All the Candela LED Swap - from flood to thrower with just an LED change

[spyderco monkey]

I recently sent out for a custom version of my EDC Flashlight, the Eagletac D25LC2 MKII. The goal was to raise the Candela of the light so that it would be better able to illuminate targets at medium distances, and be more retina frying at close range.

I contacted SkyLumen, who does a lot of both custom flashlights, as well as modding existing flashlight designs for higher performance. I requested that the factory LED (Cree XM-L2 U4) be swapped out for the new generation OSRAM W2.1 LED.

The OSRAM works by being a tiny LED. By shrinking the area of the LED, the intensity of the beam is more concentrated.

Modded D25LC2 Osram W2.1 top, regular XML-U2 LED bottom. Note how much smaller the yellow square on top is compared to the bottom yellow square - thats the difference in LED emitter size:

https://i.ibb.co/VjR0dnC/Osram-vs-Regular-LED-Eagletac.jpg

Skylumen offers testing service done on their lights, which I requested. And the test results from the LED swap are quite impressive.

https://i.ibb.co/KyF9nTk/Sky-Lumen-Eagletac-D25-LC2-mod.jpg

Factory D25LC2 MKII = 1150 lumen / 10,500 candela (10.5kcd) / max distance 205m

Modded D25LC2 MKII = 730lm / 40,000 candela (40kcd) / max distance 400m

--> The LED swap has 4x'd the beam intensity (candela) and effectively doubled the maximum range of the flashlight.

Heres what that looks like in practical terms, using a Palm Tree at 60m as a target.

Night:
https://i.ibb.co/q7BfJ1Z/Palm-tree-60m-target.jpg

Regular 10kcd LED:
https://i.ibb.co/vvKyMsr/Eagletac-Regular-60m.jpg

Modded 40kcd LED:
https://i.ibb.co/M7cYVqZ/Eagletac-thrower-mod-60m-palm-tree.jpg

As can be seen, the 40kcd OSRAM resulted in a much higher level of illumination of the palm tree, while the more diffuse 10kcd regular LED, while lighting up a wider area, results in less brightness of the actual target.

Overall I'm very impressed with the results of this LED swap. Not only has candela increased 4x, but its especially impressive given how compact the D25LC2 MKII is.

The Eagletac is much more compact (0.9"x4.5") then a typical tactical flashlight; shown between an Armytek Doberman Pro and Malkoff MD2. Yet despite its small size, it has actually a bit more throw (400m vs 395m) then the much larger 1400lm Armytek due to the OSRAM LED.

https://i.ibb.co/MB4ZcW3/Eagletac-D25-LC2.jpg

Hopefully we will see more manufacturers employing the OSRAM in their light designs. It offers the opportunity to produce more compact weapon lights with better range, or to turn full size rifle lights into true long range illumination tools.

In the meantime, if you're looking for Mod work, I highly recommend Vinh over at https://skylumen.com/

[rd62]

Will this light become your new EDC or fill a different role?

[spyderco monkey]

Will this light become your new EDC or fill a different role?

I already swapped out my unmodified light for the new mod, and will actually be sending in my older EDC for the same style of upgrade, that way I'll have a spare.

The beam is tighter now, but it is not so tight that it no longer functions well as a general purpose utility light.

In fact if anything, it has improved as a utility light, as the increase in candela has made the low and medium modes (accessed by turning the lights head 1/4 turn) much more effective. The ~10lm mode now has enough punch to light things up out to a distance I normally would have had to use the 65lm setting for.

And on Max (head fully tightened) the new LED makes it a pretty formidable defensive light.

All in all I'm pretty happy with the setup.

[NH Shooter]

What is often misunderstood is that it's the candela rating that determines how bright a light is as a point source, not lumens. When applied directly to the eyes, 40k candela is more than enough to deprive an assailant of their vision in a low-light setting. There are viable tactics that can be used in a SD scenario to leverage this.

Finding a good compromise for an EDC light is just that - a compromise. For those so inclined, it's better to have multiple lights setup for specific purposes. I always carry one light 24/7, and will grab a second light if I'm venturing out in the dark. Below on the left is my 24/7 light, which uses a Malkoff M91B drop-in running on a single 18350 1400mAh cell, producing about 650 lumens and 7,000 candela. It's a great general purpose light with a broad beam. The light on the right is intended solely as a SD light. Producing 650 lumens and 70k candela, it is a bonafide retina-frying Light Saber. Both lights can be used very effectively with two hands on a pistol in a syringe grip;

https://i.ibb.co/JsPRXSx/3PZ-8.jpg


The 24/7 EDC light rides comfortably in my front right pocket. The Light Saber rides in a belt carrier which I clip on when needed, which keeps it very accessible;

https://i.ibb.co/bLHpwT2/3PZ-9.jpg

Both of the above lights are about 4 inches long and weigh under 5 ounces.

