I went through the bike light threads and thought to ask your opinion on upgrading my current MTE SSC-P7 (1x18650) torch. These would be the specifications:
- 1x18650 (an extension to use 2x18650 might be nice - not for duration but possibly for brightness)
- I prefer a torch, not a dedicated bicycle light
- two modes (no more than three), i.e. no blinking modes etc
- budget max $50 (I already have charger & batteries)
I guess the biggest question is: would I get a significant improvement by upgrading my current torch? Or two P7s, if I mount two of them since they are so inexpensive ;-) I'm thinking if the new XM-L torches would give a drastic improvement.
I'm pretty satisfied with it but of course, the brighter the better. Sometimes I notice that there is a bit too little light for a wet asphalt or throw to see for a longer distance. Also, the SSC P7 has a lot of spill (the beam is not that focused for a biking use).
I use a Solarforce L2 with a 3 mode Ultrafire ( Manafont ) dropin affixed to the handlebar of my Bianchi Lynx with a Twofish Lockblock and couldn't be happier with the arrangement . An XML in a P60 format produces a beam profile that I feel is especially suited for bicycle use .
You'll be able to buy a P60 host (such as Solarforce or an Ultrafire WF504B) plus a Manafont XM-L drop-in for well inside your budget. BTW that combo will also run longer on one cell than a SSC P7 will.
Jacktheclipper was right though. Hang around here for more than a day or so and you WILL become a flashaholic buying new lights of one size or another several times a month.....
I have used the MTE SSC P7 (5 mode) on my bike. One thing i liked about it was that there was no memory mode, so it was possible to change the brightness without going through the flashing modes (just hold the switch for 2 seconds, and it was back to the Mid mode).
It is much brighter than the MTE, the beam is not as wide as the SSC-P7 (that was too wide for me, the Ultrafire XM-L is much better on the bike). The Ultrafire has a very good heatsinking, and it is even brighter than the SSC-P7 of the Magicshine MJ-816 (but one 18650 will not last as long as the batterypack of the Magicshine).
Tailcap current with a blue Trustfire 2500mAh protected at 4,19V:
High: 2,47A
Mid: 1,23A
Low: 0,25A
The Mid mode is bright enough on the bike, and a good battery will last for 1,5 - 2 hours.
I have given the MTE to someone that can use it to replace a much more expensive Led Lenser that is not very bright (together with a charger and one 18650 battery).
You don't need any tools to put a drop in into a flashlight, you just "drop it in" and screw the flashlight back together.
There is one problem with that type of flashlight, the heat of the led does not get to the flashlight-body, so it is possible that the led gets too hot. Most drop-in flashlights need some heat conducting material to fill the gap between the drop-in and the flashlight-body (aluminium foil). If you don't do that, the led won't last very long if you use the flashlight on high for more than a few minutes. With a low-power drop in it is not a problem, but with the high power XM-L leds the drop in needs very good heat sinking.
With the Ultrafire C2 XM-L you don't have that problem because it has a different construction. But with that flashlight it is more difficult to upgrade the led. It has about the same construction as your MTE SSC-P7 light.
It will stay cooler on the outside, but if there is no thermal contact between the drop in and the flashlight-body, the led is still going to overheat. I have a drop in where the led came off the star because it became too hot. That flashlight was on my bike at that moment, i was riding (about 25km/h) and the temperature was lower than 10°C.
Every high power led needs good heatsinking, if not, it will die sooner or later...
I also use the manafont 3 mode XM-L drop-in on my bike with an L2P and a cheap velcro mount. It is crazy good. As everyone is suggesting on this forum I made a tight contact between the body and the drop-in. I did it with beer can sheets. The thinner the can the better, so you might want to use cheap energy drink can. It is so tight now that I have difficult time if I want to take it apart, and the body gets pretty hot quickly, so I guess it does the job.
I've just runt KD C8 yesterday with OP reflector. At speed of a 40-50km/h I would prefer little bit more throw, but below that speed it was just fine. I was descending for about 400m on unpaved road without real problem. My women had XM-L moded G4 from Tmart (basicaly the same as C8) with SMO reflector and she was not complaning .
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