LED vs. Mag3d - surprise

meuge

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I've been pretty enthusiastic about my Fenix L2DCE. However, I got a chance to square it off against a 3D Mag with fresh batteries.

And I have to say I was surprised at how much light that thing can put out. I know that the L2DCE is supposed to put out more light overall than a 3D Mag, but it just didn't seem so. Plus the Mag out-throws the Fenix by a pretty serious margin (when focused to a point)

So I have a couple of questions:

1. Why does the Mag seem brighter (more light in the hotspot?)
2. Is there an LED that could crush the Mag?
3. Will one of those SSC drop-ins, inside a Mag actually make it brighter compared to the stock bulb?
 

Beer

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1. You just answered it.
2. Yes
3. Yes, I have one. It is neat.
 

Kraid

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I thought so. Kind of anticlimactic though.

Would you mind giving me some more information/examples?

Hmm... a Mag is too big in my tiny Manhattan apartment, but I am considering getting one with the SSC dropin for my parents. It'll be cool to see what it looks like.

WOW! Thats a tiny apartment!:nana:
 
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Derek Dean

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I think one of the BIG advantages to the L2D-CE is that after an hour of continuous runtime on turbo it would still be putting out pretty close to same amount of light... where as I'll bet the mag will have decreased quite a bit.

I've got both.... and I'll take the L2D CE over the Mag 3D anytime. However, I'm still considering getting a Cree or Seoul LED drop-in for the Mag, just to have it as a bright, long running emergency light.
 

meuge

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WOW! Thats a tiny apartment!:nana:
Heh... and this is a much bigger one. I spent my 2 first years of med school in a ~10x14 studio (including the kitchen (read: sink) and shower), and I can tell you it wasn't pretty.
 

xiaowenzu

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3. Will one of those SSC drop-ins, inside a Mag actually make it brighter compared to the stock bulb?

No way. My 6D Mag with original Xenon Star bulb puts out 200 Lumens and is a throw monster. No LED can compete with that, not even a Tbin SSC. Incandescents still rule when it comes to pure throw and color rendition. :nana:
 

ddgarcia05

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I dont mean to ruin the post but whats an SSC drop in? I just bought a mag 2D last night, and i thought it was alright, campared to my P3D. What's an SSC drop in and where do i get it?
 

johnny13oi

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No way. My 6D Mag with original Xenon Star bulb puts out 200 Lumens and is a throw monster. No LED can compete with that, not even a Tbin SSC. Incandescents still rule when it comes to pure throw and color rendition. :nana:

I thought U-bin SSC's put out 240lumens at 1A and the Cree Q5 bin puts out 225 lumens at 1A.
 

davidt

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I dont mean to ruin the post but whats an SSC drop in? I just bought a mag 2D last night, and i thought it was alright, campared to my P3D. What's an SSC drop in and where do i get it?

I don't know what exactally ssc (seoul semiconductor?) stands for but I do know it has something to do with leds.

The best ssc i've seen mention around these forums is malkoff devices.

www.malkoffdevices.com

It is suppose to do 240 lumens at 1 amp as johnny13oi mentioned.
 

davidt

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No way. My 6D Mag with original Xenon Star bulb puts out 200 Lumens and is a throw monster. No LED can compete with that, not even a Tbin SSC. Incandescents still rule when it comes to pure throw and color rendition. :nana:

Where did the 200 lumens rating come from? I doubt the 200 lumens from a 6D. I've seen what maglites rate their bulbs at. And the 6D with xenon bulb is rated at 233 lumens. I just don't trust maglite's numbers after independant estimates come to about half of what maglite rates their bulbs at.
 
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jbosman1013

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your right on the malkoff being the best and brightest but 240 is emiter lumens. thats ok its still like 200 out the front, that would for sure crush the standard bulb you have now. i don't even think a 3d mag hits 50 lumens but i might be wrong.

its hard but try not to confuse lux and lumens
 
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johnny13oi

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I don't know what exactally ssc (seoul semiconductor?) stands for but I do know it has something to do with leds.

The best ssc i've seen mention around these forums is malkoff devices.

www.malkoffdevices.com

It is suppose to do 240 lumens at 1 amp as johnny13oi mentioned.

