MTE M-2 beamshots

There is a resize option on the upload page, but I do not think that it can enlarge already shrunken pictures.

Of course. Will you do a more in depth review of the light?

No need for apologies, I really wasn't being childish... I wasn't aware of any previous activities by Shilling, don't even know who Shilling is, so it caught me off guard. If you think that giving people lights to do beamshots with compromises my reputation in any way I won't do it, it is not a problem. It is just easier for me to have someone else do it and when people asked for beamshots I put two and two together and came up with free M-2.

I have actually been selling the lights faster than I get them in so it is not really a big deal either way. To ensure reviews are not biased in any way I have stopped the practice of giving free lights away as of now. I actually only gave one away so far so the contamination is limited. They really are smoking bright though so I'm sure the pics will be good once he resizes.

To help defray the cost of shipping, etc., for people who are interested in lights feel free to use the coupon code I created for the Practical Preparedness forums "PRACTICAL" which gives you 10% off your total purchase price.

Thanks,

Greg

www.gregmcgeeengineering.com

I do not think that anyone in this community has any problem with free samples for reviewing as long as it is stated in the review that the light was a free sample. Funny, I even think that there is some kind of US law regarding the matter, I could be wrong though...

I at least find no fault with reviewers that are receiving and are being open about free samples and I would encourage you to continue your practice of sending out lights for reviewing.

Yeah, but...

...speaks for itself, doesn't it?

I'll stop indulging you now, this is pointless. Take care.

Would be nice to have some side by side compairison beam shots from a wellknown lights, like for example the Sipik or the c78.

"Shilling" would be the practice of employing a "shill".

In movies about the old west when someone is trying to sell a tonic that cures everything, they take a "random stranger" from the crowd and he samples the prodcut and is instantly cured of what ever ailed him. This person would be the shill employed by the salesman to convince the crowd the tonic does something it does not.

I have no knowlage of any wrong doing (or otherwise) on Greg's part, I just thought I would fill in the blanks as quite a lot of the members here have English as their second language (or third, show offs! :P)

i will do a beam shot comparison, with larger picture of several flood-to-throws. soon.

"Shilling" would imply that the light was provided in return for a positive review, rather than an objective one, or that a positive review would earn other benefits. So I think the distinction should be made, but I don't think Greg needs to take offense, despite the accusing nature of spambot's post. Cabfrank should be clear on it (I think "courtesy of" implies clearly that he didn't pay for it). A lot of the more professional reviews on the net are done using lights that were provided for free, so it isn't uncommon or even that shady. But it is RARE in this forum, so it is good to have it cleared up.

I am actually glad that it was implied that I was shilling as now my vocabulary increased by one word! I'm serious here.

Now I sound like a high school droput in my previous e-mails with all the "Who the hell is Shilling! Let's find this Shilling and tar and feather him!!!"

I actually didn't know how bad the whole tar and feather process was until they showed it in an episode of the HBO series Carnivale. I'm kind of bummed they never came out with a third season... I digress...

Thanks,

Greg

Now that I am a Rhodes Scholar...I discovered that shilling is prevalent on ebay especially, and includes friends and relatives driving up auction prices. Although ebay espouses to have a zero tolerance position on shilling some say that they don't do anything about it because some of their biggest sellers do it. Quite interesting, read the link:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3078797/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/

It even has a picture of the old west...

Thanks,

Greg

you're right, thanks, and as i said the beamshots are the same no matter who buys the light. i just hope to get some better and bigger shots soon, and i think everyone will be okay if i can do a comparison with a couple other similar lights.

Do you plan on doing some kind of review?

[quote= gmcg6367]

...but since you are accusing me of some kind of illegitimate "tactic" here you have just put an end to any free lights to anyone for taking beamshots. Thanks SPAMBOT.

[/quote]

Greg, you're quite fortunate to be posting here with such a fantastic group of guys.

With that in mind, I'll be the one to say it:

"You're acting like a complete Ass-Clown!"

It first started out in a previous thread by ignoring constructive criticism, followed up by accusations by you on post deletion... and finally here with 3rd grade antics of blaming SPAMBOT for "ruining it for everyone"!

On top of that, you can't go two sentences without trumpeting your own product despite claiming to be ignorant of the whole "shilling" thing. Btw, nothing extreme or "smoking" about a moderately driven Q5...

The group of members we have hear are some of best I've had the pleasure of chatting with, and I take it personal when a vendor (since you've definitely presented yourself as such) acts in such a childish manner. Had you come here just a a regular joe (who also happens to sell lights), things would have been much different and I'd never take such a tone. But all I've seen so far is another vendor shilling his wares...

