My Malkoff M60 drop-in review

[maxicon]

I'm a cheapskate, but there are some things you can't skimp on, and tactical lights are one of them. Recently, I decided to spring for a Malkoff M60, the highly regarded P60/61 replacement drop-in from www.malkoffdevices.com. There are lots of less expensive drop-in upgrades, and some of them include extra features like multiple power levels and strobes, but for this weapon light upgrade, I decided to stay simple and basic.

With the huge improvement in LED output and color in recent products, I'm looking at upgrading my tactical lights to LED for better battery life, more output, better reliability, and more features for the handhelds. I've got several Surefire G2 handhelds, and a G&R WG6D Tactical Weapon Light, which is a custom body that takes a Surefire Z32 shockproof bezel with a P60 series lamp and has a SF E series compatable body. It came with a Wolf Eyes lamp that has higher output than the basic P60. It's also all aluminum, which helps with high-output LED lamps by conducting heat away from the LED, so it made the most sense to upgrade.

In an increasingly crowded field of P60 drop-ins, Malkoff makes one of the best of the high-output single function bunch, though for a price.

The Malkoff M60 drop-in costs $60, and requires a $1 copper ring to use with a shock-protected bezel like the Z32. The lamp and ring fit perfectly, with no gaps or contact problems. Total with shipping was about $70 - a lot for a replacement bulb, but cheap compared to getting the same output from Surefire. The Malkoffs sell out quickly when a new batch is put up for sale, and the best way to get one is to sign up for email notification at the Malkoff web site.

These shots compare the output of the Malkoff in the WG6D against the high-output P61 lamp in a G2. The P61 was previously my brightest light, but it ran through the batteries quickly and got hot with extended usage. The P61 has fresh Panasonic batteries, while the Malkoff batteries have some use on them, but since it's regulated, that doesn't affect output until they drop below a certain point.

The specs on the various lamps:
Malkoff M60 - 235 lumens, 90 minutes (woohoo!)
Surefire P61 - 120 lumens, 20 minutes
WolfEyes - 80 lumens, 60 minutes (no pics of this one's beam)
Surefire P60 - 65 lumens, 60 minutes (no pics of this one's beam)

The results? The Malkoff clearly shreds the P61 in pretty much every way - throw, spill, color rendition, battery life, and reliability. Though expensive, if it's used much, it'll pay for itself in 4x battery life and never needing replacement lamps, which run $15 a pop or more.

Here's the gear I tested. The Wolf Eyes lamp was originally in the WG6D and was replaced with the Malkoff, and the P61 is in the G2. All the pics were taken at the same exposure and f-stop, with daylight white balance.

Top: G2
Middle (L to R): Surefire P61, Wolf Eyes, Malkoff M60 with adapter ring
Bottom: WG6D Weapon Light


M60 at 7 yards:


P61 at 7 yards:


(continued)

[maxicon]

M60 at 20 yards:


P61 at 20 yards:


M60 - another 20 yard shot:


P61 - another 20 yard shot:

[ke6guj]

+1 on Gene's drop-ins.

I picked up one of his pre-production M60 drop-ins and really like it. Its really bright and the battery life is hours, whereas the stock bulb eats 123's like crazy. And that is build on an older binned LED that only around 120-150 lumens, I don't recall the exact output.

[aplinker]

Nice review!

I'd be curious to see how the Malkoff compares to the Fenix T1. I'm very impressed with that light.

[50 Freak]

I love my Fenix T1

That thing is built like a tank, I'd put it against any surefire.

And I have a Surefire 9P.

[maxicon]

I thought about the T1, as it's not much more than the Malkoff and people are liking it a lot, but it's not really set up as a weapon light for a long gun (do they have tape switches available?), and I had the WG6D already set up for mounting.

Since I have a half-dozen P60 based flashlights, I wanted to start checking out drop-ins, rather than buying new lights. Most of them are a good bit less expensive than the Malkoff, but it came available so I pulled the trigger on it first.

I thought there was a review that compared beamshots of the two, but can't find it. The comparisons I've seen of the T1 vs the M60 show very similiar light output, with the T1 having a more sharply defined drop-off at the edge of the spill. This is one thing I like a lot about the Malkoff from other reviews and beamshots - the smoothness of the spill, which gives a lot of peripheral lighting without taking much away from the throw.

