The Why:
If you have read my Haiku essay, you know I love love my XP-G Haiku. See my sigline if you haven't. Actually, you should read that before you read this one as I refer to it a lot, and have left out some details here that were already covered there in the interest of brevity. I was hoping to keep this one a bit shorter and less flowery. I hope that it is ok, and that those who liked the other one will still find this essay thingy satisfying.
I have been EDCing the Haiku for 16 months, and consider it one of the greatest EDC lights ever made. Recently, I began hankering for a HI CRI light to supplement it in my EDC kit. I thought about another Haiku with Nichia 119 after borrowing one from a friend, or putting a 119 LE in the Mule I had been carrying with my Haiku most of that time. I like carrying one 'thrower' and one 'flooder' together to use in various circumstances. Another Haiku would mean two throwers; no good. Wasn't sure if I wanted to swap engines around in the Mule. Borrowed a SunDrop from another member but the beam wasn't quite what I wanted. Whatever I got, it was to have a big, smooth, floody beam, it had to be titanium and have a good clip and preferably 1x123 sized.
I had been eyeing up Mac's Customs for a bit, but wasn't sure if I wanted one. I looked at some Tri EDC beamshots, and they seemed to be what I was after. Getting a unit from Mac looked like a pain in the butt, so I watched the Custom BST. A friend tipped me off to a Ti Tri that had popped up, so I bought it. A cool tint XP-G, old version Lux RC board equipped unit. (More on that later.)
The Ti Tri EDC
Ok, so this light arrives, and of course, I am skeptical about it and think there is no way that it is as good as the Haiku. But over time, I have used it quite a bit as an EDC in combo with the Haiku, and generated some thoughts and opinions on it.
In terms of the footprint, this light is very similar to the Haiku. Nearly identical diameter, about ¼ inch shorter. Most of that is in the head, as the body tube is very close. The ergonomics are extremely similar between the two lights. Maybe Mac handled some of Don's lights before making this, because the shape of the body tube, the flaring of the tail, clip position, everything, is very close. Because of this, I immediately took to the light as it was something I was very familiar with and it felt very good in the hand. Nearly everything I liked about the ergos of the Haiku is replicated here. The clip is virtually identical to McGizmo's in shape, size, bends and position, with the exception of the design jetted into it. Of course, the ergonomics then were pleasing to me, as you can read in my Haiku essay. It fits my hand very well. One of the main differences is the surface designs on the body and head. The Haiku has raised ribs on the body tube, and fins on the head along with some shallow scallops on the bezel edge. Mac took a more minimalist approach, with a much smoother design. The body has some slight grooves cut into it for grip, but they are beveled out and very sleek. The head is totally smooth with no fins or ribs or grooves. If you frequently have sweaty, wet or greasy hands, the Haiku will afford you more grip. If you like sleek and quiet, the Mac may appeal to you. I personally think both look great, although the Mac seems to go in/out of my pocket easier with its slipperier body. The metal seems slightly thinner on the Tri's body and head than the Haiku, causing me to question its robustness. But I have seen some pretty trashed Tris posted around here, and haven't heard of anyone killing one, so I think it's a moot point. :shrug:
Perhaps the most incredible part of this light is that Mac does all his own machining. Yowza! Grab one of these things, feel it over, twist the threads…flawless. There is no denying the fact that Mac is a phenomenal machinist and he demands perfection of himself when building these lights one by one in his shop.
As mentioned in my Haiku essay, or rather discussed quite extensively, I am all about clips. A good clip is critical for me for an EDC light of this size. I will not have it bopping about in the bottom of my pocket. This clip, like Don's, is excellent. The bends in it allow for superb comfort for the hand, and it clips like a clamp, just like I like. Nice and tight, no chance of losing a light. Well done. And like I mentioned, the smoother bezel makes it a bit easier to get on and off the pocket than the Haiku, even with the tight clip action.
The switch in this light is the venerable McClicky, which I discussed in my previous review. One of the best switches out there IMO. The action is crisp and positive, they are reliable and durable, and if it ever fails it's easy to replace. A simple forward clicky, it's a great choice for a multimode light like this one. I think it was a good selection for Mac.
