Best P60 dropin

berry580

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Oct 17, 2008
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Hi,

Can someone tell me of the best P60 style dropin brands around?

Of the premium ones, I only know Nailbenders and Malkoffs. The rest I know are ones like dealextreme, solarforce, etc that I perceive to be inferior in quality. I could be wrong, so go easy on me. lol

Essentially I am about to buy a dropin, however I'd be limiting myself to only get one as I am in the process of saving $$. So is there really one brand/model (don't take account for LED model) that is better than the rest, built quality wise?

Further to the question, who makes the better dropins, Malkoff or Nailbender?

Thank you!
 

Jhovorka

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Aug 30, 2012
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VA
I have the Malkoff M61 in my Z2 CombatLight with a clicky back as well. love it. works great. I don't have a Nailbender so can't compare the two though.
 

ledmitter_nli

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Joined
Jun 4, 2012
Messages
1,433
Hi,

Can someone tell me of the best P60 style dropin brands around?

Of the premium ones, I only know Nailbenders and Malkoffs. The rest I know are ones like dealextreme, solarforce, etc that I perceive to be inferior in quality. I could be wrong, so go easy on me. lol

Essentially I am about to buy a dropin, however I'd be limiting myself to only get one as I am in the process of saving $$. So is there really one brand/model (don't take account for LED model) that is better than the rest, built quality wise?

Further to the question, who makes the better dropins, Malkoff or Nailbender?

Thank you!

If you need high output 1,750+ lumen quad XPG/Nichia dropins, made with precision and Japanese factory like engineering, then go with Kenji. His dropins should say "TOSHIBA" on the side. They are that good.

But you will pay.
 

berry580

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Hello,

The 1,750 lumen really caught my eyes. I read about it, and it seems like that's a peak output figure. At original price of $130, it's not too far out of the ballpark given when a 'normal' Malkoff ones are already $70. As quantity is limited, people are trying to sell at a profit however. lol Thanks for pointing me in the right direction nonetheless.

Thanks.
If you need high output 1,750+ lumen quad XPG/Nichia dropins, made with precision and Japanese factory like engineering, then go with Kenji. His dropins should say "TOSHIBA" on the side. They are that good.

But you will pay.

SkyFire: Thanks for noting Torchlab.

I am having some difficulty in finding reviews with hard data on dropins. Something like runtime/output graph.... anyone any idea where I may come across a compilation of them?

Thanks.
 

twl

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Let's recognize the need for thermal management here, and 1750 lumens in a P60 size host is going to be VERY limited in run time at that figure before it overheats.

The Malkoffs have the best thermal management available, and have lumen outputs and current specs to suit, so they run very reliable and don't overheat.

Most other modules will require the aluminum foil treatment or some other method to cool them.
There's a whole lot more to a module than some lumen output number written on an advertisement.
 

berry580

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PsychRN

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Aug 4, 2008
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I have 3 XM-L's by Nailbender, that I trust.....and a couple from TaiwanKong ....that I don't really trust.

I'm way behind the curve of ever being a flashlight techie....I just email Nailbender with what I have in mind, send him a PayPal, and am delighted with the results!

Love the look of Malkoffs, but they are above an RN's paygrade!

JMO,

:devil:
 

ledmitter_nli

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Joined
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Messages
1,433
Hello,

The 1,750 lumen really caught my eyes. I read about it, and it seems like that's a peak output figure. At original price of $130, it's not too far out of the ballpark given when a 'normal' Malkoff ones are already $70. As quantity is limited, people are trying to sell at a profit however. lol Thanks for pointing me in the right direction nonetheless.

Thanks.

SkyFire: Thanks for noting Torchlab.

I am having some difficulty in finding reviews with hard data on dropins. Something like runtime/output graph.... anyone any idea where I may come across a compilation of them?

Thanks.

$130? Kenji's dropins cost more than that :D

I'll post photo's of mine later. I may also sell one recent acquisition.
 

d337944

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Australia
Well is the following samples of Kenji's light?
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...0-module-exclusive-article-for-solarforce-L2P

How much are you looking for?

Mate,

The link you provided are for the lower-powered drop-ins Kenji made for Solarforce hosts ... not the high-powered quads that cost quite a bit more!

I've got a Mac's Customs p60 drop-in ... only 650 or so lumens for the XP-E triple for more throw - very high quality, has NO PWM, runs off of 1 x Li-Ion battery only. Excellent product, but limited lumens on Max.

I've got a few Nailbenders - also very well made, and with various options ... but not going to be as bright as some triples or quads.

I've also got a few Malkoff's (no M91A) including the M61SHO - solid and reliable, but also limited max lumens.

And finally I've also got a few Torchlab triples - only the 1100 lumen ones though. Excellent build and reliability, as well as great performance. Runs off of 1 x Li-Ion (not full output) or 2 x Li-Ions (full constant output), and can withstand long runs at full power until the battery protection kicks in. I've got a feeling that the current 1400 lumen ones would be fantastic - a good "middle ground" between high power, runtime and reliability.

