Newbie question on 6 D Mag
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StarHalo
Flashaholic
The one I use/have experience with is the TLE-300, my mini review:
It's essentially just three LEDs, each with its own optic, all in a self-contained drop-in puck with all the necessary circuitry. It's a minimal difficulty install, you remove the stock Mag reflector and bulb, put the TLE-300 in the socket, done.
Optic lenses mean *serious throw* and the TLE-300 doesn't disappoint, projecting a big fat hotspot with no corona or spill to speak of. You lose the Mag's focusing ability, but when you've got a glaring hotspot that's over two feet across from only ten feet away, you don't need it. The only con is that the hotspot looks a bit like a round, multi-pointed star (the optics to some degree project the square shape of the LEDs) but in normal use, especially outdoors, you don't notice it.
The TLE-300 is my fave Mag drop-in based on its ease of install, use of standard batteries, and good old "damn that's bright"-ness. I've always liked the idea of an LED hotwire/ROP that doesn't require any modding, and this certainly fills the bill.
My 2D (powered by 6xAA) TLE-300 Mag:
It's essentially just three LEDs, each with its own optic, all in a self-contained drop-in puck with all the necessary circuitry. It's a minimal difficulty install, you remove the stock Mag reflector and bulb, put the TLE-300 in the socket, done.
Optic lenses mean *serious throw* and the TLE-300 doesn't disappoint, projecting a big fat hotspot with no corona or spill to speak of. You lose the Mag's focusing ability, but when you've got a glaring hotspot that's over two feet across from only ten feet away, you don't need it. The only con is that the hotspot looks a bit like a round, multi-pointed star (the optics to some degree project the square shape of the LEDs) but in normal use, especially outdoors, you don't notice it.
The TLE-300 is my fave Mag drop-in based on its ease of install, use of standard batteries, and good old "damn that's bright"-ness. I've always liked the idea of an LED hotwire/ROP that doesn't require any modding, and this certainly fills the bill.
My 2D (powered by 6xAA) TLE-300 Mag:
hi, thanks for the reply, so whats the run time like on this ? the loss of focus did concern me, some people say its so bright it dont mater ? the good thing about the focus is the long range. do you have a pic of your battery setup ? cheers ant
StarHalo
Flashaholic
Runtime on the AA config is ~1 hour, but in your 6D setup, you could expect a few hours.
The beam profile is just a giant, very wide hotspot, so there's really no use for the focus; anything you light at an outdoors distance will be brightly and broadly lit, and there's too much output for indoor use (excepting ceiling bounce, where it lights a room like a 60 watt light bulb.)
I don't have a pic of my battery arrangement, but these are the 3AA/1D adapters I use: http://www.kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=2723
The beam profile is just a giant, very wide hotspot, so there's really no use for the focus; anything you light at an outdoors distance will be brightly and broadly lit, and there's too much output for indoor use (excepting ceiling bounce, where it lights a room like a 60 watt light bulb.)
I don't have a pic of my battery arrangement, but these are the 3AA/1D adapters I use: http://www.kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=2723
Gunner12
Flashaholic
Because it has 3 LEDs and 3 smaller optics, the probably TLE-300 doesn't throw as far as a well driven single LED drop-in like the Malkoff, which is around the same price range.
It does have a lot of output and a good beam for general use.
Check this thread for some more Maglite mods and drop-ins.
:welcome:
It does have a lot of output and a good beam for general use.
Check this thread for some more Maglite mods and drop-ins.
:welcome:
StarHalo
Flashaholic
It's the silver finish, got it at Lowe's for $15. I added on a UCL lens to up the brightness, and a Glo-Toob Flash-Cap on the tail. 600 lumens out the front and 15 red lumens out the back, it's shiny at night too :thumbsup:
Cydonia
Enlightened
Those Glo Toob Flash Cap's are awesome. I think I'm going to move it up a notch on the "to buy next" list 
thanks gunner12, im not mega fussed about long long range - it is fun though, but it will be a general use mucking around car & camping, walking the dog type of torch. i dont actually need anything this bright haha
* how sturdy is that tailcap ? the reason i like the mags is there bomb proof
thanks guys
* how sturdy is that tailcap ? the reason i like the mags is there bomb proof
thanks guys
StarHalo
Flashaholic
* how sturdy is that tailcap ? the reason i like the mags is there bomb proof
It's basically a solid lump of polycarbonate sitting on a slab of aluminum. All the components are actually encased in the plastic like flies in amber, and the black aluminum base is machined to a much thicker gauge than the Mag itself.
I did a full review of a Flash-Cap in another thread, I'll reprint here:
StarHalo said:Okay, my Flash-Cap finally arrived today, first impressions; It's actually pretty bright. The business end is essentially six LEDs in a ring, three that point straight out and three within the clear reddish casing that point somewhat outwards at an angle. It's plenty for navigating around indoors with dark-adjusted eyes, and perhaps to some extent even outdoors, as the three straight-out LEDs actually do throw a bit of a beam, comparable in throw to a decent keychain light.
The whole package adds an inch to the length of the Mag, and is its own completely separate circuit powered by four button cells with a very solid/quality feeling center switch. The cabbage-red transparent casing makes for quite the showpiece, displaying the LEDs and IC board/chips within. All of which is mounted atop a remarkably heavy-gauge flat black anodized aluminum cap (it's a single piece of machined aluminum; the endcap that the LED assembly sits on is roughly 5mm thick!)
The light has two modes, click for constant on, click off, click for blink, click off, repeat. Blink mode turns the light on/off roughly three times a second, with the on and off intervals being equal in duration (like a fast turn signal, not an instant flash/strobe). There's a slight delay between the click and the light coming on, so the aforementioned IC chips are clearly not just for show.
Also included is a powerfully magnetic base (also very heavy black aluminum) which screws into the base of the light assembly when it's not on your Mag - theoretically you could store/carry the magnet cap and the stock Maglite tailcap, this would allow the Flash-Cap to instantly become an adhesive work light or strobe while you continue to use your Mag (stick the Flash-Cap on the underside of your car hood to light the engine bay while using the Mag for spot lighting, for instance). There's also a lanyard rope and clip included, if you want to carry it like a flashlight or wear it around your neck.
Overall it's a solid piece of engineering, with a lot of forethought having gone into the design and a lot of quality in the individual components. Aside from the "how many different ways can I use this" factor, this also bumps up the safety use and value of a Mag considerably; in standard use just walking down a sidewalk for example, you now have a complete traffic-compliant lighting system - a headlight up front and a taillight in back. Plus you can always just use the Flash-Cap when the full power of your Mag isn't necessary, saving your primary batteries for when you need them.
And here are the Flash-Cap pictures:
As a side note, the colors in the images are pretty much dead-on, the Flash-Cap itself is sort of a cabbage/beet red color, but the light it puts out is pure red, which is how it looks in use.
2D Mag with Flash-Cap
Closeup view, chips and LEDs; pic isn't blurry, the plastic is
The stock Mag tailcap fits nicely on the magnetic base, creating the world's most durable magnetic pillcase
Business end, the three holes lead down to the LEDs that point straight out
The beamshot; Lighthound keychain light on left, Flash-Cap on right, distance of 1 yard
The profile at night, plenty of light going everywhere
The whole package
In-use
gswitter
Flashlight Enthusiast
The only problem with the flash cap is the nickel (or whatever) coating on the inside (the surface where the stock spring rests). It's flaked off two of mine. It doesn't appear to have affected the Mag performance, but I wonder if there's a little extra resistance in the tail cap now.
Other than that, I really like them.
Other than that, I really like them.
