Is Malkoff everything people say?

I bought an MD2 nearly two weeks ago and it died in less than a week. The head was replaced by the local dealer with no issues (thanks James), however the new one has a large dark area right in the middle of the hotspot. So much so that I'm not using it for my evening walks, which is why I bought it in the first place, for the supposedly perfect beam.

I have been wanting one of these for a long time and couldn't bring myself to fork out so much cash for a light that only puts out 260 lumens. Now that I have parted with my AU$149, I feel a little disappointed with the whole experience and now I'm turned off any more purchases of Malkoff gear.

It's hard to believe this is just a one off as it's been two issues with my very first MD and I've not had these sorts of issues with any other light.

Anyone care to defend MD and restore my faith?

That's very weird. I have two M60s and two M61s (+ a Hound Dog and Wildcat V1), no issues at all. Only the one M60 has seen any abuse though, proper abuse, the others have just been used normally.

Firstly you shouldn't accept a donut hole beam. There is something very wrong with your replacement module. :shakehead

Secondly when you've had such bad experiences you might as well try something else. I've been very happy with my Malkoff products but I'm not gonna force-feed someone koolaid when they've had the opposite experience.

I have an MD2 w/M61, a Houndog, and 3 other drop-ins in other hosts and no problems here. Flawless performance and beams. I'd say it's worth another shot. Gene won't leave you hanging with one of his products that has an issue.

Jash said:

I bought an MD2 nearly two weeks ago and it died in less than a week. more details, how did it happen what dropin?

The head was replaced by the local dealer with no issues (thanks James),
Where did you get it, Gene stands behind his products and could fix it.,

however the new one has a large dark area right in the middle of the hotspot.what drop-in did he(james) put in

So much so that I'm not using it for my evening walks, which is why I bought it in the first place, for the supposedly perfect beam.

I have been wanting one of these for a long time and couldn't bring myself to fork out so much cash for a light that only puts out 260 lumens. Now that I have parted with my AU$149, I feel a little disappointed with the whole experience and now I'm turned off any more purchases of Malkoff gear.

It's hard to believe this is just a one off as it's been two issues with my very first MD and I've not had these sorts of issues with any other light.

Anyone care to defend MD and restore my faith?

Click to expand...

Read bolded parts above. Gene has an amazing reputation and for good reason, you should have contacted him first for help. His modules are some of the best available anywhere and are regularly used in "must work" situations.

I agree with the question above, what were the two drop-ins, the M60 or the M61? It sounds like your replacement was the M60, which is the older version - the beam of the newer M61 is by all reports excellent.

And in my experience, Malkoff has unparalleled customer service - Gene has been known to take any reasonable step to make sure folks are satisfied with his products. Drop him an e-mail or a phone call and I'm sure he'll take care of things.

I would be AMAZED to hear of anyone not receiving absolutely top notch CS from Gene or Mrs. Malkoff, they are both extremely nice people and top notch professionals as well. Call them and you will be taken care of immediately. And yes, in my experience, 4xM31LL, 2xM61LL, 2x M61, 2xM60, MD2, Wildcat, and Hound Dog plus others I'm forgetting and not a slight complaint in the bunch, they are the shizz! I love my surefires too but my most used and carried all have Malkoff drop ins.

To be perfectly honest - I think that the Malkoff items are of high quality and I have received nothing but the best of service from them. But, I really don't have much interest in the product anymore. The few drop-ins I have had which were XP-G based just had weird looking beams and odd dark spots in the center.

There is only 1 exception to this which was the MC-E Warm Flood which was a truely beautiful floody diffused beam - and even better with a Hi-Lo ring.

Jash said:

I bought an MD2 nearly two weeks ago and it died in less than a week. The head was replaced by the local dealer with no issues (thanks James), however the new one has a large dark area right in the middle of the hotspot. So much so that I'm not using it for my evening walks, which is why I bought it in the first place, for the supposedly perfect beam.

I have been wanting one of these for a long time and couldn't bring myself to fork out so much cash for a light that only puts out 260 lumens. Now that I have parted with my AU$149, I feel a little disappointed with the whole experience and now I'm turned off any more purchases of Malkoff gear.

It's hard to believe this is just a one off as it's been two issues with my very first MD and I've not had these sorts of issues with any other light.

