Malkoff M61L P60 Drop-in with Cree XP-G2 (CW) Review
Malkoff makes a P60 dropin called the M61L, which fits Surefire G2-style flashlights. It’s a brass drop-in. Read on for more!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the official product page.
Versions
In the sense of this drop-in, there’s only this one. But more generally speaking, this drop-in body is available in many configurations. There’s the M61L, which is a single-mode low output. There’s the other one I have, the M61, which isn’t low output, but still single mode.
But there are a bunch:
M61 Mod to fit Surefire and Malkoff
M61L (Low Output) to fit Surefire
M61LL (lowest output) to fit Surefire
M61N (neutral tint) to fit Surefire and Malkoff
M61NL (neutral tint, low output) to fit Surefire and Malkoff
M61NLL (neutral tint, lowest output) to fit Surefire and Malkoff
M61W (warm tint) to fit Surefire
M61WL (warm tint, low output) to fit Surefire
M61WLL (warm tint, lowest output) to fit Surefire
M361-LMH Low-Med-High to Fit SureFire
M361N-LMH Neutral Low-Med-High to Fit SureFire
And there are even others, not really for the G2, but still using basically the same brass parts.
Price
This specific drop-in is $45.99, on sale from $59.00.
Short Review
This is a very nice upgrade to the nitrolon Surefire G2 (etc) incandescent drop-in. It’s extremely well built, and dead simple.
Long Review
The Big Table
| Malkoff M61L | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Cree XP-G2 |
| Cell: | 16650 |
| Runtime | |
| LVP? | No |
| Switch Type: | Mechanical |
| On-Board Charging? | No |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 230 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 160 (69.6% of claim)^ |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 61 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 112lux @ 4.513m = 2281cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 95.5 (156.6% of claim)^ |
And a table for the other options:
| Malkoff M61L | |
|---|---|
| Cell: | CR123x2 |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 230 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 261 (113.5% of claim)^ |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 61 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | lux @ 128m = 2719cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 104.3 (171% of claim)^ |
| All my Malkoff reviews! | |
^ Measurement disclaimer: Testing flashlights is my hobby. I use hobbyist-level equipment for testing, including some I made myself. Try not to get buried in the details of manufacturer specifications versus measurements recorded here; A certain amount of difference (say, 10 or 15%) is perfectly reasonable.
What’s Included
- Malkoff M61L drop-in
Package and Manual
This drop-in ships in a plastic blister pack, which is easily opened without cutting.
There is no manual. It’s plug and play.
Build Quality and Disassembly
This is a very nice drop-in. It’s extremely solid. The electronics are potted, so there’s nothing to move or manipulate or …. anything. It’s just a solid chunk of drop-in.
Though I don’t know what the reasons are, I expect this narrow-to-broad spring is used purposefully. I would probably prefer a bit of a stiffer spring, especially if intended as a weapon light.
The specific drop-in name is scratched into the brass body. This is effective, and reasonable since the guts are potted and thus essentially permanent.
Would a sticker with the drop-in name be nice? Sure, probably. Particularly if that sticker had drop-in specifics like voltage range.
Size and Comps
Here are the dimensions, as measured by me:
Largest diameter: 26.16mm
Narrowest diameter: 18.46mm
Length: 29.0mm
Length including uncompressed spring: 34.68mm
Power and Runtime
The Surefire G2, in which I tested the M61L, is designed for 2 CR123 cells. The drop-in voltage range is 3V to 9V. So it’ll actually work with more than 2xCR123!
Since I don’t test with primary cells, I tested with a 16650 Li-ion cell. That voltage is 4.2V. As a result, my max output will likely be a little lower than with a two-cell setup.
(The pic below is just a lithium-ion cell, more for size purposes, not what I tested the drop-in with.)
As you can see, I measure around 160 lumens. The spec is 230 lumens, but that’s on 6V 2-up cells. Either way, the output is extremely consistent, until the drop off around 4 hours. At that point, output drops dramatically, and while the light never shuts off, it is noticeably dim.
There is no LVP.
Pulse Width Modulation
No PWM on this drop-in!
Here you can see a “baseline” – a chart with almost no light hitting the sensor.
Then there’s the Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight, which has some of the worst PWM I’ve seen. It’s so bad that I used a post about it to explain PWM! Here are multiple timescales (10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 0.5ms, 0.2ms) to make comparing this “worst” PWM light to the test light easier. That post also explains why I didn’t test the WF-602C at the usual 50us scale.
User Interface and Operation
No user interface table is necessary. The mechanism for this drop-in is either on or off. If a circuit is made between the spring, body, and a cell, the drop-in will be on.
In the case of the Surefire G2, the switch is a mechanical twist, or momentary. But the drop-in doesn’t care what type mechanical switch is used.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6V | 230 | 5h | 261 | 0.2 |
| 4.2V | – | – | 160 | 0.24 |
LED and Beam
The emitter used in many of these drop-ins is a Cree XP-G2 Cool White (6200K). Some of the others are specifically labeled as being other temperatures, though. The reflector is lightly orange peel, and not terribly deep.
These beamshots always have the following settings: f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure. These photos are taken at floor level, and the beam hits the ceiling around 9 feet away.
6V (CR123x2)
4.2V (Single Liion – 16650)
Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)
I compare everything to the Killzone 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Conclusion
What I like
- Robust build quality
- Low output considers nitrolon body of Surefire G2
- PLENTY of options in the line, to get whatever is wanted
What I don’t like
- Prefer a stiffer spring
- Would like LVP
Notes
- This light was provided by Malkoff for review. I was not paid to write this review.
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
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