View Full Version : quick Malkoff M-60LF surefire drop LED in review
I bought a malkoff M60LF for my old surefire 6z a couple weeks ago. it's a floodlight, rated at 140 lumens. i have some crappy beam comparison shots to post. they don't really do it justice.
It doesn't have quite the throw of a dedicated spot beam, but it lights up the back fence in my yard (~75 feet out) no problem. I'd say for any home defense use it would be excellent. It lights up the whole scene very nicely. It's also an excellent light for utility and outdoor use, thanks to the 4+ hour run time.
Very well focused and centered beam. Overall seems like a high quality unit, it's encased in a machined brass housing to keep heat down. Malkoff says you can run it continously without issue. i've had it on for an hour or so.
so here's the beam shots:
malkoff:
http://i27.tinypic.com/ndv4w1.jpg
surefire 60 lumen:
http://i29.tinypic.com/14ybfn.jpg
terrible closeup pic of the malkoff head next to surefire head.
http://i29.tinypic.com/vxdh55.jpg
http://www.malkoffdevices.com/
Was your 6Z incandescent? I/m debating on getting one of these as it says that its safe to use in non-aluminum surefires and I have a G2 Nitrolon incandescent that I'm looking to upgrade. The 4+ hour runtime sure is nice.
I bought a malkoff M60LF for my old surefire 6z a couple weeks ago. it's a floodlight, rated at 140 lumens. i have some crappy beam comparison shots to post. they don't really do it justice.
It doesn't have quite the throw of a dedicated spot beam, but it lights up the back fence in my yard (~75 feet out) no problem. I'd say for any home defense use it would be excellent. It lights up the whole scene very nicely. It's also an excellent light for utility and outdoor use, thanks to the 4+ hour run time.
Very well focused and centered beam. Overall seems like a high quality unit, it's encased in a machined brass housing to keep heat down. Malkoff says you can run it continously without issue. i've had it on for an hour or so.
Any of the Malkoffs with the L designation are safe for use in a light such as a G2 - they do not draw as much current as the higher output dropins, and do not heat up as much. I had an M60WF (warm, incandescent colored LED, flood beam) in my 6P for a bit, but decided that I liked the beam pattern from my U2 better... but the nice thing about the Malkoffs (among many) is that if you decide down the line you don't like/want it anymore, you can usually get your money back by selling it used.
I just got an email saying these are back in stock....
What is a U2?
One of the reasons I'm hesitating on this unit is that I wanted a light with a better focused beam if it was only going to be 140 lumens. I'd prefer it to be at least like a TLR1 or TLR1s. My M61s are powerful enough that the 260 lumens makes up for the lack of throw.
Any of the Malkoffs with the L designation are safe for use in a light such as a G2 - they do not draw as much current as the higher output dropins, and do not heat up as much. I had an M60WF (warm, incandescent colored LED, flood beam) in my 6P for a bit, but decided that I liked the beam pattern from my U2 better... but the nice thing about the Malkoffs (among many) is that if you decide down the line you don't like/want it anymore, you can usually get your money back by selling it used.
Was your 6Z incandescent? I/m debating on getting one of these as it says that its safe to use in non-aluminum surefires and I have a G2 Nitrolon incandescent that I'm looking to upgrade. The 4+ hour runtime sure is nice.
yeah it was incandescent. i believe all the malkoffs are OK in polymer flashlights, but the higher output ones aren't recommended for long term use. You may be able to install an aluminum head on the G2, which would give you heat sink characteristics more similar to a metal light. the m60LF doesnt' seem to heat up at all. i wouldn't want anything brighter for in-home tactical use... plenty bright :eek:
if you decide to get one, i think you'll be very happy with it.
SmokeJumper
08-02-10, 15:57
Some good info. I've been considering the M61 as a replacement in my older SF 3Z. I'm thinking that this M60LF would be a good choice in the G2 or 6P for utility use.
sonrider657
08-02-10, 16:44
All Malkoff products are excellent. I am partial to the original M60.
Vorpal_weapon
08-18-10, 15:44
I have several Malkoff drop-ins - M61, M61W (selected neutral tint) and an M60. Malkoff products are very high quality gear. Gene's drop-ins make a tremendous improvement for C, G, Z, and P series SF lights. The M61s have a more pleasing beam (more even, more spill) and run longer than the M60s but the reflector and optic gives the standard M60 more range - like a mini spot light for your rifle.
For a light on a patrol rifle, the M60 would be my overall favorite because of its better reach.
I haven't tried any of the floody Malkoff's, but they're on sale this month.
I did an informal comparison between my M61 and TLR1s last night. My backyard was the test area. Width is roughly 30+ yards. Behind the house is natural desert brush/trees and I tested out to 50 yards.
M61: Biggest advantage of this light is the high lumen output (~250+) and the spill. In pitch darkness, the surrounding area is illuminated very nicely. Starting at 30 yards, the hot spot begins to fade in intensity and isn't very good at spotting, but allows for a much "bigger picture".
TLR1s: About 150-160 lumens depending on the literature, the strong point of this light is the throw. The hot spot at 40+ yards is well defined and brighter than the M61, but the surrounding area is signifcantly dimmer.
