Hey guys, as per the subject, would appreciate a good drop-in recommendation for my Sandforce L2. I'm looking for one with a good high (XM-L) but at the same time for endurance purposes, a very low 'low mode' would be great. 5-10 lums is good enough. Nothing like moonlight mode or anything.
The manafont dropin isn’t as low as 5 to 10 lumens but it does have what I consider an excellent and useful low. The modes are separated very nicely. It is also as bright as all get out on high.
The DX 5 mode XM-L dropin pulls 0,03A in low mode (measured at the tailcap), but i don't know how many lumens that is. I have compared it with the Fenix LDo1 (Stainless steel edition with Q5 led), the DX XM-L on low is between low and mid of the Fenix (low = 10 lumens, mid = 27 lumens), so i think it is about 20 lumens.
On high mode it is pretty bright, but it does not get the maximum out of the XM-L led. For me, that is no problem because even with modifications most drop in flashlights have problems with heatsinking. At full power (3000mA = 10W), there has to be perfect heatsinking, otherwise the led will not last very long. To get that much power out of one 18650 could be dangerous. That's why i have ordered this Trustfire XM-L with two 18650 batteries, the led module seems to be screwed inside the head, so heatsinking should not be the biggest problem. http://www.dealextreme.com/p/trustfire-x8-xm-lt60-5-mode-1000-lumen-memory-white-led-flashlight-with-batteries-set-2x18650-57749 It is in packaging now, if it gets through custums without any delay, it will be here the first week of may...
It is possible, but i am not sure that it is really the same drop in. If you want a complete flashlight, the WF 501b with that drop in is very cheap. I would check the heatsinking before using it on high for a longer period. You will need some aluminium foil, i use aluminium of a beercan, wrapped around the drop in, so that it just fits (with some force) in the flashlight body. That way it will last much longer.
Well right now I have the 501B as per the link. I've ordered the L2 SS and need a good drop in for it. I was looking at the ultrafire 3 mode from manafont but I would also like one that has a decent low for battery life. .03A is quite low so that might be different from the one I have now cause even at low, it seems decently bright.
The grey on the L2P doesn't look as polished as the one of the L2. I wonder if it's just the picture or the grey on one is completely different than the grey on the other.