Ah...the upgrade dilemma

ZardHex · Oct 1, 2009

I have my trusty 2D M@glite with the following:

KD alu cammed reflector
Borafloat lense
Resistance mods to the switch and chopped tailspring
Pelican 3854-L
2 x Trustfire protected 18650

ok...a very dependable,handy light...and good runtime!

But...

As my LO bulb is drawing close to the end of its life (and w/ the 3854-H dead from countless experiments; never got it to fire on those trustfires, but after reading alot of posts about various grades of Li-ons here, i now know why :duh2: )

So....

i'm looking for a step up....

I've been combing through the threads about a single bulb upgrade (primarily the WA1111)

I know i need a PR>G4 socket adapter....
and i know i need much better cells....(AW protected 18650, perhaps)

If I (or you in this situation) would be in the position to spend, say maybe $60 USD on an upgrade ($19 shipped for brass FM socket, $30 for pair of AW protected 18650, $10 for the 1111 bulb), would it be considered a worthy upgrade? or should i try a trio of shorter 26500 and bang out a wow-inducing M@g85 for a few bucks more?

....or just order another set of pelican bulbs and be satisfied

btw, it would be nice to keep a 30min+ runtime, if possible...and my same charger (2-cells, but no overcharge cutoff)

lctorana · Oct 1, 2009

I say go with the 6AA battery holder option.

Then, with your G4 socket when you get it, you can try the 1111, the 1274, and even...

...the 5761.

And still drop in another 3853H or L as you wish. Or a 6-cell Mag Xenon LMSA601 for runtime.

maxspeeds · Oct 1, 2009

In 2 cell mag hosts, I continue to use the ROP Lo bulb as it is more than bright enough and has excellent runtime. I suggest buying more of the ROP Lo

Outdoors Fanatic · Oct 1, 2009

ZardHex said:
I have my trusty 2D M@glite with the following:

KD alu cammed reflector
Borafloat lense
Resistance mods to the switch and chopped tailspring
Pelican 3854-L
2 x Trustfire protected 18650

ok...a very dependable,handy light...and good runtime!

But...

As my LO bulb is drawing close to the end of its life (and w/ the 3854-H dead from countless experiments; never got it to fire on those trustfires, but after reading alot of posts about various grades of Li-ons here, i now know why :duh2: )

So....

i'm looking for a step up....

I've been combing through the threads about a single bulb upgrade (primarily the WA1111)

I know i need a PR>G4 socket adapter....
and i know i need much better cells....(AW protected 18650, perhaps)

If I (or you in this situation) would be in the position to spend, say maybe $60 USD on an upgrade ($19 shipped for brass FM socket, $30 for pair of AW protected 18650, $10 for the 1111 bulb), would it be considered a worthy upgrade? or should i try a trio of shorter 26500 and bang out a wow-inducing M@g85 for a few bucks more?

....or just order another set of pelican bulbs and be satisfied

btw, it would be nice to keep a 30min+ runtime, if possible...and my same charger (2-cells, but no overcharge cutoff)

Just get quality cells and a proper bulb for your setup and you're good to go! You don't really need special sockets or adapters... Just pop in 2x 25600 IMR cells and a 3853 ROP-High bulb, it will cost you much less than 60 bucks...

ZardHex · Oct 2, 2009

Ahha! So i can see where the 3853H 7.2V could outshine my 3854L 6V on a solid set of batteries....i was looking at LuxLuthor's thread and it looks like i could get a nice little boost over my present lo-bulb (as i doubt my fully charged TFs are giving even an honest 8.0volts@the bulb, let alone 8.4V that the IMRs could) I may just give this a try :thumbsup:

One question:

The 26500 is the largest cell at the moment right? If i were to use my cheap charger (from DealExtreme: XXC-4.2V1A) would i have to babysit the cells as they charge, since i don't see anything on Lighthounds description of the 26500 as being protected?

...and i would hate to run them down too low and kill them (these are my only concerns with li-ons...maybe i'm just lazy

Outdoors Fanatic · Oct 2, 2009

ZardHex said:
Ahha! So i can see where the 3853H 7.2V could outshine my 3854L 6V on a solid set of batteries....i was looking at LuxLuthor's thread and it looks like i could get a nice little boost over my present lo-bulb (as i doubt my fully charged TFs are giving even an honest 8.0volts@the bulb, let alone 8.4V that the IMRs could) I may just give this a try :thumbsup:

One question:

The 26500 is the largest cell at the moment right? If i were to use my cheap charger (from DealExtreme: XXC-4.2V1A) would i have to babysit the cells as they charge, since i don't see anything on Lighthounds description of the 26500 as being protected?

...and i would hate to run them down too low and kill them (these are my only concerns with li-ons...maybe i'm just lazy

26500's are the largest IMR cells, there are larger li-ions of awful quality. Don't bother with them.

IMR chemistry (LiMn = Lithium-Ion Manganese), unlike Li-Ion (LiCo = Lithium-Ion Cobalt) are a 100% safe chemistry thus they don't need any kind of protection. So as long as your chargers works within specs (charges up 4.20v) you should not need to babysit them.

lolzertank · Oct 2, 2009

Skip the little 26500s and go for a 26650. Batteryspace has a nice one with 4000mAh of capacity. Add a 3853-H bulb since the 3854-H bulb will flash. Alternately you can go with A123 cells and a LiFePO4 charger if you're looking for 20 minute charge times.

ZardHex · Oct 3, 2009

lolzertank said:
Skip the little 26500s and go for a 26650. Batteryspace has a nice one with 4000mAh of capacity. Add a 3853-H bulb since the 3854-H bulb will flash. Alternately you can go with A123 cells and a LiFePO4 charger if you're looking for 20 minute charge times.

charge times arent so important...i usually use this light in 1-3 minute sessions, so i can go a few days(or weeks) between charging ...i usually just charge overnight...now for this:

LiFePO4 26650

$8.95/cell...i'm all about saving money....are they at least a cut-above my Trustfires?

And also:
Is there a thread (including medium-range beamshots) comparing the output from such a setup(3853H to other similar lower output hotwires, like my present 3854-L ROP? (in stock mag head, no addons or larger reflectors:thinking

ZardHex · Oct 4, 2009

Nobody?

I guess I'll just buy some more 6v pelicans...thanks to everyone who responded lovecpf

Ah...the upgrade dilemma

ZardHex

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lctorana

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maxspeeds

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Outdoors Fanatic

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ZardHex

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lolzertank

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