coachbigdog
Enlightened
How do these 2 compare? I have an awesome ft-3c,so I'd like to get a m8 if it's alot different.How about throw?Which one wins and which is whiter? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif
pelican m8 led vs. ft-3c
- Thread starter coachbigdog
- Start date
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Have to agree on the FT-3C. I'm interested also!
bwaites
Flashlight Enthusiast
Great questions! I have the M8, send me an FT-3C and I'll compare /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
ZENGHOST
Enlightened
Here's a quick comparison between the M8 and FT3C. You can find a full (amateur) review that I did on the M8 here.
Click on thumbnails for larger pictures.
Both the ElektroLumens FT3C and Pelican M8 LED run on 3C batteries, but the FT3C utilizes a Luxeon III LED while the M8 LED uses a 1watt LED that is mounted facing into the reflector. The FT3C supposedly allows for NiMH C cells, but I don't have any to try.
Here's a pic of the two side-by-side with a 2D Mag in there for comparison:
You'll notice that the FT3C is much smaller than the other two, but they weigh about the same due to the aluminum body of the FT3C vs the plastic body of the M8 LED.
-------------------------------------------
A shot of the FT3C disassembled:
The FT3C consists of the bezel ring, o-ring for the head, 30mm optic, body, and two-part tailswitch. I believe the heat sink does also unscrew, but I didn't remove mine to see.
-------------------------------------------
Here's a pic of the tailswitch on the FT3C:
To be honest, I really am not too fond of this switch. It's a momentary pushbutton on, with a twist for constant on. The pushbutton is rather difficult to activate on mine--it's one of those where you don't really feel like it's moving at all but the light eventually goes on. It's also difficult for me to maintain a constant beam with the button. Even the constant on is pretty flaky. At times it flickers and I have to tighten the cap extra hard to keep it from flickering. I don't know if this is limited to my specific light or if it happens in all of them. Either way, the clickie switch on the body of the M8 is much better for me.
-------------------------------------------
A picture of the front end shows the 30mm, 6 degree optic for the Luxeon III and with the optic removed you get a good look at the emitter. Unfortunately mine doesn't include the star, so I can't tell what bin it is. It is very white, though.
-------------------------------------------
And what you've been waiting for...beamshots...
This is a shot of the FT3C beam by itself. It has a nice round hotspot in the middle with some sidespill. There is more spill that my camera didn't pick up.
-------------------------------------------
And a shot of the M8 LED (left) vs the FT3C
As you can see, the M8 LED has that squarish beam and while it isn't quite as white as the FT3C beam, it's really not as yellow as it looks in the shot. It's more of a warm white. The M8 is rated at 30 lumens (Pelican site) with a 6 hour burn time and the FT3C is rated at 72 lumens with "12 hours of constant high brightness" on NiMH C cells (Elektrolumens site). The M8 beam is a really tight beam with little to no sidespill. This does take some getting used to but hasn't really been a problem thus far. Both lights have great throw due to the Recoil Technology of the M8 and the 30mm optic on the FT3C does a nice job. I think the M8 still outthrows the FT3C, but not by very much (hard to tell since I don't have a large enough testing area).
-------------------------------------------
My overal conclusion is that these two lights are very nice lights and fairly similar in price--(the M8 being a little cheaper if you get it from BatteryStation). I prefer the beam on the FT3C over the M8, but the switch just kills me. You also get Pelican's lifetime warranty with the M8. The FT3C wins out in size and the knurling on the body is very well done--not too rough, and not too smooth. In the end, though, I think I'd choose the M8 mostly because of switch reliability, but also because it's a little cheaper and has the lifetime warranty. On the other hand, I don't think you could lose with either light.
Hope that helps you guys out.
Click on thumbnails for larger pictures.
Both the ElektroLumens FT3C and Pelican M8 LED run on 3C batteries, but the FT3C utilizes a Luxeon III LED while the M8 LED uses a 1watt LED that is mounted facing into the reflector. The FT3C supposedly allows for NiMH C cells, but I don't have any to try.
Here's a pic of the two side-by-side with a 2D Mag in there for comparison:
You'll notice that the FT3C is much smaller than the other two, but they weigh about the same due to the aluminum body of the FT3C vs the plastic body of the M8 LED.
-------------------------------------------
A shot of the FT3C disassembled:
The FT3C consists of the bezel ring, o-ring for the head, 30mm optic, body, and two-part tailswitch. I believe the heat sink does also unscrew, but I didn't remove mine to see.
-------------------------------------------
Here's a pic of the tailswitch on the FT3C:
To be honest, I really am not too fond of this switch. It's a momentary pushbutton on, with a twist for constant on. The pushbutton is rather difficult to activate on mine--it's one of those where you don't really feel like it's moving at all but the light eventually goes on. It's also difficult for me to maintain a constant beam with the button. Even the constant on is pretty flaky. At times it flickers and I have to tighten the cap extra hard to keep it from flickering. I don't know if this is limited to my specific light or if it happens in all of them. Either way, the clickie switch on the body of the M8 is much better for me.
-------------------------------------------
A picture of the front end shows the 30mm, 6 degree optic for the Luxeon III and with the optic removed you get a good look at the emitter. Unfortunately mine doesn't include the star, so I can't tell what bin it is. It is very white, though.
-------------------------------------------
And what you've been waiting for...beamshots...
This is a shot of the FT3C beam by itself. It has a nice round hotspot in the middle with some sidespill. There is more spill that my camera didn't pick up.
-------------------------------------------
And a shot of the M8 LED (left) vs the FT3C
As you can see, the M8 LED has that squarish beam and while it isn't quite as white as the FT3C beam, it's really not as yellow as it looks in the shot. It's more of a warm white. The M8 is rated at 30 lumens (Pelican site) with a 6 hour burn time and the FT3C is rated at 72 lumens with "12 hours of constant high brightness" on NiMH C cells (Elektrolumens site). The M8 beam is a really tight beam with little to no sidespill. This does take some getting used to but hasn't really been a problem thus far. Both lights have great throw due to the Recoil Technology of the M8 and the 30mm optic on the FT3C does a nice job. I think the M8 still outthrows the FT3C, but not by very much (hard to tell since I don't have a large enough testing area).
-------------------------------------------
My overal conclusion is that these two lights are very nice lights and fairly similar in price--(the M8 being a little cheaper if you get it from BatteryStation). I prefer the beam on the FT3C over the M8, but the switch just kills me. You also get Pelican's lifetime warranty with the M8. The FT3C wins out in size and the knurling on the body is very well done--not too rough, and not too smooth. In the end, though, I think I'd choose the M8 mostly because of switch reliability, but also because it's a little cheaper and has the lifetime warranty. On the other hand, I don't think you could lose with either light.
Hope that helps you guys out.
coachbigdog
Enlightened
Thanks for the VERY detailed answer! It was really appreciated! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
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