Crelant 7G5 v2 - short review (pictures, measurements, etc.)

When I saw the Crelant 7G5 v2 for the first time (prototype photos) I wasn't much impressed. There were a couple of nice touches (protruding forward clicky for easy thumb-access, stainless stell bezel, etc.), but there were also a couple of things, I didn't like. For example a shiny anodizing, less mass and less durable alloy (first revision was made of 7075 alloy, this one is made of 6061). Not big deal, but it was clear that manufacturer wanted to cut the costs. I wonder how did the stainless steel bezel pass through accounts departament of Crelant.

A couple of weeks passed and the flashlight was finally in stock at Intl-Outdoor. The photos with GITD additions looked so nice, that I pulled the trigger and bought it. This time the postal service wasn't very fast. I received the flashlight after almost 3 weeks ...but nevermind it.

Apart from changed apperance, Crelant 7G5 v2 was supposed to outperform first revision by 10-15% according to manufacturer claims (due to "improved reflector" and other, not mentioned things). Well, it didn't. But more on this later.

Here is the manufacturer specification:

*Material: T6061-T6 Aircraft Aluminum

*Bulb: CREE XM-L U2

*Brightness: 850 lumens

*Input voltage: 2.7V-- 12V

*Power supply (NOT INCLUDED):

1x or 2x 18650 Li-ion battery

*Runtime:

1*18650 (650 lumens) - 90 minutes

2*18650 (860 lumens) - 110 minutes

*Low mode brightness: 240 Lumens

*Modes: High-Low-Strobe

*Switch: Tactical switch

*Finish: Hard Anodize III

*Stainless steel bezel

*Tactical grip ring

*Lanyard ring

*Waterproof: IPX-8 rating, beyond 5 Meters

*Length 251mm, Head 62mm, Body 25.4mm

*Weight: 287 grams (without batteries)

External apperance, build quality, etc.

The flashlight comes in a hard, carton box with Tiablo markings. Accesories are little better, than the first revision, but still nothing spectacular. We get some black o-rings (to replace the green ones in case someone doesn't like GITD stuff), spare o-rings for the threads, a small manual and the lanyard.

The flashlight itself is well made. There are no flaws, missing ano chips. In terms of finish and QC of the exterior body, there's nothing to complain about. One thing that will struck the first revision owners is completely different anodizing. Yes, it's still black, but feels cheaper. Instead of very matt and smooth finish, this one is shiny and "slippery". The threads are not anodized and despite beeing well cut, they become dirty very quickly (this is common issue with bare threads, so please do not consider it as a flaw).

The lettering on the body is sharp and clear and thankfully, uses somewhat nicer font than Times New Roman or Arial that can be found on some other manufacturer offerings.

Crelant 7G5 v2 is equipped with standard protruding forward clicky. The same as in first revision, but now we have an easier access to it. There's also a removable lanyard ring between tailcap and battery tube. A tactical rubber ring is also nice touch. But unfortunatelly (for photographer) is catches a lot of dust ;)

The batterry tube can be split into half, allowing the 1x18650 configuration (or 2xRCR if you are brave enough to use them). But remember, the part with writings must be always connected to the tailcap, otherwise you won't be able to assemble the light.

The overall construction structure remained unchanged from first revision. There is a head with reflector and cooling fins as a separate element, then LED module with circuit as another independent element, battery tube parts and tailcap. If you want to mod this flashlight with warmer LED (or higher binned in the future) there is an easy access to do it.

Crelant said, that they improved the reflector. I'm sorry, but I don't see it. I've checked carefully both reflectors and they are identical, when it comes to shape and mirror surface finish. However, I must admit that the front looks more classy with polished stainless steel bezel. And for GITD fans, there's a glowy o-ring behind the lens and a couple of smaller ones in the body grooves. After illuminating them, the effect in darkness is pretty cool.

All in all, the new body is nice, but unfortunatelly, feels a little cheaper than the first revision. The machining, while flawless, lacks some "crisp" and "class" of V1. Maybe it's beacuse of lack of knurling (although, thanks to GITD rings the grip is very good) or cheaper anodizing. I don't know. One disclaimer note here. I'm used to quality flashlights such as Fenix, Jetbeam, Nitecore, etc., so my view is a little biased. There's absolutely nothing wrong in V2's quality, it's a light years ahead of typical budget stuff, but slightly behind the older version or typical Fenix or Jetbeam offerings.

Performance, measurements, etc.

