Solarforce Masterpiece Pro 1 - Out-of-the-Envelope First Impression

LED Flashlights – General Info 18650 Flashlights
1

Thought I would share some initial impressions on this unbelievable thrower.

Purchased this "Turbo Head King" for $43.99 and it came with an L2i tube. (body/switch, no head) Screwed it onto one of my L2Ps with an extension for 2 x 18650. The MP Pro 1 is rated for up to 16 volts so, conceivably, 4 x 18650 is possible. It is fully regulated so it probably will not be any brighter with multiple batteries. I'm using two Solarforce protected 2400s for right now and to be honest, three or four 18650 batteries makes for an unnecessarily long and quite unattractive torch. Not to mention the extra caution required with multiple Li-on use.

Tail cap amps:

single Solarforce 2400 - 1.0

2 x Solarforce 2400 - .75

3 x Panasonic unprotected - .51

4 x Panasonic unprotected - .39

Cree XR-E (WC R2)

The crenulated bezel keeps all the parts above the pill in place. Unscrew it and remove the hard, flat gasket.

Under that is a soft gasket with a lip into which a glass lens seats that looks like it has a coating of some kind. This rubber ring sits directly on top of the reflector.

The reflector is aluminum and very well finished. It is not rippled or bumpy around the emitter opening like so many others.

The pill screws in from the bottom until it seats.

I tried to remove what appears to be an easily unscrewed whateveryacallit above the driver (you can see the resulting scratch from my ham-fisted efforts) but I simply could not make it budge. Either Hercules put it in there or they used Loctite or something.

If you break out the magnifying glass you'll find a bit of Solarforce marketing on the driver. To the naked eye it looks like spilt solder.

No beam shots and this is not a full review. I'm planning a big thrower comparo soon but after a few minutes in the back yard, I can already see what kind of performance this bad boy has. This light has given me new respect for the XR-E and seems to shut down the Skyline 1 big time. It's a little ringy but it can put a whole lotta light on something a long ways away. The Masterpiece Pro 1 is a serious thrower with spectacular build quality. It looks, feels and performs like a flashlight costing double or more. It's performance honestly, has my jaw on the floor.

This is an unbelievable thrower.

More to come.

doublewowFoy

2

I’m really interested in comparison shots between the masterpiece and skyline 1. I have been playing with the MP all night as I wait for coats of paper mâché to dry. I love this light and so does my son who until now would turn up his nose to anything that is not an XML. I put the forward clicky on mine, it’s a single mode so that works great. I wish I could buy a HAIII tube for it without buying a whole L2P. The head is HAIII and the tailcap is too. The body is an L2 and doesn’t match. Awesome light though.

3

Wow, so it is really good, huh? This is all the more tempting, I have had a very hard time convincing myself that I don't actually need another thrower...

Say, is this a HAIII 18650 extension you have used there? Looks perfect on your setup. Haven't seen one on sale anywhere. Do you have secret connections to Solarforce you haven't told us about?

4

I have one coming as well (left HK on 2nd June). Let see how it can do against other dedicated throwers like a 50mm aspheric (dereelight DBS V3).

5

I'd love to see how ridiculous it looks if you connect the L2i body that came with it. Pic please!Laughing

6

Geat pics Foy! cant wait for the review and beamshots.

7

Really? It doesn't look good with the L2i?

8

a thrower review! thats what im looking for!!

Thanks man!

9

I had three "HA III" extension tubes already. A while ago, I ordered an L2 "collector" set thinking the extra tubes pictured were shiny like the L2 pictured. What arrived however, was a shiny L2 and two buff tubes ala L2P. This "mistake" pleased me and the extensions have sat on a shelf until now. They are a perfect color/finish match.

Beam shots and a full review will follow shortly.

Sir John - I will screw on the L2i when I get home. It might look alright except a black L2i is shiny so . . . if it matched, that would probably look killer.

Foy

10

I ordered an extension tube last year some time and like yours it's matt finished in what is presumably HAIII.

I can't quite figure out if it looks like you could switch out the driver/pill assembely with a standard P60 dropin less the reflector...does it look possible Foy?

11

I think if you are using one battery it looks better with the L2i than a skinnier L2 tube. I used an L2 tube though because I didn’t feel like removing that big ol head to load batteries all the time and the forward click switch is for the L2 tube.

12

AwesomepicsasusualFoy!

13

I second Hansheng's comment, a thrower review would be great.

14

Now if only they would make that thing with an XM-L, you would have a TK-Killer.

Will you be giving it a Foybezel treatment?

Foy, how did the beam compare to your 980L? I have to think the 980L was about 4 times brighter...

15

I'd be supprised if the hotspot of the MPP1 isn't quite a bit brighter than the XM-L, it really just concentrates all of it's light into a tiny spot.

16

The XR-E anin't gonna be as bright, fer sure. I do feel however, when I do the throw comparo, the MPP will out throw the 980L. Every time I use it I have to remind myself it's an XR-E. Has been a real learning experience about what a reflector can do. Truly amazing.

As for the P60 swap, not without some fiddling but it does indeed look possible, albeit with skills on par with say . . . . Match?

review/beamshotscomingsoonFoy

17

Foy, could you perhaps post some pics of the MPP1 beamshot in that dark alley of yours so that we can compare it to all your other beamshots. Plzzzz

18

Foy posted it already, when comparing it to MPP-2, see here.

Here's the photo as well: (so you don't have to dig it out.. ;))

19

Thank you my good man!

20

Love my MPP-1 but the only thing I dislike is that its much brighter on 2 x CR123 than 1 X 18650 or 2 x 18650. It pulls around 1.1A with 2 X CR123, around .8A on 1 X 18650, and around .6A on 2 X 18650.