I was a bit disconcerted to find out this light ran another special battery. I have CR123 primaries and RCR123s, but Mac recommends AW IMR 18350s for this light due to the high current draw. Apparently primaries and 16340s just won't hack it, and can be damaged. So I had to buy a couple new cells to run this puppy. It's not a big problem, as I like rechargeables for my EDCs, but it's a couple more dollars to add to the cost of light. Just something to think about. The Haiku runs happily on primaries or 16340s, which does make it a bit more flexible in a pinch. The Tri is definitely geared more toward the enthusiast. Fortunately, I am.
When it comes to the guts, the old board that this light had sucked. I really thought it was wonky… I mean, H/M/L mode progression with no memory?! Turn it on and get blasted with 600 lumens! That was crazy, and I didn't like it at all. I prefer some kind of memory, or at least a lower mode to start. The cool tint was ok, but I wanted a HI CRI light so that was going to have to change. I liked the lumen junkie approach Mac takes though, and the 600 lms he squeezed out of this little light was impressive. If you like a lot of lumens, Mac is a custom builder you should get to know. He gets the lumen fixation. The downside of that though is very short runtimes on high, and a light that gets real hot real fast. The newer lights have L/M/H with memory from what I understand, but mine had to get fixed up to meet my specs.
Off to flucero28 it went. (Frank is the bomb to deal with, guys, for real. Very good guy, very good modder, completely happy with his work. :thumbsup: ) He put in a tri XP-G HI CRI star for me, and a slick new driver that could be programmed with up to nine modes of my choosing with a few memory options. He has the ability to set it up just how you want it. I had him program four modes with traditional memory: a <1 lm moonlight mode, ~10 lm, 80 lms, 300 lms. I like a good moonlight mode for late night adventures or in a tent, the other mid modes are good for most EDC needs, and the high for when I need more. I didn't want the high to be as high as Mac's high, as I wanted longer battery life and better heat management. The difference between the 300 and 600 is not as much as you'd think and you get the benefit of more runtime and a bit less heat. For me the tradeoff is worth it. I am very pleased with this setup. Don is a bit more conservative from the start, and values longevity and practicality, and his drive levels reflect that. I molded the Mac modes sort of like the Haiku modes, albeit with the addition of the moonlight mode. The new boards Mac is using sound much more practical, and I believe they can be programmed as well. And he does have a few options for different emitters for you.
The thing I have been enamored with from the start, and even more so with the HI CRI emitters is the beam. I LOVE the beam on this light. It's a big, smooth, fuzzy dot of light. More throw than the Mule, but no sharply defined hotspot like the Haiku. A great close up work light with enough throw that it could easily be your go-to EDC. At least for me…. This is the beam I wanted the SunDrop to have, a big disc of light, with no rings or artifacts. For me, it's nearly an ideal beam pattern, and I am very very pleased. The HI CRI XP-Gs are nice, with a very pleasant neutral-warm tint, and good color rendering. Recently, this light was the only light I really used on a camping trip, and it was an excellent companion outdoors. I have no complaints with the beam, and really, that's the most important part of the light anyways, right?
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. 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.
Haiku
Tri EDC
Overall, I am extremely pleased with my Ti Tri HI CRI (after a few mods of course, as the stock version wasn't what I would have ordered if I bought from Mac directly). I love the feel and ergonomics, the clip, the switch, the (new) UI, and the beam pattern. I think this is a stellar EDC light. As with any light, there may be little niggles, but the pros outweigh the cons in my opinion. I love Ti, and am really happy with this Ti piece, but it seems you get the same great quality in any of the materials Mac offers. I am hesitant to say I like it more than the Haiku, as I just don't know yet…but I would say they are very close competitors, and if you like one you probably will like the other. I believe they are excellent companions and they have been working together really well for me. But on its own, the Tri EDC is certainly an excellent light and I don't think you can go wrong.
Give the Tri a chance, it's another Ideal EDC in my book.
Hope this is helpful for you folks, and if I missed anything, please let me know. :thumbsup:
Size comparison with my other Ti lights for fun..
