Lol Damn.... I guess I'd have to go with Solarforce L2X with Nailbender 85 CRI Linger specials, behind UCL with LDF, for that fake triple effect. Cost: $240, not that bad...
It's the battery holder from this bike-light set http://www.dealextreme.com/p/eastward-yj-e01-ssc-p7-3-mode-800-lumen-led-bike-light-set-black-4-18650-50973
A fair few requests for it to be sold separately......It does look a bit like a "light the fuse and seek cover immediately" sort of thing
Because of the heads, the S-R5 wouldn't be the best choice, you'd be better off with L2s as the head doesn't go way down behind the threads. And they have a space for a grip or lanyard ring at the tail anyway. Screwed together like that, it'd make the whole thing a lot more rigid. Or if you are cheap like me, three old-style WF-504Bs which are L2 clones for less money.
Three of the Manafont no flashing modes XM-L dropins should be good for up to 2500 lumens at switch on. And the total cost way below any other 2500 lumen light. Going cheap on it, the bodies plus 3 XM-L dropins would come to $98, the adapter plate ought to be less than $10. My 1500 lumen SST-90 light cost double that.
I'm to far away from europe here. My brother in law owns a workshop there. They have a CNC nibbler. It would barely take more than 10 minutes to cut a bunch of these out of a piece thin. I think 1,5mm stainless would do.
Would the WF-504Bs handle the drop-in as far as heat sinking goes? For that matter, does any host that size dissipate the heat long enough for the light to be useful? If not, would about a C1 - C8, G10, L2, etc. size light be any better? I don't have any of the sizes for a reference point, I'm just going off of web pics until I build up my arsenal so to speak. Is there a particular brand/host that's know for handling the heat better than others?
The little gears in my head are turning, but I want a host that fits physically and can handle the heat.
In terms of getting the heat to where it can be got rid of, all P60 lights are sadly deficient. Since the format was designed round incandescent bulbs where keeping the heat in has real advantages, this should be no surprise. All P60 lights need their dropins wrapping in metal to fill the gaps in the head. This gives the heat a better route to escape.
That said, the major difference remaining is mass. If I could remember where I've put my small balance I'd weigh the bodies and check.
No idea where I've put it so the kitchen scales will have to do. Insert the usual caveat about reliability of all cheap balances - the lab ones I used to use cost about as much as a car by the time they'd been installed on their monstrous granite plinths.
All these have dropins heavily wrapped in aluminum foil in them, so I'd ignore differences of less than 5g.
Uniquefire L2 - 115g
WF-504B - 114g
Solarforce L2m - 114g
New style WF-504B (Much less Solarforce/Surefire compatible) - 110g
From the point of view of thermal mass there's nothing in it between any of them.
The S-R5 weighs in at 122g and I suspect the extra 7g is in the head overlap with the body.
Making that triple P60 host "holder" from aluminium can be alot easier. Since alu is more easy to work with it might be possible to redesign a bit the shape that could also act as heatsink and switch if someone goes the extra mile and adapt the three hosts with a single switch system...
Three of these with the leads cut short and wired to a 12A Big Red Switch. This could be mounted on the long leg of the back plate. One of these would do nicely. Total cost now around $112.
But I want "Do not press the Big Red Switch" engraved on it.
I did that ealier in the thread (naah was another one but similar thematics) but soon relaized it has a major drawback. By having them all soldered to a switch it would be a pain in the **** to change batteres by unscrewing tailcaps with those pressure switches mounted... with time the wires can break by excessive twisting...
From the look of them, they replace the existing switch assembly but keep the original tailcap and ought to be free to rotate inside the tailcap so with luck they won't twist the power cable. Not having seen one of these things other than in pictures I can't be definite about this.