A tale of three Wildcats.

I have just completed my collection of Malkoff Wildcats, with Versions V1, V2, and V3.
I took them all out in the yard after dark, and compared them for performance.

I have no beamshots, but I will verbally describe the differences, so that interested people might have at least some idea what to expect from these three different versions of the Wildcat.
They are all awesome in their own ways, and it is hard for me to pick out one that I like best. I'm sure it would be a very personal decision.
All lights were tested with an MD3 body tube with 3 CR123 primary batteries installed, and the heads switched back and forth.

First, the specs:

Wildcat V1
Quad-emitter with 4 XRE-Q5 emitters behind individual optics.
600 Lumens OTF at turn on.
15 degree beam angle.
12 volt max input.
Head diameter 1.8", and about 6.75" long with MD3 body installed.
This light is a true spotlight. The beam looks like a miniature version of the WW2 spotlights or searchlights you see in movies. Or like a Follow-Spot seen in stage and movie lighting.
It is a perfectly round projection beam with almost no spill outside the main beam. The beam is evenly lit all across, with practically no visible hot spot. The entire spot is like a hot spot, but it is big and round. It is basically like what it seems to be, which is essentially 4 Malkoff M60 lights in one head, focused to make one big round beam that's about 8x bigger than the M60 beam. It throws the same as my M60, which is about 150 yards down my road. It has the same lovely soft white tint as my M60 too. It lights up almost all the way across my house from 50 yards away, which means it has about a 25 foot beam-spread at about 50 yards distance.
It is a very powerful spot with throw, having great tint, and is one of the most fun lights that I have. It's hard to describe how much fun it is to throw this round spotlight beam around the yard. It's not really a true "flood" in the normal expected sense of that word, but it is a beam that is unique unto itself. It's like "follow the bouncing ball".
The low setting is about 50 lumens with a slight twist of the head, and gives a similar beam shape at a much lower output for general use and battery savings.
Very useful pair of settings, but no moonlight or very low setting.
I give it a "10" as a belt light, but it's not an EDC.

Wildcat V2
Triple-emitter with 3 XPG-R5 emitters inside individual McLeish reflectors.
750 Lumens at turn on.
12 degree beam angle
9 volt max input.
Same size as V1.
This light is quite a different animal than the V1. It is much more "traditional" in beam, with a definite hot spot in the middle, and a gradual spill out the the sides that is quite large. It really floods out my yard and lights a much wider area than the V1 does by far. The spill gradually reduces in intensity as it gets further from the center. Very seamless in nature, and almost a "fade to black" edge of the beam. Really nice. Tint is a bit whiter and possibly slightly cooler than my V1, but no noticeable blue in it, just a nice crisp white.
This beam, while giving the best flood coverage of all my Wildcats, is a little bit distracting because of the noticeable hot spot in the middle of the beam. It's not as "easy on the eyes" because of that. It becomes less noticeable in hot spot with distance, and when I pointed it at my house from 50 yards away, it lit the whole front of my house up and had extra spill to the sides, which means it had wider than a 32 foot wide beam width at 50 yards. In fact, it probably had over 40 foot beam width before the spill faded out at that 50 yard distance. It's a real good flooder, and I like it alot. It throws the furthest of all the three Wildcats I have too, because of that bright hot spot, and I could get about 175 yards of throw out of it, pointing down my dark road tonight. Not a whole lot more than the others, but I'd give it 25 yards more throw, and I could see a few things further out than I could with the other lights. It's a "flood with throw". If I wanted to stand in the back of the end-zone and light up a whole football field with one light, this would be the one I'd take.
It also has a low setting of about 50-60 lumens with a slight twist of the head.
I give it a "10" as a belt light.


