Vic303 Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 C3-907 MTE light. Review of the MTE C3-907 light direct from Greg McGee Engineering (GME). The light was ordered on the weekend, and shipped rapidly with excellent notification from GME. Light arrived well packaged with a lanyard and GITD tail switch cover. Fit and finish is generally good. The led appears to be properly centered in the reflector. The body appears to have HA-II anodizing, as there are a couple very minor blems in the anti roll portion of the head. The switch has a good feel, very similar to the Quark and Fenix lights I have owned. It is a 3 piece light, where the tail switch is removable, but the head did not want to come off the body tube for me. Per GME, the head is NOT supposed to be removed by the end user. I do not know if this light utilizes pulse width modulation to achieve dimmer settings. The standard shake test did not detect the usual 'spots' of light denoting PWM, but my Novatac 85T IS PWM and you cannot tell by shaking it either. Per GME, the C3-907 is digitally regulated and has a switching power supply to regulate voltage and current throughout the life of the battery. One final technical note: This light is NOT set up to accept voltages over 1.5v, so do NOT use 14500 batteries in it. I removed the factory lanyard and replaced it with a smaller one less prone to snagging on equipment for dd5339's personal use at work. By utilizing a smooth reflector and an optic to focus the beam, this light is definitely set up to throw—at the sacrifice of a wider field of view. Normally I prefer an orange peel or half OP reflector to smooth out the beam artifacts and improve spill. There are rings/artifacts in the beam evident in close usage/white wall hunting, but in normal usage of any distance these are not apparent. The user interface is not to my personal liking. I have no use for the beacon/flash/intermittent strobe. I have limited use for regular strobe. This light forces you to cycle through ALL modes until you get to the desired level. The 4 primary light levels, H-Strobe-M-L is a reasonable sequence for defensive usage, but for EDC use it is lacking. If I want to use Low to navigate the kiddie caltrops on my floor at night, I should not have to click through 3 other modes to get there. This light would benefit greatly in my opinion, from a user-programmable interface. Output of this light is impressive. Having seen it now, I am sure it is at or close to its rated OTF 170 lumens. The Medium setting is described as 60 lumens which is a nice usable level. The Low, is rated at 30 lumens and isn't really very low at all. In comparison the Quark is 0.2 lumens on lowest, and the Novatac is 0.3 lumens on lowest. Those levels are low enough to conserve your night adapted vision without using filters. My primitive beam shots tonight leave much to be desired, but it is the best I could do. All shots are with the same camera & settings. Distance to the back gate is a measured 25yds. Yes that is a hose-roll half way down the line of sight, and yes that is our dog Charlie visible in several pics. The lights used in the comparison are: 4Sevens Preon II (on used batteries (2xAAA). Novatac 85T on 1xRCR123 LiFePO4 battery fairly fresh. Lumapower LM31 on fresh NiMh AA. Quark AA Tactical on fresh NiMh. MTE C3-907 on fresh NiMh AA. Side & end pics of the C3-907 25 yd shot - Lumapower LM31 Novatac 85T Preon II Quark AA MTE C3-907 As you can see, the MTE light has a bright spot with little spill. It is clearly the throw champion of this comparison. The Quark, while not as bright (it is only putting out 90 lumens) has better spill and you can see the side fencing more clearly. The Lumapower is an older light with an older SSC P4 led, and the Novatac and Preon II are very floody, wall-o-light types of light. The Preon, will output 160 lumens OTF on fresh NiMhs but it is pure flood. The Quark on a 14500 Li-ion will put out 200+ lumens. Conclusions: For the price ($25 USD) direct from gregmcgeeengineering.com it is a very nice light that has impressive output. For those wanting a light with a common battery and good throw (distance) this light would be hard to beat. Apparently there have been numerous clones made already from overseas vendors, so for folks in the US/Canada I suggest ONLY buying from GME directly. Buying direct from GME will guarantee you the full 3 year warranty and service if needed on your light. Manufacturer Specs and general info on the lights used in this comparison. C3-907 MTE • CREE R2-WC White LED • High power mode with maximum output of 170 lumen • Normal output of 60 lumen • Energy saving mode with output of 30 lumen • Strobe • Slower Strobe • SOS (international code