How does that compare to the XHP70.2?
XHP70.2 pros
- Brighter
- Better efficiency per lumens
GT FC40 pros
- Warmer CCT options available
- Higher CRI
- More even beam (no CREE rainbow)
I don’t have any lights with a GT FC40 yet but if you’re happy to sacrifice a few lumens then they look like a good choice.
Thanks. Might just be my poor eyes but my 70.2 looks ok in the M3-C. I hope to see some comparison beam shots soon though.
Just got my second M3-C with 70.2. It is the best balance of thermal mass and power I have and wanted a backup. For short walks it will run turbo without much stepdown. If I want sustained run times I can run it at level 3 and still get the lumen level I like for country walks in complete darkness. Starting to rethink medium sized lumen monsters that are too big to pocket carry and too small to run at high output. 1 or 2 minutes of turbo and maybe 5 or 6 hundred sustained lumens just doesn’t fit in with how I use a flashlight. YMMV. Anyhoo, this M3-C charges correctly except the red and green charge leds are near impossible to see in the hole. They must be positioned incorrectly. The included 26800 battery must have been repurposed. There are remnants of welded metal still attached to the positive button and signs of removal on the negative end. Also included with the spare parts is a round board with a buttons on both sides. I assume this is for flat top battery use? I don’t know.
I’ve heard that many of the non QB cells have been removed from unused battery packs…kind of like those grey Tesla cells for awhile. Vapcell told us that the 26800 cells may not be produced in the future…little unclear about the situation but hopefully it’s something temporary and not a permanent retirement of the format. Yes, the board is for flat tops…he brought out those boards as an alternative to magnet spacers in series-cell lights but they just serve as a compact button anywhere you need them. Is the tail spring in yours the same as your first light or is it the thicker one he started putting in the L-series lights?
Can this be purchased with XHP70.3 HI?
I wish this had a power button that I could easily locate in the dark. I have to search and search before I find it on the M3-C. This is basically the only light in my collection with this problem…it’s one of those features that you don’t even notice or think about until it’s missing.
I attached a ring made of chrome plated brass crafting wire my wife uses. It helps find the button in the dark. The button on my second m3-c is recessed so it is flush with the surrounding surface. My first one was raised and I added a washer which is the easiest to find by feel.
The spring is the replacement spring Simon sent me for my first one. It has the triangular base that fits in the groove and held in by a retainer ring.
That’s very resourceful. I just wish it came with a better stock design so that people didn’t have to bother coming up with things like that.
I just noticed the length of the tube on the new one is about 1/8” shorter than my first one. Probably to help with battery contact as the first one did seem longer than usual.
Interesting. Maybe to correct the design after the switch to solid posts instead of a spring. Does the light still cut off on lower light levels if you bump it/set it down to tail stand? That’s why I was wondering about the spring. The two look alike but the L-series one is much beefier than the original in the M3C and such…Simon thought it was too stiff to use in the M3C. Those spacer boards don’t solve that cut off issue even when you put three of them in there, at which point it will feel very snug to tighten and may dent the + terminal on the cell. D’oh. Some other workarounds kinda make it better but it’s a minor design problem that is irritating.
Yeah, I can make it cut out by setting it down hard. Usually it only flashes. I don’t have an L series to compare springs but I do know Simon sent a heavier one for the first M3-C and this looks like it.