REVIEW: CREE MC-E Diving Light

[Buccaneer]

Well, I just got the flashlight I ordered from Tactical HID ( see here) As stated in the ad, it arrived minus batteries and charger. First let me say- I am no flashlight guru like Packhorse or some of the others on here- so maybe I am ignorant but I had no idea that you can't find a single store in the USA that stocks 18650 Li-ion batteries. Apparently it is a "protected" battery and if it wasn't assembled corectly they can "blow up" and no store wants to accept that responsiblity. SO I will be heading to the store to get some CR123A's to at least try it out while I wait for batteries from Hong Kong (thank God for Ebay) 2 batteries & charger, plus shipping & insurance came to $31. So far that put's me at $106 into the light. Not too bad since DX wants $95 anyways. However my whole "order locally-it's quicker" plan is a bit defeated since I gotta wait on the batteries- but at least I got some options to get it going now.

Initial Impressions:

PROS-
Nice compact design. Finish seems high quality and durable. I really like the size. There is a very small lanyard hole in the end cap, that I should be able to squeeze two strands of cave line thru and get it mounted on a snap. Lens seems thick and well recessed so it is definitely protected. Like the idea of having strobe, 100% 50% and 20% brightness.

CONS-
Obviously the battery issue sucks! ( my ignorance tho-) My initial impression of the "ring switch" that allows you to turn it on and adjust brightness settings, is that I would prefer it to "click" into each setting. Instead the ring smoothly rotates around the housing, and you align the dot on your selected setting. Nothing keeps it locked into a particular setting. However you can keep rotating it around and around as much as you like to get to the different settings. It is multi-directional and has no stop.

That's it for now. I will continue to post more about the light, with some beam shots as I use it. I intend to compare it against a UK light cannon, and will probably compare it to an LED photon torpedo as well. If you have any requests, let me know.

QUICK QUESTION: Perhaps one of you Flashlight Engineer Geeks :shades: (no offense) can tell me, will I experience any less brightness using the CR123's? I know shorter burn time, but I will get going on the review sooner if the brightness is the same. Thanks!

 

[JCR]

I am sure some of the light gurus will provide information about the Cr123 / 18650 issue, but there are some online sources for these batteries, for example:

18650 18500 18350 series Lithium Ion rechargeable Batteries

AW's LiIon Batteries Sales Thread *Part4* - CPFMarketPlace

LITHIUM ION BATTERIES, 18650 CYLINDRICAL

This is a good read about LION basics:
MDs Lithium-Ion > Incandescent guide + compatability/comparison chart - CandlePowerForums

Thanks for the review!

 

[jtivat]

QUICK QUESTION: Perhaps one of you Flashlight Engineer Geeks :shades: (no offense) can tell me, will I experience any less brightness using the CR123's? I know shorter burn time, but I will get going on the review sooner if the brightness is the same. Thanks!

You should not see any reduction in light output. The UK SuperQ does but I believe UK has designed it that way but it is the only light I know of that does.

JT

 

[Hatul]

Maybe I'm strange but to me this light has a very ugly, user unfriendly shape.

Adam

 

[Packhorse]

I would be very surprised if you get any change in brightness between cells. Since CR123s and 18650s are the same voltage and you are using more CR123s the voltage will be higher.

I know with some lights they go brighter with 2 CR123s than 1 18650. Run time is less though.

I must agree with Hatul about the shape although I have not seen it in the flesh.

 

[tactical_hid]

Wow you guys have strange taste... I think this is one of the most attractive lights out!

Regarding running 4 CR123's vs 2x18650, the brightness should not be different, but the driver efficiency will not be as good because its having to step roughly 14v down to 3.6v for the LED.

Also, no offense to AW @ CPF but his batteries are very overpriced. You can get 2900mah Panasonic cells (highest capacity on the market) for $12 each... same price as AW's 2200mah 18650 cells.

 

[nwbrewer]

Also, no offense to AW @ CPF but his batteries are very overpriced. You can get 2900mah Panasonic cells (highest capacity on the market) for $12 each... same price as AW's 2200mah 18650 cells.

If that's try I'm buying some, care to share that source?

 

[Buccaneer]

Allright, I went out and bought the CR123's. My initial impressions are this is one bright light! The ability to dial down the power is also a nice feature. I find the size to be very handy. As you can see it is not much bigger than a back-up light. However the large head and fins would not make it practical for mounting DIR style with a bungee. I don't think you would be able to get it deployed. The light is definitely brighter than a light cannon using alkiline batterries. It also "appears" to be overall brighter than a light cannon using NiMH rechargables. However, the HID light still seems to offer a slightly hotter center, and though it isn't obvious with the naked eye, it looks whiter in the photos. Tests in my backyard confirmed that over distance you notice the HID light cannon offers a little tighter focused hotspot, but that wasn't noticable until distances were around 40 yards. Concerns over the rotating switch I think will prove to be unfounded. The switch will rotate a full 90 degrees in either direction before the light comes on, so accidentally turning it on seems unlikely. So far, I would say this light wins out over the light cannon, because you can be into a fully rechargable primary light for significant savings ($106 Ive spent vs. $245 thru LP for HID LC + recharge kit). Plus it is alot lighter and and offers a much smaller package. I will post more infor after diving with the light and give my opinion on how the two compare in the water. Unfortunately, I am waiting on a new neck seal so I may need a week or two before I can get in the water. In the mean time, I have a buddy who works in a machine shop who is making a goodman style handle for the Cree. IF that works out like I expect this light is gonna be hands down a great system.

[url=http://www.imagechicken.com]

 

[sucnip]

re: protected cells... Bad things happen to Lithium cells when you:
a. Short them out
b. Over charge them
c. Drain them to empty

To prevent this from happening they make a small circuit board which sits on top of the battery (and is shrink-wrapped to the top or bottom) which protects it from a, b and c.

There's no brightness difference using CR123 cells. Only burn-time.

Hope this helps.
dp

 

[Buccaneer]

Well I just got back from the official showdown. I took the Cree into the water while my buddy used his UK light cannon with recharge kit. Hands down the Cree was the winner!! Too be honest I am SHOCKED!! This light was exceptionally brighter than the light cannon. Considering that it did not seem that way on the surface, I really was amazed at how much this out-powered the light cannon. The beam focus was great with very little over-spread. I really got to say- I wasn't expecting to like this light as well as I do. After diving it, and seeing the performance if I didn't know any better I would easily pay the cost of a light cannon to get my hands on this little powerhouse. My dive buddy was also blown away by the performance, especially since it was so much smaller and lighter.

FINAL VERDICT I give this light 9 out of 10.

I really went back and forth on giving this light an 8 or a 9. The biggest issue is the difficulty in getting the rechargeable batteries. Really it's not too difficult it just requires ordering. On the flip side, the UK recharge kit is significantly more expensive- and still kind of a specialty item. Of course the UK can easily use individual NiMH batteries and charger for the same performance. But the fact still remains, you get a much brighter light, with a bulb that lasts 5 times longer and is 1/3 the cost. I am definitely going to be ordering a second- and once I get my goodman handle mounted up, I may just forget about saving up for a cannister light.