Peak Mediterranean...VERY nice!!!

I recently ordered a Peak LED Solutions Mediterranean in stainless steel, and it arrived today. I hafta say, this is one SWEEEEET light! I've heard a lot about the Glacier Bay and Caribbean, and until recently, owned a Glacier Bay (I sold it to buy the Mediterranean...), but I've heard and read very little about the Mediterranean. First of all I'll say that for an EDC, the Mediterranean isn't for everyone. It's about 3/4 of an inch longer than the Glacier Bay and Carribean (pocket models), and has a substantially larger head. For a lot of folks here, the size would put it beyond their "acceptable" size limits for an EDC. It's not "large" by any means; about 1/4 inch longer than a QIII, but I know that many CPFers prefer EDC's as small as possible. Now that that's out of the way, lemme tell ya about my Mediterranean! (...sorry, no gottum digicam)

Aesthetically, this thing ig is F#&*ing GORGEOUS! The stainless steel head and body are VERY classy looking...a bit "beefy" feeling, but just plain pretty to look at! As with every Peak product I've ever owned, the machining is FLAWLESS! It has the smoothest feeling threads of any light I've ever owned, and that includes the brass ones. It would, IMHO, be too heavy and large to sit in the bottom of your pocket, but I managed to put the clip from a River Rock 2AAA light on it (believe it or not, it fits!), and with it clipped bezel-down to my front pocket, it carries as good as any EDC I've had up to this point. It feels hefty, but very good in your hand. Some may like a lighter feeling light for EDC, but I really like the way this one feels..."substantial" is a good word to describe the way it feels in your hand.

Performance-wise, this thing KICKS ***! It has the best throw of any production 1X123 cell light I've ever owned...period! I've had QIII's (three of them), Arc LS's (four of them), SF's (MANY of them), Nuwai's and just about every other "production" 1X123 cell light out there, and the Mediterranean EASILY out-throws every one of them (I've never owned a McClux or one cell AlephI for comparison, but I really don't include them in the "production" light category). The spill light of the Mediterranean isn't as wide as the Glacier Bay due to it's much deeper reflector, but it IS wide enough to be truly useful, and it is nice and bright. The tint of the luxeon in my particular Mediterranean is EXACTLY what I asked the folks at Peak for! On my order I specifically asked for one that has that "HIDish blue" tint, and that's what they sent me. I've NEVER had a company cater to my requests the way Peak has...on EVERY order I've ever placed with them. The light does get warm after it's been on for a while, but not to the point where it's uncomfortable to hold. The longest I've had it on so far is about 15 minutes; it did get pretty warm in that time, but like I said, never reached the point where it couldn't be held...not even close. As far as run-time is concerned, I don't have the equipment to do a proper run-time test. Since getting it earlier today however, I've played with it a LOT, and I'm still on the original 123 cell with no sign of dimming.

Like I said, a lot of folks wouldn't EDC the Mediterranean because it is about as big as I'd want a 1X123 cell light to be. But it's lack of "diminutive stature" aside, this is one AWESOME EDC! It has very classy looks and packs an impressive punch for a light this size. IMHO, if you decide to plunk down the $$ to pick one of these up, you won't be disappointed! YMMV...

PJD

Nice! Any comparo pics? Beamshots? Is it a tight spot? How is the spot to spill contrast? What would you say this light is best suited to be used?

CromagNet...It is a relatively tight spot; at 6', the "central" portion of the hotspot is about 7" to 8" wide. There's an outer corona to the hotspot that extends out about another 3" at that distance, and that tapers into the spill light. It has a suprisingly smooth beam for a light using a smooth reflector...but I'm not suprised, because the emittor of my particular Mediterranean is perfectly centered in the reflector, as was the emittor in the Glacier Bay I had. Smooth reflectors are VERY unforgiving when it comes to emittors not being properly centered! Sorry, I can't provide photos...I don't own a digicam. Hope that helps...

For me, the light is best suited for EDC. For those that may find it a tad too big for EDC, I think it would make an EXCELLENT compact utility light. It has enough throw for just about any task you'd need a decent amount of throw for, and the more than adequate spill light makes it ideal for close to medium range tasks as well! IMHO, this light is a WINNER for any one of a number of uses...

PJD

I'm curious, why did you get rid of your Glacier Bay? Peak just sent me one to try out. I found it to be not as white as the Caribbean but much cooler running. The Caribbean gets blazing hot after a few minutes and I'm guessing your Mediterrean is better since it has a bigger head to dissapate heat. The Glacier Bay is slighter brighter than the Fenix L1P but nothing dramatic. It has a wider corona than the Caribbean despite the identical body. Not quite as bright but pretty nice, with a warmish hue. It's about as bright as a Q3, I'd say.

Any reason you didn't like the Glacier bay??

