SSC P7 Torch Review

Baja Designs SSC P7 Flashlight

I purchased the Baja Designs SSC P7 Flashlight a couple of weeks ago and posted this review over at mtbr forums. Overall I am very happy with the light. Sorry I don't have any light readings or beam shot photos, but there are links to plenty of pictures of the light itself. My rating of light output is purely subjective and based on comparisons with other lights in my collection. (But there are battery Voltage and amps draw on High and Low settings)

Quick Facts:
1. The light comes with a two bay charger, lanyard and one 18650 battery. I also purchased a spare battery. Protected batteries are labeled as 3000 mAh, which tested at 4.17 Volts.
2. Dimensions: Length 6" x 1" (body) x 1.75" (light head).
3. Weight with battery: 205 grams, 7.23 ounces.
4. Black Annodized Aluminum body.
5. 3 Modes: High, Low, Strobe.

Pros:
1. Very Solid Construction - high quality, good balance.
2. Bright! Although not the 900 Lumens advertised, it will certainly do the job. I estimate Lumens at 500-550. Not as bright as my Strykr, but easily 2.5-3 times brighter than my Fenix L2D Q5, which has advertised 200 lumens on Turbo, with better throw. Low setting is not that much of a step down, estimated at around 400 lumens, easily twice as bright as the L2D.
3. Light is very White vs the more yellow tint of the Strykr.
4. End cap switch has a very solid feel and memory of last setting used.
5. Fits just fine in a Twofish Lock Block on the bars. This is a fine spare and could function as a main light for commuting or light trail riding.
6. Great Run time: Lasted a total of 3.5+ hours on High for one battery, although it started to dim at 2:30, was down to about 1/2 strength by 3:15. I was pleasantly surprised as this was much longer than expected. Current Draw on High was 1.32 amps; Current Draw on Low was .72 amps. I did not test run time on Low, but from the draw amps I would guess it is better than 6 hours.
7. Two year warranty, great customer service.
8. Price: Not bad, although cheaper alternatives can be found, they generally take much longer to ship and don't have the quality or superior warranty that Baja Designs offer, which is two years on the flashlight, batteries and charger.

Cons:
1. Charger is cheap. Mine arrived cracked with only one bay functioning. As mentioned above, great service: A replacement is on the way, no questions asked. Charge time for batteries is 5.5-6 hours, which I wish was a little quicker.
2. Could use a Low setting, somewhere around 200 lumens would be good.
3. Strobe setting is seizure inducing. Don't think I'll be using it much, would prefer a slower flash.
4. Shipping cost is kinda high for 5-7 day UPS ground ($14.95)

Overall I am very happy, would recommend this torch to anyone. This is my first 18650 light, good package to introduce users. It would be nice if they offered an unbundled set for people that already have batteries and chargers.

Link to Pictures

That's very expensive for a bundle.

Nice looking light. Looking forward to some beamshots.

Flashpilot did a review of a flashlight that used the same body as this one but with an Cree XM-L LED instead of the SSC P7 - http://budgetlightforum.cz.cc/node/1010

The XM-L is quite a bit brighter than the P7 at the same current.

As How2 says the price is rather high, if you had bought the parts seperatly you could have saved some money (to spend on more lights:) or spent the same amount and got a better charger, more/better battries.

Haveing said that, I do understand there is a certain benifit to geting an all-in-one package :)

if you need that thing right now its ok , i know you already got it but 80 plus 15 shipping ?i have to agree with how2

the package below $60 delivered of course 3-5 days vs 23 days + , and personaly i like th LiFo batteries , i call them that for short - the dont loose power when not in use as fast , trade of low charge capacity

18650 Rechargeable Lithium LiFePO4 Battery (1350mAh)

mind you there are many possible selections XML based would be my first choice but a P7 is very good for lots of flood

anyway this is by no means to take away from you purchase , i am sure you will get tons of use out of it

i would post a heads up here and tons of sharp people will be happy to assist with link and thoughts

-UltraFire 18650 3.7V 3000mAh Lithium Batteries (2-Pack)

Price: $12.10

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/ultrafire-18650-3-7v-3000mah-lithium-batteries-2-pack-26249

-DSD 18650 CR123A Charger Black

Price: $6.87

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/dsd-18650-cr123a-charger-black-936

-SSC P7 900-Lumen LED Flashlight (18650)

Price: $38.67

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/ssc-p7-900-lumen-led-flashlight-18650-12271

just content with the 2 years superior warranty, and i suspicion it.

The two year warranty definitely entered into the decision. Many riders on mtbr and other locations buy from DX and it seems many have issues with how long they take to ship plus quality is always suspect and warranty is almost non-existent. While on a ride many miles from the car or home and often in cold weather, having a reliable light is more important than saving a few bucks. Run time is also an important factor, as a typical night ride is 2-3 hours. This torch is a spare (always ride with a primary + backup) and achieves that goal for me. Baja Designs is a reputable company that offers rugged products and stands behind them. Their bar light is about as tough as they come, used by downhill riders and others hitting some pretty rough singletrack.

On the P7 vs XML, I actually wanted a more floody light. My bar light has two optics - flood and spot. I run it with the spot, so this flashlight is a good complement to run on the other side of the bars.

That being said, I understand this is budgetlightforum and your response is understandable - I did mention I found similar lights for a better price elsewhere. (You'll be happy to know I actually only paid $63 for the bundle, discounted from the $80 list) I appreciate the links to other equipment to try in the future. This was my first foray into 18650 batteries. I am amazed by the output difference vs AA I've used in the past with flashlights, and I'm sure I will be buying more in the future.

Ahh that's good to hear! You've only paid a little premium on that and you get the fast service and warranty in return, not a bad deal at all :)

You have to let us off for suggesting a million other things, we just talk about lights a lot here :P

Anyway, now you have 18650's and a charger you have easy access to any future upgrades or indeed extra lights.