Yes you are correct .. SSC is seoul semiconductor .. I think thats the brand .. and the P4 is the type of the LED bulb, like one of their product lines .. referred to as SSC P4 and then the last thing is the bin .. the U bin is supposed to put out 240 lumens at 1 amp. I think the malkoff devices use SSC P4 U-bins.
 

davidt

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Johnny thanks for the info:thumbsup:. I still get a little confused with all this terminology.
 

Grox

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SSC = Seoul Semiconductor, the manufacturer of the LED.

P4 is Seoul's designation for their one watt LED.

Binning: LEDs coming off a production line naturally vary in brightness, forward voltage, tint and other characteristics. So to ensure that buyers know what they are getting, LEDs are sorted/classed into bins.
 

Wolfhound 9K

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MagLites are actually VERY bright with fresh batteries, but they quickly fade away to nothing special in about 15-20 mins.. Initial pissing contests aren't where LEDs shine :crackup: it's the "how it looks 30 mins from now" where their regulation kicks in and the brightness is maintained :cool:
 

xiaowenzu

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MagLites are actually VERY bright with fresh batteries, but they quickly fade away to nothing special in about 15-20 mins..
Not with the 6D! :nana: It lasts for hours and still maintain a high brightness. Plus I use mine intermittently, about a couple of minutes everyday, so it's very bright every time I turn it on. :party:Well David, I don't have an integrating sphere, but from an educated observation my 6D with XENON bulb puts out more light than my Surefire U2, and smokes it at a distance - I use it occasionally to light up wolves about 150 yards away. :nana: So I think it's about 200 Lumens (less 33 from the MFG claim)
 

2xTrinity

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1. Why does the Mag seem brighter (more light in the hotspot?)
There is more light in the hotpsot. The reason for this is that incandescent filaments emit their light in all directions, while LEDs tend to project light forward. When using the same reflectors, this means a greater amount of light is captured by the reflector with incandescent. LED drop-ins for maglites are somewhat brighter and significantly more efficient as well, but with LEDs, a greater percentage of the light will spill out the front.

2. Is there an LED that could crush the Mag?
One way is by using a lens, rather than a reflector -- which actually takes advantage of the narrower beam angle of the LEDs (more light hits the lens, the opposite of the reflector problem). My Lumapower M1 with lens for example greatly outshines my LED Maglites for throw even though the overall output is actually less than half. Some have used mag hosts with lenses to make extremely focused beams (which are not espeically practical aside from showing off). I do think there is a lot of potential, but so far there hasn't been much in terms of production lights based on optics.

3. Will one of those SSC drop-ins, inside a Mag actually make it brighter compared to the stock bulb?
If you're looking to make your mag brighter, a better idea than switching to LEDs (which are ideally suited for small lights, like the L2D) would be to use the mag as a host for a hotwire mod. It will be a long time before LEDs can compete for overall output, and I find runtimes don't matter nearly as much for super high output lights as they do for small EDC lights.
 
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woodrow

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Not with the 6D! :nana: It lasts for hours and still maintain a high brightness. Plus I use mine intermittently, about a couple of minutes everyday, so it's very bright every time I turn it on. :party:Well David, I don't have an integrating sphere, but from an educated observation my 6D with XENON bulb puts out more light than my Surefire U2, and smokes it at a distance - I use it occasionally to light up wolves about 150 yards away. :nana: So I think it's about 200 Lumens (less 33 from the MFG claim)

First, let me confess that I am a converted Incan to Led guy, so my opinion will show that bias. Now that thats out in the open, let me say, that you were not really using a "throw" led light. A MRV, Pelican 7060 and many others will hang with or not beat a HUGE mag 6d when it comes to throw. Plus they will give you regulated burn times to boot.

If you like the mag, keep using it. I would assume that the 6d with the right bulb is plenty bright (at least at the spot) mags have never had a bright enough spill for my tastes. If you like the mag light, I would recomend looking at the Mag85 or ROP lights found on this site. Then you will really find out what the mag body will do. If you do not want to carry a 2' plus light, there are some led or hid options that will give you super through and a very bright beam however.
 

andyr354

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I have a malkoff devices drop in for my 3D mag and really like it. It gets alot of use. I have had it turned on for 2 hours straight while working on a vehicle problem at night with no drop in brightness detectable. It has become my favorite light, over my p2d and ROP even.

Andy
 
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