Very interested in picking one of these up...how is the tint and beam profile? I like neutral, but if its a nice white, I might pull the trigger.
FWIW I picked up one of the V31A's when they first became available a few months ago, and feel compelled to share my experience. I originally bought one because it seemed a good value for a high output XM-L U2 light and I liked the simple H-M-L w/memory and no flashing mode(s) UI.
The first one had a defective driver causing severe flickering which my dealer (Mark @ MD-Lightsource) promptly exchanged. It's replacement had a switch problem that when cycling from low to high...would not stay in high and would jump to medium. This occurred right out of the package. I contacted my dealer who immediately sent out the third replacement, allowing me to keep the 2nd defective light, in the hope that the third light would work...he even took it out to check it prior to sending it to me in an attempt to assure I had a fully functioning light. The third light seemed fine but after a month or so of very limited use, it too developed the high dropping to medium on its own, and I had
two defective V31A's w/only medium and low modes most of the time. Since Mark basically gave me two lights, flawed as they were, for the price of one, I dropped the issue and considered the matter closed/lesson learned.
Crelant emailed a user survey of some kind around the holidays and I gave them my negative assessment of these lights,
although MD-Lightsource was great in every way allowing me to keep an extra light and send out a bunch of free extras, diffuser, GITD lanyard etc. for my trouble. Crelant upon recv'g my less than positive survey contacted MD and they agreed to send me a new V21A w/the new XM-L U3 binned emitter for my trouble which I got around 10 days ago and although fully functional it's IMO just a sub-par light at best.
The V31A good:
1) A perfectly centered emitter on all lights and an absolutely
great floody beam quality and tint w/only a hint of the drab green that most XM-L U2 binned lights seem to exhibit, not objectionable IMO at all.
2) Regulated on both 16340's and CR123's. Probably brighter than the 450 lumen claimed high on Li-ion and very good thermal regulation as well.
The not so good...
1) Switch problems on my copies basically render these medium and low mode lights only.
2) Long for a 1 X CR123 light @ 94mm
3) Grey HAII ano looks good but probably not as durable over time as HAIII.
4) Clip is adequate but spins fairly easily.
5) switch seems to be press-fit and I see no way of removing to replace with a higher quality unit. *(Although the V21A Crelant sent me now has two holes on switch retaining ring allowing switch removal, so perhaps newer V31A's have this too...check w/dealer prior to ordering) No user access to emitter either.
6) Only recently discovered that this light is VERY inefficient... it burns through CR123's and 3.7v Li-ion's faster than any other light I own making it truly unusable for any practical use in which I need a light!
7) This is purely subjective, but after using these lights for a while, it becomes apparent these are just "DX quality" budget lights w/above average cosmetics. Spongy, glitchy switches, weak battery springs that easily deform, lower qualiy ano all conspire to make this a disapointing ownership experience.
My advice to those considering this light...save your money for a quality light.
