Is it wrong to Mod a older or rare McGizmo?

I am wondering... I know there are some rarer McGizmo lights out there and I wonder how people feel about modding/upgrading the LEDs in some of these older or rarer lights.



I see a thread just started with a XP-G mod to a XR-19 PD. I've modded my XR-27 PD to a neutral XP-G with a McR27S reflector and had the high bumped up to 833mA. I've also modded the LEDs and reflectors of a few other less rare but older McGizmos.



My take is that these lights were made to be easily upgraded and keeping them current makes them more functional.

What if you sent them to Don for upgrading? That would definitely keep them in good stead.

There just seems to be something not-quite-right about modding a McGizmo light, regardless of what's in it.

To me, it's like taking a lamp by Louis Comfort Tiffany and putting new, updated guts into it and changing out the glasswork for new glass.

Personally, I would go to Don about modding it. :thumbsup:

I say mod away (LED) if it is something that you think will make your McG more current with todays available warm/neutral LED offerings.
These lights are tools (IMO) & keeping them current with the latest LED's is part of the fun of owning such a great light.

I am currently entertaining the thought of modding my HA-McLux III PD with either a neutral XP-G or transforming it entirely into a mule based light. Frankly, an aluminum PD MULE would suit my needs far more than an updated thrower.

I think the question is worded wrongly. No,it's not wrong to mod a McGizmo, but it might not be smart depending on who you are, and what you're objectives are. If you want to upgrade, you could send it to Don if possible.

In the mod camp, we have people who want what they perceive to be the ultimate light which Don didn't deliver on, or the technology simply wasn't available at that time. Either way, the light is no longer a true McGizmo. It's a collaboration. This may be good or bad depending on which side of the fence you're on.

If you mod a light like a LS 20, or 27, it will soon become old technology. In other words if you want the latest and greatest, you must keep upgrading....a never ending cycle of money and effort which takes you even further from the original. If you don't, you're not too far removed from the original light...except it will never be original.

The purist camp says although there will always be improvements in technology....why chase it. They believe nothing can surpass an original. Yes, technology can surpass, but the intrinsic value of the original is more important than the latest and greatest. Many people chase technology. That's what drives our economy in may respects. Is it wrong to chase technology ? No. Is it wrong to mod an older or rare McGizmo ? No, but it may not be smart depending on who you are and what you're objectives are.

I'm basically a purist, and not a sheep who chases technology. I'm an independent thinker. I also only have one McGizmo, and in fact only one flashlight. I'm not a flashaholic. Just someone who saw the intrinsic value in a LS27, and I will not lose that intrinsic value, or it's essence no matter what the latest and greatest may be. My light does everything I could want, and does it well. It's not a collaborative. It's not the last word in coolness, but it's an original McGizmo, and authentic. There is a quiet satisfaction in that, and one that serves me well.