If you have read my Haiku essay, you know I love love my XP-G Haiku. See my sigline if you haven't. Actually, you should read that before you read this one as I refer to it a lot, and have left out some details here that were already covered there in the interest of brevity. I was hoping to keep this one a bit shorter and less flowery. I hope that it is ok, and that those who liked the other one will still find this essay thingy satisfying.
I have been EDCing the Haiku for 16 months, and consider it one of the greatest EDC lights ever made. Recently, I began hankering for a HI CRI light to supplement it in my EDC kit. I thought about another Haiku with Nichia 119 after borrowing one from a friend, or putting a 119 LE in the Mule I had been carrying with my Haiku most of that time. I like carrying one 'thrower' and one 'flooder' together to use in various circumstances. Another Haiku would mean two throwers; no good. Wasn't sure if I wanted to swap engines around in the Mule. Borrowed a SunDrop from another member but the beam wasn't quite what I wanted. Whatever I got, it was to have a big, smooth, floody beam, it had to be titanium and have a good clip and preferably 1x123 sized.
I had been eyeing up Mac's Customs for a bit, but wasn't sure if I wanted one. I looked at some Tri EDC beamshots, and they seemed to be what I was after. Getting a unit from Mac looked like a pain in the butt, so I watched the Custom BST. A friend tipped me off to a Ti Tri that had popped up, so I bought it. A cool tint XP-G, old version Lux RC board equipped unit. (More on that later.)
The Ti Tri EDC
Ok, so this light arrives, and of course, I am skeptical about it and think there is no way that it is as good as the Haiku. But over time, I have used it quite a bit as an EDC in combo with the Haiku, and generated some thoughts and opinions on it.
In terms of the footprint, this light is very similar to the Haiku. Nearly identical diameter, about ¼ inch shorter. Most of that is in the head, as the body tube is very close. The ergonomics are extremely similar between the two lights. Maybe Mac handled some of Don's lights before making this, because the shape of the body tube, the flaring of the tail, clip position, everything, is very close. Because of this, I immediately took to the light as it was something I was very familiar with and it felt very good in the hand. Nearly everything I liked about the ergos of the Haiku is replicated here. The clip is virtually identical to McGizmo's in shape, size, bends and position, with the exception of the design jetted into it. Of course, the ergonomics then were pleasing to me, as you can read in my Haiku essay. It fits my hand very well. One of the main differences is the surface designs on the body and head. The Haiku has raised ribs on the body tube, and fins on the head along with some shallow scallops on the bezel edge. Mac took a more minimalist approach, with a much smoother design. The body has some slight grooves cut into it for grip, but they are beveled out and very sleek. The head is totally smooth with no fins or ribs or grooves. If you frequently have sweaty, wet or greasy hands, the Haiku will afford you more grip. If you like sleek and quiet, the Mac may appeal to you. I personally think both look great, although the Mac seems to go in/out of my pocket easier with its slipperier body. The metal seems slightly thinner on the Tri's body and head than the Haiku, causing me to question its robustness. But I have seen some pretty trashed Tris posted around here, and haven't heard of anyone killing one, so I think it's a moot point. :shrug:
Perhaps the most incredible part of this light is that Mac does all his own machining. Yowza! Grab one of these things, feel it over, twist the threads…flawless. There is no denying the fact that Mac is a phenomenal machinist and he demands perfection of himself when building these lights one by one in his shop.
As mentioned in my Haiku essay, or rather discussed quite extensively, I am all about clips. A good clip is critical for me for an EDC light of this size. I will not have it bopping about in the bottom of my pocket. This clip, like Don's, is excellent. The bends in it allow for superb comfort for the hand, and it clips like a clamp, just like I like. Nice and tight, no chance of losing a light. Well done. And like I mentioned, the smoother bezel makes it a bit easier to get on and off the pocket than the Haiku, even with the tight clip action.
The switch in this light is the venerable McClicky, which I discussed in my previous review. One of the best switches out there IMO. The action is crisp and positive, they are reliable and durable, and if it ever fails it's easy to replace. A simple forward clicky, it's a great choice for a multimode light like this one. I think it was a good selection for Mac.