Wildcat V3
Triple-emitter with 3 XPG-R5 behind individual optics, and also with an etched diffuser lens.
900 Lumens at turn on.
15 degree beam angle.
9 volt max input.
Same size as V1 and V2.
This is the latest and most powerful version of the Wildcat, and is the current model. It has the least info available out there on the web about it, and I really didn't know what to expect until I got it out into the dark yard. It is sort of a combination of the first two versions. It is not as floody as the V2, and doesn't throw as far as the V2 either. It is sort of like the spotlight size of the V1, but not as defined on the edge. It has a spill that gradually "fades to black" as it gets further from the center, so it lights a wider area than the V1, but not as wide as the V2. It throws about the same as the V1, which is about 150 yards down my dark road.
So, in essence, it has more power than either of the other two Wildcats, but it spreads it out to eliminate any noticeable hot spot, so it's more evenly flooding the area that it lights.
When I pointed it at my house from 50 yards away, it lit up about the same as the V1,which is about 25 foot beam-width at that 50 yard distance. But, it has more spill than the V1, and gradually fades out on the sides, so you see more to the sides with the V3 than the V1, but not as wide as the V2. But you don't get that distracting hot spot that the V2 has, so it's easier on the eyes. And the tint was about like the V2, with a nice crisp white tint, but not soft white like the V1 has.
This is the most "refined" of the three, with the best of all rolled into one. But, it also lacks some of the "fun" of the previous two versions, which gave that super fun "spotlight ball beam" or the massive wide flood with the bright but distracting hot spot. This V3 refines the package and removes the hot spot and widens and fades the spotlight beam to give gradually fading spill outside the main beam, so it gives a very nice controlled flood that is powerful but not eye wearying to use.
And this one has the 50-60 lumen low setting with a slight twist of the head too.
I give it a "10" for a belt light.


So, to sum up.
The V1 is a round evenly-lit spot beam with a defined edge like a ball.
The V2 is a wide flood with a bright hot spot and a little more throw, and a gradually fading spill beam of wide width.
The V3 splits the difference between V1 and V2 with a round spot beam that gradually fades out to the sides, not quite as wide as the V2.

They are all VERY bright lights with great tints and they all share the same size and styling. They all have low settings of around 50-60 lumens with a slight twist of the head.
They are all VERY well regulated and also deal well with the heat, and need no automatic thermal step-downs that other high power lights often need. They all will run on high for more than an hour on 3 primaries in the MD3. They average about one-hour and fifteen minutes on high with that battery setup.


So, how do you pick?
Which one do I like best"
I like them all in their own ways. They are different enough to find things to like about each one. I can't really pick one, but I do have a soft spot in my heart for the V1, because it was my first Wildcat, and there is something about a hand-held spotlight that is too fun for words.
I thought long and hard about the Wildcat before deciding that they would be the focus of my collection, but my real feeling is that the Wildcat might just be the best overall light choice available today. It floods and it throws, and the beams are very useful, the tints are great, and the construction and reliability is the pinnacle of Malkoff quality. If not the very best, it is sure going to be tough to beat. These are some great lights!

Thank you for that very informative and interesting post.

THanks for the info.

I've been interested in the V3 since it was released but didn't want to get a third wildcat if it was pretty much the same... none of the current owners of the V3 seem very helpful however in relation to information or beamshots... I've made numerous requests with no response...

DimeRazorback said:

THanks for the info.

I've been interested in the V3 since it was released but didn't want to get a third wildcat if it was pretty much the same... none of the current owners of the V3 seem very helpful however in relation to information or beamshots... I've made numerous requests with no response...

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I just decided to go for it, since I thought Gene wouldn't release another Wildcat if it didn't have some purpose that made it worthwhile.
And it turns out that it is a refinement of the beam.
I think that the V3 is not as initially impressive as the V2. The V2 is more "wow" right out of the box, the first time you try it out.
But, from what I saw tonight, I think that the V3 will grow on me, and I can already tell that it's going to be easier on my eyes than the V2, and it gives brighter and wider coverage than the V1.
If you already have the V2, then you will probably be a little underwhelmed at first glance of the V3 beam, but if you look at it with the refinements I mentioned in mind, it starts to become clear where Gene was going with this thing.

I don't suppose you have an XM-L Hound Dog to make a comparison to the Wildcat V3? I have always been interested in either one but am not sure what I wanted.

