I found myself using the OP reflector all the time and shelving the smooth one. A much more useable beam profile with bright spill and it still throws very well. Like anything else, extremes are just that; extreme. And the smooth reflector on an MRV or A8 qualifies.

this is why i like my magled aspherical. has the biggest flood and longest throw of all my led flashlights. although my collection is not the best.:thinking:

flashlights like the mrv and tiablo are engineered for the maximum throw with the smallest size. i think they do as advertised.

i feel like the more flashlights your get more they start to overlap in use which might make some not as useful. does that make sense?

skyline_man - there's a reason we offer an orange peel reflector for the MRV. As it's been repeatedly pointed out the MRV was made to be a thrower not a general purpose light; that's the M1's niche. The OP reflector though will basically resolve every complaint you have.

as jki posted a few days ago:

"I just received the OP reflector for my MRV from BatteryJunction yesterday, and I am extremely happy with the beam quality. The central hotspot is still intense, but not quite as focused, and the spill is significantly brighter. No more rings or yellow bands. Make no doubt, even with the OP reflector, the MRV is still a throw monster. I lit up a neighbor's chimney about 50 yards away with very usable brightness. But the great thing is that the brighter spill makes the flashlight much better close in. The MRV now lights up my backyard like no other LED light I own, and still has incredible throw. Best of both worlds. I would say that the OP reflector really enhances the utility of the MRV within the "usable" limits of its reach. It may throw a bit further with the smooth reflector, but does it really put out a usable intensity at 100+ yards? At those distances, the benefits of throw from a single cell flashlight are perhaps more theoretical than real. The OP reflector really enhances the performance of the MRV out to 100 feet or so, and still maintains usable throw out to double that, at least. For most of us, I would bet that this is a good tradeoff. Highly recommended!"

skyline_man said:

After forcing myself to use it for a few weeks, i still cannot learn to like it. The build quality is good but the beam profile is so annoying. Really, i cannot see why the majority of people on this forum like flashlights that have throw. Unless ur searching for someone, something or like looking at moons, i see no advantage of using a light such as this one in normal daily life. IMO a flashlight that has more flood is more useful and pleasing to the eye.

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Then sell it. I'm sure you will at least get close to the $ that you bought it for. People are different in their view of things, for me the spill and spot on low is sufficient for navigating in the woods etc., but I know I have a lot more light if I need it at the click of a switch. I have floody lights, but I seldom use these outdoors. They don't cut it in the real world, but thats only my opinion.
Stefan

Different tools for different jobs. You wouldn't want to use a framing hammer to break up a concrete sidewalk if you have a sledge hammer available.

I have a Tiablo A8 to replace/supplement my SL-20 for searching fields and woods for bad guys or lost persons. I use my WE Defender for belt carry and use it to search of interior houses and vehicles. I used it last night to read serial numbers on some items in the back of a truck. The numbers "popped" out and were found to be reported stolen. Someone will be very happy to get his Stihl 026 and other equipment back.

It may seem silly but I have 6 different flashlights in my patrol car. Does that make me a flashaholic?

It may seem silly but I have 6 different flashlights in my patrol car. Does that make me a flashaholic?

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No.. lol I think that means either your working 2 or 3 extra jobs or an over paid LEO lol.. hehe:nana:

Stay safe

Better question is did he buy it from dealextreme for $78.00.

Ilikeshinythings said:

Are you sure you don't.....work for dealextreme???

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