McGizmo Haiku or Mac's Tri-EDC (which one to get first!?)

I started out with cheaper smaller lights over the years before working my way up through some Nitecore, Sunwayman, Fenix, Peak, Surefires and P60 Lego/malkoff combos. I recently picked up a High CRI Mule for photography work and really like it, but I find it to be kinda specialized and not as much like a regular flashlight as I envisioned. As many do on the forum it takes a while sometimes, but eventually one ends up in custom high end light territory after you realize though expensive, they can be worth the money in the end. Instead of spending $60-$100+ each on 4 or 5 lights per year, I have decided to just save up about $100 per month until I can get a really amazing $400-$500 light and call it good for awhile. My other thought is that I have been carrying an Eagletac Ti AA clicky everyday and love it, the light is one of the best performers for its size that I have, as far as flood and output (the neutral tint is decent on my copy) and it was only $60. Hype, top quality materials and craftsmanship aside, are the $450 lights that much better? In performance alone would they blow away the $60 Eagletac? I have read up on both Mac's and McGizmo but have not found a thread comparing the two, weighing the pros and cons of each or showing beamshots head to head. I really like the idea of a blazing 3 led Macs but I LOVE the design of the Haiku and find it to be one of the best looking lights I have seen. In a perfect world I'd get my Haiku, then save up again and get a Mac in Ti (or copper, I like that copper!) Open to suggestions or comments from anyone with experience or insight, or links to threads I may have missed. Thanks a lot CPF!

Espionage Studio said:

I really like the idea of a blazing 3 led Macs but I LOVE the design of the Haiku and find it to be one of the best looking lights I have seen. In a perfect world I'd get my Haiku, then save up again and get a Mac in Ti (or copper, I like that copper!) Open to suggestions or comments from anyone with experience or insight, or links to threads I may have missed. Thanks a lot CPF!

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I feel like you may have answered your own question. I don't have alot of experience with high end lights and like you I have had enough of the chinese connection for now. My first McGizmo, a Haiku XML 2xAA, is on its way. I've done alot of looking around the different forums, picture threads and FAQ's and agree with you about the Haiku being the best looking light out there IMHO especially the 1x123 version. I believe the output will be more than adequate for a general purpose/camping light unless you are a lumen junkie, around 200 lumens if memory serves me. Hard to deny the fine looking lights from Mac also. I will definitely have one at some point.

By the way , I also have the Etac AA Ti Cl and it is a sweet little light if I can just get one that works! My replacement is in the mail. While it is a good light for 60 bones, I think it will pale in comparison to the Haiku, at least in looks and quality. Receiving two lights in one week just gives me a stiffy.:laughing:

Thanks for the input! Another question was which has the floodiest beam, from what I have seen the Mac Tri has a monster hot spot but not as much flood as I would think a triple led with no reflector would have.

Well I started like you and had a lot of high end chines lights and then jumped to Macs lights and brought 2 of the his lights (EDC XML and the SST50 versions). Then due to lack of funds I had to sell those and bring a mule and a Haiku. I still have my original haiku but went through 2 mules and to be honest I too felt that the mule is very specialized and since I don't even have a photography hobby, I traded it to a Makai 3V which is magnificent.
To tell you the differences that I loved about the Haiku XML 3v. Best beam profile I have EVER seen and that is probably an understatement also. I love this beam and its actually now my only EDC. It has great run-times and uses Rechargeable and probably brighter than 200 Lumens although its rated at about 200 like bushmattster posted above. The build quality is soo different than the chinese Jetbeam and Sunwayman lights which I happen to have owned both. Its different and feels way better.

I also happen to have a tri edc on order from Mac, an orange cerakoted one which is gonna be my around the house and new apartment light. I think that Mac and Don are 2 of a few gifted custom builders in the world . (others include Cool fall and Jhanko)

There is no doubt that the machining and craftsmanship is top notch on these lights. The clip on my mule is so badass, that when I try to pull it out of my pocket, the pants damn near come with it!

I happen to have an XP-G Haiku and a Ti Tri HI CRI in my pocket right now. :naughty:

It's hard to say which one is better. I have been EDCing the Haiku for more than a year and I love it. I just got the Tri and had it modded by flucero28 to new emitters and a driver reprogram and I'm growing to love it too. I am carrying both together for now.

In terms of footprint and ergonomics, it's almost a wash. Very similar size and hand feel, love both. Similar clips, both work great, Don's is prettier. Both use McClickies. Similar toughness and reliability. One plus to the Haiku is the CR123 and RCR123 compatibility and the ability to use Don's 123, 2x123, 2xAA paks or other SF E series parts. The Tri really only takes IMR 18350, which is a hassle. The Tri has a big giant floody hotspot if you like that beam pattern. You could say the XM-L Haiku is probably similar beam pattern, but only cool tint is available as opposed to the Tri where you could get cool, neutral or HI CRI. The Tri puts out way more light, but has crappy runtime on high and gets super hot, while the Haiku is more reasonable when used on high even longer periods. (I had my high dialed down quite a bit to correct those 'issues' and added a moonlight mode) If you want a little more throw, and conventional reflectored beam pattern with HI CRI quality the Haiku with the Nichia 119 is a great light though you lose some lumens.

That's a few of the things that spring to mind right now. Let me know if there's anything else I can compare for you.

