Review: Olight X7 Marauder (3x XHP-70, 4x 18650) 9000 Lumen Flood Monster.

Olight X7 Marauder

Summary:

Battery: 4x 18650 High Drain cells
Switch: Electronic Side Switch
Modes:

Moon - Low - Medium - High - Turbo - Turbo S

Mode Memory: Last mode memorized to a single click from off
LED Type: XHP-70 (Cool White)
Lens: AR Coated Glass
Reflector: Orange Peel - Heavy
Price:

$290.45 (Kit Price)

$200.95 (Flashlight)

Provided by:

Olight

Olight X7 Marauder Kit at Amazon

Function:

The Olight X7 Marauder functions similarly to the S1A, S1R, and S2R with some differences.

From off:

A single press turns the flashlight on in the last used mode (Turbo, Turbo S and Strobe are not memorized).

A long press turns the flashlight on in moonlight mode.

A double press activates Turbo. A second double press activates Turbo S.

A triple press activates strobe.


To enter lockout mode, Press and hold the switch for 2 seconds. Moonlight will first come on within the first second, continue holding for another second and the light will turn off. The light will not function until lockout mode is exited by either unscrewing the tailcap or pressing and holding the switch for 2 or more seconds and will turn on in moonlight mode.



While on:

Press and hold to cycle through modes Low, Medium, High.

A single press will turn the flashlight off.

A double press will activate turbo mode. A second double press activates Turbo S.

A triple press activates strobe. A single press to turn off the flashlight. or press and hold to exit into the last used mode.

The last mode used will be memorized when the light is turned off. Turbo, Turbo S and Strobe will not be memorized, instead high mode will be memorized if it is turned off in turbo and the last used mode will be memorized if it is turned off in strobe.

Miboxer C4 Charger (Included in Kit):

The C4 is built quite well, has some desirable features, and is extremely simple to use. It has 4 individual channels each capable of charging Liion cells at 800mA at the same time or 300mA for a slow charge. The 'Slot' button switches the information display between each channel. The 'Mode' button switches between various modes and options.

The specifications list capability with Liion (4.2v/4.35v), LiFePO4 (3.2v), Ni-MH/Ni-Cd (1.48v).

The 4th channel can measure capacity (at 200 or 400mA discharge), resistance, and can reactivate a protected cell which had its protecting circuitry tripped.

The charger has two power connectors, one for mains input (86~265V AC 50/60Hz) and one for 12V DC / 2A input.

When a cell is inserted the cell type is identified and then charging current slowly ramps up to 350mA. If CUR mode is set to HIGH then the current will ramp up to 800mA and maintain this current displaying "MOD: CC". The battery icon will flash from 1 to 4 bars and then 2 to 4 bars and so on as the battery is charged. Total charge time is displayed in the middle right. The backlight will automatically turn off after a few minutes.

As the cell approaches a full charge the MOD: will switch to 'CV' and the current will slowly drop as the cell is topped off. When the cell is fully charged the "FUL" is displayed. Total charge time for 3500mAh cells is about 4.5 - 5 hours. The cells very consistently measure 4.20v shortly after being removed from the charger.

This is close to the actual backlight color. It is slightly darker blue in person.

Data & Measurements:


My measurements are fairly consistent with Olight's specifications.

All throw measurements are lux values taken at 7ft and calculated back to 1 meter (Rounded to the nearest hundred). Estimated Max Output (Lumens) values are calculated based on measurements taken 30 seconds after turn on and are obtained through a DIY 'pvc lumen tube' in an effort to achieve diffusion of dissimilar beam profiles. As such, these values should be taken as "rough approximations."

The X7 Marauder is quite substantially brighter than any other flashlight in my collection.

Runtime Testing:

The following tests took place in 75°F Ambient temperature, indoors, with very little air movement. The flashlight sits head facing down on a piece of glass that is recessed inside a 4" PVC pipe. A small 4" usb fan directed at the flashlight is activated for the duration of the tests.

The X7 Marauder blasts out 9000 lumens in Turbo S mode and slowly dips down to 7000lm over the first 4-5 minutes. Temperature has reached 123°F and output rapidly drops to about 3800lm. This output is maintained until the 86 minute mark when output drops to 2900lm. This is maintained until the 105 minute mark when the light shuts off.