My novice opinion is that I would not purchase a M61L series light for outdoors use. The throw on a full power M61 is already inferior to a TLR that with the "L" series (low output) the floodier M61 series Don McLeish reflector would really dilute the light. Now, if the the light were to be only used for home defense or utility (less than 10 yrds max distance), I see no problem with the M60LF or M061WL. My home defense gun wears a G2/M61 (longest open distance is over 25 yards).
sonrider657
08-19-10, 20:38
I did an informal comparison between my M61 and TLR1s last night. My backyard was the test area. Width is roughly 40+ yards. Behind the house is natural desert brush/trees and I tested out to 50 yards.
M61: Biggest advantage of this light is the high lumen output (~260+) and the spill. In pitch darkness, the surrounding area is illuminated very nicely. Starting at 30 yards, the hot spot begins to fade in intensity and isn't very good at spotting, but allows for a much "bigger picture".
TLR1s: About 150-160 lumens depending on the literature, the strong point of this light is the throw. The hot spot at 40+ yards is well defined and brighter than the M61, but the surrounding area is signifcantly dimmer.
My novice opinion is that I would not purchase a M61L series light for outdoors use. The throw on a full power M61 is already inferior to a TLR that with the "L" series (low output) the floodier M61 series reflector would really dilute the light. Now, if the the light were to be only used for home defense or utility, I see no problem with the M60LF or M061WL. My home defense gun wears a M61 (longest open distance is over 25 yards)
That's why I prefer the Malkoff M60. With its optical lens, it has much better throw than the M61 and does not have the sharp "edge" that all reflectors produce.
For flood applications I'd go with the M60F.
Thomas M-4
08-19-10, 21:03
What is a U2?
One of the reasons I'm hesitating on this unit is that I wanted a light with a better focused beam if it was only going to be 140 lumens. I'd prefer it to be at least like a TLR1 or TLR1s. My M61s are powerful enough that the 260 lumens makes up for the lack of throw.
The u2 is surefire selectable out put.It has 6 settings the lowest map/ navigation and the high position 100 lumen out put. The beam is tighter than my 6pled or G2led it has a little bit more reach. I use it as a EDC light. So far very impressed nicest built flashlight I own and easy to carry. Only down side would be the price.
That's why I prefer the Malkoff M60. With its optical lens, it has much better throw than the M61 and does not have the sharp "edge" that all reflectors produce.
For flood applications I'd go with the M60F.
I don't believe Malkoff is still selling M60s at full power. The website only shows M60WF or M60LF for the last 3 months. I don't have any experience with the M60 type flood series to compare to the M61, but if they're similar...I'm not interested...well for $39 it's not bad to uprade my G2 incandescent to a LED light with 4+ hours runtime for utility use (M60LF) because it's hard to do near work with 200+ lumens blinding you.
While I like my 2 M61s, I would hesitate to get a lesser powered light with that utilizes the Don McLeish orange peel reflector. You have to have all 260 lumens to get enough throw for any spotting at distance. I have a feeling that I'm going to have buyers remorse if I spend $70 on a M60LF (on sale for $39), M60WF, M61WL or M61L.
Anyone have any experience regarding the differences/similarities between the M60F series versus the M61? I'm wondering which one has the more concentrated beam pattern.
Vorpal_weapon
08-20-10, 09:21
The Malkoff M60 (rated at 235 OTF lumens) is clearly better (based on my own informal comparison) in terms of throw vs. the M61.
If you go beyond P60 sized drop-ins, there are better "throwers" than any of the Malkoff drop-ins (ala Dereelight DBS V3 - its a dedicated thrower). What Malkoff P60 sized drop-ins offer is the ability to put a high quality upgraded "engine" in extant SF 6P (C, G, Z and P series) hosts. Significantly, Malkoff is offering a new light (complete unit - not SF "lego system" compatible) called the Hound Dog for those wanting enhanced throw.
For those that want an M60 (full power w/ 8 degree optic) - they are now (at the time of this post) in stock at Oveready.com - a VERY GOOD vendor. They're listed under LED Light Engines. :cool:
Vorpal_weapon
08-20-10, 09:46
Anyone have any experience regarding the differences/similarities between the M60F series versus the M61? I'm wondering which one has the more concentrated beam pattern.
M60F - the F stands for flood (its fitted with a flood lens to spread the light) and its going to have a fairly diffused beam that's purpose built for indoor/close range use.
If you want a very concentrated beam in a P60 sized drop-in, you pretty much have to look for a unit with a smooth reflector and/or an optical lens (e.g. the standard M60, Dereelight XR-E R2 with a smooth reflector). There are vendors that offer radical aspheric lenses - they are a trade-off (all spot/no spill). If you google aspheric flashlight lens you'll find a lot of information and videos - like more than you want to know.
As was stated the original M60 can still be found at Oveready - Elzetta also has it in stock along with the M61. (which is often out of stock at Malkoff's site, they get torn away as soon as he puts them up)
I emailed Gene Malkoff to clarify the questions I was having and I'll post the answers here.
The M60WF and M60LF are "floodier" than the M61.
They are no longer producing full power M60 units for sale on his site. He directed me to Elzetta.
I was never fan of LED tint but I just got an email that M61W's were back in stock so I ordered one. I'm currently using a Lumens Factory unit in my G2Z and the output is between the P60 and P61 so hopefully this Malkoff unit will be a huge improvement considering the cost.
Love mine excellent throw blinding light
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