Two P60 Hosts, a Comparison.

Two P60 Hosts:

1.
- 140mmx32mm (length x bezel).
- Matte Black Type III Mil-spec Hard Anodizing, well matched.
- Tailstanding tailcap with raised edges to protect clicky from damage/accidental activation.
- But no tailcap lock-out.
- Reverse Clicky, twisty/momentary or forward clicky available.
- Low Profile HAIII aluminium crenelated Strike Bezel, stainless steel bezel optional.
- Hexagonal anti-role head design.
- Pre-Bored for 18650 use.
- Premium grade glass lense, coated or ultra-clear optional at cost.
- No led module included, any P60 module at cost.
- Good O-ring waterproofing, not IPX rated.
- High quality precision machining, good reviews, very nice well thought out traditional design.
- Very few issues from customers or incidences of failures, warranty seems well-upheld with any rare issues of tailcap or other problems leading to easy replacement once contacted without the need for return of faulty parts. Replacement can take up to two weeks.
- Price (Stock, from Manufacturer) $17.99 (with twisty high amp tailcap) $22.99

2.
- 125mmx32mm (length x bezel).
- Glossy Black Type II Anodizing, well matched.
- No tailstand, clicky protrudes for easier activation.
- But tailcap lock-out possible.
- Twisty/momentary tailcap, forward clicky available.
- Low profile plastic bezel, stainless steel bezel optional.
- Hexagonal anti-roll head design.
- Not 18650 compatible, only fits 17670 cells in stock form, 18650 bored optional.
- Coated glass lense, ultra-clear optional at cost.
- Good O-ring waterproofing, not IPX rated.
- No led module included, free 6v incan module, any P60 upgrade available at cost.
- High quality precision machining, good reviews, very nice well thought out traditional design.
- Very few issues from customers or incidences of failures, warranty seems well-upheld with any rare issues of tailcap or other problems leading to easy replacement once contacted without the need for return of faulty parts. Replacement is usually a fast turnaround.
- Price (Stock, from Manufacturer) $88 (with forward clicky tailcap and aggressive aluminium strike bezel) $79


Both are from reputable companies with good customer service. Both look similar apart from the tailcap design and anodizing differences. Both take similar if not the same optional extras for bezels, lenses, modules, tailcaps etc. Both have a few pluses and minuses in stock form e.g. twisty tailcap vs reverse clicky, 125mm vs 140mm due to tailcap and bezel designs, tactical vs tailstanding tailcaps, Type II vs HAIII anodizing, flat plastic vs low profile crenelated aluminium bezel, and most significantly in my opinion 18650 boring vs no 18650 boring. One company (Host 2) with quicker turnaround times for US customers, and a longer history and more illustrious reputation.

Price seems the main difference, host 1 costing $18 and host 2 costing $88. So a little less than 5 times the cost of host 1, or the same as host 1 plus a Malkoff M61 module, although there are other cheaper but equally high performance modules (although possibly less durable and with poorer thermal dissipation) available which may take the preference of someone buying the cheaper host.


Just a comparison to save people a little time in research and for your thoughts. Please feel free to PM me if you wish to, and do not already know where to purchase either of these two hosts.

The second one does come with clicky tailcaps in the defender series

Yeah, and an aggressive aluminum strike bezel which brings the length to 140mm like the first. Maybe that is a better comparison after all?

Still a similar conclusion for me however.

It's still shorter, but only by 5-8 mm (1/4 inch) Roughly 135mm



From left to right G2,L2m,6pD,L2m

Oh no, you might have just inadvertently revealed the brands of my two mystery hosts!

I don't see host 1 in that picture though..

Btw, I thought the L2m was a single 16340 light, but yours is full length. Does it come apart in the middle of the body or is it an older design?

Oh, and 'Host 1' is actually a bit shorter than the L2m with the crenelated strike bezel on.

I prefer the versatility of the L2m for a quality budget host, the only L2p I have is a 2007 I believe and it doesn't take 18650's only 17670. None of mine tailstand though

Lots of good P60 hosts out there that are inexpensive. Lately I've preferred the SkyRay/Seraph clone. It's a bit hard to get used to the look, but it feels so good in the hand and for $8 it has been a great host. Very solid build, but like even the expensive lights, keep an extra switch handy.

Hmm.. The Seraph/Uniquefire is a great form factor, but the switch does not react well to high currents (anything above 2A) in my experience. I have to say while I am all for great quality at less cost I'm hesitant to go with brands that haven't got a good reputation and lots of consistent feedback yet. Solarforce are certainly near the very top though in my opinion.

Anyway, let's not turn this into a budget host discussion or it'll risk being relegated to the sadly unnoticable and for non-members inacessible 'Budget' subforum (I never get why the forum that would probably be of most interest to non-members is hidden from them so completely) where all the threads about good but low price lights seem to end up.. :shakehead

My advice to anyone getting a p60 host, get an affordable one, play with the different setups until you find one you like. (led, reflector and battery) and if you like it alot then splurge on a more costly host for sturdiness sake.
If it's going to be a glovebox light or a backup to something else you probably don't need a $100 or more host.
I'm a little obsessive so I have some of each
+1 on the Skyray, I had one and liked it. the tailcap handels 3 amps easily, I sold it to fund something else but i miss it abit

That is some good advice. But as my first post was aimed at I would like to suggest that price does not always reflect the quality of what you are getting.

Price after a point only reflects what people are willing to pay for something, or in other words what people think it is worth, with those with more disposable income and a reason to believe that paying more gets you better having therefore a much stronger say in what something is 'worth'. If we vote with our wallets those with bigger wallets get more votes, but aren't necessarily always accurate in what to vote for

Price often does reflect the quality of what you are buying, but past a point quality itself can be independent of price. Solarforce in my opinion are a prime example of this.

Well I have "host 1" with the high amp tail cap in black HA III. I can tell you that I could not stand to carry it with the stock reverse clicky tail cap but with the high amp twisty tail it gets carried much more. It's a great host IMO but a Malkoff module needs "assistance" to work properly with it. Personally, mine has a single mode High CRI Linger Special and it does very well dissipating heat when using copper tape and thermal paste to mate the module with the host body.

I've also had an unbored "host 2" and a bored version of it's big brother. They do feel a little beefier but for the price "host 1" is hard to beat.