Definitely change the driver then, and get a good battery while you’re buying stuff.
This Rigid Industries light? That’s pretty much one of these, but with less output and a cheap battery and charger. The “designed, engineered and assembled in USA” bit has a smell as well - it’s a cheap Chinese light with exactly the same design as 15 other C8 clones. It’s possible they did the final assembly in the US, but I’ll bet a nice flashlight the all the major parts came from China.
Haha very funny but yes ya nailed all the links right on. So ya I love the feel of it but works like a cheap top dollar harware store light that sits on front counter that says buy me. Lol
Ok so I think I got a plan for stuff to get…. sort of
Copper pill
Driver (direct or not… still trying to decide)
Thermal glue
MCPCB (star) XP-L V6 3D
Centering ring (is this really necessary?)
Good quality battery and charger ( protected or not and mah rating?)
welcome to BLF. I have done excursions to the Northern Lights before, but never made it to the North Pole yet! would be my dream to visit one day.
My 2 cents…
1) Don’t bother with a direct driver driver. If you are using this thing for work, you don’t want to deal with your flashlight overheating and such. The Qlite from mtnelectronics is perfect for your needs.
2) Either use the correct centering ring for your LED, or buy an XM-L2 to replace your existing LED. My understanding is that the XM-L2 and the XP-L are pretty much the same emitter, but in a different format.
3) I’ve never worried about protected cells when using single-cell lights. It’s nice to have, but most of the drivers, including the Qlite, give you the same protection.
For a practical build, I’d go with a plain 3A Qlite, or if you want a really low low mode, the Moonlight Special. I would go with the Nichia 219C over the XP-L for most applications due to its flatter discharge curve.