Don't have any Kenji ones - these sound great, but you will have limited runtime, and need very good heatsinking / finned head to shed the head reliably. There is obviously a difference between these 1700 lumens and Torchlab's 1400 lumens ... but realistically you may not notice much by comparing them side-by-side.

That's just my two lumens ... all the best with your decision mate! All of the above manufacturers mentioned also provide very good customer service and backup, in case you have any questions or problems.

Cheers
d337944
 

berry580

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Mate,

The link you provided are for the lower-powered drop-ins Kenji made for Solarforce hosts ... not the high-powered quads that cost quite a bit more!
Ahh... i see.

Well i am relatively new in the dropin game, so please bare with me. Care to show me link in what other dropin he sells? As I am having trouble digging up more of his work.
 

jorn

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Norway
Check out the edc+ x60l. I really like it. Seems to be solid at a fair price. No pwm, 1,5A so it wont burn your fingers in high mode, and it's pretty bright at 1,5A. Compare it side by side with a 3A driven xm-l, and the difference in output is not worth half the runtime to my eyes. Reminds me of a malkoff, only lighter, with multimode, and a full size reflector. Got battery protection, so i can use my scavanged unprotected cells witout worrying that mutch about overdraining them. I can hand it over to anyone witout worrying or explaining all about the dangers of using hi mode too long etc.
 

berry580

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Thx jorn & sgt. LED

Finally a dropin that I can actually find hard data on! I am actually very happy with it.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...T6-1C-1-x-18650-2-x-CR123)-P60-Drop-in-Review

I seems like the consensus is that for most "good" dropins (i.e. probably all of which already mentioned above), their built quality overall as a group has more or less satisfied most (if not all) people in this forum.

I'll keep monitoring this thread for the next week or two. Unless someone points out something even better on a different dimension (backed up by reviews, ones with objective data) and is actually available for sale somewhere, I'll probably go with the EDC+ X60L! I'm excited! =D
 

nfetterly

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Cincinnati area, but lots of travel
I've got;
Malkoffs
VanIsleDSM
Oveready / Torchlab / Moddoo
Wright Brothers
Nailbender
Vinghy....

My two cents worth on them;

Malkoff's
Rock Solid. 2 levels in a MD2 if you have the Hi Lo ring. If you are a tint / CRI snob (like me) then Craig at illumination supply may have what you want as he works with Gene to offer limited number of drop ins with the latest greatest tint / cri LED (not output)

VanIsleDSM
Hmm, name looks slightly wrong. I have two high end quads from him (he lives on Vancouver Island - hence name), Very much attention to detail guy. Also makes FETtie switch, a "clicky" that can handle very high amperage load. Sure a Quad can only be run on high for a limited time. However when the triples / quads switched to 30% level for medium it was a big improvement over the 20% it was earlier. MUCH more useful, and you can run it pretty much all day (depending on battery),​

Oveready / Torchlab / Moddoo
The first of the high end triples, I've had most of them (missed the direct drive). These fit surefire like a glove, when you drop it in you can hear the air escaping around the drop in - nice fit, good heat exchange to body. A very nice drop in from a group that stands behind their product.

Wright Brothers (Australia)
Wow. These two guys put out a fantastic product, great attention to detail. Allowed customization of levels. They have had one run and are planning on something different for the second run. Keep an eye out as it should be a treat given how well they made & stood behind their first product.

Nailbender & Vinghy (cannot remember handle - he's in Seattle)
These two guys have a varied list of what they make. The guy in Seattle had made some custom pills to take away the heat. Nailbender appears to have a broader range of drivers and LEDs (tints, etc), so in a single LED setup you can get pretty much anything you want. Nailbender sends his out nicely labeled in a tube that is nicely labeled.

Which are best? It depends what you want. Last week I EDC's my Torchlab XP-E triple neutral, Will not give that one up, Wright Bros 219 triple is right up there with it. I need to review my two VanIsleDSMs and see which one I prefer, I've been thinking about maybe sending one back to get rebuilt with later / greater LEDs (the 5.6A models are $$$ due to how he makes them).
 

shortstack

Enlightened
Joined
Nov 29, 2008
Messages
239
the X60L from EDC+ is a great drop-in, like the malkoffs but with aluminum (better heat sink). Can withstand 12ga. slugs and 00 buck.

2v93fkn.jpg
 

jorn

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Nov 8, 2008
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Location
Norway
The warm edc+ x60l l and a zebralight headamp got me safly down from a mountian just now. Started to rain when we got up and started fishing. Walked down in pitch darkness, wind, mist and rain. The walk took 2,5 hours andi i needed max mode only for 3-4 short bursts at some tricky parts where the mist were really tick. The warm tint makes that brown muddy trail stand out really good :) Perfect module for my use.:hitit:
 
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