No, I have a Hound Dog XPG, but no Hound Dog XML yet. The XML is a real power hog, and I'm not keen on its run times.
From the beamshots that PoliceScannerMan posted a while back on the Malkoff Shootout Thread, the Wildcat V2 is the closest to the Hound Dog XML. And that thread shows the Wildcat V2 comparison.
The V3 is not as throwy, nor as wide in the spill.
But the central area of the V3 flood beam is wider and more evenly lit across it, than the V2 is. And no bright hot spot in the middle with the V3.
As I tried to convey in my thread, the V3 refines the beam, and eliminates the more extreme aspects of both the V1 and V2, and combines them into a refined combination beam that splits the difference between V1 and V2. And that's what V3 is.
And being more refined, it seems to have less initial "wow factor" when you first fire it up, but it does give a very useful beam that is easy on the eyes and actually more powerful overall with more lumens output, without having annoying things jumping out at you to irritate your eyes. It is a more "understated" beam that doesn't "knock your socks off" visually immediately, but just does its job with less fanfare.
For a guy who wants to turn on the light and impress people in the first 5 seconds, the V2 is better for that. The V2 hot spot is very bright and impressive, and the width of the V2 spill is also impressive. But it's not evenly lit across, and the V3 is better for that, even though that V3 beam doesn't jump out at you as being so impressive at first. The V3 spreads out the evenly lit area much better, and doesn't have as much overall width to the spill area as the V2, so it is more even all across, but not as wide, in more controlled flood beam.
That's the best way I can describe it.

None of these Wildcats will throw as far as either of the Hound Dogs.
My Hound Dog XPG throws about 250 yards down my dark road outside. These Wildcats are at least 75-100 yards less throw than that.
The HD XPG has a lux of about 20k lux in beam center. It throws quite well.
The HD XML appears to throw about as far, but also has some wider spill width than the XPG, because of the larger size of the XML die in the same reflector giving more flood aspect to the beam than the XPG gives. You still get the throw from it because of the brute power of the XML being twice as many lumens as the XPG.

I think the HD XML is a great light, except for the run times. The LED is driven hard to get that power, and it shows with a reduced run time. The run times are shorter with the HD XML than any of the Wildcat run times.
My experience has been that I almost never need 250 yards of throw, so I rarely use the Hound Dog.
The Wildcats throw at least 150 yards, which is all I practically ever really need, and have wider and more useful floody beams for seeing a lot more of the area that I want to see.
I prefer the Wildcats over the Hound Dog by a large percentage.

Thanks for the very detailed explanation twl. The WC V3 sounds like the light I wanted. I am also curious how and if it runs well with an MD2 body.

If I were going to run it on 2 cells in an MD2, I would use a pair of 18350 cells.
It would do better at the 8.4 volts, than it would trying to use a pair of primary CR123 cells.
I'm not sure if it would even stay in regulation with the primary cells, or it might even start the warning flashing for low voltage.
It is designed for 3 primaries or a pair of 18500(MD3) or 18650(MD4) cells, but it could run at a reduced run time with a pair of 18350 if you were willing to accept the short run times.
It would be about half the normal run time, which might be about 40 minutes on high, or somewhere around that.
Gene doesn't discuss a MD2 option for the V3 on the website, but it could be done with a short run time on a pair of 18350 in an MD2.
It would be quite compact.

Also, if you like cool tailcaps, the Moddoo talicap from Oveready will fit on the Malkoff body tubes and looks pretty radical on there.

Thanks twl for interesting information! I have the first version and I find it very impressing, so do all my friends when I demonstrate it. It would serve pretty well as a car light, and excellent as a bike light!
But regarding the low mode I think my example has closer to 100lm, because when measuring with my lux meter low mode is quite exactly 1/6 of the high mode.

Patric

Thanks again twl. I am ok with the much shorter run time as I don't use my lights on max output throughout. Sounds good to me so far.

Swedpat said:

Thanks twl for interesting information! I have the first version and I find it very impressing, so do all my friends when I demonstrate it. It would serve pretty well as a car light, and excellent as a bike light!
But regarding the low mode I think my example has closer to 100lm, because when measuring with my lux meter low mode is quite exactly 1/6 of the high mode.

