Mec-Army PT-16, Triple XP-G2 in a "Nutshell" (NOW a 3402 Lumen Quad!)

Indeed. Tiny. Well made and just so much fun to use.

Especially at over 3000 lumens! :smiley:

:wink: that sounds Hot!

On Turbo with the stock NoPWM driver, the 92 CRI N219b are making 450 lumens :slight_smile:

I have shown off the ginormous (relative) output of this very small light by shining it at my hand, so as to give the person in front of me an idea of the total output. It’s blinding! And the heat out the front is intense from the 4 emitters. I even tried holding my hand up at eye level, from a few feet away, and with eyes closed turning the light on in Turbo… the intensity is blinding even through your eyelids! Fortunately it has 64 levels of ramping so all this heat and current consumption can be controlled quite easily. It also has last mode memory, so you don’t lose the setting you were last working with by turning it off. Click on and hold for instant moon, click on then click again for instant turbo. Seems odd to think of a 3000+ lumen light having a moon mode, but it is actually quite low.

It’s not high CRI though. And while I might could help that a lot with a color filter, the filter would undoubtedly melt if running much Turbo. I have other lights for high CRI use though, my favorite being a 95 CRI Cree COB at 2004 lumens in mule configuration to avoid artifacts or hot spots, very helpful in macro photography.

I bought a PT-16 and a spare Keepower IMR 18350.
There is no difference in brightness on Low, Medium and High, between the PT16 and PT18 regardless what battery I swap
however
With the 18350, Turbo is double what it is with the stock 16340 included with the light.
And the 18350 is 27% brighter than the 18650

The 18350 w N219b is close to as bright as the stock 18650 in my PT-18 w XP-G2
Here are the lumen comparisons

and the tint difference

and the sizes :slight_smile:

I put the Nichia modded head on the PT16 tube, and modded the tail

btw, I picked up the PT16 on sale at illumn.com for $45 with code blacknovember

Diffuser/ travel case:
On stock 10 lumens low, you gain 3 new modes :slight_smile:

0.3 lumens out the side:

5 lumens:

3 lumens:

Does this mean I can now buy a copper PT16?

I only see the copper variant available at Heinnie Hays in the UK, the brass and Ti are seen more places, but the price is pretty steep! Lord knows I wanted that full copper one myself in a bad way!

Hope your neck is recovering well. Respect for your donation drive.
Yes the Copper PT16 is pricey enough to give me pause as well.

brass and ti make no sense to me, heat conductivity wise… and given the weight of the noble metals, my aluminum PT16 remains a favorite… now with 3000k LEDs

At the stock power levels Ti and Brass should be fine, at full mod level like the one I have, even Cu would heat up the hand quickly. I’m wondering if Neven’s LD-4 is compatible with e-switch lights? Being able to turn power level up or down between 12A and 8A through the configuration menu would be fantastic on a small light such as these! :slight_smile:

Does any PT16 owner here know what kind of runtime improvements you’re getting with 18350 cells over 16340 cells?

I actually removed the charger and squeezed in an 18500 with 1000mAh capacity, so it’s a lot better than the 16340 cell for sure, then again it’s a more capable cell so it pulls harder which compromises that capacity advantage somewhat.

All in all it was probabably a boredom move, boring it for the fatter cell, a habit of hot rodding that caused me to accept the challenge… not so much about being worth it for use.

The easier path would be to go with the 14500 version…

The only thing is, the PT14 (14500) version is only a small bit shorter than the 18650… so at that point, might as well go for the more robust battery. I like the size of the PT16. But if an 18350 cell has only a nominal improvement over a 16340, then I’d have to rethink.

compare the mAh of the batteries, that will tell you the difference in capacity

I have seen some of Mecarmy lights on sale during BF. BUT not the copper one. Titanium, Gold.

BTW, how is quality on this brand? Just curious.

The stock lights are well made, if a bit low powered… but then these are VERY small lights, which also makes for some difficult modding if that’s your inclination. The charger is well done, I removed mine but kept it and keep it with my power bank. I have had all of them but the 18650 model, the heads are transferable to the different sized tubes in case you were wondering. I really really like the PT16 though, best overall size and proportion for my taste.

Brass isn’t all that special, I don’t know why they priced it so high. I’d love to have one but not willing to pay that price. I’m a Ti freak, but they changed the design on the Ti one and it doesn’t appeal to me. I’d buy the brass one in a heartbeat if they cut the price dramatically…

Yeah, that’s right — I’m just a bit lazy, as there are so many different brands. Not sure what is the mAh range available. 26650 seems to be the real kick-ass cell, but 18650 is so standard and affordable. Plus it’s amazing how crafty makers are getting to fit a body around one such that it can almost pocket-carry. Yet, 18350 seems like a great compromise (size vs. power).

I’d seen MecArmy in the past and didn’t pay much attention, but they sure seem to have achieved a solid reception these days. Smart idea on an intelligent driver that can manage many different cells with the same head. I’m also quite drawn to the size of the PT16, especially after V3 enabled escape from the 16340 restriction. Also quite shocked at the markups for brass and Ti. Seems they thought they could make something “super exclusive” and draw buys. Can’t fathom doing it. Maybe if sales don’t hit their expectations, we’ll see some good markdowns in 2019.

Yeah, right… they have a bamboo light that is Ti, hand carved, with 24K gold accents, looks just like a bamboo shoot but is a flashlight. Try $1700!!

I wanted a PT60 when they came out too, but alas, twas not to be…


I do have the tiny EK33, ultra small flipper knife with S35Vn blade steel and Ti scales, the flipper action actually works but man is it difficult to hold!

And yes, it’s from MecArmy! :smiley:

The Bra$$ triple PT16 thrower makes a good paperweight, and it’s triple reflector produces a so-so beam, as opposed to the larger than Carclo flood TIR on the Chinesium PT16.
I think BJ had a day after turkey special….a ‘looker’, not a user.