Help with 6p cree drop in

I know this thing has probably been beaten to death which is why it is so difficult to find up to date information easily on the subject. There is soooo much information, that appears out of date, that I am having difficulty.

From what I have researched, I should get one of those Malkoff drop in LED modules for my SF 6p flashlight. They offer several but they are around $50. For that price, I would just spend a few bucks more and get a new SF 6p led light.

Is there a Cree q5 or better in a decent quality drop in module for a little cheaper price?

livingaboard said:

From what I have researched, I should get one of those Malkoff drop in LED modules for my SF 6p flashlight. They offer several but they are around $50. For that price, I would just spend a few bucks more and get a new SF 6p led light.

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From what I have seen on CPF, most of the Malkoff drop-ins are a drastic improvement over a SF LED.

There are some DX dropins... sku 11836, for example.

I have a 6P LED. I also have had a M60 and an M60W from Gene at Malkoff.

Comparing the two is like comparing the crown vic I drove in highschool to the 350hp WS6 I drive right now. I p'owns the 6P LED. Ugly. Bad. In EVERY way. It is enough difference that if you had a 6PLED and someone showed up with a 6P+ M60 you would pay to rent theirs.

I myself am not a fan of "econo" stuff. I would go Malkoff if you want throw and spill, and Dereelight if you want THROW and a little spill. DX just isn't something I would buy.

BUT if you are a tinkerer, go for it! The fact that you are buying SF tells me that you value durability and quality more than "the bottom line" though.

I've got a Solarforce single mode R2 in my 6P. The other night I compared it with my TK10 shining it at a large tree about 40m away, and the spot, spill and overall output appeared surprisingly similar. They're not a bad option if, like me, you'd be struggling to afford a Malkoff.

Get a Malkoff. If you dont spend the extra money for one now, you will later.... after wasting alot more money on cheaper drop ins that dont perform. If you want good throw and nice spill get a M60. If you want a floody beam, get one of the M60F variants. If you want the color rendering of incans, get one of the M60W variants. I have a $135.00 in my 6P and dont regret one penny of it. A 6P with M60 is almost impossible to beat.

I have 3 Surefire P60Ls in my emergency kit lights (G2s). I have an M60 and M60W in the lights that I actually use. I have one DX dropin (SKU 6090 I think) that sits in a box. I originally scoffed at the price of the M60 but ended up trying one. Then I got another. Well worth it and much easier to find in-stock now days.

livingaboard said:

I know this thing has probably been beaten to death which is why it is so difficult to find up to date information easily on the subject. There is soooo much information, that appears out of date, that I am having difficulty.

From what I have researched, I should get one of those Malkoff drop in LED modules for my SF 6p flashlight. They offer several but they are around $50. For that price, I would just spend a few bucks more and get a new SF 6p led light.

Is there a Cree q5 or better in a decent quality drop in module for a little cheaper price?

Click to expand...

If you had done a good job with your research you would know that the Malkoff's are much more rugged and reliable and if you get the full power one (at the same price as all the other Malkoff's) you are getting close to 235 lumens output instead of a mere 80 lumens output from a 6PL's LED module. There is no comparison at all. Its like night and day. Not to mention a very beautifully smooth beam pattern. Its all posted right here in CPF.

IMHO the P60L is over-priced... not worth your hard earned $$$ IMHO. You'd be better off buying an incan for $42 on ebay and dropping in a DX module for $13 more.

If you are on a tighter budget Lighthound sells Cree modules too. FWIW, I have beaten the snot out of my DX:11836 in my 6P, and it has proven to be just as durable as anything. I have dropped my 6P hard enough to crack the glass window, dent the bezel and rip a chunk out of the tailcap... but the 11836 has handled the shock/impact like a champ. The 18V DC-DC buck converter used in the DX modules has proven to be a very reliable circuit and bomb-proof durability... more durable than its Surefire host.

Its not the brightest thing out there (about 170 Lumens), and its a tight spot throwey beam with a distinct cree ring. Its not spec'd with a color tint, so you are playing tint-lotto on that one. Mine has a warmer/yellow tint. So its not without its flaws, if your preferences do not match up to its strengths.

DX18843 uses the same 18V DC-DC buck circuit, but specifies a WC color tint. The host is.... meeeh, but you can pull the module and use it in a 6P.

No problem at all with the DX 11836 Cree R2 drop-in for nightly use for a month and it's less than 10 bucks now.

To give you an idea of what the color tint lotto looks like on the 11836 heres a white wall shot. 11836 (which does not specify a tint BIN) is on the left, my particular unit has a hint of yellow. The beam on the right is a DIY project that I pulled the R2-WC emitter from a DX14442. Others have suspected DX emitter tint forgery. I have not seen any signs of that in any of my DX modules.