OK guys, here is the most controversial part regarding this flashlight. There were some signals that V2 isn't 10-15% (as claimed) better than V1. Unfortunatelly, it's not even equal. I have seen (and even took a small part in) discussion about "hypothetical" underperforming of V2. Some guys started to blaim the owner of Intl-Outdoor for misleading information and got pretty angry about it.

To clear some things up. The first place, where Crelant 7G5 v2 was available, was the official Crelant Taobao store and this listing http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=10946274314 . The information about improved reflector and better performace came out from this listing and manufacturer himself. Hank just passed it further to the english-speaking world. Everyone had high expectations, but surprisingly 7G5 v2 scores less than first revision. Here are the results (measurements taken from 17.8m):

Crelant 7G5 v2 - 48900 lux/1m

Crelant 7G5 v2 (1x18650) - 41600 lux/1m (on Samsung 2600mAh cell)

Crelant 7G5 v1 - 59100 lux/1m

While it's not very visible in real life, this is quite substantial difference on the meter. I reported this issue to Hank and to my surprise, Hank suspecting LED module failure, immediately sent replacement module to me (that's a service!). Unfortunatelly, the spare module behaved EXACTLY the same, the results were in +/-2% margin of error. Therefore, I'm pretty sure, that the performance I saw, is typical to all V2 models. Or I had bad luck twice in a row (but I doubt it).

Don't get this wrong. A near 50K lux/1m is a still very good result and awesome score for XM-L thrower. The Crelant 7G5 v2 is an excellent thrower in every bit, ...just doesn't ourperforms first revision and for some reason, it's evem a little weaker (more, that LED variation could cause). The tailcap draws are following:

Crelant 7G5 v1 - 1.74A

Crelant 7G5 v2 - 1.56A

Crelant 7G5 v2 - 1.68A (replacement module, but this module scores exactly the same results on luxmeter, larger current draw is probably due to higher Vf of LED)

Crelant 7G5 v2 (1x18650) - 2.20A

Below is the runtime graph:

I suspected a LED from some inferior batch. However, the LED is a genuine U2 (I have compared it to my LEDs from known and reputable local dealer). It seems, that the circuit was slightly revised and doesn't pump so much juice to the LED. The good thing is, that the runtime is better, compared to first revision. And the difference in brightness in real world is not that visible.

Since the V2 uses the same reflector as V1, taking beamshots it pointless. You can check the beam pattern of Crelant 7G5 in those reviews ( HERE and HERE ). This flashlight will be a little bit dimmer and that's all about it.

Conclusion

While doesn't live up to expectations, it's still a superb thrower, that will blow away all the cheap stuff from DX and KAI. It is very well made, has a nice touches in the GITD stuff, stainless steel bezel, removable rings, etc. It allows the use of 1x18650 cell, and create a nice pocket thrower. However, unfulfilled promises left a bad taste in mouth. Seeing how great was the first generation, it's sad that the "improved" model is weaker. Such steping down in standards doesn't attest good about manufacturer.

If you don't own any extreme XM-L thrower, the 7G5 v2 is still a very good flashilght and you probably won't find a better XM-L thrower for this price. If you already own a 7G5 v1 (or Olight M3X or Sunwayman T40CS) you won't be much impressed.

Great review, pleased I have the v1 :)

SOLID review!!

Would it be possible to take beam shots of the V1 and compare it against the V2?... just how visible is a 10000 lux difference in the field? It might be more apparent with longer range targets too.

great pics too thanks

Beamshots possible ...but not right now, maybe in another week.

10K difference will be more visible in beamshots (than in reality), due to linear response of light sensor in camera. Human eye response is logarythmic, therefore such difference won't be so obvious in real use, than it will be on beamshots.

In the reviews linked in main post, there are beamshots of modded Catapult which scores 47800 lux/1m. This Crelant will be a bit brighter due to higher lux value and whiter/colder tint (Cat have yellowish/greenish tint that scores good on luxmeter but gives a little less contrast, therefore less "total brightness" preception in real use).

Facts, impressions, pictures - VERY nice review.

Too bad about the performance (well, it performs...too bad not as well as your V1). I like the new look a lot more.

Very nice review and beautiful pics coolperl!

Pretty flashlight. Great review!

I need to throw another stone to Crelant's garden. After further tests, I observed that after significant heating up, the flashlight refuses to change modes, or change them in an erratic way. This relates to both modules I have, so I guess this is common "feature" of whole series. After cooling down, it works as it should again. I guess this has something to do with MCU, that don't like high temperatures.

My test were performed indoors, without airflow, with flashlight laying on the table. I'll try to take it for a walk, however the temperatures here at night are still low (~0 C) so this issue may not occur.

Any know of the new crelant they are working on? Any chances it be released this year?