Just remembered that Hoop is planning a Maglite ML25LT build, that would be one to watch. I chopped one and made it a triple and then put a tail clicky in it, really nice smooth light for easy jacket or backpack carry. Single 26650, very sleek.
How many do we number here anyway? Could we potentially fuel a “group buy” from Hoop? From what I’ve seen, a light from him would be as good or better than a factory light…
How about a group buy from you Dale? 
That little chopped maglite looks awesome!
I think a redesigned Convoy BD06 is our best bet to get it the way we want. I’m ok with both a side mode switch and an on/off tail switch but would just as soon as have only a tail switch. I do like Dale’s modded Mag but I think it would be outside my budget. Speaking of budget, what kind of price are we looking at for this? I want to keep it affordable but at the same time I don’t want to set a price so low it’s not realistic to get the features and quality we want.
I just noticed that the BD series with “The Miller” help is a side clicky. I’ve read complaints in the past about side switches breaking off boards when direct mounted. I’m wondering how waterproof and damage proof a USB micro port can be made? That side switch should be electronic. A few extra TIR’s with each light would make it a might more flexible, something you really can’t do with traditional reflector. I use equipment, I think of things that would make it better or more user friendly, I have no skills to actually do most of it. This is why I started a thread to hopefully get the ball rolling.
Over six years ago we had a night time shooting the day before Christmas. Three officers from another agency responded, one had a working flashlight. I was already carrying a Solarforce with an epoxied dropin. I thought I could do better than what was normally carried. So I just started putting lights together, Solarforce bodies, good 1-3 mode dropins and a bit of epoxy. Only a few agencies in my area actually issue a light, most are officer purchased. A lot of us are cheap. My lights are about $5.00 over cost and I’ve put together about 300 to date. I’ve been using Intl-Outdoor dropins since the time he started carrying them. To date I’ve only had to fix 2-3 lights that I’ve put together. I don’t do this for profit I do this so my area first Responders have good reliable equipment. In that six years the manufacturers have caught up and surpassed what I’m doing. I’m thinking it’s time to get a properly designed and professionally built light into service that covers most of the first Responders needs.
Criteria I think is important. Short, if it’s too long it gets left in the car or at home. If it’s too complicated it get replaced. If it’s fragile it’s worthless. TIR lenses because they resist breakage better then traditional lens. I believe the best throwing TIR’s throw like op reflectors, this gives some throw with good flood. Easy multi-mode selection for the job at hand. Built tough enough to take to war, this also give the user confidence in his gear. I picked 4 XP-G3 over 3 XP-L’s because I think 4 smaller LED’s will throw and flood equal to 3 larger LED’s given the same head. Not set in stone I could still see 3 XP-L’s instead of XP-G3’s. 5700K I place output over CRI but do realize the 6500K’s are just color washing glare masters. Must be 26650 for capacity and output.
A great first Responder light would also be a great BLF light and a great tool. I see a few more people jumping on this thread and I hope that the talent here will bring this to be.
Texas Shooter I think this is on the right track and I like the brainstorming going on. I’m still a fan of three emitters instead of four soley for the size reason, four emitters will require a larger head.
I imagine a bastard of two Astrolux lights:
Mate a S41 with an E02, then feed the offspring steroids, so it can run hot on an 26650…
That would be my kind of beast!
Ok, 4 vs 3. First there isn’t an mcpcb for a quad to mate up to the CUTE-4. So that makes it a custom mod and more difficult. The 32mm Noctigon mates to the Ledil CUTE-3 perfectly, and the 3 individual TIR’s are much larger within the optic, yielding better throw than a quad. So a triple 35mm is most likely the way to go. XP-L V6 in 1D, maybe 2D, that would be my best bet.
If we can do ToyKeeper’s Bistro driver, there will be a lot of options readily available as well as thermal stepdown and battery check modes, with a police strobe and a bicycle strobe that are in a hidden group but easily accessible, making it a great all around driver for this type of work. Easy to pick a muggle mode, single or triple, whatever set of levels are desired from 1 to 9 levels including a low moon for map reading and paperwork in the car. Easy too to toggle last mode memory on/off. Reverse mode direction at will as well.
So a decent 26650 host with preferably a SS bezel if possible for durability and then it’s a simple matter of building them. Heck, I could do that! There are 3 main CUTE-3 options, from Soft Spot to Medium and Wide Angle and there’s even an Elliptical.
Emitters are around $6 each, the optics something like $4, driver is around $10 if we purchased the ATTiny25 FET+1 from Richard and then flashed the Bistro firmware. Around $20 plus the host, should be doable in the $40 range? Plus additional optics, 2 of which should still come in under $50?
Something like that?
