I’m sure these are pretty talked-about lights, judging by several threads regarding them. Just for reference I have what appears to be a newer model of the 3-D light, since it says “ArmorMax” and only lists the lumens on the side versus on the header like the old ones. Plus mine came with a rubber boot for each end.
My question is which one do you guys like more? I see the benefit of both. I picked them both up earlier today and I’ve been trying to compare them. For starters either I don’t have enough distance or a dark enough area to see the difference, or there is none. That is, in terms of throw.
Here’s my impression as far as pros versus cons:
3D Pros:
3 modes
Additional accessories
Feels substantially more well-made than the 3C
Bigger batteries = more run time
More lumens?
3D Cons:
Aggravating mode interface - does not default AND requires you to cycle every time you turn the light on - if it defaulted to HIGH or LOW that would be okay
Tailcap switch is not at ALL tactical and very cumbersome due to the light’s size - no easy on/off here, especially with the aforementioned con
$7 more expensive
3C Pros:
Easier to operate due to one mode
Easy to manage button location
$7 cheaper
3C Cons:
Feels cheaper
Smaller batteries = less run time
Single mode
No additional accessories
Less lumens?
As a note, it seem both suffer from an issue that involves crummy o-rings. When I unscrewed the head on the 3C the o-ring ripped and came out. The same thing happened on the 3D for the tailcap except thankfully there’s a second o-ring.
I do have one real question in all of this and that would be, does anyone know if the 3D is regulated or driven? I suspect the 3C is direct without any sort of circuitry, but I’m not sure. Obviously a HUGE plus would be if the 3D was regulated or had a sort of driver to keep the brightness drop-off more flat. I think I recall reading the 3C has nothing and is directly driven so the minute you start using it, the voltage starts dropping.