Surefire G3 drop in options?

Not trying to bring up another drop in thread but I didn't find a specific enough drop in for my needs.
I'm looking for the best thrower for my SF G3 with a few things.
Preferably warm tint, best throw, decent lumens, doesn't have to be more than 300/350 hopefully no less. Also I'm not a fan of rechargeables really so it would need have a decent runtime on primaries.

also beside that I've been looking for a drop in that I can run on two AA's with in my g3 as an emergency drop in because sometimes I run out of batteries. I made one a while ago and gave it too someone and I miss it.

Malkoffs are good options for a G3. One of the bigger challenges is heat with the nitrolon body, so very bright drop-ins are not a great choice, but Malkoffs have a lot of mass to help with that. They will also run on 2xAA, at a very reduced output.

I have M61LL 219s in my G2, G2Z, and G3. I think you would be okay with an M61W.

How is the throw on an M61? Is it at least mid range?

Well I just did a test of one of my Solarforce P60 drop-ins and it fired right up on two alkalines. This was one of the XM-L units designed a year or two ago to work with a single 18650 cell. I also tried out my Thrunite drop in which takes a wider voltage range and it too worked on two alkalines.

R.W.D. said:

How is the throw on an M61? Is it at least mid range?

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Depends upon what you call mid range. Here's a beamshot of the M61 @ 30 yards. For me it's effective out to beyond 50 yards for spotting things but identifying fine details are a bit of a challenge at that distance. Of course at my advanced age, identifying things in daylight is a problem much further than that :shrug:

I too have an older XML dolor force drop in rated for low voltage and high but I think they BS'd me because it won't run on low voltage..
That looks like better distance than what I have now the cheapo piece of crap I have might as well not have a reflector it's so floody it's rediculous. Even if I back out the led some what to try and focus it better. I think it's just the size of the XML and the cheap shallow reflector.
Hows the tint on the malkoff drop in? If warmer is available I'd prefer warmer.

Keep an eye out for a Malkoff Devices M31N.

How well do the malkoff's handle primary cells??

The M61 will handle 3x123 no problem.

The M31 can only be run on 2xAA or 1x123. They have an input limit of 3.2v.

Ill check those out then thanks.

One more thing - there is useable light when the M61 is being driven by 2xAA batteries. It is a nice feature if you wanted lower output, or ran out of 123 primaries.

So I'm slightly overwhelmed by malkoff drop ins.. I'm checking out the M61LL anyone have any experience with those? The stated runtime on two primary cells is 10 hours does anyone know the runtime for 3 cells??

About 15 hours regulated.

Like I said above, I have an M61LL 219 in my G3 and I'm very happy with it. It's not going to compete with most current lights in brightness, but it puts out a good amount of light and will go for months of regular use without needing a battery swap.

That sounds worth it I like the run time. I think as a general purpose light LL should work fine.

Plus, the LL provides a very respectable output on 2xAA, if you choose to run it that way in an emergency.

I was looking for Malkoffs a year or so ago to use on my G3(aluminum bezel) and couldn't find one with an L or LL so Ibought a used M60 from a friend. One thing I noticed is that while the dropin gets a bit hot with a nitrolon bezel in a G2 running for 5min or so, it runs a lot cooler in the aluminum G3 bezel despite the limited thermal path, heat being pulled by the bezel only at the front of the dropin. The aluminum seemed to pull that heat from the brass really well, I initially had qualms running it in a nitrolon host but for the M60 it seemed sufficient. Probably not for the SHO modules today though.

I have Malkoff M31N LL in a G3 with battery sleeve from Oveready. Around 6 hours at 60-70lm with alkalines with an awesome tint and beam character. That output is useful for most tasks and there is no heat issues.

Thanks for the info. This site helps with a lot.