Then there's The Thumper. At 7-3/4 inches long and weighing-in at 13 ounces, this light produces 450 lumens and 12,000 candela. A 1-inch ID steel shaft collar, weighing about six ounces, fits perfectly and is installed on the front of the body to optimize weight distribution and balance. As you might imagine it has uses beyond illumination, especially in a NPE. Also carried when taking the dogs for their night time walk;

https://i.ibb.co/BszcqsK/MD4-1.jpg


With the Light Saber in one hand and The Thumper in the other, non-lethal attitude adjustment can be effectively administered. Having the right tools on-hand for the job always makes such tasks easier to accomplish.

[JCS]

Skylumen stuff is amazing. It’s amazing how much he can improve the performance of a light. I picked up a jetbeam raptor from him that’s a lightsaber. Pushes out 30k candela off a single 16340. It’s wizardry. 71058

[Doc_Glock]

https://i.ibb.co/JsPRXSx/3PZ-8.jpg


https://i.ibb.co/bLHpwT2/3PZ-9.jpg


https://i.ibb.co/BszcqsK/MD4-1.jpg


With the Light Saber in one hand and The Thumper in the other, non-lethal attitude adjustment can be effectively administered. Having the right tools on-hand for the job always makes such tasks easier to accomplish.

I love how cleanly set up all your lights are.

[NH Shooter]

I love how cleanly set up all your lights are.

Thanks!

A few other notes;


All three of these are single-output only, something I consider essential for a SD light
The "Light Saber" is powered by a single, high-current IMR 18500 cell to power the direct-drive head, and is setup for momentary-only operation
The "Thumper" has over six hours of non-declining 450-lumen runtime on two 18650 3500mAh cells

[spyderco monkey]

What is often misunderstood is that it's the candela rating that determines how bright a light is as a point source, not lumens.

Then there's The Thumper. At 7-3/4 inches long and weighing-in at 13 ounces, this light produces 450 lumens and 12,000 candela. A 1-inch ID steel shaft collar, weighing about six ounces, fits perfectly and is installed on the front of the body to optimize weight distribution and balance. As you might imagine it has uses beyond illumination, especially in a NPE. Also carried when taking the dogs for their night time walk;


Candela vs Lumens is something Industry seems to still be catching up on; looking at SF's latest 18650 Fury, its putting out 1500 lumens...but only 25k Candela. And thats with a light with a 35mm head diameter that weighs 6.5oz.

This is especially odd as the OSRAM has been around for a few years now, and the LED's themselves are very cheap (I'd be shocked if they cost more then $4.)

Meanwhile we can get a hobbyist grade (not potted for recoil) light only slightly larger (44mm head) with well over 250kcd for $20, so really we should be seeing US made $100-$200 lights offering better performance then we do. Especially given that simply switching LEDs, with no further R&D, provides such a massive boost in Candela.

https://www.nealsgadgets.com/products/nealsgadgets-c8-flashlight

https://wxalbum-10001658.image.myqcloud.com/wxalbum/311808/20200310180310/09e68e5fb755f3140b9a1d180f2cfdbd.jpg

That 2x18650 Malkoff looks great; almost like a trench club with that little steel 'balancer' added to it. They are true 'lights as weapons' flashlights. My MD2 w/ 18650 is around 6.5oz, about the weight of a set of Brass Knuckles, and built like a tank.

[spyderco monkey]

Just to provide a bit more perspective on the OSRAM.

Armytek Doberman Pro: 1400lm / 39kcd

OSRAM Eagletac D25LC2 MKII: 730lm / 40kcd

https://i.ibb.co/sCdTdK1/Eagletac-vs-Armytek-head-size.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/71CG7Mh/Eagletac-Microtech-Armytek.jpg

The OSRAM is really a transformative LED technology. Previously, as seen in the Armytek, the way to increase candela/effective range was:

Bright as possible LED + Big Reflector

With the OSRAM, a much smaller reflector and moderately bright light can now reach the same ranges.

And my Eagletac is using a less then full power driver; Skylumens custom driver for the Eagletac allows 1320lm/ 56kcd from the same flashlight / OSRAM. I didnt go with that option as I'd have to give up Eagletac's superb UI, but it shows just whats possible out of small lights using this LED technology.

There really is a lot of opportunity here to create mini, lightweight rifle lights, or allow the current crop of subcompact pistol lights to be much more effective.

