Updated Beam Shots (October 2024)

Due to customer requests, we have a new set of beam shots to show off the new heads from Malkoff, including the E1HTv2, E2HTv2, and HTL, along with some other offerings from Surefire and Sig.

The following images were taken in manual with ISO, aperture and shutter speed locked. The settings were chosen that most closely represented the amount of light visible to our naked eye.

All of the lights were placed on a barricade with the hot spot of the beam centered between the 6" steel plate and adjacent IPSC target to the right, at 100 yards. Some lights, like the Surefire M300C and M600DF, may appear as if the light is not pointed at the same location as the others due to the large amount of foreground illumination. However, this is caused by the lights having very low candela ratings, so they are unable to illuminate the targets at 100 yards.

Manufacturers love to publish high lumen numbers in advertising, but most do not also list the candela. You can have thousands of lumens, but if the candela is not adequate, you'll end up with a wide beam that has no throw (distance). Candela gives you a much better indication of what the beam profile will look like.

A perfect example of this is the Surefire M600DF. It has a claimed 1500 lumen output with an 18650 cell, but has rather poor candela. This means the light has tons of spill and will really light up a room at close distance, but it has hardly any throw. As you will see below, it can barely illuminate steel plates at 100 yards. Our E1HTv2 light powered off a single CR123 with 400 lumens is much more capable of illuminating the targets because it has over 18,000 candela. Surefire claims the M600DF has 16,000 candela, but it's clear from these photos that it doesn't come close to the E1HTv2.

(Click on thumbnails to load full size images with EXIF data)

Lights powered by two CR123 or one 18650/18350/16650 cell:

1. Surefire KM2-C - The white component of the dual spectrum Surefire head with 350 lumens, 11,500 candela. These have a very nice beam pattern and are more usable than the M600DF despite the huge lumen difference.

2. Malkoff E2HTv2 and HTL - These are Malkoff's second highest candela head. While not quite as punchy as the E2XT, these have a 600 lumen output and 30,000 candela. The hot spot is larger than the E2XT/E2XTL, with a nice round shape and smooth transition to spill. The E2HTv2 and HTL have become our go-to all-around light due to the excellent price/performance/size ratio. They are also a massive improvement over the M600DF. The E2HTv2 can use two CR123 cells or a 16650 cell. The HTL can use two CR123 cells or a 18650 cell. The output is the same regardless of battery type.

3. Malkoff E2XT and E2XTL - These are Malkoff's highest candela weapon light heads, and it shows. While "only" 500 lumens, you can see the beam in the air, and the targets are illuminated very well due to the 55,000 candela. There is a massive difference in usable light between the E2XT/E2XTL and Surefire M600DF. The E2XT can use two CR123 cells or a 16650 cell, while the E2XTL can use two CR123 cells or a 18650 cell. The output is the same regardless of battery type.

4. Modlite OKW - The OKW has a super intense beam rated at 69,000 candela and 680 lumens. The current multi mode version is able to use 18650, 18350, or two CR123 cells. Output and run time are slightly reduced when using two CR123 cells. This head should be your top choice if you need maximum throw.

5. Modlite PLHv2 - At 1350 lumens and 54,000 candela, the PLHv2 has more spill than the Malkoff E2XT/E2XTL, while maintaining an impressive amount of throw. The current multi mode version is able to use 18650, 18350, or two CR123 cells. Output and run time are slightly reduced when using two CR123s. If you want maximum performance for all-around use, then the PLHv2 should be on your short list.

6. Surefire M600DF - 1500 lumens doesn't mean anything if the optic/LED combination doesn't focus it into a useful pattern. There's so much spill that the beam doesn't even look centered on the steel plates. This was a current production M600DF, brand new out of the package, tried with multiple good 18650 cells. Frankly, I don't know why anyone would choose this light or anything using the same head like the M640DF Pro.

7. Surefire DFT Turbo - When using an 18650, these heads are very similar to the Modlite OKW with a claimed 100,000 candela. In our testing, it's more like 70,000 candela, and almost no spill.

8. Sig Foxtrot MSR - This is Sig's Chinese light which copied two Arisaka mounts and the Unity/Modlite switch. Sig lists the output at 1350 lumens and 33,000 candela, but the beam shots show that it's not providing this much output. The hot spot intensity at 100 yards is less than the Malkoff E2HTv2 and HTL, and the spill seen on the right berm is also less intense. It looks closer to 500 lumens and 25,000 candela.

(Click on thumbnails to load full size images with EXIF data)

Lights powered by one CR123 cell:

9. Surefire M300C/M340C. At 500 lumens, the KE1-H head seems to throw similarly to the M600DF. We only recommend this light for use in CQB situations, as it can barely illuminate targets at 100 yards.

10. Surefire KM1-E - The white component of the dual spectrum Surefire head with 250 lumens, 9,300 candela. In our opinion, a better option than the M300C, although more expensive.

11. Malkoff E1HTv2 - As mentioned earlier, the E1HTv2 outputs 400 lumens, but it's tightly focused like the E2HTv2, giving it 18,000 candela. For this reason it is quite effective at 100 yards, as shown in the photo. It has much more throw than the KM1-E or KE1-H for much less cost.