The Maelstrom G5 didn't work, what should I replace it with?

I recently purchased a 4Sevens Maelstrom G5. AWESOME light in every aspect except the beam quality was not what I felt a thrower should exhibit. I don't want this thread to be about doughnut holed G5's, I do however want a similar light in that price range with a nice tight, uniform beam. Would that be the Eagletac TC20c2 MkII or would I be disappointed going there after a G5? Can you recommend me something else?

Looking for a 2xRCR123/18650 thrower with an XP-E or XP-G...

The Malkoff Hound Dog is a good thrower and when used with a MD2 body, works with 18650's. Might not be a bad choice.

I'll back up Lakai on this one - if an XP-G thrower is what you want the Hound Dog has a perfect beam. It might be $50 more than the Chinese lights but what you get for it is a light that you buy directly from the small business that makes them, in the US, and a bombproof warranty+customer service. I won't go into all the other parts for fear of starting fights here but you won't be seeing a Malkoff with a non-centered emitter or a donut-holed beam either.

The only problem is that the Hound Dog is meant for larger bodies and goes up to 12V - it will not run on a single 18650, only 2xCR123s or RCR123s (in the MD2 body).

If you are looking to replace your G5 with exact same beam profile and minus the hole, like these other guys have said, the Hound Dog is well worth it. It will cost you a bit more than the G5, but be assured that there will be no problems with the light.

Plus, you get a high and a low with a simple twist. The only real downside to my particular G5 is that the spacing/twisting between the levels is not even (meaning that I have to rotate just a little bit to get it off of Max to go down to Hi, but then have to rotate the head almost a full turn to go to Medium and then just a fraction of a turn to go to Moonlight).

And, you can use rechargeable with the MD3 and with that body and the HD head, it really isn't that much larger than the G5.

I thought about the HD, but I have a C2 that I've been upgrading lately and the next thing to go in there is a Malkofff M61. Now, I know the M61 is an excellent drop-in, but it's $70 and that is my flashlight budget for the time being... Hence, why I want to get a 1-1 price replacement for the G5. Not only the cost issue, but the HD is a VERY big light and I tend to not use flashlights if I can't fit them in my pocket. If I don't use a light, I try to not buy it in the first place.

Maybe I'll return the G5 and get the M61 with the return money... We are in a recession you know...

the m61 i had was no thrower it was 85% flood

Agree with waddup - for throw get the M60. Oveready and Elzetta still sell them!

waddup said:

the m61 i had was no thrower.

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Yup, The Surefire C2 is an EDC, totally opposite use of what the G5 was supposed to do. I like my EDCs to be floody...

The m60 is better than the m61 but if throw is a major criterion you may be disappointed. Go with the R2 version of the t20c2 if you want a small light that can throw.

michaelmcgo said:

Yup, The Surefire C2 is an EDC, totally opposite use of what the G5 was supposed to do. I like my EDCs to be floody...

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I have a P91 bulb in my C2 and it provides decent throw and flood but short runtime on 2 x IMR16340.

Here is my input, maybe it will help. I have owned the Maelstrom and the Eagletac T20C2 (R2). Still own the Eaglatac. I compared the two with a Tiablo A9 at the same time. I was wanting a light with a tight beam and throw to identify specific objects. The Tiablo was best, but it is larger, (not to large for me) the Eagletac is a beast for it's size and one of my favorites (throws extremely well for it's size). I no longer have the Maelstrom.

Now that I have sent back my two G5s, I had the same question. So I'll be looking closely at the Hound Dog.

As for the ET T20C2 MKII, it's a wonderful light in every way and it's a decent thrower with the R2 drop-in, my only problem with it, which is not a problem for everyone, is that it doesn't have last mode memory so that I can turn it on in the middle of the night on low mode w/o waking up others and night-blinding myself. So I sold it to someone who doesn't mind the issue I had.

As my dedicated thrower, I have the Tiablo A10-G and as my general purpose light that has a very smooth beam with decent throw, is the Olight M20S. But the Olight isn't in the the same class of GP light w/ thrower capacity as the G5 could have been. But it's a great replacement for the T20.

So based on the others recommendations, I would and will look into the Hound Dog and I like that it's made in the U.S. Please keep us informed of what you decide on, so that I can review your choice to see if it would work for me. Best of luck on finding your replacement.

John

I thought hound was too big?

recDNA said:

I thought hound was too big?

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Based on waddup's link showing the difference in size between the Hound Dog and G5, I can see where the Hound Dog's size could be an issue. It looks bigger than my Tiablo A10-G which everyone knows is a true dedicated thrower at over 50K lux and is not a good GP light w/ thrower capacity.

A light I've been looking at that could be the right choice for me and which I'm going to be ordering this next week, but isn't well known on CPF is the Lumapower Signature Tactical GX w/ XPG R5 or it's brother, the Signature Tactical VX w/ SST-50. These lights are two-headed modulars that include a general purpose, default head and a larger head w/ deeper reflector. Based on the reviews I've seen and the beam shot photos these may be the answer to this question of a general purpose light w/ thrower capability and also w/ a nice, smooth hotspot beam. Here's a link to help you:

http://www.helle-taschenlampen.de/review-lumapower-signature-gx-450-lumen-max, and,

http://www.lumapower.com/

Please let me know what you think. Thanks!

