This light will not run with 2x protected cells per the information on MTN. You could purchase 2x of these inexpensive Supfire 26650 cells for $5.00 each if you are aware of the risks of series-connected unprotected cells: http://www.mtnelectronics.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=361&search=supfire
Monitor your cell voltage closely, keep the cells as a matched pair, charge and use together, and don’t allow them to over-discharge.
You don’t have to build it yourself. Richard from mountain electronics will build and test it for you. Make sure you check the “build and test” option when purchasing the host, and the “dedome” option when you purchase the LED.
I doubt you can get more throw for under $50. Someone else will chime in, if they can think of anyone else.
Do this setup, make sure to check the dedomed option on the LED and add 3 7135’s to the driver. Check the build box on the host and have Richard build it. If you are willing to spend an extra $20 for about 20% more throw do the 1405 host with the MTN-MAX driver at 5.5A.
WOW! Very detailed, thanks keltex! I’ll definitely take this one into consideration. I didn’t realize batteries/chargers were so expensive.
My $50 price ceiling did not include batteries (thank you for that assumption though). So basically you have $20-$30 more to play with. Is there anything out there that would be significantly better than the C8 or L3?
I am a real noob when it comes to these flashlights. Can you explain to me what “dedomed” is? This sounds like a real good option that I hadn’t thought of. Thank you both!!!
Dedoming is an option to improve throw, at the expense of tint. It is removing the transparent dome from the emitter.
The UltraFire 1504 lumennoob mentioned above is another good option. Although it is an aspheric zoomie, it would maximize throw, but you would end up with a needle beam. If you go with that option, the XP-G2 dedomed would give great throw, but the XP-L HI would give good throw as well, and have a better tint.
Keep in mind, I don’t own either of these lights, but I know they would both be far better than the $10 XXXFire eBay special you already have.
@$58.50 IF the group buy holds- right now 12 more orders are needed. Factory-modded Maxtoch M24 Sniper, should make a really good thrower. Hi-amp driver, Cree XP-L/hi emitter (neutral tint) on copper board and more. Check this thread: Maxtoch Sniper GB
Group buys don’t always ship quickly as these are truly custom lights and will not be built until we meet the minimum order number. And there’s about a month left before the window of opportunity to get this built closes, but with just 12 to go it’s still very possible.
If you need something sooner, the Convoy C8 is a very good light and a decent thrower. It’s the light I most use here at home as the spill is good too so it covers all the bases for me. Going to gift some this Christmas; that’s how much I like this light. You can get better throwers for the price but the C8 will not disappoint.
Thank you all for your responses!!! Very useful information…
I’ve decided to go with the Supfire L3 with a dedomed LED (thanks again Keltex).
The Maxtoch M24 looks VERY appealing, but i’d really like to stay under my $50 limit. Also, it looks like the GB price is only $5-10 less that what it retails. I can always come back for one later …. to be honest, I probably will.
The courui also looks nice, but it seems like people are really only happy with it after it has been modded. I could definitely see buying this as a project light sometime in the near future
Correct me if Im wrong, but I remember finding some bad rings in my L3 builds’ beam patterns… Could not get them to go away. Thats why I prefer the Yezl Y3 quit a bit over the L3. Almost same price, better quality, side clicky and much better/cleaner beam pattern.
Note the M24 GB price is for a special edition with XP-L Hi emitter, BLF engraving and higher output than factory standard. You can't 'come back for one later'. Just so you're not slapping your head later.
Don’t forget the free shipping :P. I totally get it, and it definitely looks like a bidass light! I’ll definitely keep an eye on that thread and who knows. Maybe i’ll end up buying two lights =D
We’ve reached the minimums on the Maxtoch M24 “Sniper” GB :bigsmile:
4-5A (4A minimum promised) with the XP-L Hi will make this a formidable thrower, still time to sign up. See M 24 GB thread
Welcome!! Let us know what you end up with and how you like it. I haven’t really gotten a thrower yet. But I’m waiting for these: GB BLF LuckySun D80-SE Need long tubes? -3/3/16. Group buy is still open for now I think!
However, it’s unlikely that that you’ll be able to pick up the Maxtoch M24 Sniper later. Not the GB version anyway with its domeless XP-L HI emitter at 4.0-4.5 amps. (The regular version is a de-domed XM-L2 emitter at 3 amps.)
And you’ll especially be missing out on the BLF inscription. :party:
Note: While the tight hotspot throws well, it is annoyingly distracting for looking at anything close. So, the de-domed C8 works best for targets 50 feet away and greater. If you’re going to be using it to light up anything nearer, but still want a “throwy” flashlight, then I’d recommend ordering the regular C8.
And, of course, if you can afford it, there’s always the group buy that SawMaster mentioned, above. :evil:
Thanks dash. This is what I’m going off of but I don’t think I’ve ever owned a “true thrower”. I doubt my eyes will see a while lot at this distance so I thought it would be good enough.
