Something odd about my newest Malkoff, in a good way!

I just got another Malkoff in the mail, threw it into my closest 6P and was amazed. This drop-in is a silver cree Q5 M60LL and for now I can not tell the difference in brightness between this and my yellow Q5 M60L! I put them side by side and the output is nearly identical.
Have I finally toasted my eyes from all the flashlight play?

I think tonight after work I will have a chance to do a real test and see how far this LL can throw VS the L and judge the spill amounts. For now on the wall they look the same but I'll likley see it differently after dark. Reguardless of outcome I have to say that I am impressed by Malkoff all over again!


I am really liking the Silver Cree!

Take a multimeter and measure if the current draw is the same at tailcap, then we'll know how fried your eyes are.

I noted a similar comparison between my Malkoff M60 and M60L.

Inside, or outside at near distances (maybe 25 feet), I could hardly tell the difference between them.

But when I pointed them at a garage about 200 feet away, the M60 was very obviously the better, brighter thrower.

Did you do a ceiling bounce test as well? Sometimes that's my only way of really telling which of my lights is brighter than another. (Of course, other times, it's too close for me to tell.)

You could also do a runtime test to see which one drops out of regulation first, which would tell you if one of the modules is out of spec (though I suppose the multimeter suggestion may be faster and easier, if you have the equipment).

Darn guys. Get out your multimeters, and check the current at the tailcap and compare with other Malkoff's. Multimeter, or DMM, a must have, must have, may I repeat, must have for a flashaholic. Get one, then get a light meter and don't say they are too expensive, cause you can find one as reasonable as your next light.

Bill

On 6v the L should draw about 300-375ma the LL about 150+/-ma.

OK I'm back and with the good ol' fashioned testing method of going outside and using them like flashlights, I clearly saw a difference. Inside on a white wall at noon is not a good way of determining or comparing brightness.

Biggest point of this thread is that I should have a multimeter by now!
:thumbsdow

That and my newest M60LL is an amazing product. Plus on 2 18650's it's got a long LOOOOOOONG runtime!

Sgt. LED said:

I just got another Malkoff in the mail, threw it into my closest 6P and was amazed. This drop-in is a silver cree Q5 M60LL and for now I can not tell the difference in brightness between this and my yellow Q5 M60L! I am really liking the Silver Cree!

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Sgt. what is a silver cree and a yellow Q5? The silver and yellow description has me confused. Is this just your take on what tint they appear to have? Or, did you have Gene use different bins other than WG?

Maybe I just missed something??? :candle:

It's the color of the area around LED die. Cree used to be packaged in u.s. and is yellow, now it's packaged in china and is silver.

jzmtl said:

It's the color of the area around LED die. Cree used to be packaged in u.s. and is yellow, now it's packaged in china and is silver.

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jzmtl, thanks for the heads up... I wasn't aware of that although I thought all Crees were yellow when you look at them. So that makes sense.

Gene43 said:

On 6v the L should draw about 300-375ma the LL about 150+/-ma.

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Use that data and a DMM and you will know if you have the right Malkoff, and you won't have to guess.

Bill

jzmtl said:

It's the color of the area around LED die. Cree used to be packaged in u.s. and is yellow, now it's packaged in china and is silver.

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Do the yellow Cree Q5's and the silver Cree Q5's use the same leds... just on different colored dies? Are the specs exactly the same? Any difference in quality? Thanks.

Its not the die that is yellow or silver, its the substrate disk that the die is on. The Cree die is still the same, they are putting it on a different colored disk. It probably went from yellow Alodyne coated Aluminum to plain silver colored Aluminum.

Don't ask what Alodyne is, look it up.

Of course I know what Alodyne is.............. NOT! :thinking:

Oh well, it doesn't matter since you explained the rest. Thanks!

I probably mispelled it. Its alodine. (I believe)