I was a bit disconcerted to find out this light ran another special battery. I have CR123 primaries and RCR123s, but Mac recommends AW IMR 18350s for this light due to the high current draw. Apparently primaries and 16340s just won't hack it, and can be damaged. So I had to buy a couple new cells to run this puppy. It's not a big problem, as I like rechargeables for my EDCs, but it's a couple more dollars to add to the cost of light. Just something to think about. The Haiku runs happily on primaries or 16340s, which does make it a bit more flexible in a pinch. The Tri is definitely geared more toward the enthusiast. Fortunately, I am.
When it comes to the guts, the old board that this light had sucked. I really thought it was wonky… I mean, H/M/L mode progression with no memory?! Turn it on and get blasted with 600 lumens! That was crazy, and I didn't like it at all. I prefer some kind of memory, or at least a lower mode to start. The cool tint was ok, but I wanted a HI CRI light so that was going to have to change. I liked the lumen junkie approach Mac takes though, and the 600 lms he squeezed out of this little light was impressive. If you like a lot of lumens, Mac is a custom builder you should get to know. He gets the lumen fixation.
The downside of that though is very short runtimes on high, and a light that gets real hot real fast. The newer lights have L/M/H with memory from what I understand, but mine had to get fixed up to meet my specs. Off to flucero28 it went. (Frank is the bomb to deal with, guys, for real. Very good guy, very good modder, completely happy with his work. :thumbsup: ) He put in a tri XP-G HI CRI star for me, and a slick new driver that could be programmed with up to nine modes of my choosing with a few memory options. He has the ability to set it up just how you want it. I had him program four modes with traditional memory: a <1 lm moonlight mode, ~10 lm, 80 lms, 300 lms. I like a good moonlight mode for late night adventures or in a tent, the other mid modes are good for most EDC needs, and the high for when I need more. I didn't want the high to be as high as Mac's high, as I wanted longer battery life and better heat management. The difference between the 300 and 600 is not as much as you'd think and you get the benefit of more runtime and a bit less heat. For me the tradeoff is worth it. I am very pleased with this setup. Don is a bit more conservative from the start, and values longevity and practicality, and his drive levels reflect that. I molded the Mac modes sort of like the Haiku modes, albeit with the addition of the moonlight mode. The new boards Mac is using sound much more practical, and I believe they can be programmed as well. And he does have a few options for different emitters for you.
The thing I have been enamored with from the start, and even more so with the HI CRI emitters is the beam. I LOVE the beam on this light. It's a big, smooth, fuzzy dot of light. More throw than the Mule, but no sharply defined hotspot like the Haiku. A great close up work light with enough throw that it could easily be your go-to EDC. At least for me…. This is the beam I wanted the SunDrop to have, a big disc of light, with no rings or artifacts. For me, it's nearly an ideal beam pattern, and I am very very pleased. The HI CRI XP-Gs are nice, with a very pleasant neutral-warm tint, and good color rendering. Recently, this light was the only light I really used on a camping trip, and it was an excellent companion outdoors. I have no complaints with the beam, and really, that's the most important part of the light anyways, right?
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. 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.
Haiku
Tri EDC
Overall, I am extremely pleased with my Ti Tri HI CRI (after a few mods of course, as the stock version wasn't what I would have ordered if I bought from Mac directly). I love the feel and ergonomics, the clip, the switch, the (new) UI, and the beam pattern. I think this is a stellar EDC light. As with any light, there may be little niggles, but the pros outweigh the cons in my opinion. I love Ti, and am really happy with this Ti piece, but it seems you get the same great quality in any of the materials Mac offers. I am hesitant to say I like it more than the Haiku, as I just don't know yet…but I would say they are very close competitors, and if you like one you probably will like the other. I believe they are excellent companions and they have been working together really well for me. But on its own, the Tri EDC is certainly an excellent light and I don't think you can go wrong.
Give the Tri a chance, it's another Ideal EDC in my book.
Hope this is helpful for you folks, and if I missed anything, please let me know. :thumbsup:
Size comparison with my other Ti lights for fun..
