Lego Of My Eggo.

[toolguy]

Just kidding.When I hear Lego it reminds me of that commercial for the breakfast food Eggo and the actors who exclaim "Lego of my Eggo".LOL.

The flashlight community refers to a flashlight built from parts as a Lego.It obviously originates from the toy company who market Legos which you assemble to create various other physical objects.

This brings me to the focus of this post.I tried my hand at creating a flashlight from parts and this is the result.

The body...$15.00..Solarforce 2X 18650 battery
The Head...$0.00..Surefire through their parts replacement program
The tailcap $0.00 I had a spare.
The LED...$11.00 500 lumen P60 style drop-in.

You can choose a higher lumen replacement drop-in for a few dollars more.

Total cost $26.00


This of course doesn't include the batteries but they will be constant factor regardless of the parts you choose to assemble.

[Gareth]

Looks good mate.   What do you think of the Solarforce parts?  They're never going to compare with Surefire but I do think they're good enough for the money.

[toolguy]

Looks good mate.   What do you think of the Solarforce parts?  They're never going to compare with Surefire but I do think they're good enough for the money.

They are good parts.I've examined the body and it's well made.I,as of yet,don't have any experience with their head or tail caps.As you see I used both a Surefire head and tail cap.Since the body is well made I don't see why the head wouldn't be the same.The tail cap may be a different issue since it is mechanical.If you have any reservations about the tail cap you have other options,because there are many other makers of this element of the light.

I just ordered a one cell [18650] body in order to create a true Lego system.One head,one tail cap,one Cree XML-2-T6 3 mode 1K Lumens emitter and two bodies.

I can then assemble them in a few minutes to meet what I may need for the task at hand.A one cell body for easy pocket carry or a two cell body for longer run times or when I can carry in a pack or sheath.

There is also the satisfaction of building your light from parts and the discussions that will surely follow when your friends ask you about the flashlight you're using.LOL.

[SteveC]

You need to start the Hacked flashlight club   

[David Quevedo]

The P60 format is one of my favorite flashlight platforms.  It's extremely flexible.  This is what I think of, when I think of Lego:


Solarforce L2 Host, with Mountain Electronics XM-L2 T5 5D3 neutral tint, 3-mode


Shown, next to a Solarforce L2T head, with a B6 stainless bezel mounted.
This is one of my nicest drop-ins - a Malkoff M361 - XP-G2 R5, 3-mode.  This thing is practically bullet-proof, with fully potted electronics, solid brass housing, and built to withstand heavy recoil (for you firearms users out there)


Mountain electronics on the left.  Malkoff on the Right.  Huge difference.

Some Sportac Drop-ins:



This is the Solarforce that got me started:

L2N host, with A001 head, and B6 Stainless bezel, S11 Stainless switch, stainless clip, and custom Erik Kress XM-L 7C 5-mode (moonlight to 700 plus OTF lumens - extremely warm tint.  You'd swear it was an incandescent light, but with none of the weaknesses of the incandescent bulb.

[David Quevedo]

Looks good mate.   What do you think of the Solarforce parts?  They're never going to compare with Surefire but I do think they're good enough for the money.

They are good parts.I've examined the body and it's well made.I,as of yet,don't have any experience with their head or tail caps.As you see I used both a Surefire head and tail cap.Since the body is well made I don't see why the head wouldn't be the same.The tail cap may be a different issue since it is mechanical.If you have any reservations about the tail cap you have other options,because there are many other makers of this element of the light.

I just ordered a one cell [18650] body in order to create a true Lego system.One head,one tail cap,one Cree XML-2-T6 3 mode 1K Lumens emitter and two bodies.

I can then assemble them in a few minutes to meet what I may need for the task at hand.A one cell body for easy pocket carry or a two cell body for longer run times or when I can carry in a pack or sheath.

There is also the satisfaction of building your light from parts and the discussions that will surely follow when your friends ask you about the flashlight you're using.LOL.

The L2 Series is extremely custimiz-able.  You can even throw Surefire 6P parts on them, if you'd like.  I have 17 hosts, and have had zero problems with any of them.  Some of them are used very heavily.  I love the fact that you can mix and match parts on them, and the kind of light they produce is only limited by your budget and imagination.  There are countless drop-ins available, in a plethora of tints and user interfaces to suit your needs.  You just have to know what you're looking for, then go get it!

While I love Solarforce L2 Series parts, I can't stand thier drop-ins.  I bought one, and it failed on me, in a very short time.  NEVER again.  Louzy build quality, compered to many others' drop-ins.   You get what you pay for, here.  Never skimp on the drop-in.  That's your light's engine.  The better the engine, the better performance you can expect from the light.

An added plus is that you can always have the latest emitter available, without having to pay the full cost of a complete light.  You can always be up-do-date, and you can experiment with different drop-ins, until you find what best suits your purposes.



This L2M host can be configured full-sized (2 CR123s, or single 18650, or in its shortened version, single CR123, or RCR123 (16340), as long as the drop-in supports the voltage. Very handy. This particular pair have L2T heads with B6 stainless bezels, and recessed forward clicky switches.  I like recessed switches, because they allow mt to tail-stand the light.


Tint choices are a good thing :-)






This L2P (second from the Right - not the Blue one, that's all lit up lol) gets a lot of use.  It has a Sportac Triple Nichia 219 2-mode drop-in installed.  Beautiful, neutral tint - big floody output.  It's like having the sun, in the palm of your hand. 

[toolguy]

Good show David and welcome.  I read your post at EDC several weeks ago.

Here is another iteration of the lego idea.I took the Surefire head and twisty tail cap from the Solarforce L2 body and installed them onto this 1 cell,18650,body.I also installed a Solarforce pocket clip and a Lumens Factory D26 Cree XP-G single mode P60.Cost was $12.00 for the body,$6.00 for the clip and $11.00 for the emitter.Total cost to create this light was $29.00.

PS: The body is a Solarforce that was anodized to a black gloss finish to match the Surefire 6P head and tail cap.

Here are few pics.

The last pic displays the new lego light with an original Surefire 6P with its incan lamp but with an upgraded clicky tail cap.

[David Quevedo]

Good job, man. Thanks for sharing!