M30 Triton

I know that the M30 has been around for quite a while and I've read the reviews (that seem to be tepid at best.)

Anyway, I'm looking for a smallish MC-E light with strobe (as an emergency light for breakdowns) to carry in my car's console. Since I carry other stuff in there as well my TK-40 takes up too much room. I'd love to go with an Eagletac M2XC4 but I have small hands so I'm afraid the big handle will be uncomfortable. Too bad there are no 30 day trials! LOL

The Olight M30 without the extender has a nice small head and is only 7 inches long with a narrow body. Size-wise the only thing better would be an MG PLI or an L2P with an MC-E drop-in but then no strobe would be available.

I was waiting for an SST-50 light but none seem to be even close in output to the old MC-E or P7 so I see no reason to wait any longer.

The point is, despite the mediocre reviews, I wonder if anybody out there really LIKES the M30? Considering my size limitations is it worth the money? I don't care much about the PWM problems because the flashlight will almost always be used on high. I have a Quark 123 XP-G in there for low light needs.

I loved my M30.

I just couldn't afford to keep it.

It has a nice beam profile; a nice big hotspot, with plenty of spill. Whack the diffuser on and you have a full flood light.

The UI is simple, and the knurling is rather grippy.

Hope that helps a little. :thumbsup:

I love the M30. I admit I have replaced it with the Thrunite Catapult (in 1x18650 form) to carry outside but at home and in the garden I will carry the M30 (in 3 x R123 form). It is simply a very convenient light to carry bezel down in the pocket which still has a very good output. So you could say it is my home EDC.

i'm guessing you've already seen selfbuilt's review and he seemed to like it...given his experience w/ different makes i would consider his opinion of more value than just about anyone else.

i love mine...its usually the first larger light i'll grab on short-notice. its obviously not a thrower but if you look at the ceiling bounce numbers that different members have posted, you can see that it outperforms most other MC-E based lights...and i think for the sake of practicality a flood beam is usually more useful than a throw beam. the DBS V3 w/ the MC-E is another great light. same size as the M30 but of all my lights this one best straddles the line between flood and throw. i probably get more use out of it than any others, the M30 would be a very close 2nd. i wouldn't give up on the SST's just yet. the nice thing about the DBS is the upgradeability...i'm still looking for an SST-50 pill for it, everyone else who has chosen this route seems to love it. the Catapult is another amazing light but heavy so it may not be the best choice for you.

The m30 has the smallest head of any of those right?
The lux measurements on flashlightsreviews website show the m30 to have by far the dimmest hotspot. I am encouraged to hear some of you like it but everybody seems to like something else better.

That's because most people are fascinated with throw!

If you plan on having it in your car in case of an emergency, I think a more floody light would be a lot more handy then a thrower.

recDNA said:

The m30 has the smallest head of any of those right?
The lux measurements on flashlightsreviews website show the m30 to have by far the dimmest hotspot. I am encouraged to hear some of you like it but everybody seems to like something else better.

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The M30 has one of the dimmest hotspots when you are comparing it to high-powered thrower lights like the M1-X or the Thrunite catapult.

However it was not intended to be a thrower. Rather an all-rounder with good but not incredible throw and a very bright spill.

It puts out just as many lumens as the M1-X but more of these are in the spill rather than the hotspot.

I am very pleased with my M30, which I run without an extender on 2 18500s.

It is very compact like this considering its amazing output of 600+ out the front lumens.

Another nice feature, in my opinion, is the ability to change brightness levels with a side-switch independently of th tail-switch.

This means that for a given brightness level, you have forward momentary on as well as clicking on at that level.

Really, I'm not sure which reviews you were looking at that were "tepid".

As one of the previous posters pointed out, selfbuilt's review was overall complimentary.

The only issue that put off some people was the fact that the PWM is more obvious on the low and perhaps medium levels than some other lights.

You said that this doesn't worry you though (and it doesn't bother me unduly either)

So, in a nutshell, its one of the brightest lights for its size around.

My advice to you would be to buy it. :thumbsup:

the PMW doesn't bother me in the least as well...when you're occupied w/ using the light to do something you won't notice it and when you're outside its impossible to hear its buzzing over the ambient sound unless you put against your ear. i've got a 900lm P7 dive light from DX in addition to the DBS and Catapult i mentioned earlier and the M30 kicks the sh*t out of them in terms of output up to approx 150'. i wouldn't go near an MC-E dropin...i've got one that works fine but can't for the life of me find a P60 reflector that can do it any justice.

the M30 would be perfect to leave in your car so long as you don't leave LI ions in it...certainly not during the warm months. even if you get it to stash in the consule you're gonna find yourself taking it into the house again and again just to screw around w/ it at home. i wouldn't be surprised if you end up leaving it by your car keys rather than in the car.