(smirk) You're making *me* want one, PJD, and i'm Mr AllEDCsShouldStressCoverageOverThrow.

onthebeam...actually, I liked the Glacier Bay VERY much! I just wanted something with a little more "oomph", and my current budget doesn't allow me to live by the CPF motto, "buy both!". So to get the Mediterranean, I had to give up the Glacier Bay. From a size standpoint, I actually preferred the Glacier Bay, but from a performance standpoint the Mediterranean wins hands down! I've run it for as long as 15 minutes at a time, and heat hasn't been an issue. It does get pretty warm, but not to the point where it causes any discomfort to hold. I got the stainless steel model, which probably has something to do with it not getting that hot...I'd tend to think that the ano aluminum WOULD get considerably hotter, faster. When I can justify the extra expense, I WILL be getting another Glacier Bay!

PJD

PJD,
I have a Mediterranean also but mine uses the 2AA body and is the HA-III model. Been using mine for two months as an EDC running 2300 - 2500 mAH NiMH batteries and it is a combo that works well. The longest I have run mine is over an hour and it gets a little warm but not hot at all... runs ice cold compared to a Streamlight Luxeon Jr. or BB500 R2H minimag. That larger head in conjunction with longer 2AA body gives it great cooling and great beam quality with the deeper reflector. The guys at work have 5 of them coming across the ocean...they saw it work, enjoyed the throw and beam color and the order flew through the wires. Peak was nice enough to sell us lithium CR123A batteries with the order, we are in Turkey so the more stuff we can get from one vender the better.
After hearing about your stainless model, it causes me to think. Thinking about a stainless 2AA Mediterranean with a Luxeon K2 SWAH at 700mA with multiple outputs. It does not exist yet but I am sure Peak is working on the particulars before the emitter becomes available. For now, the momentary switch/twisty-on accessory in the making is on my list and I am keeping watch on their website.
I agree with your review on the Med, it is my EDC and gets the most use out of all my flashlights. It, along with my Leatherman Charge Ti gets the award for most used tool. Thanks for your review, it is going to cost me even more money.

BentHeadTX...like you, I'm also waiting "patiently" for the tail switch that Peak has in the works. If I'm not mistaken, they're also working on a pocket clip for their lights! IMHO, the addition of a tail switch and pocket clip for the Mediterranean (for me anyway...) would make this as good as it gets, and make the Mediterranean one tough light to beat!

PJD

I have a Carribean (great light) but having read this thread I think I'm now gonna have to get a Mediterranean too

great post
i've got a QIII, nitecutter, gerber infinities,Q40 Underwater Kinetics, and a LED 4 AA UK w/ 45 degree head ,(EDC) and EDC one of following :surefire g2,or c3, or pelican m6, in addition to ARC AAA( EDC) .

I have always liked the PEAK line. I think i'd like to get the carribean in chrome, like to see carribean pics again .My next light will be a keychain PEAK (unless there is an ARC AAA GREEN LED in the meantime) . currently i've got terra lux chrome AA (EDC) on my keychain. nice , but the PEAK will blow it away, after all it costs about 4 times as much!! small price to pay for such POWER! wow i just noticed 4 EDC lights! i wonder what people are saying ??!.....:laughing:

Dear PJD;

Thank you very much for this review. Am I correct to presume that your assessment of the throw of the Mediterranean also exceeds the Surefire L1? I am interested in this specifically because I am deciding between Surefire L1 and Peak, for a purchase. Thank you in advance if you are able to reply to this request.

Most sincerely;
FaithinGod

FaithinGod...I had a SF E1L a few months ago, but sold it because the TIR optic left me a little "underwhelmed". The lack of spill-light made it's use very limited (for MY needs...others say they like the TIR; it's all a matter of personal preference). I've never had my hands on a SF L1, but IIRC, the throw is about the same as the E1L. If that's the case, then the Mediterranean does out-throw it. Not only that, but my particular Mediterranean has MUCH better beam tint than the E1L had...the luxeon lottery was in play with the E1L. OTOH, it was NOT a stroke of luck to get a nicely tinted luxeon with the Peak; I asked for and received the tint I specifically requested. Peak is very good about LISTENING to their customers before, during, AND after the sale. The "one-up" that the E1L had over the Peak was a clicky tail switch. The Peak is a twist-on...however, the word is that Peak is developing a tail switch you can purchase for their lights in the not-so-distant future! According to run-time plots I've seen, the Med has a slightly longer run-time than the E1L/L1, but the L1 DOES have a low-output mode that some find very useful. It all depends on what you need! For me, the tint, throw AND spill light of the Peak make it a hands-down winner, and IMHO, Peak quality is right on par with SF. I LOVE the quality of SF products, but for my specific needs/likes, the Mediterranean is the best EDC I've had to date! All of us CPFers are pretty fickle when it comes down to the "latest and greatest", and next month something new may come out that'll be my NEW favorite all-time EDC...but for now this one is pretty hard to beat! Here's an "original" idea: buy both!!! Seriously though, get both, keep whichever one best suits your needs and sell the other one on B/S/T...no harm, no foul! (I hafta say though, that if I were a "bettin' man", I'd give 10 to 1 odds that if you WERE to buy both and get rid of one of them, it wouldn't be the Peak you'd be getting rid of!) As always, YMMV!!! Good luck...

PJD