Personally I say buy both. :rock:

Haha! Boooooooth! Thanks nbp, honestly I am leaning that way, think I will go Haiku first and Mac sometime in 2013 if all goes well. I'm wanting a High CRI Haiku (not sure how the beam shape compares to xp-g Haiku, but assuming it is similar) From what I can tell in photos, the Mac Tri has a huge round hotspot, but not necessarily a floody wall of light, am I mistaken on this? Between the 2, are they pretty close in the flood category? Kudos to you for carrying 2 of these killer flashlights at once!! Such a true CPFer all the way ;-)

Yes, more or less the XP-G and 119 are similar. The XP-G may have a little more spill, while the 119 has a little more distinct hotspot with a touch more throw. Less lumens, but the smaller die seems to throw a bit better when I handled one. The Tri does indeed have a huge round hotspot. It's not like the Mule (another superb light you will need to buy at some point :devil where it is pure flood with no throw but it is more of an even disc of light rather than a bright hotspot and dimmer corona like most reflectored lights. If I can get any decent beamshots between them I'll try to. I quite like the Tri's beam shape personally, but I'm more a flood guy anyways. That's why it's nice to carry both. Up until just recently when I got the Tri I had been EDCing a Ti Mule XM-L with my Haiku for about a year, so you can see how I tend to run: one throwier light with one floodier light.

Some eye candy to help you open the wallet.... :naughty: They're not cheap and I'm not even close to rich but they were all worth the money!


Haiku and Tri


Haiku and Mule

Really like the photos! Those lights are nice on the eyes! Looking forward to trying them out at some point for sure, I'm interested in a warm or HCRI XP-G from what Ive read from you so far. My one question is between the xp-g haiku and the Tri edc, which has the floodier spill? I like a good ample amount of throw, but also prefer a big smooth dose of wide spill to go with it. Normally I'd think and XML would be perfect but from what ive heard, Don doesn't offer it in warm or high cri tints. Is a person ever satisfied and content with what they have? Someday hopefully!

nbp said:

Some eye candy to help you open the wallet.... :naughty: They're not cheap and I'm not even close to rich but they were all worth the money!


Haiku and Tri

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That tri is beautiful! Great looking duo of lights. The Zero Tolerance ain't bad either.

bushmattster said:

That tri is beautiful! Great looking duo of lights. The Zero Tolerance ain't bad either.

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Thanks very much. Carefully chosen tools that are a pleasure to carry and use. I don't do shelf queens, so they do actually get carried every day. The 0551 is sweet! I bought it to keep me away from real Hinderers and to be honest I haven't really thought about an XM-18 since I got it, so it worked. For me, this is a great knife.

@ ES: I took a couple Haiku vs. Tri beamshots today. I will post them when I get to a PC, and hopefully they will help explain what I mean.

are the $450 lights that much better?

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If you use them every day you will drop them every now & again. Super strong Ti lights like the Haiku & Tri tolerate an unbelievable amount of abuse. While working under an oil dripping machine today my Sundrop (lens focused flood, high CRI) dropped first about 12" onto a cast iron table, took a nice bounce & dropped another 48" onto concrete. The light was on high setting & the LED never flickered - no surprise. What is amazing is that there is not a single new scratch or dent anywhere.

A thinner Ti light might not have come out so well & an aluminum light (even a Surefire) would show some injury. Both Don & Mac makes lights that are practically impossible to kill. I try.

For real! Barry does not baby his lights at all!


Ok, here are my attempts to show beam pattern with an iPhone. Both lights on high (about 185 lms for Haiku XP-G and 300 for Tri HI CRI), on a table 5 feet from the wall. I find that the pattern holds true out to further distances as well.

Haiku



Tri




So, you can see that the Haiku has a bright hotspot surrounded by considerable spill. It throws farther, and also interestingly enough, has a wider total spill than the Tri does. However, there is a significant disparity between the brightness of the hotspot and spill. It's not a problem, just the result of a smaller die with a reflector. The Tri does not reach as far, and may have a slightly smaller total beam pattern, but the brightness is pretty consistent across the beam, with the 'hotspot' and 'spill' being far less distinguishable from each other. It is more of 'disc' of light, if you want to call it that. Reminiscient of the SunDrop but brighter and less ringy.

Does that help at all? :thinking:




Just for fun, my Ti EDC pocket dump.

Espionage Studio said:

Precisionworks, very hard to mess up the Ti. I didn't realize they were so tough as to not even get a scratch from a drop like that. Impressive!

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YMMV because the way it impacts has an effect. I dropped one Ti light from five or six feet onto concrete and the impact left a small ding that could be felt. Rubbed it out with 320 grit silicon carbide paper & never noticed it again. By comparison my aluminum Aeon fell less than three feet, landed at roughly a 45° angle tail first & got a big mark. Had to file that one out & it's easy to see where it hit.

For real! Barry does not baby his lights at all!

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LOL

The part that amazes me is that a Sundrop & Ti PD-S get carried for 40+ hours every week & show very little effect. This after about four years & 8000 hours of EDC. Pretty certain that the Tri would have held up just as well but it didn't exist way back then

Espionage Studio said:

nbp, Thanks so much! That helps out even more. I was going to joke around about you have those two on you and a Mule tucked in your sock for backup...but I see you have what appears to be a Mako? Is it a mako flood? I could keep going all day here on just the lights YOU carry ;-) Thanks again for the pics, very cool. Precisionworks, very hard to mess up the Ti. I didn't realize they were so tough as to not even get a scratch from a drop like that. Impressive!

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Excellent! Glad that is helpful for you.

Yes, a Mako Flood. It's so small I just toss it in my pocket every day regardless of what else I'm carrying that day for a looong running reliable backup light.