Has anyone tried it out? I think it appeared on DX only recently.
I'll order a drop-in for my dad's old maglite 4D and if all goes well, I might order one for my even older Maglite 5D. Originally i thought Ill order the 5x Cree R2, but now that there is a bigger choice...
Any experiences you guys have would be quite nice. Beamshots comparing these even better!
Actually, the 3 XML drop in might be easier to fit, it's actually a tad smaller than the 5 R2.
I'm not so worried about machining those down, my father has a small workshop, modding this will be a piece of cake for him. Aaand it will be fun, keep him busy, etc. ;)
I dropped that single XM-L into a Maglite with (2) 18650's and I like it a lot. I haven't posted anything on it yet nor a beamshot. Grinding it down to fit was fairly easy. Wiring up the ground was a bit more of a challenge. I modded the tailcap to sink the battery spring down and that took some work, but it wasn't bad. I recommend having a dremel type rotary tool handy with wire wheels.
For my dad, no 18650s, by his own words, he's not responsible nor disciplined enough to use them. And we did have a conversation about them.
As far as I'm concerned (and my Mag 5D) I have no idea if it's worth to invest so much money and time into it. I'm quite occupied at the moment and don't have enough time as I'd like, so it might be I'll just install a drop in as well and use D batteries.
Unless someone can convince me that 18650s are going to make a significant difference... :)
Anyone know a good comparison between Ds and 18650s?
Is it even worth to use these dropins on either D cells or D rechargables?
To me, the biggest reason for using Li-ion is the voltage factor. You can do the same (voltage) with one Li-ion, where it would take 3 (AAA, AA, C or D) batteries to do the same. In other words Li-ion 3.7vdc, Alkaline 1.5vdc, NiMH 1.2vdc. So many times voltage and space requirements make Li-ion the "easiest way" for people.
I am like your father, I am not responsible or disciplined enough to want to ever touch Li-ion, but for many, many people, it's the way to go, as seen by the amount of flashlights out there using li-ion versus Alkaline or NiMH.
Considering they are all cheaper than DX 5xQ5, I'm leaning toward them. Maybe even 6xQ5, but the lowest voltage isn't specified. I need min voltage close to 4V. MF also has no low voltage specs.
Is temperature an issue with these? More leds = more heat. Perhaps 5xR2 is a better choice?
