You guys will laugh at this… I saw someone today about to buy a Mag 3 or 4 D in the tool aisle. I basically dragged him to the clearance rack and forced the Defiant on him. (It was tagged as $16.98, but maybe he got a good surprise at the register.)
Getting mighty close to 1000!
Even closer… :party:
I checked two stores last night, still $16.98.
It showed that price on-screen too at the store I purchased them, but it rang up $12.00 at the checkout.
I will repeat my post from before
This is important
You probably will have to bring one up to the register to have them scan the price. In CT in all the stores I have been in, no store has ever posted a reduced price for this light, even when it was lowered to 16.98. Same goes for the Defiant 5C light. One reason they have not sold, no one has any idea that they have a reduced price, not even store employees.
BTW, the 5C is still 16.98 at this store.
Dchomak, I think this thread is no longer widely followed. $12.00 is just too good a deal to miss out on. It might be good to make a post to the deal alert thread:
You could start another thread for discussion or just link it to Post 979 above. Here is the link for that:
This is weird, I am posting to a thread that refers to another thread that refers back to this one! Whew. 
They claim to have 4, but the things have gone invisible! The little sku inventory gizmo was showing $15.00. But no one could find them. They had the 500 lumen 5C, they had the 3D big honkin one for $29.95. But no 3C Sku # 639226.
So I called the nearest other store, 25 miles away. The guy in hardware asked which light, I told him it’s name and he’s like oh yeah, got about 10 of em right in front of me. I verified the Sku # and the big honkin head, he said, yeah, that’s it $16.98. “That big head is for breaking windows, that’s what it’s on there for.” That’s what he said, no lie!
Gonna eat some lunch and drag my wife to HD. 
Wish me luck!
I scanned at the registers. 
I'll try again later today. I have seen the price marked at $16.98.
The local HD had a couple of cases of the 5C, at the $12.00 point. The 3C was in their system at $15.00 but couldn’t be found. The other closest store, the guy told me $16.98…plainly what they’re labeled on the display stand as he appeared to be standing there looking at them the way he talked. I’m hoping they’ll be at least the $15, maybe $12…I’ll get a couple if they’re 12.
This HD 30 miles away did indeed have 9 of these lights. Marked $16.98. I told them about the $12 but since that wasn’t local they wouldn’t match it. But she did match the $15 of the local store! Got em home, opened one up, and it’s build quality is …well $15 worth. Plastic reflector, ill fitting O-rings, all in all it’s just big and bright. Not much to brag about in the one I opened. XM-L emitter does ok, have yet to see what the beam does at a distance.
I sure thought the reflector was aluminum, probably wouldn’t have taken a 60+ mile trip for this.
I had a similar first impression. What the light has is lots of potential. The light has what I really want. A very nice reflector, plenty of heat sinking, and a side switch design. I have my reflector resting right on an MT-G2 driven around 6 amps. The reflector is showing no signs of warping. I don't really get hung up on o-rings. They're easy to replace. Changing over to the AR lens for CNQG makes the light feel solid and improves output. It's a much nicer light than you currently realize.
I’ve been looking at it some more and see that, like the HD2010, it has a lot of potential. How does the MT-G2 throw with this reflector? Got a beamshot? That’s actually a very good idea, what are you using to drive it 6A?
The better lens and some lube, a bit of cleanup on some threads, work on the switch and yeah, a lot of potential. I wish I could cut threads, I’d chop it in a heartbeat! 2 26650’s running an MT-G2 and it’d be pretty sweet indeed. I like the separate pill, like the Solarforce M8. But the finish on the M8 is velvety smooth and nice, reeking of quality, the Defiant, not so much. But then we’re talking some stack of pennies difference in price as well. lol
Give me the skinny on the MT-G2, I might stick an XM-L2 T6 in at 4.2A and see how it drives…
or for no extra money at all, convert to direct drive and 18650’s. The howto’s are in this monstrous thread. Speaking of that, where the heck is Gary, he should be the one to post #1000!
I hope gary posts next…….
I agree the light has much unlocked potential, mine is patiently waiting in the que for attention.
1000! - sure would like a couple $12.00 DSTs
OMG!I so wanted Mr. Bunk to make the 1000 post on his huge thread!Come on Garry!You need to finish this buddy!This one is all you my friend! 
I feel like horns should blare and confetty should be falling. Congrats Garry.
DBCstm wrote:
I’ve been looking at it some more and see that, like the HD2010, it has a lot of potential. How does the MT-G2 throw with this reflector? Got a beamshot? That’s actually a very good idea, what are you using to drive it 6A?
The better lens and some lube, a bit of cleanup on some threads, work on the switch and yeah, a lot of potential. I wish I could cut threads, I’d chop it in a heartbeat! 2 26650’s running an MT-G2 and it’d be pretty sweet indeed. I like the separate pill, like the Solarforce M8. But the finish on the M8 is velvety smooth and nice, reeking of quality, the Defiant, not so much. But then we’re talking some stack of pennies difference in price as well. lol
Give me the skinny on the MT-G2, I might stick an XM-L2 T6 in at 4.2A and see how it drives…
I hear you on being able to cut threads. That would change everything for me.
The MTG2 floods out. Very impressive and good for general usage, but throw goes down the tubes. I don't plan to leave it this way.
Ohaya had put a dedomed MTG2 in one and he gets 71kcd at 4.8amps. He has a beam shot somewhere. I plan on trying my hand a going dedomed in this light. I'm thinking 3 of these lights with dedomed MT-G2's will give a darn good throw number. Plus, what I like, a big hot spot.
I getting 6 amps by using 2S CGR18650CH's direct drive. I should be getting more, but I have some resistance somewhere. I'm pretty sure the resistance is in a bad solder joint to the pill. I want to run a cell right through the switch section for a total of 3 18650 cells. Maybe the Judco switch will help with that. Then use the Manafont 3T6 driver. The pill will have to be modified for that.
O-L has some good ideas in this thread:
>>>>>Not much to brag about in the one I opened.
May not look like much, but I just got mine up to 78k lux at 15 feet.
It’s so bright … (How bright is it? —- drum roll, cymbal crash) It’s so bright … that it really hurts my eyes when I shine it at my lux meter on a GRAY wall 15 feet away. The wall isn’t even white.
I was gifted a nanjig stacked-7135 super driver. Highest I got it up to before was about 64k with a v10 driver. Now it’s 78k on one 18650 (fully charged 2800 Samsung). If my figures are right, this is almost FOUR tikes brighter than a keygos ke-5 and three times brighter than a HD 2010. This is the brightest of my five. Has coppered springs and a glass lens.
That reflector may be cr+p plastic, but nothing I have can beat it. Not even close. Not a bad light even at full price, but it really needs to be modded to show its full potential! Forunately, the inside of the pill is huge, so all kinds of stuff can fit in there.
Beam shots with HD2010.
Beam shots MTG-2, XML-2 and HD2010.