brightnorm
Flashaholic
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I won't get the KL5 unless it's clearly superior to my McModule. Anyone do a comparison?
Brightnorm
Brightnorm
KL5 better than PM6 McModule?
- Thread starter brightnorm
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keithhr
Flashlight Enthusiast
Re: KL5 good as PM6 McModule?
I'm with you on that one norm. With two L4's a McModule PR with an lsIII and a firefly, not to mention a Space needle II, I'm becoming less enchanted with lights that duplicate what I already have. MrBulk's Super BabyPin which will be around 1500 lux should be killer as well.
I'm with you on that one norm. With two L4's a McModule PR with an lsIII and a firefly, not to mention a Space needle II, I'm becoming less enchanted with lights that duplicate what I already have. MrBulk's Super BabyPin which will be around 1500 lux should be killer as well.
Re: KL5 good as PM6 McModule?
I Agree that the manufacturers are going to playing catch-up to the Skunk Team for quite a while. If you bought the best mods, the newly manufactured wonder-lights are going to be less than thrilling. They will be great lights-don't get me wrong, just a bit of the same that comes with a lifetime warranty and a sealed box.
That said- I like tohe looks of the new SF LEDS and am looking forward to the new Pelican Retro-Reflector technology.
I Agree that the manufacturers are going to playing catch-up to the Skunk Team for quite a while. If you bought the best mods, the newly manufactured wonder-lights are going to be less than thrilling. They will be great lights-don't get me wrong, just a bit of the same that comes with a lifetime warranty and a sealed box.
That said- I like tohe looks of the new SF LEDS and am looking forward to the new Pelican Retro-Reflector technology.
batterystation
Enlightened
Re: KL5 good as PM6 McModule?
Though I have not been able to run them side by side, it would appear to me that the L5 is about the same LED output but has much better throw due to the deep reflector. I would say they are very similar.
Though I have not been able to run them side by side, it would appear to me that the L5 is about the same LED output but has much better throw due to the deep reflector. I would say they are very similar.
brightnorm
Flashaholic
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Re: KL5 good as PM6 McModule?
Thanks. That "much better throw" is kind of intriguing.
BN
Thanks. That "much better throw" is kind of intriguing.
BN
shannow
Enlightened
Re: KL5 good as PM6 McModule?
[ QUOTE ]
batterystation said:
it would appear to me that the L5 is about the same LED output but has much better throw due to the deep reflector. I would say they are very similar.
[/ QUOTE ]
Hes saying that the L5 throws the same light "intensity" further. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
[ QUOTE ]
batterystation said:
it would appear to me that the L5 is about the same LED output but has much better throw due to the deep reflector. I would say they are very similar.
[/ QUOTE ]
Hes saying that the L5 throws the same light "intensity" further. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
Re: KL5 good as PM6 McModule?
Brightnorm,
It would help if you were to define the criteria upon which the comparison would be made.
* The KL5 has a much better warranty! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
* The KL5 has a tighter beam and spill angle than the PM6 McModule
* The KL5 will score a higher lux reading than the PM6 McModule if it is hosting a 5W LED of similar flux This would equate to greater throw.
* The KL5 will score a lower lux reading than the PM6 McMocule hosting a 1W or III
* The PM6 is a wide open platform whereas the KL5 is not
* The KL5 is made to higher standards using better materials in some cases.
The differences are visible and measurable. Enough to be considered significant? That's a judgment call for you to make.
Brightnorm,
It would help if you were to define the criteria upon which the comparison would be made.
* The KL5 has a much better warranty! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
* The KL5 has a tighter beam and spill angle than the PM6 McModule
* The KL5 will score a higher lux reading than the PM6 McModule if it is hosting a 5W LED of similar flux This would equate to greater throw.
* The KL5 will score a lower lux reading than the PM6 McMocule hosting a 1W or III
* The PM6 is a wide open platform whereas the KL5 is not
* The KL5 is made to higher standards using better materials in some cases.
The differences are visible and measurable. Enough to be considered significant? That's a judgment call for you to make.
FlashlightOCD
Enlightened
Re: KL5 good as PM6 McModule?
I have a BB750 PM6 made by McGizmo, who posted his thoughts earlier in this thread [and he should know]. The head will fit either a McLux 2x123 or on an E2e body. I prefer the McLux 2x123 power pack myself.
This is obviously just another opinion: To me the BB750 PM6 falls directly between the L4 and L5 in both throw and size. Cosmetically speaking the McLux is the clear winner, and the McLux has the ability to stand on it's tail [it is beyond me why Surefire and others have not recognized this as a usefull feature].
I have a BB750 PM6 made by McGizmo, who posted his thoughts earlier in this thread [and he should know]. The head will fit either a McLux 2x123 or on an E2e body. I prefer the McLux 2x123 power pack myself.
