About to pull the trigger: Jetbeam Fenix Malkoff (Night Hike)

Okay, to start, I was initially only going to get two flashlights, but after spending some time on CPF, I realize now that: one is none, two is one, and three is fun.

So, I ended up getting a Surefire 6P bored for 18650. I am waiting for my Malkoff M61W dropin. For night hikes, good runtime and good number of lumens, what two additional lights to the Surefire/Malkoff would you pick:

1) Jetbeam III-M Q3 (warm) + Jetbeam III-M Q3 (warm) (cost-effective)
2) Jetbeam III-M Q3 (warm) + Fenix TK12 R5
3) Fenix TK12 R5 + Fenix TK12 R5
4) Jetbeam III-M Q3 (warm) + Malkoff MD2 + (Malkoff dropin? M61W?)
5) Malkoff MD2 + M60LF + Malkoff MD2 + M60LF (priciest option)

Or will this be too many flashlights? Backup to a backup to a backup?
This thread was resurrected because of the forum maintenance.
The Coach mentioned going Malkoff. In your real-life tests, is 100 lumens good enough for you to hike at night, scout at night?

The other lights you mentioned are all pretty much exactly the same as the 6P+M61, except not as good. They are all the same type of light. What you need is something smaller with a low mode.

Quark AA
Surefire E1L
Jetbeam Jet 1 Pro

Brasso said:

The other lights you mentioned are all pretty much exactly the same as the 6P+M61, except not as good. They are all the same type of light. What you need is something smaller with a low mode.

Quark AA
Surefire E1L
Jetbeam Jet 1 Pro

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Thanks for the advice, again Brasso. When you wrote "except not as good" are you referring to the reliability, or more the light quality, or both?

I realize the Jetbeam III-M is customizable and allows a low-mode if programmed, and would have more runtime over the Jet 1 Pro you mentioned. Do you still like the Jet 1 Pro over the JetBeam III-M with this information?

The Malkoff MD2 can switch to low as well with the brass ring, but it is another $25 + shipping, and it's currently out of stock.

I Agree, you should be getting a small backup light powered by AA or even CR123. Also I would suggest you get a headlamp.

Main light
Headlamp
Backup

That will be enough for what you need.:thumbsup:

Ian2381 said:

I Agree, you should be getting a small backup light powered by AA or even CR123. Also I would suggest you get a headlamp.

Main light
Headlamp
Backup

That will be enough for what you need.:thumbsup:

Click to expand...

Cool. How's about that new Headlamp from Fenix the HP20? It has a separate battery compartment that goes on the belt. Release date in a few weeks.

Though some of my friends don't, I truly enjoy night hiking. After several years of trying different things, here is what I believe:

1) Don't try and have one light do two things. It is better to have a more floody light to do the actual walking/hiking with, and a thrower for spotting trail blazes/seeing what those glowing eyes are attached to...

2) Have a low mode/separate smaller light for reading maps/looking at signs, etc.

3) Have a long running light of medium brightness with you in the event your main light has issues.

A thrower is great for distance, but a tightly confined beam will just make you miserable when doing the actual hiking. Not being able to see far enough is not fun either.

I do short night hikes 2 - 3 x/wk and usually carry two lights. One is my Quark XPG NW with an 18650 body; great flood and on max comes pretty darn close to the "wall of light" thing... Also, the four different levels are nice for different situations, and I can lego it with the AA2 body it came with or the separate AA body I bought. And, with the 18650 it runs a loooooong time...

If you're already getting one 18650 light, may as well run with it to economize on batteries, chargers, etc.

The other light I take along on night hikes is my Jetbeam ST Pro; also has 18650 compatibility and significantly out throws the Quark. I typically carry the Quark in my left hand with a lanyard on my wrist and my hiking stick in my right hand, with the ST in my left pocket. That way I can let go of the Quark to grab the ST when I want it without dropping the Quark, and without having to let go of my stick. I use a 4Sevens hand strap on the ST for a secure grip when I'm using it.

I also use the Quark on my bike as a handlebar light with a two-fish bike block, and when I get off the bike, it's a 5 sec. job to pull it off and stick it in the Nite-Ize pock-its I keep strapped on the right side of my messenger bag. In that situation (Quark on the handlebar) the ST becomes my main handheld light.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I favor lights that have a wider use range; the Quark for its floodiness, lego-ability, and wide range of modes, and the ST for throw and with the IBS UI I can set it to have both very low and max outputs so either one by itself is sufficient. But together they work great as a team and I can freely interchange the 18650's between them if needed.

Oh, and don't worry about feeling like you'll be carrying too many lights... All told, when I'm out for a bike ride at night, I've got the Quark on my handlebar, the ST in my messenger bag, my RRT-0 on my helmet, and my EZAAw on my keychain; four lights total. Hell, I even carry a spare AA and 123 in my messenger bag as well so i'll have them if needed.

A floody Quark tactical would be very beneficial on a night hike.
I have several - my fav is my Quark 123²T NW XP-E Q35A w/18650 tube.
The extra 'help me' modes are ready if you need them.:thumbsup:

Maybe add a Quark MiNi AA NW w/Eneloop as a backup.

You could also just get crazy and add the Zebralight SC50w Cree XP-E Neutral White .. still floody but a tad throwier than Quark MiNi AA.
Diminutive size - ultra low - low - 2 mids - high- slow strobe (more like a beacon mode). Runs ALL AA cell types - is a monster on a 14500 Li Ion cell.
I have one - love it love it love it!

