For its size, weight and specs, this looks like a great option. I'm still not a fan of programmable lights but it's good to see such viable defensive lights hit the market!
For its size, weight and specs, this looks like a great option. I'm still not a fan of programmable lights but it's good to see such viable defensive lights hit the market!
EDC Light Builder | No Nonsense Everyday Carry Flashlights | EDC Light Builder P-F Sub-forum
I do not love that they went with a .20" larger bezel. I'm sure that they had to do it to make it work the way they wanted, but holster compatibility suffers as a result and it adds just enough pause for me to think my existing MCH and Modlite PLHv2 handhelds, which share a holster, are probably adequate for now.
Has anyone done or seen a comparison between the CD Duty and the Modlite HOG? Is the HOG really $100 better?
I doubt it. I didn't think the OKW or PLH were any better than my HC and EDC MCH.Originally Posted by El Cid
I have a pair of HOGs already and my MCH Duty arrives this week, so I'll snap some pictures this weekend.
My initial thought is that the HOG is simply a different light. If you want maximum throw and runtime, either variant of the HOG is going to win. If you want dual-fuel compatibility, more flood, and the ability to program different modes, and you can live with a one hour runtime, the MCH Duty is where it's at.
When I'm at work, I carry two lights: a HOG as my primary and a multi-mode smaller handheld as an admin light that can be pressed into defensive use in a pinch. I'm envisioning the MCH Duty programmed for high-low output will fulfill the latter role for me—I don't intend on replacing the HOG with it.
Something I noticed with my MCH-HC Dual Fuel was that it got noticeably hotter than my first-gen MCH-HC. I did some non-scientific thermal testing today. Using an IR thermometer gun held 4-6" away from the light and aimed at the seam where the head meets the body of the lights, I recorded temperatures every 15 seconds for the first minute of continuous operation and every 30 seconds from one to seven minutes while holding the lights in an icepick grip as I would during normal use. Well, I tried to do that, but both the Cloud MCH-HC Dual Fuel and Duty lights got too hot to hold for the full duration of the testing. Orbtronic 30A unprotected cells were used on the 18650-powered lights while Modlite-branded protected 21700 cells were used in the HOGs.
The first-gen Cloud light peaks at 96° and never gets too hot to handle. Although not shown in the data, the MCH-HC Dual Fual peaked at 130° around 1:15 in and must have hit its thermal throttling point because it dropped and then fluctuated between 116° and 124° until enough heat transferred to the body of the light that I had to turn it off and set it down. The MCH Duty took a little longer to peak at 124° around 2:00 in but by that point had also transferred enough heat to the body of the light that I couldn't continue to hold it. For a light marketed for duty usage where one would want to be able to run the light for extended periods of time at maximum output, this is simply unacceptable. Cloud is, IMO, pushing the envelope too much. Put a hot-running light on a long gun where the entire handguard can help act as a heat sink, sure. But you can't do that in a handheld and expect it to work as well.
Predictably, the larger HOGs ran much cooler.
I'm returning my MCH-HC Dual Fuel and leaning toward returning my MCH Duty, as well. I'll take some beam comparison shots this weekend as promised above before I send them back.
@Casey
Cloud will probably tell you that if you're not wearing gloves you're not even tactical enough to own their lights.
Funny. I cross-posted this in the Cloud owners group on FB and that was the first question I got from one of the members. I did repeat the test with the MCH Duty wearing a PIG glove and it made the light tolerable. But in my line of work I’m usually only wearing gloves when searching people or packages.
It's the physics of a small light and high output - limited mass for heat sinking and limited surface area to dissipate the heat. Had the light been designed for search & rescue, I'm sure the issue would have been addressed.
Though I won't use a programmable light for anything other than walking the dog, had CD included a medium output setting of about 50% it would still produce a very usable amount of light and reduce current draw and heat.
Yes, for dual-mode output a high/low bezel switch still rules, and IMO the 8-second step-down of the Malkoff Bodyguard heads remains preferable to anything programmable-via-a-switch-on-the-light for serious use.
EDC Light Builder | No Nonsense Everyday Carry Flashlights | EDC Light Builder P-F Sub-forum
Two of the programming modes include a "medium" setting of 30%.
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