I agree with the c-88 as the next blf light ...but I'd want the extra body tube and a neutral emitter with a decent driver and no irritating pwm.
under 25$
.....
Good idea!!
Yep an XM-L C88 would make a terrific BLF Edition. I'm not sure that the extra tube is essential but a 3*14500 capable driver is IMHO.
+1 on this being the next BLF edition light! Even without the xm-l change, just a spare battery holder I am in!
What about the jetbeam PA40?
Bit more than a budget light, but is 4AA and xml:
http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/jetbeam-pa40-xml-468-lumens-ipx8-led-flashlight-4xaa-p-7356
+1 for the XM-L Ultrafire C88.
But last time I checked, Jim said that Ultrafire is not very easy to deal with. I suspect their minimum order quantity for a custom run would be upwards of 100K units.
Nice light on all aspects. But what would we get for a groupbuy, 5-7 bucks off from $75 ?
All we ask for C88, or all I ask, is to be kept @ $28.5 , only "naturally" upgraded to XM-L . That's what's trendy these days, XM-L not Q5.
Plus C88 would be a thrower compared to P40 :)
Hey All
Just got my MCU-C88 from Manafont, must have been the last one in stock. I wanted a 3xAA for the collection and this seemed to fit the bill after a bit of searching, planning to do the 2.8amp 3 mode driver XML treatment. I was happy with its solid feel, super deep smooth reflecter should be very nice when modded, What really annoyed me was the fact that no combination of the 6-7 different types of AA's I have would fit into the battery housing, they all fit into the 3x holder no worries, but I couldn't fit 3 batteries in a triangle (no battery case)into the tube unless I scraped them to bare metal (not good), so I had to make a bodgy Honing tool and take about 1mm off the inside of the battery tube, and they are still a snug fit with no rattle. I would imagine this would be a return job for most people. But for me its just a bit more to mod...Fun fun
What batteries did you try that didn't fit?
Welcome , Skooter .
You know all the standard brands Enegizer, eneloop, duracell, Varta, BTY etc... they are all the same size, only ones I have that are bigger are some Ultracells from Aldi, but I've never had issues with size before on any flashlight. I should also note, that removing the plastic on batteries that you use in a battery case like this is not a option as they short out via outer casings touching, as I found out when I first tried to jam them in. And I wasn't happy about grinding out the nice anodised finish it did have on the inside.
Sorry if this "Anything other than the C88" is turning into a C88 thread ;)
I had the same issue with the batteries. If you inserted the battery pack through the tail, it would scrape up the batteries. However, from the front it was fine. Somehow, without scraping the batteries at all (Eneloops), it works just fine now without having had to sand the body down.
Tossed an XM-L in and it doesn't seem to throw as well as my XM-L w/ stock Maglite reflector :( Still an awesome light though.
It would work with a new heatsink, if you are into making one. Heatsink, reflector and lens change. Reflector & lens from DealExtreme. I think it would be a good modder.
For 3AAA I use the Ultrafire U4-MCU and make a small copper heatsink for it, using hardware store copper parts. I do it Direct Drive with a P7 and it's brighter than the stock emitter, but even stock, it's a good bright light.
I suspect this has a lot to do with the drive current being lower, resulting in a lower surface brightness. Lower surface brightness -> less throw. Crank up the current and it should be closer to what it was throw wise.
More lumens per sq mm of emitter surface = better throw.
This is why so many of the best throwers use the EZ900 dies. (.9mmx.9mm die!)
Double post deleted.
Actually, my XM-L Maglite is running at 1.4 amps, and the XM-L C88 is at 2.8 
I may have to do a whitewall test to get as definitive answer as I can (no light meter).
Is that measured or assumed because you have a 2.8 amp driver?
It's a constant current (7135) driver, so it's pretty much running the emitter at 2.8amps (at least that's how I understood that it worked). I still suck at understanding electricity.
Well if you are measuring 2.8amps at the tail cap, that will be just a shade under that at the emitter. I guess it just shows how good a reflector the mag rebel is.