I'd love to test the T1, but my expensive flashlight budget is blown for now...

[aplinker]

I definitely agree that the 6P body gives a lot more options, with all of the various Surefire tail switches and aftermarket mounts. That's the reason I'll be getting one of the Malkoffs - to set up as a dedicated weapon light.

The T1 doesn't have tail caps I'm aware of. It definitely didn't work with the 3 or 4 different types I have.

I thought about the T1, as it's not much more than the Malkoff and people are liking it a lot, but it's not really set up as a weapon light for a long gun (do they have tape switches available?), and I had the WG6D already set up for mounting.

Since I have a half-dozen P60 based flashlights, I wanted to start checking out drop-ins, rather than buying new lights. Most of them are a good bit less expensive than the Malkoff, but it came available so I pulled the trigger on it first.

I thought there was a review that compared beamshots of the two, but can't find it. The comparisons I've seen of the T1 vs the M60 show very similiar light output, with the T1 having a more sharply defined drop-off at the edge of the spill. This is one thing I like a lot about the Malkoff from other reviews and beamshots - the smoothness of the spill, which gives a lot of peripheral lighting without taking much away from the throw.

I'd love to test the T1, but my expensive flashlight budget is blown for now...

[SnWnMe]

Bumpage for the Malkoff M60 drop in. I think I'll get the flood model next. Such an awesome mod.

Here is my Malkoff'd 6PL along with my EDC E1L and boxcutter ( I also have a SF U2 and a Novatac 120E). I am modding the 6PL further with a Z48 tailcap and a FM35 red filter. Yes, the mods pretty much doubled the price of the light. That's how smart I am.

[cqbdude]

I have bought 4 of those already..

I might try the flood version....next..

[vandal]

I have both, and the T1 is brighter with about the same center area. The M60 is more yellow.

I have the M60 in all my Surefire weaponlights. I much prefer the Surefire system, especially their switches. I have had a bunch of Fenix lights and have not liked any of their switches. On the T1 the switch goes constant-on way too easily for my tastes.

[Clear]

I have malkoff m60 in M951 (machined the bezel to fit the bulb) loving it, and beats even M961/2 & M900 running mn11 (only the beam isn't as even as incand light, and doesn't give as much throw)

[rabagley]

I feel like a bit of a moron asking this, but I don't understand why EBR owners would spend any money on a tactical light. They seem like a great way to draw fire in CQB or home defense, insufficient lumens/distance for evening target shooting, and not useful for 99% of hunting use.

Maybe for a night hunt (if that's legal in CA)? Night target shooting at close range?

[Ironchef]

If you don't have something "tactical" in your possession, you're useless and will fail when you're called upon to be tactically inclined. Having tactical lights, lasers, bezel heads, edged weapons, bags, knee and elbow pads, and other cool tactical gear makes you a man.

I still dig my plastic G2 ($35) and it's 200+ lumen r2 drop in ($13). I can't stomach buying that superior and prefectly heat synched and efficient drop-in when it costs more than something just as bright for $57 less. But then, I'm no tactifool...just a regular schmuck! HOwever, if I have a need for 200+ lumens for longer than 5 minutes at a time, then yes, I'd go to a metal light and put that $13 drop in into it!

[chuck762]

I feel like a bit of a moron asking this, but I don't understand why EBR owners would spend any money on a tactical light. They seems like a great way to draw fire in CQB or home defense, insufficient lumens/distance for evening target shooting, and not all all useful for 99% of hunting use.

Maybe for a night hunt (if that's legal in CA)? Night target shooting at close range?

Lights are needed to identify your target instead of blindly shooting at a shadow. Also a super bright light can temporarily blind whoever you shine in the eyes so that can help in some instances.
Using a light takes some thought and practice but it is another helpful tool.

[maxicon]

I have an assortment of inexpensive drop-ins for my G2s, 6p, etc, and they're just not as reliable as I'd like in the G2, due to the conductive sleeve design required by the plastic body. In general, I've found the ebay/DX style drop-ins don't have the quality control of Malkoff and Surefire, and don't fit as reliably.

This is another area like optics - you can buy inexpensive (and I often do), and it'll work most of the time, but if you want critical application gear, some people prefer to spend extra on stuff with a bit better QC than a Chinese mass-production line.