My thought is that only a video can give a real sense of the true output of a light. This video may not be perfect, but it does give an impression of what it is like to experience the output in real life.
Stock light was $23 at DX-US (at the time). 18ga wires to MCPCB, tailcap braids, and FET swap to 70N02,
4 NOS laptop cells. $23 light + $1 FET + $5 for 4 Samsung 28A cells = $29 total cost
Lucky you… got that light at that price 
btw… how did you managed to change the wires to 18 AWG and still able to sit the reflector properly? :~
I have that same light with same gauge wire and spring mods except I bypassed the driver and installed QTC pads between the battery negative pcb and the housing so it is infinitely variable from <1 lumens to ??? lumens. Its a sweet light for sure @ that price :-) Your mods show similar output :-)
Thanks for the pic… maybe I should flatten the wires
Pic of the driver? :bigsmile:
This is after the swap to the 70N02 FET
How did you get the driver out? Was it glued? What tool did you use? Mine seems to be glued and the output before mods is worse than my 3x SRK 
Is that the black one that has the bezel ring glued in? I got the same one…can’t get it open…don’t want to risk tearing up the driver that is glued in as well (until I get my other SRK fixed/rebuilt)
This link from the buying thread explains it
Not an entirely fair comparison since automotive headlights have a vertical cutoff, but while it's useful, let me see if I can grab some frames and do a direct comparison.
Nice! Thanks
You are right, but in my OP I stated that what I was trying to duplicate the experience of being there, and the video pretty much does that.
I will say though that the SRK both out throws and a out floods the cars, that is evident.
On another note, in order to impress someone with a light, objects need to be in the path of the beam to reflect the output of the beam. Take this light on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean and shine it out at sea and you wouldn’t be impressed at all. This light looks so impressive in this video is because there is a canopy of trees to either side of the road and a florescent stripe painted down the middle that reacts strongly to the cool white light that is emitted. Other lights, owned by other members here on the forum will “show” very well under these kinds of conditions. I’m sure even seasoned veterans can be impressed further with their lights if they choose the right environment to demonstrate them.
To sum it up, you and I both know that this light puts out approximately the same number of lumens as a car. But if you were standing next to me when I turned that thing on, you would swear it was 5 times brighter!
Perception is EVERYTHING
Here's the comparison. It's an album with 6 images. I cut off the top of the image to compare the part that headlights are designed to illuminate, along with some supporting material that shows what automotive headlights are designed to illuminate, and an example of what a terrible automotive beam pattern looks like.
Good points. Also note that the camera is inline with the SRK, so light will be reflected back better, much better with reflective decals and paints used on roadways. As you said, it's about what is lit up, and it a big part of why the unwashed think throwers are brighter than flooders, even if the flooder puts out many more lumens.
Yup tks, but thats bad news that the soldered copper bar method tears it up so you are left with unscrewing the reflector out from the other side and hammering it? I’m afraid I’ll break the thing…that is usually what happens if I try to brute force something…
Use a small wood dowel and tap lightly. Place the dowel in places were there are no components near the edge and work your way around the perimeter tapping as you go.
Or you can take out the switch and use the switch hole to push out the driver from the inside. I have done it that way, not with glued ones before though.
Richard at Mountain Electronics recently offered four similar lights, already modified, for $50 each and I ordered one. Supposed to be delivered tomorrow. He indicated they were offered on a special deal due to his encountering supplier problems with obtaining a regular supply of the same lights which sounds to me like it might be the well known SRK problem of “pot luck” lights where construction variability is huge. Never quite sure what you will get as far as guts and construction quality are concerned. Hard to offer modified lights when you do not know what you will find every time you open up a light.
That's been a big problem for me. I didn't start buying SRK lights until the badly designed clones started coming out, so I ended up paying a lot more for a legit SRK from CNQ, waiting for a M6, and then I also bought the same light you just did for the same reason...sort of. I wanted a 6 emitter SRK with a shelf/pill, and the only certain bet was the one Richard offered. That it's modified is a bonus.
I'm starting to worry about F13's and F15's. The early ones had pills, but now different variations are coming out. I might buy one more, but after that I'll move on to other lights.
I believe the batch that he got were of good quality, the problem was he couldn’t get any more. When you get your light, you will be thrilled with it. It even has 7 modes.