to call for help) • Signal mode 1: 3 flashes in one second • Signal mode 2: 1 flash in every three seconds • Pointed head, suitable as self defense device • One high power CREE LED • Switch modes simply by pressing the switch twice in succession within 2 seconds • Glow in the dark switch • Constant on/off with switch on the flashlight's end • Made with high quality aircraft grade aluminium • Made with polycarbonate lens • 3 mile visibility • LEDs can last for 50 000+ hours • 2.5 hours burn time • Water resistant • Uses 1 AA battery • Length: 9.8cm • Weight: 45g (excluding batteries) LumaPower LM 31 Featuring precision engineered 'orange peel' textured reflectors, AR coated lenses and state of the art Seoul Semiconductor (SSC) P4 LED's the LM series flashlights offer superior beam quality, efficiency and output. The LM series lights are meticulously crafted from aircraft quality aluminum which is anodized to harden the material and enhance durability. The LM series are compact, dual-output LED flashlights, with a high beam bright enough for tactical applications and a low beam for close work or extended runtime without the complication of unnecessary or redundant modes. The LM31 is powered by 1 AA sized battery; primary or rechargeable (1.2-3.6V) Included Accessories: Holster Lanyard Optional Glow in the Dark switch cover Spare O-rings Operation: The flashlight is composed of three sections: the tail cap, the battery tube and the emitter module. 1 – Remove tail cap by turning counter-clockwise while holding the battery tube. 2 – Insert battery with + anode (button) pointed towards the LED. 3 – Replace tail cap, screwing it on clockwise while holding the battery tube. 4 – Press tail cap switch; first click engages low output, second click engages high output, third click turns off the light. 5 – The LM series lights have a lock-out feature to prevent accidental activation. While holding the battery tube turn the emitter module counter-clockwise 1/3 of a turn to engage the lockout; reverse to restore normal operation. Runtime: (minutes) High: NiMh 95, Alkaline 65. Li-Ion 130 Low: NiMh 700, Alkaline 600, Lithium Primary 900, Li-Ion (not tested) 4Sevens Quark AA (R2) • Output (regulated): o R14500: 189 / 70 / 18 / 3.5 / 0.2 OTF lumens o AA: 90 / 70 / 18 / 3.5 / 0.2 OTF lumens • Duration: o R14500: 0.8 / 2.7 / 13 / 60 / 360 hr o AA: 1.2 / 1.5 / 6 / 48 / 240 hr (Unknown if the above duration/output AA data is for NiMh or Alkaline) • Modes: moonlight, low, medium, high, max, SOS, beacon, strobe • Emitter: white Cree 7090 XP-E R2 LED • Voltage Range: 0.9-4.2V • Bezel: twist for general/max mode • Button: push for off/on, soft-push for level • Body: T-6061 aluminum • Finish: black Type III hard anodized • Lens: impact-resistant glass with sapphire coating • Waterproofing: IPX-8 • Length: 97mm (3.8") • Diameter: 22mm (0.86") • Weight: 51g (1.8oz) w/battery • Batteries: one AA (or R14500) Preon 2 - Preon 2 Specifications * LED: CREE XP-G R5 * Max Output: 160 Out-the-front (OTF) lumens * Material: Hard-anodized Aircraft-grade Aluminum * Lens: Optical-grade glass lens with anti-reflective coating on both sides * Water resistance: IPX-8 * Battery: Two AAA, included (see voltage range to select acceptable batteries for this light)) * Operating Voltage Range: 0.9V-3.0V * Seven Output Modes: Low: 2.2 OTF Lumens, 23 hours Medium: 22 OTF Lumens, 6 hours High: 160 OTF Lumens, 0.8 hours The modes below are only activated 'on demand'. You use a special click pattern to activate them. Strobe SOS Beacon (Hi) Beacon (Lo) * Dimensions: Length: 5.05 inches Diameter: 0.55 inches Weight: 0.8 ounces Note I was not able to dig up specs on the Novatac 85T so I did not list any. Also the specs listed for the Quark are for the non-Tac version, however the difference is in the user interface, not the output. Link to comment
Vic303 Posted October 21, 2010 Author Share Posted October 21, 2010 I placed this review in the Sunporch so more folks would be likely to see it, and because I didn't really see another forum where it would fit better. I have no financial interest in MTE lights. If anyone wants to move this review to a more fitting forum, please leave a referral so I will know where it went to. Thanks! Vic Link to comment
The MacKinnon Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 and ! I love gear reviews (I have subscriptions to several on YouTube!) Thanks for this one because I've been looking for a a good small "tac" style light that didn't cost an arm and a leg! Could we start a forum for gear reviews? It would be nice to have one where Mrs S folks commented on what they'd come across. I'm off to contact MTE! Link to comment
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