I know P7 is "old hat" with XM-Ls out, but they used to be quite the talk, I remember. Do you have any really kickin' P7 lights that throw well? I tend to be one who tries to stay on guard against getting on the latest hype bandwagon and just praising everything new is the prettiest. Heck, I still love flip-up lights cars and hate it when people always think the newest model is pretty. I guess MC-Es and P7s are like the "flip-up lights" of old flashlights, and I guess that's what draws me to them (even though I use them less and less).
What is your brightest and throwiest P7? How does it stack up against a medium-driven XM-L? I just might invest in one more if it's pocketable (for no good reason at all). :p
Sadly, throwiness is the reason I have no P7s left. I converted my last remaining (and best) P7 lights to XML a while ago. Now that "900 Lumen" laser etching isn't so far fetched. If only they hadn't also etched "SSC P7" on the side too.
I realize it's not quite the same, but below is my throwiest MC-E light. It's a neutral white Mag 2C mod with a 4S MCE star driven by a DX 26106 5-mode boost driver and two li-ion cells. It's also probably the only MC-E I've ever made with absolutely no donut in the hotspot. It's been in my sale thread on CPF for a while, but never any takers. Everyone wants XML now.
I only have one P7 light, and it doesn't throw at all. Honestly the P7 and MCE never really impressed me. I have a one of each in my collection, and thats enough.
I currently still own 2 SSCP7 lights: An EagleTac M2C4 and Solarforce L950M. The L950M has a huge reflector and I'd say does a fairly good job in the throw department considering the emitter is a quad-die.
I also built a P7 light out pf a TR1200 body and a 52mm reflector kit from DX. I have been using the same reflector + driver for a few DIY tries. First with an XML, then removed it and installed an MCE and now with a P7 instead. Must say, P7 throws better than MCE. The big globe of P7 focuses surprisingly well in a 52mm reflector and may be even better than an XML in the same reflector. The tint is nice and white where my previous MCE built was a bit greener.
P7 has a bigger size than MCE. It is so big that you can't put it in a P60 drop-in without drilling it and even if you did you get a definite black spot at the center. MCE's on the other hand can be fitted in XRE sized holes.
Thanks. The sales thread is here. The light shown above is #6.
I always felt that the Lumen output of the SSC P7 was largely marketing hype, and that the MC-E was in many ways superior. I felt similarly about the Luminus SST-50 vs. CREE's XM-L.
Like other throw fanatics, my LED lights of late are mostly XM-L in smooth mirror reflectors instead of MC-Es in textured reflectors, but there's one feature of the MC-E in the MOP that I've never seen any XM-L in SMO match: tint consistency from spot to spill. All my XM-Ls have a spill that's purpleish compared to the spot (even the neutral white ones), and often a corona that's yellow, whereas all my MC-E lights have uniform tint in all parts of the beam. I'm still waiting to see the best of both worlds. (Actually, that's one thing I hope to achieve with a multi hi-cri 4000K XP-G build I'm working on.)
I have a few p7's that have a nicer tint to them than lots of lights (xml's )and the mce's..If you're going to buy one I'd buy a used light since you can probably get a real read off of an individual rather than a place like dx or any big vendor .. you're just rolling the dice with them . if you want to try a p-7 I'd just do a drop in too .. That way it's easily changed;
My friend whined and cried when his p-7 didn't blow him away after he bragged and bragged about how bright his mce was ..personally I'd rather lose a few lumens and gain a sweet tint any day .
I had a p-7 spiderfire c8 that was pretty nice ..throwey?/ I dunno about throw ..about as much as you could ever expect ..:P
My brightest and best P7/MC-E I have are my Aurora AK-P7-3 SSC P7-C 900-Lumen 2-Mode LED Flashlight I purchased from DX, which was said to have the best reflector of any P7/MC-E, and my MagicShine MJ-810 900-Lumen Cree MC-E LED Dive Light. The dive lights, which are used much more out of the water, are said to be brighter than a 10w HID dive light. I always loved the look of them and also the magnetic control. Here are some pics below.
Beam shot of the Aurora AK-P7-3 SSC P7-C 900-Lumen, The Magicshine has a similar beam, just a bit more floody out of the water.
I got a cheap P7 P-60 drop in from DX and changed the driver to a Nanjg 105C big surprise. It has a decent tint and it is pretty bright more flood then throw. It's brighter than an XPG, but not as bright as an XML. I couldn't get it to light at .002 amps so the moonlight mode is .02, but the 2.8 amp high works well. I don't use it anymore so I would be willing to sell it fairly cheap if anyone wants one to play with.
Hahaha man... I have a 4d mag p7 that I slip an aspheric over if I want to use it for throw. I bought that mag lens kit with the anti roll piece that holds the factory lenses. I rest the 52mm aspheric in it and slide it over the head. Looks kind of like an angry four leaf clover haha.
I'll take $15 with free shipping and it has a ten dollar custom driver 5 mode 3.5 amp turbo 1.75 amp high,.7 amp medium, .09 low and .002 moonlight. If you want to pay for shipping I will through int the 501B that came with the DX deal.
