If you had to guess which custom builder's lights have enjoyed the greatest number of reviews with the highest percentage of positive comments, who do you think it would be?
There are many from which to choose… and it seems that the numbers have grown. So let's 'filter' that a bit – actual "builders" – not modification artists (do you like that? "Modification Artists?")
Now let's filter down more to builders who have been active and remain active on CPF for at least five years.
Then, let's filter it to builders who use titanium as their metal of choice…
That leaves a relatively short list, and they are all excellent people and builders. Mac, Cool Fall and certainly others – but the subject of this brief salute is McGizmo.
After "straying" for a while I just received the third of my perfect trifecta, a 119V Mule with a 123 McClicky pak. Just awesome. Purchased with the primary reason of helping my 55 year old contact lens equipped eyes to read small print in text books (began my 'second career' as a college instructor. Good bye corporate world!!) Secondary reason was for the occasional photograph of small stuff up close – you know, like flashlights.
As my great friend Scout24 and I often discuss, the simple business model of Don McLeish is near perfect. Don builds what he builds – if you like the choices, buy one. If you don't, please look elsewhere. He'll send you your invoice at the same time he sends the shipping notice. There's no waiting 6 months while your money is in limbo…no deposits, no "pay and pray…." You order, and you are shipped a light. I don't believe Don has had to deal with any dead beats – I could be wrong, but it seems that the business model is near perfect. The lights are simple and reliable. Oh, they might could have higher highs and lower lows, but at the end of the day, as Scout24 said, they are "tools" and they are near peerless when put into use as the tools that they are intended to be. And the output levels are very useful and functional.
So the trifecta as simple. An AA High CRI Haiku with 119V. A High CRI Haiku 119V with 123 Pak. A High CRI Mule 119V with 123 Pak.
Do you notice a pattern here? All you lumen hounds, stop reading now.
All you high CRI lovers, take note.
These 3 lights are just about all I use any more. Oh, there's a beautiful Oveready modded Surefire C2 with a sweet EDC+ 219 Triple – beautiful, powerful flood. And there's a Surefire E2DL Ultra that is amazing – called into action when I need a powerful throw for dog walking at night.
But for EDC, it's the Haiku, with the AA Haiku in backup/bedside table duty, (where it shares space with one of my other favorite lights, a Cool Fall Spy 007 with XPG2 emitter.)
And when I need that flood of perfect illumination for reading, it's the mule.
The tint of these lights is perfect for me. Don mentions in one of his threads that the 119 is more 'creme' and the 119V is more 'rose'...that's a great assessment. But the color rendering is amazing, and the beam is very easy on the eyes - almost soothing. The shape of the beam is that same, as PSM said long ago, "punchy flood" with a very minimal outer ring - my old 119 version had a more pronounced dark outer ring.
This isn't a review. It isn't an "ode" or an "essay." It's likely all been said before. It's just a note of appreciation in the LED forum for a builder and a product that have both stood the test of time. And you'll find many such posts from many different members (including me) in the McGizmo sub forum, but I wanted to put something out in the LED forum. (Mods, if this should be somewhere else, I apologize – please move it as necessary.)
Yes, I strayed – but I'm back. And with a big smile on my face!
There are many from which to choose… and it seems that the numbers have grown. So let's 'filter' that a bit – actual "builders" – not modification artists (do you like that? "Modification Artists?")
Now let's filter down more to builders who have been active and remain active on CPF for at least five years.
Then, let's filter it to builders who use titanium as their metal of choice…
That leaves a relatively short list, and they are all excellent people and builders. Mac, Cool Fall and certainly others – but the subject of this brief salute is McGizmo.
After "straying" for a while
I just received the third of my perfect trifecta, a 119V Mule with a 123 McClicky pak. Just awesome. Purchased with the primary reason of helping my 55 year old contact lens equipped eyes to read small print in text books (began my 'second career' as a college instructor. Good bye corporate world!!) Secondary reason was for the occasional photograph of small stuff up close – you know, like flashlights.As my great friend Scout24 and I often discuss, the simple business model of Don McLeish is near perfect. Don builds what he builds – if you like the choices, buy one. If you don't, please look elsewhere. He'll send you your invoice at the same time he sends the shipping notice. There's no waiting 6 months while your money is in limbo…no deposits, no "pay and pray…." You order, and you are shipped a light. I don't believe Don has had to deal with any dead beats – I could be wrong, but it seems that the business model is near perfect. The lights are simple and reliable. Oh, they might could have higher highs and lower lows, but at the end of the day, as Scout24 said, they are "tools" and they are near peerless when put into use as the tools that they are intended to be. And the output levels are very useful and functional.
So the trifecta as simple. An AA High CRI Haiku with 119V. A High CRI Haiku 119V with 123 Pak. A High CRI Mule 119V with 123 Pak.
Do you notice a pattern here? All you lumen hounds, stop reading now.
All you high CRI lovers, take note.
These 3 lights are just about all I use any more. Oh, there's a beautiful Oveready modded Surefire C2 with a sweet EDC+ 219 Triple – beautiful, powerful flood. And there's a Surefire E2DL Ultra that is amazing – called into action when I need a powerful throw for dog walking at night.
But for EDC, it's the Haiku, with the AA Haiku in backup/bedside table duty, (where it shares space with one of my other favorite lights, a Cool Fall Spy 007 with XPG2 emitter.)
And when I need that flood of perfect illumination for reading, it's the mule.
The tint of these lights is perfect for me. Don mentions in one of his threads that the 119 is more 'creme' and the 119V is more 'rose'...that's a great assessment. But the color rendering is amazing, and the beam is very easy on the eyes - almost soothing. The shape of the beam is that same, as PSM said long ago, "punchy flood" with a very minimal outer ring - my old 119 version had a more pronounced dark outer ring.
This isn't a review. It isn't an "ode" or an "essay." It's likely all been said before. It's just a note of appreciation in the LED forum for a builder and a product that have both stood the test of time. And you'll find many such posts from many different members (including me) in the McGizmo sub forum, but I wanted to put something out in the LED forum. (Mods, if this should be somewhere else, I apologize – please move it as necessary.)
Yes, I strayed – but I'm back. And with a big smile on my face!
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