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Showing 1 of 30 reviews about:
Massdrop Path Convertible CR123 Pocket Flashlight
XenoMuse
121
Jun 22, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
A promising prototype...
I received my Path (in copper), this week, and was initially very impressed. It feels nice in the hand, is pretty well machined, and when I first put in two SureFire CR123a's, the beam was impressive. In taking it apart and trying to use it with only one CR123, though, something happened. Not quite sure what. At first, with one it did not want to work at all. I rebuilt it with two, and it started blinking on high? I went back to one, and it was working again, on all three settings.
When I rebuilt it with both, however, it would not operate at all. The next day, it would only operate on low. Replacing the batteries fixed the problem, but I should not have drained the batteries that significantly in less than half an hour of playing with it (Cycling through the settings).
To clarify some things, the Path does have memory. If you cycle the modes with half-presses, and then shut it off with a full press, another full press will return you to that setting. If you cycle the modes with full presses, it will start on low after the reset delay. This is not mentioned in the specifications.
My single 3V CR123a was able to operate on three modes, but this may have been the cause of the problems I had later, draining one of my batteries substantially.
Overtightening the flashlight can cause it to not work. I am unsure as to why this is the case, but this is undesirable. If your Path is not turning on, try unscrewing one section slightly.
18650's do not fit in the flashlight. This is confirmed by the specifications.
The low mode is about as bright as the high mode on the Massdrop AAA flashlight.
I would like to see version 2 scaled up 2mm in diameter, and shipped with a two-part sleeve for CR123 operation. The button click is very mushy, and feels rather gross. I would like to see that improved also.
I quite like this light, except for those small issues. Hopefully Drop will revise this, and release a second version with a little more umph to it. I would also like to see a moonlight mode, <3 lumen, as a super-low setting. The packaging it came in was also lackluster, see attached photo. If this was my first experience with a massdrop-made product, I am not sure I would try another.
Update: I tightened the tail cap and illuminator assemblies, after adding a dash of silicone grease to all of the O-rings, and the flashlight no longer ceases to work when fully tightened, and the button does not feel near as mushy, though it is still less pleasant than my Vega (AA), or the AAA buttons.
(Edited)
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