John

MIKENC said:

Here is my input, maybe it will help. I have owned the Maelstrom and the Eagletac T20C2 (R2). Still own the Eaglatac. I compared the two with a Tiablo A9 at the same time. I was wanting a light with a tight beam and throw to identify specific objects. The Tiablo was best, but it is larger, (not to large for me) the Eagletac is a beast for it's size and one of my favorites (throws extremely well for it's size). I no longer have the Maelstrom.

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MIKENC,

Like michaelmcgo, I'm trying to replace my Maelstrom G5 as well. I replaced my ET T20C2 MKII with an Olight M20S for my general purpose light with a nice balance of flood/throw and a full hotspot. I have the Tiablo A10-G for my dedicated, single switch thrower.

To replace the Maelstrom with a multi-mode, general purpose light with the emphasis on throw, I elimanated the Malkoff HD (too big), the Olight M30 (too floody) and are now considering the newer Tiablo A9, XPG-R5 and the Lumapower Signature Tactical GX (XPG-R5) w/ Turbo Force head.

Which LED did you get on the A9, the R2 or newer R5? If it's the XPG-R5, are you satisfied that the beam's hotspot is without an obvious donut hole? Thanks!

John

I am in the Hound Dog camp!

I also recommend the Malkoff Hound Dog.

Too big? You can use it with an MD2 body with two CR123 batteries, or an MD3 body with two 18500 batteries, or an MD4 body with two 18650 batteries.

I chose the MD4 body, really clean beam, no donut, great throw and a big smooth spill.

My choice, make yours! ^L^

- Thomas

P.S. Heck, you can always sell it for what you paid, too!

My problem is with the input voltage of the HoundDog. 5v to 12v = why? I want to run it on 1 18650. Why not 3v to 9v so I can use 1 or 2 18650 (I know I can use 2 now but I want to mostly use 1) . I don't really use primaries anymore and 2 rcr123 don't give much run time. If it were not for that, I would be all over this light. again, why 12v? That is ok for 3 primary cr123a but not 4. So only options are 2 or 3 primaries, 2 rcr123a, 2 18500, or 2 18650. Lowering the voltage would allow a sinlge 18650 but disallow 3 primaries which I think would be a great trade off for most of us.

ThomasH said:

I also recommend the Malkoff Hound Dog.

Too big? You can use it with an MD2 body with two CR123 batteries, or an MD3 body with two 18500 batteries, or an MD4 body with two 18650 batteries.

I chose the MD4 body, really clean beam, no donut, great throw and a big smooth spill.

My choice, make yours! ^L^

- Thomas

P.S. Heck, you can always sell it for what you paid, too!

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tre said:

My problem is with the input voltage of the HoundDog. 5v to 12v = why? I want to run it on 1 18650. Why not 3v to 9v so I can use 1 or 2 18650 (I know I can use 2 now but I want to mostly use 1) . I don't really use primaries anymore and 2 rcr123 don't give much run time. If it were not for that, I would be all over this light. again, why 12v? That is ok for 3 primary cr123a but not 4. So only options are 2 or 3 primaries, 2 rcr123a, 2 18500, or 2 18650. Lowering the voltage would allow a sinlge 18650 but disallow 3 primaries which I think would be a great trade off for most of us.

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Thomas,

First, thanks for the input, it's appreciated. Before tre added a response, I was going to say that although the Hound Dog looks like a great option, the head is simply a liitle too big. But then tre brought up a point I hadn't considered right away, I would also prefer to have a 1x18650 capacity option.

But the form factor is moot for me personally, because of the head size issue. Also, I'm one of those who like the option of having all the flashing modes available in a seperate or hidden group for those times, albeit few and far between, that I can visualize needing them as I could have used them in the past. So that's another strong consideration in replacing the G5. Ultimately, I may be trying a third G5 if I can be assured that the beam issue has been "quality control" checked before it's sent to me.

John

jcalvert said:

MIKENC,

Like michaelmcgo, I'm trying to replace my Maelstrom G5 as well. I replaced my ET T20C2 MKII with an Olight M20S for my general purpose light with a nice balance of flood/throw and a full hotspot. I have the Tiablo A10-G for my dedicated, single switch thrower.

To replace the Maelstrom with a multi-mode, general purpose light with the emphasis on throw, I elimanated the Malkoff HD (too big), the Olight M30 (too floody) and are now considering the newer Tiablo A9, XPG-R5 and the Lumapower Signature Tactical GX (XPG-R5) w/ Turbo Force head.

Which LED did you get on the A9, the R2 or newer G5? If it's the XPG-R5, are you satisfied that the beam's hotspot is without an obvious donut hole? Thanks!

John

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jcalvert,

I have not seen the A9 XPG-R5 in person so I can't help you there. My A9 is actually a Q5 with a ucl lens and I really like it for what I use it for. I also like the fact that it has high/low in case I need longer runtime for backup (although low is still very bright, but good for general purpose). Don't know much about the Lumapower. Good luck, Mike