It's just up to the tactical industry to catch up with the flashlight hobbyists.

[GearFondler]

It's just up to the tactical industry to catch up with the flashlight hobbyists.

They've been behind the curve since day 1 of the LED revolution. It's only recently that some companies like Modlite and Cloud Defense have even started trying to catch up.

[Phaedrus]

I like a high candela beam with good color temp & high CRI, but I'm reluctant to rely on a light for EDC that's not fully potted. I've got four Elzettas, one Peak and maybe fifteen Malkoffs plus the CD OWL on my PWS. Generally I would rather sacrifice a bit of output for higher durability. The OWL is really spoiling me as it provides both.

[NH Shooter]

That 2x18650 Malkoff looks great; almost like a trench club with that little steel 'balancer' added to it. They are true 'lights as weapons' flashlights. My MD2 w/ 18650 is around 6.5oz, about the weight of a set of Brass Knuckles, and built like a tank.

Setting up a flashlight to be used as a hammer definitely requires some special consideration.

To start with, the light itself needs to have a robust build, especially where parts screw together (like the head to the body). In this regard, Malkoff MDx lights serve as good hosts.

As already mentioned, the head or drop-in needs to be fully potted. More specifically, the circuit board must be protected from a cell slamming into it if the light is dropped head first. In this regard, the Malkoff drop-ins excel as the LED and circuit board are housed in a solid brass heat sink/housing, then covered with epoxy;

https://i.ibb.co/YL0M6Nd/M61-3-917eafdd-9556-4cbc-a25d-2de3625b68ed-800x.jpg

I have zero faith in any head that leaves the circuit board exposed (visible), especially those that use a solid contact vs. a spring to make the electrical connection to the cell.

Then there's protection of the cells, especially "protected" cells that have a fragile circuit board on the negative end. It is not unusual to have these boards fail, especially if the board is subjected to impact from a drop. In my case, I use a fat O-ring in front of the forward cell that serves as a bumper between the cell and the hard bedding on the rear of the Malkoff drop-in. Once when I was conducting "drop tests" with a Malkoff light, the cell got really chewed up slamming into the back of the drop-in. The O-ring solves that problem.

Finally, the most common failure point of any light is the switch. Some switches seem better than others in terms of reliability. In my experience I've had issues with Foursevens and Surefire switches, and the least with the McClicky switches used by certain light makers (including Malkoff). To help mitigate any damage to the switch (and the cell's protection circuit board) from impact, I also use an O-ring on the back of the rear cell.

By far the most reliable and robust switch available is a tailcap that has the Oveready ZeroRez (https://www.oveready.com/flashlight/torchlab-zerorez-shorty-z41-brass-insert-twisty-15mm/) installed in place of a traditional switch. I use this on my "Light Saber" which also allows the use of a cell that is 15mm longer (an 18500 instead of an 18350). An interesting point about the ZeroRez insert: there's usually enough tolerance in the tailcap threads to allow momentary operation by backing off the tailcap a few degrees from constant-on.

https://i.ibb.co/jWCwXtQ/3PZ-3.jpg

[EVP]

NH, could you elaborate on your Light saber, or would you mind to PM me the details?

I am in need of a new defensive light, my Quark QTL tactical that I have had for many years finally took one too many washes in the washing machine....

I have been out the flashlight game for awhile and don’t know what the new goodness is.

[spyderco monkey]

I like a high candela beam with good color temp & high CRI, but I'm reluctant to rely on a light for EDC that's not fully potted. I've got four Elzettas, one Peak and maybe fifteen Malkoffs plus the CD OWL on my PWS. Generally I would rather sacrifice a bit of output for higher durability. The OWL is really spoiling me as it provides both.

I contacted SkyLumen, and they offer a full potting service.

I'm going to have my 2nd DL25 MKII fully potted when I send it to him.

[NH Shooter]

NH, could you elaborate on your Light saber, or would you mind to PM me the details?


See post 51 in this thread - https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?40678-Malkoff-E2HT-Light-Saber/

If you have any other questions let me know!

[spyderco monkey]

I was visiting family in NYC recently, which offered some opportunity to test the OSRAM modified D25LC2.

Even with extensive light pollution, 40k Candela was enough to easily light up rooftops at beyond 100yd. All with a light thats is much smaller then a normal surefire / tac light.

https://i.ibb.co/tXpLyPF/Eagletac-D225-LC2-mk-II-OSRAM-roof-2.png

https://i.ibb.co/RS1nW68/Eagletac-D225-LC2-mk-II-OSRAM-roof-1.png