-Match

Guys, I think we need to give Greg a break here. Real MTI hardware is said to be high quality, and I intend to find out first hand for all of us - just how well it stacks up against similar competition. Those that are familiar with me know how critical I can be of rip-off cheapo flashlights. Its something I simply wont tolerate because there’s just to many fine inexpensive lights to be had otherwise. Upon my pointed critical remarks about his products, Greg has agreed to send me one of his XM-L versions of a MTI M3-2I, which I will review and compare against the similar Aurora M3-2I. Im certainly not in need of any more high powered 18650 flashlights of any sort, so I have agreed to pass on his test light (If it proves itself to be as outstanding as Greg says) to a friend who pilots light aircraft in the Alaskan outback for his livelihood during 6 months of each year. Right now he is packing a very reliable XR-E equipped MRV I gave him but needs more intermediate brightness and flood around his camp. I didn’t think the Aurora would serve him well so I still have it in my collection. Greg and I have already had this conversation and he is still very confident that his MTI will beat the Aurora. Unlike most vendors, Greg is willing to put one up and risk a bad review to get the word out. Stay tuned for a direct comparison thread with photos, beam shots and commentary. If this turns out to be another similar Lightake product pandered by poor salesmanship and hot air, guess who will be the very first to warn everyone in bold print?
Greg, are you still due to have the XM-L variant in stock by 25 Feb? Its not to late to back out... Wink

I look forward to your review, Flashpilot, but please know my words were directed more at the source of the product, and not so much the product itself.

I stand by my post.

I swear to God I was ignorant of the shlling thing.

Don't have much of response for being called an Ass-Clown... I made sure and googled Ass-Clown to make sure there wasn't some scholarly meaning like shilling. There is not, however I did find meaning in the onlineslangdictionary.com:

ass clown Featured Word

noun

I really wish the Internet was around when I got my undergraduate degree, I could have spent about 80% less time studying.

Thanks,

Greg

I will do it as long as everyone agrees I'm not shilling... I hate being accused of being a "shiller?"

Thanks,

Greg

Actually, I don't think you *can* shill since we know you are a seller. And it doesn't sound like you are inducing anyone to shill, just providing lights so people can do beam shots or post honest reviews.

We have had dealers here say they would give people lights and then give them a kickback on any lights sold as a result of the review. Now that is inducing people to shill. And we've had "members" whose only objective is to talk up dealers. So it has been a problem in the past, but I don't see anything wrong with what you are doing.

Lets please keep this on topic and drop the name calling (Unless it has to do with a particular "Greta"). At the lowest common denominator, BLF likely exists and thrives because of her selfish ill doings, and I think we can all pretty much agree on that. If there is a problem with a member, we need to notify Mr. Admin and tell him why. He will always address an issue head-on, just as he has done many times in the past.

Greg is putting his company reputation on the line and stepping forward for the shootout, which shows he's ready to back his claims at the risk of a potentially negative review. Your Devils Advocate: Would you stake your company products against a competitor unless you were sure yours would beat the pants off the competition? I would never take that bet unless I knew it as fact. If he's correct, then he deserves the bragging rights he's left in prior comments and everyone wins. Google will find more than one positive review on the MC-E version of his light (sourced from other vendors), and its been a winner to more than a few discerning flashaholics. As long as the optics favor the new XM-L version and its equipped with a suitable driver, this might very well be something we would all want in the upper scale of our collections. We all want to know which lights are the best for the money and why. That's what this is about, and I say "BRING IT". Smile

Thanks Cab, we're looking forward to it. Is this an MC-E equipped light? Can you tell us how many amps it draws on high at the tailcap? How do you like the tint and quality of the beam in its various configurations? For a light this powerful and compact, does it do a mediocre job in transferring heat to the head and body? Does it have multiple modes? What are your overall impressions?

You take good beam shots so we're looking forward to the larger pics and comparisons when you can get around to it. Thanks for sharing.

Hi everyone,

I for one am happy to see dealers post here, as long as they are legitimate, honest sellers who know something about their product and don't post false claims or off-topic links to improve their search rankings. So as long as they are honest and unobtrusive, they are welcome. That way we can have a more open exchange between sellers and customers without dealers feeling the need to employ shills. Instead of hiding what they really are, dealers can simply present themselves as dealers and admit that they come here to sell us a product. That's fine, as long as they don't spam us. We can understand that they are simply business people who want to sell us their product, and we'll use our own good judgment to decide if we'll buy from them or not.

As for reviews of lights provided by a seller for review purposes, I personally don't have a problem with them. I have personally received a few lights from Manafont for review purposes. However, we should always mention prominently that the product was provided for review. And we should make sure to mention the negative aspects of the light. Yep, they all have negatives. :) If the company is straightforward and honest, they won't insist on a 100% glowing positive review. And if they do insist, then I'll never do another review for them.