Anyone care to defend MD and restore my faith?

Click to expand...

Bring it back in and I will sort it out.

Thanks,

James....
www.CoolTorches.com

Thanks James, Will do. I'm down that way on Monday.

There must be a big huge target on my head that says, "Bad luck, aim here!"

I have bought and received and had at least 9 different Malkoff modules or complete flashlights. All of the ones that were brand new worked perfectly using the correct batteries. I have tested them on DC power supplies for their voltage range and regulation and never had any problems. I bought one used one time from some one and that one was dead on arrival. Gene replaced it right away for me no questions ask but I always suspected that the person who sold it was unloading it because he blew it by putting the wrong battery configuration through it and killed the driver circuit which can happen. I will never know for sure. I know that if you over drive them just like anything else then can be destroyed. These M60 and M61 modules are good up to 9V max and some guys just can't believe it and want to take it up to 11 or 12 V to see if it will be brighter hoping it will be okay with the battery voltage sag. They might last 3 seconds maybe not, maybe more. Wondering if some one else had degraded the modules you got, since they didn't come directly from Gene.

I know you will say you bought them as "new" from a retailer but I have serious questions for 2 new Malkoff modules with defects. The center of the beam should not be dark on either the M60 or the M61.

I've dropped close to $600 on Malkoff LEDs and I have been extremely pleased with them. It would be a rare and contrary to most everyone's interaction with Malkoff for them not to make something wrong right.

It's awfully strange that both of them were problem infested but it sounds you have a great local dealer to work with.

So to answer your opening question, yes, in my opinion, Malkoff's are all that and a bag of chips or as you Aussies might say, "He's a dinkum bloke." Hoist a middy or stubby when you get that perfect LED.

While I haven't bought a Malkoff in a while I've owned roughly 10 Malkoff P60 drop ins - some bought on CPF and some bought directly from Gene. One or two from Gene were ones that he never offered on his website - the P7 was one I believe & maybe the MC-E. Great communication, great products & he stands behind it.

Sounds like your local dealer is also standing behind it.

FYI - I use my lights primarily in industrial application, so it's generally not a situation where my life depends on it. If my life depended on it - I would probably have bought more from Malkoff recently.

Just to answer the title of the thread, Yes.

Hey mate,
I've got the M60L, M30, Wildcat V1 and a Hound Dog on it's way... previously I've had a M@g Dropin from Gene that was faulty... It was dealt with swiftly and friendly!
Get the timezones right and I'm sure he'd be more than happy to speak to you and fix whatever the problem is...

Every M60, M30, M31 and M61 drop-in I've purchased has been outstanding. No complaints, no problems and solid performance every time.

I've only ever had one bad experience with a Malkoff product - the Maglite drop-in and I've just been too lazy to contact Mr. Malkoff about it.

And that's because I know the customer support is top notch, so I'm in no rush and I have an M61, M61LL and M60LL all within arm's reach to make up the difference.

-Trevor

Is Malkoff everything people say?
1 word ... YES.

I own ..
M31
M31W
M60L
M60LF x3
M61W
M61WL

Each drop in is a model of perfection.
My hands down favorite vanilla white tint comes from my M61W
M31W is a very close 2nd.

Re: Is Malkoff everything people say?

NO!

I heard it would do my laundry, clean the house and prepare dinner. So far it has only proved to outshine most other lights I've come across.

M61LL & M61 user here.

nfetterly said:

Sounds like your local dealer is also standing behind it.

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Yep.....James is a real stand up guy and a true Flashaholic in every sense of the word.

:thumbsup:

It is a well known fact that Malkoff M60's in a Surefire 6P host will often produce a small gap between the head and body.

But when I got my M60 I wasn't aware of that fact, nor the reason for it.

Sent an e-mail, and Gene himself personally replied with the explanation, within hours!

Ironically I accidently discovered the reason via CPF that same hour, but talk about customer service!

I have also seen Gene personally pop up in threads concerning any problems with Malkoff products, saying something to the effect of "get in touch, we'll make it right, I stand behind my stuff".

And I THINK I saw this happen in EVERY thread regarding a problem with a Malkoff product - which in my observation amounted to maybe three threads since I joined up here...

Of course I would NOT expect such a level of support (from Gene Malkoff himself) if the merchandise were purchased through a third party though...