Patric

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I like using my Warm White Wildcat V1 in an MD4 body with a pair of 18650s as a bicycle headlight. A twofish cyclopblock works very well for holding it on the handlebars. The beam shape is just about perfect for a bike headlight, most of the power is in the evenly illuminated hot spot, and the spill does not aggravate other cyclists and pedestrians. The spill is definitely bright enough for car drivers to notice you. I strapped a solarforce body with an M61W (neutral) emitter to my helmet for backup. The headlight is also useful for lighting up vehicles that are about to pull out of driveways or roll through the intersection after the ever-popular "California stop". No need for low beam while cycling.

The Wildcat V2 in warm white is my favorite belt-carry light. I use the MD3 body with a pair of 18500 cells. I use it to ward off cars while crossing the street, or traversing parking lots and driveways. I just point it at the ground and swing my arms normally. The moving puddle of light really gets attention from drivers, without blinding anyone. With 600 or 700 lumens output, it works well even on blacktop.

TWL, have you acquired any more Wildcats to add to your tale?

Grizzman said:

TWL, have you acquired any more Wildcats to add to your tale?

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No, I haven't added any. I had a V4 for a short time, but sold it.
I like what V1, V2, and V3 offer, and I still have them.
I might give a V5 a try one of these days. But I have moved much of my floody attention over to the Moddoolar pocket triples during the past couple of years. Like a "pocket Wildcat" in a sense.

twl said:

No, I haven't added any. I had a V4 for a short time, but sold it.
I like what V1, V2, and V3 offer, and I still have them.
I might give a V5 a try one of these days....

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You really should try a V5 sometime, at least see one for real ....

I have a V1, V2, and V5, and the V5 is so much different than the others. It's tough to describe the difference exactly, but the "volume" of light just seems massive

Mine is the warm tint version, and I think someone described it like sitting next to a campfire. I'd call it more like real "torchlight", but it is impressive indeed [emoji106]

archimedes said:

You really should try a V5 sometime, at least see one for real ....

I have a V1, V2, and V5, and the V5 is so much different than the others. It's tough to describe the difference exactly, but the "volume" of light just seems massive

Mine is the warm tint version, and I think someone described it like sitting next to a campfire. I'd call it more like real "torchlight", but it is impressive indeed [emoji106]

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I think I will at some point. When I see the right deal on CPFMP, I will try one. I am curious about it, and I like floody lights, and I love Malkoff products.

Lately, I have been chasing smaller pocket lights which I find easier to carry. But when the chips are down, and I need a real rugged performer with great beam quality and good run time, the Malkoffs are what I want in my hands. That's when I will put one on my belt or in my coat pocket or in my car.

I don't blame you for focusing on Moddoolar for triples. I seriously considered picking up the last H1 last night. Had it been a neutral, I would have done it for sure. I'm waiting to see beamshots of the XP-L Wasp.

The Malkoff neutral V4 and TorchLAB V4 neutral H3 LMH have very similar beam characteristics; the Malkoff has a central area that's slightly more focused for somewhat increased throw. The Moddoolar solution is much more compact, while the Malkoff has the awesome low/high interface.

Grizzman said:

I don't blame you for focusing on Moddoolar for triples. I seriously considered picking up the last H1 last night. Had it been a neutral, I would have done it for sure. I'm waiting to see beamshots of the XP-L Wasp.

The Malkoff neutral V4 and TorchLAB V4 neutral H3 LMH have very similar beam characteristics; the Malkoff has a central area that's slightly more focused for somewhat increased throw. The Moddoolar solution is much more compact, while the Malkoff has the awesome low/high interface.

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Yes, I think it is advisable to see some beamshots of the XPL before deciding. They said that there would be more beam artifacts with the XPL than with the 219.

I have had a V1, V2, and a V4, and only kept the V1, but I am dying to try out a V5. It looks like it lights up EVERYTHING in your immediate vicinity.