MM/BB Host - Mag vs. Brinkmann Fine Points

I've stuffed a bunch of dat2zip's sandwiches into Minimag hosts for personal use and family members. Some people prefer the Brinkmann Legend as a host. I decided to give one a try. Here are some objective and subjective observations. Maybe they'll make a difference to people considering getting Wayne's creations. To make the playing field level I rated the Minimag with a Kroll tailswitch.

TO CLOSE TO CALL. Construction quality. Tailswitch durability (both feel suspect). Candle mode; the Brinkmann's flat tailswitch is more convenient but the Minimag's head seat is more stable.

ADVANTAGE MINIMAG. The Minimag/Kroll is shorter, and therefore possibly more pocket friendly. The Kroll has a smoother action and better signaling feel. The NX05 optic seats tightly in the Minimag head, holding the centering once set correctly. The Minimag goes into candle mode more easily because its head threads are more coarse.

ADVANTAGE BRINKMANN. Here's the biggie: the Brinkmann tailswitch has less resistance than the Kroll. I measure 0.4 ohms versus 1.1 in my sample. FWIW, the stock Minimag tailcap measures 0.1 ohms, so it should be brighter than the Brinkmann, but then it's not a switch. This makes a difference to brightness. I ran the same module and batteries in both hosts; my old photographic light meter indicates the Brinkmann as about 10% brighter. This difference may be more noticeable with modules that run hard; my testing was done with a Madmax+ w/ Q3. The Brinkmann's rubber grips stay in the hand better.

RULING: It's a toss-up. I would choose the Minimag for mechanics and ergonomics, and the Brinkmann for brightness.

minimags are very common among the mainstream. i like my mm badboy mod. when an average person grabs your flashlight and turns it on they're facial expression just gets me. then they play around and turn it off and on. then they bust a beam in their eye. that's funny!

The Kroll is the big equalizer when it comes to comparing the minimag to the Brinkmann. Whereas if you leave the minimag to its original tailcap, and you have the switch at the head, the light becomes much less desirable to the Brinkmann because the head can easily disengage when the light's being carried. And whereas the up/down movement can affect the LS emitter itself, you also risk loosening and create problems with the contact between the sandwich and the lip of the body.

The Kroll switch is also very finnicky. As it hinges on a single side ring of contact to make ground as well as a single contact point between the 2 springs, as well as its being twisted in and out, it can lose its grounding and needs constant cleaning.

As you can tell, I much prefer the Brinkmann body over the minimag's...

Does the McFlood work with the Brinkmann?

Yes, you can drop the McFlood into the Brinkmann, in place of the NX05...

I have an old Brinkmann and two old minimags.

The Brinkman tail switch has ALWAYS been flaky. Then, I took it apart and had a look at the delicate little metal star thingy and how easily its little legs get bent such that it no longer works. It was unfixable, so now I either have to send it back to brinkmann or trash it.

I have also taken apart the kroll switch.... it has a straightforward design with single point of failure (small spring). had they place TWO small springs to contact the body of the switch, it would have been much more robust and probably offered less electrical resistance, too.

It is clear to me that the (old) brinkmann tail switches are just plain crap. They are too delicate to be serviceable, and they get bent to unworking far too easy.

The tightness of the Kroll is not problem... even for old ladies. take flashlight in hand and press entire flashlight tail first against hard surface.

I have never had a problem with any Kroll that could not be solved. My brinkmann sits a desk away from the trash.

obeck,

I note that you refer to the "old" Brinkmanns. I hope that the new ones (mine) are better in some way. Looking through their website it appears that there are currently at least 2 switch types. They seem to consider the Legend to be their premium line, though that's not clear. Maybe its switch will work out long term for me. I'll post back if it doesn't.

The Kroll appears to have been designed to replace the standard Minimag tailcap. Their design might have been based on the amperage that runs through that tailcap. dat2zip's modules suck about 4 times the amperage compared to a stock Minimag. That may be the problem. Their wire contact system and gauge may just not be up to the task. I seem to have more flickering problems with the Madmax+ than I do with the Badboys; that may be an indication since the Madmax+ draws a lot more power than the Badboy.

I haven't heard enough good about the Ram to try it either. It and the Kroll are overpriced, particularly seeing how they have serious faults. I think there's a market for a good Minimag tailswitch.

I too feel there is a need for a quality tail switch for the MiniMag and would be at the head of the line to purchase several if it were done.
That being said I like the Brinkman and have yet to have a problem with the switch.

My Mr. Bulk LGI is in a 3AA Brinkmann Legend. I've had it since Nov 2002. I've measured the current, and it exceeds 1 Amp on NiMH, and 1.5 Amps with fresh Alkalines. I've run thru a few dozen charges of NiMH batteries (I use the LGI daily to walk the dogs at night.) I have had no problems with the tail switch. No flickering.

I also have a MadMax that was in a MiniMag with a kroll switch. I switched to the Brinkmann Legend 2AA about a month ago as I was tired of constantly having to clean or twist the switch to get a bright or flicker free light. No problems so far with the Brinkmann.

Good input here. Thanks to all. I may well do future gift mods with the Brinkmann. My only concern about it is that my mods include art adhered to the flashlight body and covered with clear heatshrink tubing. The Brinkmann Legend's raised rubber grip would interfere with that. Does anyone know if one of the Brinkmann models has a plain barrel and the good switch?

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Dave Wright said:
Good input here. Thanks to all. I may well do future gift mods with the Brinkmann. My only concern about it is that my mods include art adhered to the flashlight body and covered with clear heatshrink tubing. The Brinkmann Legend's raised rubber grip would interfere with that. Does anyone know if one of the Brinkmann models has a plain barrel and the good switch?

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Hey Dave, Why not just remove the rubber grip from the Brinkmann altogether and afix your art, then apply the clear shrink tube? The recess that is machined into the Brinkmann's body (for the grip) should keep the shrink tube from sliding either direction...
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That being said, I have dealt with over 100 Brinkmann 2 & 3AA lights and only have encountered 3 bad switches..

Out of a dozen Krolls I have, about 1/3rd need some help.. The RAM switches (I have 2) - one of which failed completly and the other exhibited excessive resistance. I had both replaced at Fry's and I have 2 new RAM's that I probably won't ever use..

On top of all this, it's cheaper (about $10) for me to buy a Brinkmann that already has a tailcap switch, whereas the mini-mag costs about $8 + another $5 for a switch. From my numbers above, you can see what I choose to mod..