This is obviously just another opinion: To me the BB750 PM6 falls directly between the L4 and L5 in both throw and size. Cosmetically speaking the McLux is the clear winner, and the McLux has the ability to stand on it's tail [it is beyond me why Surefire and others have not recognized this as a usefull feature].
jtice
Flashaholic
Re: KL5 good as PM6 McModule?
paulr,
Yes a PR Mclux head will go on a e series SF just fine.
paulr,
Yes a PR Mclux head will go on a e series SF just fine.
geepondy
Flashlight Enthusiast
Re: KL5 good as PM6 McModule?
Brightnorm, I'm glad you asked that question as I wondered the same thing. My PM6/McModule is my most used household light. The only thing I'm not real happy with is the switch. The PM6 momentary is a bit flaky and a Surefire Z49 has a slightly larger diameter then the PM6 body making it uncomfortable for me personally, to hold. I thought flashlightlens.com was going to come up with a replacement clickie? Another thing I really like about the PM6/McModule is that it heat sinks very well. I wonder how the L5 compares in that regard. I can't justify buying these $150 flashlights on a whim so my PM6/McModule would have to die before I would buy an L5.
Brightnorm, I'm glad you asked that question as I wondered the same thing. My PM6/McModule is my most used household light. The only thing I'm not real happy with is the switch. The PM6 momentary is a bit flaky and a Surefire Z49 has a slightly larger diameter then the PM6 body making it uncomfortable for me personally, to hold. I thought flashlightlens.com was going to come up with a replacement clickie? Another thing I really like about the PM6/McModule is that it heat sinks very well. I wonder how the L5 compares in that regard. I can't justify buying these $150 flashlights on a whim so my PM6/McModule would have to die before I would buy an L5.
Re: KL5 good as PM6 McModule?
geepondy,
Wayne Y. sells a threaded Kroll sleeve that adapts the Kroll to your PM6. If you have a black PM6 with the switch components glued in, it can be a bit of a struggle but the results are well worth it, IMHO.
The L5 has all the thermal capacity of the PM6 and probably then some.
geepondy,
Wayne Y. sells a threaded Kroll sleeve that adapts the Kroll to your PM6. If you have a black PM6 with the switch components glued in, it can be a bit of a struggle but the results are well worth it, IMHO.
The L5 has all the thermal capacity of the PM6 and probably then some.
brightnorm
Flashaholic
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2001
- Messages
- 7,160
Re: KL5 good as PM6 McModule?
[ QUOTE ]
McGizmo said:
Brightnorm,
It would help if you were to define the criteria upon which the comparison would be made....
* The KL5 has a much better warranty! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
* The KL5 has a tighter beam and spill angle than the PM6 McModule
* The KL5 will score a higher lux reading than the PM6 McModule if it is hosting a 5W LED of similar flux This would equate to greater throw.
* The KL5 will score a lower lux reading than the PM6 McMocule hosting a 1W or III
* The PM6 is a wide open platform whereas the KL5 is not
* The KL5 is made to higher standards using better materials in some cases.
The differences are visible and measurable. Enough to be considered significant? That's a judgment call for you to make.
[/ QUOTE ]
Don,
Good points; Let me think about better defining my questions. My McModule is a 5W I got from Charley when he did his big run some months ago. I'd like to compare relative beam descriptions and lux readings but perhaps most of all I'd like to read a detailed description of their "real world" performance along with pictures showing how they illuminate familiar objects, rather than traditional beam shots. Several CPFrs have compared lights illuminating a stretch of road or highway, or illuminating a structure or tree at distance. I think that a clear detailed description of how those tests appeared to the tester combined with the photos themselves would tell me much of what I wanted to know. I try to give clear descriptions in my throw tests but I can't supply photos since I don't (yet) have a digital camera.
If you had both lights and in your clear way simply described how they compared in practical use, I'd probably have enough information to make a buy/no buy decision. I realize that two specific samples might not be representative of the average run of each light; another problem caused by LED inconsistancy.
BTW Don, I recall seeing a "turned down" McLux PR head. Could you turn down the entire head, even taking a little off the bezel and rounding the top bezel edge little so that it is as small as possible, even at risk of some heat problems? I'd be very eager to get one like that. Did you ever find a reasonably priced source of anodising?
Brightnorm
[ QUOTE ]
McGizmo said:
Brightnorm,
It would help if you were to define the criteria upon which the comparison would be made....
* The KL5 has a much better warranty! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
* The KL5 has a tighter beam and spill angle than the PM6 McModule
* The KL5 will score a higher lux reading than the PM6 McModule if it is hosting a 5W LED of similar flux This would equate to greater throw.