Thanks for the help!

to share, i am running the Jetbeam M1X on 2x18500s (or 3xRCR123s, unprotected) you tighten the head for max, loosen for IBS mode (which means you can program it for whatever u want it to be).

the minimum mode on the M1X is incredibly low, its even lower than my EX10 on minimum and you can have strobe (at the frequency you like), locator blinkers etc.

I think that the versatility of the M1X is what sets it apart from other multi die emitter lights, the doughnut hole IS there, but IMHO, it isnt that much of a deal breaker, it lights up the area and that's more than enuf for me.

Coupled with that fact that the light LOOKS good, and you have a light that you'd be proud to own.

hyperloop said:

to share, i am running the Jetbeam M1X on 2x18500s (or 3xRCR123s, unprotected) you tighten the head for max, loosen for IBS mode (which means you can program it for whatever u want it to be).

the minimum mode on the M1X is incredibly low, its even lower than my EX10 on minimum and you can have strobe (at the frequency you like), locator blinkers etc.

I think that the versatility of the M1X is what sets it apart from other multi die emitter lights, the doughnut hole IS there, but IMHO, it isnt that much of a deal breaker, it lights up the area and that's more than enuf for me.

Coupled with that fact that the light LOOKS good, and you have a light that you'd be proud to own.

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The M1-X is a great light but its not what the OP is asking about and its too big for his requirements.

To recap from the first post:-

"Anyway, I'm looking for a smallish MC-E light with strobe"

"The Olight M30 without the extender has a nice small head and is only 7 inches long"

DimeRazorback said:

That's because most people are fascinated with throw!

If you plan on having it in your car in case of an emergency, I think a more floody light would be a lot more handy then a thrower.

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This. I got my iTP A6 not even a week ago and I have nothing but good things to say it about it.

How long is the polestar? Can u use energizer lithiums in it?

I love my M30. It's a great light and IMHO, much better suited as a task light than is the TK40, size notwithstanding. I have both lights and like them both, but the M30 seems better suited for your stated needs. You might also consider the Olight M21.

kwkarth said:

I love my M30. It's a great light and IMHO, much better suited a a task light than is the TK40, size notwithstanding. I have both lights and like them both, but the M30 seems better suited for your stated needs. You might also consider the Olight M21.

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From what I've read the output of the m21 is pretty disapointing. Lux lower than m20!

recDNA said:

From what I've read the output of the m21 is pretty disapointing. Lux lower than m20!

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Lux and lumens are 2 separate things:-

Overall output is in lumens.
Lux is a measure of throw.

So your above statement is not very meaningful.
The output of the Olight M21 is between 300 and 350 lumens. This is higher than the M20.
The throw however is less in the M21. This is perfectly understandable as you have a much bigger die in a reflector that is only a little bigger for the M21.

Words like disapointing are also misleading.

The M21 is not disappointing for those who have read the reviews about it and understand what the aim is behind it.

It may be disappointing if you haven't read anything about it and have unrealistic expectations though.

Lumens lower than any mc-e. How could you NOT BE DISAPPOINTED??

recDNA said:

Lumens lower than any mc-e. How could you NOT BE DISAPPOINTED??

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I think your asking a little to much from the M21, to have more lumens than a MC-E equipped light, coming from a single 18650. I think it's a great light, designed for what it's for. If it were any bigger it would render it useless for tac applications (CQB), and it has to be bigger to have more lumens than a mc-e light. I'm one of them who isn't disappointed.

recDNA said:

Lumens lower than any mc-e. How could you NOT BE DISAPPOINTED??

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The Olight M21 is not intended to be in the same league at output as the M1-X, M30, Thrunite Catapult etc.

It is a general purpose light of a smaller form factor.

I really can't see why that is so difficult for you to understand.

It has nothing to do with the fact that it has an SST-50 instead of an MCE.

It has everything to do with the fact that it is driven far less hard.

Agreed, I think you should also look into the M21.

It is even smaller than the M30, and is still nice and floody, without the MC-E "X".