Dale, would the H17F driver be a better choice for thermal management? I understand that the FET may not be quite as low a resistance as some of the others due to it’s physical size and all of the components on the board… But?
That sounds cool Dale!!
I built myself a EE X6 triple exactly this way last week and really like it. But I would like it much more if it had the additional features we are talking about here:
I am definitely in
I don’t know the H17F driver, but tend to stay clear of DJ’s drivers… that’s just me though.
I like where Dale is going with this. How does that driver work with a side switch and tail switch? Side switch does what function and the tail switch does what function? I’m ok with whatever TIM being installed as long as they are quick and easy to change. As far as price goes 50 to 60 sounds good to me.
I do not know if it would work with a side switch. I only have one and it is in an S2 triple that runs very hot, it is more stable with that driver than any other driver I have tried in it. It modulates the output based on the temperature of the light.
Watching with great interest. 
Thanks everyone for taking more interest in this possible light project. It’s one I’ve wanted to see come into existence for some time. The Convoy L6 meet the output but it’s just too big to be a belt light.
I really feel that the Convoy L2 body tube and L6 10 amp tail switch is the bottom half already to use. Thick, heavy and durable with the tactical ring already to use if wanted. Semi protected switch with two lanyard spots. Thickness will serve another purpose heat absorption capacity and greater surface area for bleeding the heat into your hand or air.
Convoy BD06 head with electronic switch and a USB micro port. Triple XP-L V6 with matching 32mm optics. This is only 16.5mm high giving room for a thicker shelf. Thick 1mm springs so no wire by pass needed. Reverse polarity protection needed. Reasoning for some greater diameter in the head is for holstering and handling, 35mm body, 42mm head if the BD06 style is used.
I’m not sure of which driver but it needs to be well regulated in all modes. One of the thing I notice from non light people, especially Cops is the tendency to throw away good batteries because we think it’s dimming a little. Saw a lot of this with Mag Lights. In the newer lights they always top of the batteries. With good regulation some of that should go away. I’m really uneducated in this area. I would like it to be a light I could hand my mom and she could figure it out in a few minutes even without instructions. Reverse polarity protection needed. I actually had someone say years ago “What do you mean the batteries are in backwards, they fit don’t they.” Reiterate again tail switch on/off only side switch mode selection only. Moonlight, low, medium, 3-4 amp high, 8 amp turbo, long press strobe.
I know we are Budget Light but this is the kind of light I’d pay $100.00 for knowing it was bright, tough and easy to use. Lights I currently put together for my first Responders use Solarforce host and Intl-Outdoor dropins. Threads are greased along with O-rings, retaining rings tightened. I often toss them into the pool and pull them up two days later dry as a bone inside. This is how these lights should be. Good threads, slightly over sized O-rings, may be double O-rings. A light that some enthusiast on YouTube will show driving nails like a hammer. This light is a tool not a toy, it’s the light you grab when you hear breaking glass and the dogs are barking. The light you use when camping and hunting in the rain and mud.
I wonder if some of you here could get Simon at Convoy to say “Yes I need to build that light!”
The electronic switch controls the driver but has a constant drain on the battery when switched off. The tailcap switch prevents the negative end of the battery from earthing to the flashlight body preventing any drain from the battery.
Best of both worlds.
The JM20 looks interesting. The Lumapower strive standard also caught my eye.
So I’m excited about this if we can get it built. Who here knows how to get the ball rolling with a manufacturer that is reputable and won’t screw it up?
I’ve got the Shadow JM20, JM07 Pro and the Supfire L5 modified by Mountain Electronics. None of these lights are stout enough to be called tough or handle a triples 8 amp heat load. My JM07 Pro gets toasty running at 4 amps in a matter of minutes. The Shadow JM20 is the lightest and shortest of the three. These lights are 135g, 142g, and 160g in weight respectively without battery. A Solarforce L2 empty host weighs 98g.
I picked up from Mountain Electronics an L2 body tube and I already have a Thorfire S70. Those body tubes and tail caps have the features and mass to handle given requirements. The Thorfire S70 and Convoy L6 weight in at 590g and 550g respectfully.
The light I’m hoping to get built is a single 26650 but will probably weigh in at 200g-250g or 7-9 ounces for us that live in TEXAS.
Khatod PL605A 35mm triple optics might be worth looking at over the Carclo’s.
Let me get this straight, you want a high power hotrod with all the bells and whistles in the shell of an everyday set and forget light? The build durability and quality of a mag light and cooling ability of …er a cooly with integrated led shelf (one piece head/body and lots of cooling fins), dual switches…
AND still have it easily pocketable…!? I just get the feeling the end product will fall short of your hopes.