For the price of two MD2's, you can get a Malkoff Hound Dog. I can only imagine how throwy it is, since it apparently blows away the Wildcat in this regard (and I am quite impressed with the Wildcat). Runtime isn't an issue --particularly on low-- especially if you get the 4x CR123/2x 18650 body. Of course, the Hound Dog is a bit bigger than the standard MD2, but I think it's worth every extra inch and ounce. It's also cheaper than the Wildcat.

Despite some of the quality issues the first light I'd grab for a night hike is my Quark Mini 123.

The 3 lumen low setting really is perfect on a truly dark night, and that'll run for SIX DAYS.

The 40 lumen medium setting will go 8 hours. WAY more than adequate for lighting up the trail.

The 189 lumen high setting is really overkill unless there was a "What the hell was THAT moment".

The beam profile is perfect - floody, but has just enough throw to do the job in terms of seeing out 75 feet or so.

Of course I'd have my 6P/M60 as well, but realistically I'd almost never use it (unless I was on a CPF night hike!).

But even when I went on a CPF night hike I never actually "used" my M60 - sure I fired it up, but the Quark Mini was my actual trail walking light.

I ran up ahead of the group quite a few times to test out the low modes (and wow I had to run far ahead, the rest of the gang looked like some kind of SWAT team lol!)

In the true dark the Quark was absolutely the perfect light for the trail.

Yeah, the need/desire for a really low mode was one of the zen moments I have been having in the last few months. If you know the trail well or if you are walking slow or if there is a moon, etc. you really don't need much light at all. I used to feel super proud about having the brightest light of my friends on hikes, but now I realize that it kills off your night vision completely and in a way detracts from some of the fun of exploring things a little at a time. Although I am a total 1x18650 guy (most of the time) the Inova T1-MP at 100 lumens has a beam that is about as perfect for hiking as it gets. The beam is just an amazing flood, the light is built like a tank, the threads are melted butter, and the switch is a real joy. Pop in some RCR123s and you are all set. Now, you should have a dedicated thrower to go with the Inova if you decide to go that route, but it just goes to show that 100 lumens are plenty. The newer emitters (the Inova has a K2) will bring increased efficiency, which means a cooler, longer running light. I forgot whose signature it was (is?) but it said "bright, small, long running, choose any two." Well, we are getting closer to the point where you can have all three at once.

would pick option two of your list, so that I had one of each brand.
Out of my own lights I would take my Fenix TK11 thrower with good spill,
quarkAA2 great flood for close range and fenix LD20 as a back up.
With the nite-ize headband both the quark and the LD20 can be used as a headlamp

Thanks all for the insight.

I am just freakin' out a bit more because of lights now. I was actually on a trail when my DealExtreme cheapies failed - all at the same time. I did not have my Fenix light with me. It was bad at some parts, but luckily some ambient light. I have since become quite finicky about reliability, durability and such. I have a Surefire 6P because of the reliability. My other reliable light is a Fenix. I had a Wolf Eyes, but the lens cracked after a fall from height of 3 feet.

Interesting to note that brighter isn't always brighter, at least not in all cases. I guess the CRI would factor into this with the warmer bulbs. But lots of good info here from experienced night hikers. I actually saw some people go into a park at night with no flashlights at all. oo:oo:oo:

No prob, hope I helped a little. I like diversity in my lights, even though there's not alot of dealers locally that carry high end. Have a good hike, remember cougars are only a good thing late at night when your in a bar

As others have said, you would be best served by getting lights that complement the excellent build you have already!

You are right in leaning toward warm tints for outdoor use!

I'd suggest a Surefire Aviator Incan, with y/g or red secondary leds. They are going for a song these days on marketplace (I know, because I have about a dozen of them).

Then I'd get something with a lot of punch, even if not warm tint. Maybe an Elektrolumens DeCree XP-G EDC, or the Fenix TK11 is a good thrower too. Both of these can use 18650 cells.

Lastly, I think you should get a 1x123 light of some kind. An HDS RaClicky would be ideal, but less expensive choices would include Surefire E1L or maybe a PeakLedSolutions light that you can custom order?

GL!

Good recommendation on the HDS Clicky Custom. Ultra reliable and nifty UI. It adds the extra light level option the Jetbeam doesn't (Jetbeam III-M). But, the III-M has it's place.

If I could just throw a monkey wrench in your choices...

Have you considered getting two smaller lights that both use the same type of battery and give you some use options?

AA: Quark MiNi AA or Zebralight SC50w flashlight + Zebralight H51 headlamp

123: Quark MiNi 123 or Zebralight SC30w flashlight + Zebralight H31w headlamp

This is just a thought - it may not appeal to you at all.

However, the notion is best exemplified not in a flashlight brand name, but having multiple good flashlights from multiple good brands -the idea of a backup to a backup. With that, I feel it would be correct in combining Surefire, Jetbeam, Malkoff, Fenix, HDS, Olight, Quark, etc.

I agree, how other lights will combine together and complement each other light's traits and advantages.

And I will watch out for cougars. I will look into purchasing a blade, pepper spray.

Right on :thumbsup:

I changed my thinking a little Re: Night Hikes.
Try to use the minimum amount of lite you need. Powerful lites like Malkoff M61 really leave a visible signature that can freak neighbors out, if they are not educated. Just depends on where you are. If you are rural enough, it shouldn't make any difference.

Imagine someone seeing powerful tactical 300 lumen lites in the woods next to his house... People think it's a search lite, one of these powerful HID devices. They cannot visualize a small minimag sized lite generating that kind of power.

I still EDC a 6P with Malkoff M61 but primarily use something like Gerber Infinity, 1xAA lite, if the conditions demand it, or better yet, the MiniMag with SMJLED module. They are both floody and harder to see from the distance.