Welcome to BLF!
The M43 calls for good quality high drain cells, just the sort that gives the Q8 the highest output!
Just fyi on a little Q8 nostalgia. This is where it all started:
https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/39046
by The Miller with some consensus and support from other BLFers: jhalb, Hoop, Abqjohnny, xjsnake, DavidEF, and Kusie.
Thanks for the link Tom, I see I’m totally absent in that discussion 
, because I never liked the SRK (because of its gold :confounded: colour and the 3 leds not efficently filling up a round head). How did I end up in the team? :person_facepalming:
While i have lately voiced a beginning dislike for 18650 batteries in favor of 26650.
Then i find this :sunglasses: and so, SIGN ME UP FOR ONE TOO
At the very least its a good excuse to buy more batteries.
Well 18650 can have more mAh per cm3 and 4 will surely offer longer runtimes then a 26650 light (except the Boss1 having space for 4*26650 or 5*18650 P)
Haha nice Tom!
Yeah first time I saw a SRK on AliExpress I was already a BLFer, so I read reviews, looked for the signs what should be good and ordered, disappointed. Yet totally liking the cell setup and size.
I asked you at the start in one if the (if not only) few posts I wrote in Dutch.
Why this lamp does not use “orange peel” reflector ? Thanks.
Ok, i would need another one, that would make 3 of them - thanx - also 24 of top 18650 so definetely would need a good deal on that
Orange peel reflector means less throw, so…….anyway, this light is a flood so an orange peel would decrease a lot it’s throw
Hhmm. Never saw an SRK clone that had OP reflectors, and not sure if it was ever considered or discussed. It would cut down throw, maybe it would improve the beam pattern. I would think total lumens output would be close or unaffected. Too late to change it, but I would prefer SMO anyway for the throw. I really like it's current combo of flood and throw.
I’m in for one, if it’s posible.
Thank you.
I have been scouting 18650 cells with button top, and protected.
Those seem to be far between over here in EU ville ( amazons and ebay & local B&M stores ) flat top unprotected would be so much easier to find and have a much larger assortment to choose from.
It seem like Panasonic NCR18650B protected button top are the best to be found as is, so i will have to debate with myself if i am willing to wait for shipment from the wider world.
I have not yet researched 18650 - flat top / protected ( flat top changeable with solder blob )
Okay for this there seem to be no hurry at the moment, but i would like to get something home to trail in the P36 while i wait for this.
The 18650s i have is questionable, so not something i would rely on in the long run.
Not sure protected cells are ideal for this light as it’s pulling or capable of pulling some pretty serious amperage. With the 4 cells in parallel, there’s really not much danger as long as you’re keeping an eye on them when you charge them up. Button top Samsung 30Q are ideal, or a solder blob on top of Sony VTC6 unprotected flat tops.
I hear quite a few people afraid to use the unprotected cells, but having vast numbers of them and pushing them hard I really don’t see the need for a protected circuit. Especially on a budget mindset, as the IC really needs to be a quality one and this drives the price per cell up pretty high… pretty pricey buying em 4 at a time.
They’re in parallel, not series, so is it much of a concern? Sure, protected cells are safer, but just how much of a concern is that when in parallel?
It’s been awhile since I’ve looked into it (and my memory sux!), but I don’t see a huge problem. Please tell me if I’m wrong.
Well i have seen a few RC lipos catch fire, either in the charger or from physical damage in what ever RC “toy”
So all of my batteries are in store mode and kept in the oven in my kitchen as i do not use it for cooking.
I am not sure if a battery going Pffffff in a flashlight made of metal is a major concern, this i have yet to experience.
Unprotected cells don’t scare me :smiling_imp: i charge my RC batteries in a large stainless pot in the window sill so i can throw it out of my 2 floor living room window and onto the sidewalk down below just in case.
And don’t worry i will remember to yell TIIIIIIIMBER 
Funny thing i never heard of storage mode for these flashlight batteries, storing the large RC batteries fully charger often lead to them puffing up as my friend have seen often as he don’t store his batteries.
I am also educated firefighter / smoke diver so really anything small and under 2-300 degrees C don’t scare me.
Sparky, if it’s a concern just use protected cells. Performance will suffer but the light will still work or so I thought I read many pages back when the current available to the light was discussed. It will run on one cell from what I remember. So protected cells should work. Or do I have it wrong?
Im game.
So i say bring it on, unprotected cells, and this flashlight and everything else.
At my age and personal health situation the next big thing for me is finding out what if anything is on the other side of death.
But untill then i plan on having as much fun as i can, and try to get my karma account out of the red before its too late.
These are not Li-po cells. They are not packs that charge all cells together. And then there’s the Li-ion 101 that everyone is supposed to read and thoroughly understand…
One cell will run the Q8, but of course nowhere near it’s potential. Tom has seen over 20A draw from 4 top cells, doubtful a single cell will do this kind of output although there are some that can get close… they’ll die very very quickly at a 7C discharge rate! (anyone not understanding the use of the C terminology needs to find and study Li-ion 101)
Search stippled reflector in the search box and you should find Old Lumens trick on how to make an OP reflector from a SMO (there is a video of him showing it)
Count me in, excited that this will be my first group buy.
Welcome to BLF!
Found the thread about modding a SMO reflector by OL: