My latest pride/joy

Am I part of a large group of recent CPF refugees here? I know you are, Jack.

livelikearefugeeFoy

I have lurked here for a while

I finally decided to do a P60 light and I hit a home run with this one .

I really wouldn’t bother with an SST90. As the level that you can drive it in a p60, its less efficient than an XML.

Also, I've used 4-5mil copper "tape" and I've used cut up aluminum cans around the dropin. I'll be damned if I can feel the difference. Anything in there is better than nothing.

I did notice a difference from having nothing to strips of aluminum foil. So, an under driven SST-90 will not be as bright as the XM-L. That makes sense - and it would probably just be a battery killer.

Foy

Nice mini-review Flashlightfoy. Everytime I see those L2P's I want to order one....very good looking torch.

You mentioned that your charger stops at 4.3v? Good that it's consistant, but that seems a bit high to me.

I think I worded my last post wrong. :) I meant that I can't tell a difference between copper and aluminum. There is definitely a difference between nothing and something. :p

Mitro - I understood what you meant. Somehow, I think some solid copper in there might be better than my almost-wadded up pieces of tin-foil. Ya go with what ya got, I suppose.

Match - Yeah, I don't like that either and I'll tell something else I don't like; one of these batteries discharged to 3.6 volts. I've charged it after that several times and all seems well but I thought 3.6 was basically fully discharged. Because of that, I don't let them go very far before charging and I pull them off the charger before the light goes completely green. These are protected cells so, maybe there's something I'm missing. A person is wise to treat lion batteries with a certain respect.

voltageconfusedFoy

Very nice to read review, never heard of muscle cars or flashlight bathing . I give you 5 Foy whatever they worth !

They'll be OK down to round 2.8V (under load) but are essentially flat at 3V under load - this will rapidly bounce back to around 3.6V off load. If it doesn't bounce back to over 3V on standing, the cell should be watched carefully. Many/most cell protection circuits do not cut off on the voltage under load.

That's what it did; it bounced back and has never been below 3.7 or so. I learn a little something important nearly every day, here. Thanks, Don.

alittlemorebatterysavvyFoy

Thanks for the link. That's a thread by one person who got an improperly assembled one. I don't see how it can be construed as a potential problem with the entire line, as implied by a different poster. I received my second one about the same day Haggai started this thread above, and mine was fine, if having more blue or purple in the spill than my older example. Both of them are my favorites among my 5 drop-ins and at least 4 other non-dropin flashlights.

I don't think high mode is for long runs. But it sure is nice to have that brightness for a short time when you need it. If I go past 2 or 3 minutes on high (rare), I'll drop it to medium. The sag you get at that point, plus the drain on the battery (from heat and/or battery voltage sag), make it of little point to continue in High mode anyway, so I don't understand the concerns (there is little temptation for a level-headed user to continue in high).

This is the first LED light I have where the infrared heat coming out of the front is very noticeable if you hold it close to your hand. If you let any flashlight run at 1+ amp for a long time, it's going to get hot, it's just a matter of how long it'll take. Just have to be reasonable and use Medium and Low (or turn the light off/switch to another) when appropriate.

Lights which are built for professional use, to run long amounts of time, I think are sometimes referred-to as "duty" lights. Mag Light was the original common duty light; 4sevens has their Maelstrom XM-L for $150 with just 2 modes. Incandescent actually isn't a bad idea for duty lights, because the infra-red gets ejected out the front, and those bulbs like heat (until they burn out from the same, lol). I think duty lights will also be big and use C size batteries at a minimum.

Despite all the inherent weaknesses of the P60 drop-in design, the great thing about the Manafont drop-in is that everyone gets the same great output, whether they're re-using a crusty old 504b host, or putting it in a swanky new L2p. Quality of batteries will have a bigger effect on light output than anything else here. That, and whether your switch holds up. My XM-L drop-ins have killed 2 switches so far: the one from my L2, and my 504b. Surprisingly, my $3 Dealextreme "replacement tailcap", which I held as a backup for just such a purpose, is still working well--for the moment anyway. Some beefier switches are soon on the way. Others have tried to contradict my experience since they haven't experienced the same, saying it must be something else, but it's definitely the switches (working fine again after changing switches).

I am running a 3.1A nailbender 3 mode XML in my L2P. I wrapped the pill with copper tape. Heat isn't too bad. I have let it tailstand for 10 minutes on high, and while it does get hot, its not too hot to hold. I rarely run it on high for more than a minute at a time for normal use. medium is plenty bright for most any need.

Seme here. But if i have it in hand i managed to do do 30mins on max easily outdoors with ambient temps a bit over freezing. Was not even a good hand warmer. Hawever leaving it tailstanding for 10min is nice if you need to make hotdogs!

For cycling it is more than adequate if you cylcle at least 15 Km/h at 22 degrees celsius. Barely warm at full. By standing still would overheat soon. Med is advised that way.

For what it's worth; since I've improved my aluminum foil wrapping technique, it does feel noticeably less hot. Like I said, it was never too hot to hold, just hot enough that I wanted to turn it off - not a deal breaker but certainly worthy of comment. That's another reason I'm excited to get the Manafont drop-in I ordered a (seeming) millenia ago. The Solarforce I have is single mode.

tinfoilFoy

Can't wait to receive the l2 xml i ordered from solarforce. now when you wrap with foil do you also use thermal grease or just foil? nice lights btw.

so cool.Where are you buy from?

My TD15X is my only LED light I can feel infrared coming out of. But my high output incand against my arm vs it is like comparing a Nuke to a vinegar and baking powder mixture....

You want the flashlight head and body to get hot. Your foil/tape/aluminun can is intended to transfer heat from the drop-in to the light's body. You should be concerned if running an XM-L on high with a good driver and your light's head/body is not getting very warm or hot, depending on run time.

Thanks for the photos Flashlight Foy - very nice.

Care to share how you've improved your wrapping technique ... maybe some snapshots? Getting real close to ordering a l2p with an Ultrafire XM-L, and I know its going to require some good wrapping. TIA!

As I understand it, you want that heat to go from the flashlight body to your body - to wick the heat into your hand. The heat you feel, used to be in the flashlight, now it's in you. Man, I'm always the last to figure stuff out.

daylatedollarshortFoy