* The KL5 will score a lower lux reading than the PM6 McMocule hosting a 1W or III
* The PM6 is a wide open platform whereas the KL5 is not
* The KL5 is made to higher standards using better materials in some cases.
The differences are visible and measurable. Enough to be considered significant? That's a judgment call for you to make.
[/ QUOTE ]
Don,
Good points; Let me think about better defining my questions. My McModule is a 5W I got from Charley when he did his big run some months ago. I'd like to compare relative beam descriptions and lux readings but perhaps most of all I'd like to read a detailed description of their "real world" performance along with pictures showing how they illuminate familiar objects, rather than traditional beam shots. Several CPFrs have compared lights illuminating a stretch of road or highway, or illuminating a structure or tree at distance. I think that a clear detailed description of how those tests appeared to the tester combined with the photos themselves would tell me much of what I wanted to know. I try to give clear descriptions in my throw tests but I can't supply photos since I don't (yet) have a digital camera.
If you had both lights and in your clear way simply described how they compared in practical use, I'd probably have enough information to make a buy/no buy decision. I realize that two specific samples might not be representative of the average run of each light; another problem caused by LED inconsistancy.
BTW Don, I recall seeing a "turned down" McLux PR head. Could you turn down the entire head, even taking a little off the bezel and rounding the top bezel edge little so that it is as small as possible, even at risk of some heat problems? I'd be very eager to get one like that. Did you ever find a reasonably priced source of anodising?
Brightnorm
brightnorm
Flashaholic
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2001
- Messages
- 7,160
Re: KL5 good as PM6 McModule?
[ QUOTE ]
geepondy said:
...PM6 momentary is a bit flaky and a Surefire Z49 has a slightly larger diameter then the PM6 body making it uncomfortable for me personally, to hold. I thought flashlightlens.com was going to come up with a replacement clickie?...
[/ QUOTE ]
geep,
I have one of those clickies and it's excellent except no lockout which is why I belt-holster it in a Surefire 6P holster.
BN
[ QUOTE ]
geepondy said:
...PM6 momentary is a bit flaky and a Surefire Z49 has a slightly larger diameter then the PM6 body making it uncomfortable for me personally, to hold. I thought flashlightlens.com was going to come up with a replacement clickie?...
[/ QUOTE ]
geep,
I have one of those clickies and it's excellent except no lockout which is why I belt-holster it in a Surefire 6P holster.
BN
Re: KL5 good as PM6 McModule?
BrightNorm,
I have both a 5W in PR and a KL5. I think it's safe to say that if you took a KL4 and a KL5 and described a beam that was between them, you would be describing the PR with a 5W. The reflector of the PR is between the KL4 and KL5 in diameter and the beam pretty much responds accordingly. The PR is closer to the KL5 in size and beam than it is to the KL4.
I have some PR-T heads coming my way which are trimed down versions of the PR. The max OD can't be reduced without reducing the diameter of the reflector. When I get the heads in, I will photograph them and provide an image. I am very satisfied with the black HA that I got on the first set and am awaiting another run that is being done in black. I have contacted another anodizer who can do HA natural and have sent a few pieces to them to see how they come out. If they are good, I might split the PR-T's between black and HA natural. The PR-T's will have a knurled band so I think they may be more visually suited to pair up with black and HA natural E series hosts. The eggs haven't hatched yet so there is no use speculating on them at present.
BrightNorm,
I have both a 5W in PR and a KL5. I think it's safe to say that if you took a KL4 and a KL5 and described a beam that was between them, you would be describing the PR with a 5W. The reflector of the PR is between the KL4 and KL5 in diameter and the beam pretty much responds accordingly. The PR is closer to the KL5 in size and beam than it is to the KL4.
I have some PR-T heads coming my way which are trimed down versions of the PR. The max OD can't be reduced without reducing the diameter of the reflector. When I get the heads in, I will photograph them and provide an image. I am very satisfied with the black HA that I got on the first set and am awaiting another run that is being done in black. I have contacted another anodizer who can do HA natural and have sent a few pieces to them to see how they come out. If they are good, I might split the PR-T's between black and HA natural. The PR-T's will have a knurled band so I think they may be more visually suited to pair up with black and HA natural E series hosts. The eggs haven't hatched yet so there is no use speculating on them at present.
Re: KL5 good as PM6 McModule?
Snake,
The 30 mm head never went anywhere. Hotfoot had mad a cool turbo head for the 30 mm but that never got off the ground either. The PR reflector is much friendlier to more variations of LED's and requires a much smaller bezel.
Snake,
The 30 mm head never went anywhere. Hotfoot had mad a cool turbo head for the 30 mm but that never got off the ground either. The PR reflector is much friendlier to more variations of LED's and requires a much smaller bezel.
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