In Turbo mode the light begins around 5600 lumens and slowly dips down to 5300lm over the first 22 minutes. Temperature has reached 124°F and output rapidly drops to about 2050lm. This output slightly rises while the light cools down until the 30 minute mark when output goes through a series a small jumps eventually settling at 3200lm. Output remains constant until a slight drop at 100 minutes down to 2900lm. This is maintained until the 114 minute mark when the light shuts off.

The high mode runtime holds a very consistent output for the duration of the test. At 145 minutes the light shuts off.

Here are the Turbo S, Turbo, and High mode runtimes combined in one graph for comparison purposes.

Pictures:

Here is a link to an Imgur album of supplementary pictures of the Olight X7 Marauder Kit. These include more detailed pictures of the box, accessories, manuals, charger, and the holster.

http://imgur.com/a/ZoMkN

Inside the box is a nice reminder to pull off the protecting film on both the lens and the tailcap. The lid looks to have squished into the light a few times during shipping. No damage on the X7.

Inside the box is this relatively small light. 9000 lumens in this tiny thing? Really? Yes. Really.

Some more more helpful reminders. Clean your contact points and use proper cells!

Inside the first accessory box is a nice and big Olight sticker along with the charger cable, the manual, and the X7 holster.

The Olight X7 Marauder. 360 degree view.

Olight really did a spectacular job with the bezel. I love that beautiful blue PVD coating. Also, note the lens protection film is still in place here.

Immediately after removing the protecting film. :LOVE:

Note the pink AR coating on the lens.

A close up of those gigantic XHP-70 LEDs.

Another shot of that breathtaking front end.

...... Moving on. The switch placement is perfect, placed in the middle of an expertly machined valley. The switch itself takes a fair amount of pressure before activating. Finding the switch in the dark is relatively easy with the raised walls on either side.

Very thick and deep heatsink fins.

Soft edges all around.

This is the back of the tailcap. Nice and flat and great for tailstanding.

Square, super smooth threads adequately lubed from the factory.

This is the protective plastic placed in the tailcap to safely ship the loaded light.

Slips right off to reveal a very well made spinning rear contact plate. A minor detail, but every other spinning plate like this I've come across is sloppy and loose with a really cheap feel. Not the X7 Marauder. This thing is solid and smooth.

These are the 4x 18650 cells included in the kit. The two poles on the tailcap insert into the holes in the battery tube to allow for correct orientation of the springs and contact points. Button top cells are required in order to make contact.

Down the battery tube.

Olight ORB-186S35 3500mAh.

I put this gif in here simply because I found it to be quite interesting how the light illuminates the dome of the XHP-70 with a sort of glowing halo-esque effect.

Comparison:

I gathered a group of small lights and a group of larger, high output lights.

In the small group from left to right we have the S1R, S1A, S2R, X7 Marauder, Klarus G30, Convoy C8, and the Roche M170.

In the large, high output group from left to right we have the Olight X7 Marauder, Nitecore TM16, Acebeam K70, Convoy L6, Maglite 2D (MT-G2), and the EDC 3x XHP.

Olight X7 Marauder, Nitecore TM16, Acebeam K70, Convoy L6, Maglite 2D (MT-G2), and the EDC 3x XHP-35 HI

Olight X7 Marauder, EDC 3x XHP-50, Nitecore TM16, Convoy L6, Maglite 2D (MT-G2).

The size of the X7's XHP-70 LEDs is really incredible.

Beamshots:

I cleared a new area to show the super flood of the X7 Marauder. The central tree is approximately 50 yards away and is about 5 yards below the position of the camera. Here is a shot during the day with a lot of cloud coverage.

The first comparison set is a Thorfire C8, Quad xml2 (somewhat similar to an SRK), and the Convoy L6.

The Convoy L6 does a good job of lighting up a large spot on the tree with a fair amount of spill. The X7 Marauder essentially blasts the brightness of the sun down the little valley.

The second set is the X7 Marauder, Nitecore TM16, Acebeam K70, and the EDC-Light.

The TM16 has a lot of spill and flood, but still no where near the amount of the X7. The K70 is a super thrower with very little spill and a very intense hotspot. The EDC-Light is the closest to a direct comparison to the X7 that I have. The EDC has a bit more of a focused hotspot, but it is really no where near the massive output of the X7.

Olight X7 Marauder modes: Mid - High - Turbo - Turbo S.

Low puts out enough usable light in this area, but after editing, uploading, and downsizing it doesn't show up.

A different angle of the X7's modes: Mid - High - Turbo - Turbo S.

Conclusion:

The Olight X7 Marauder is truly a spectacular flashlight. It is the single brightest flashlight I have ever held by a long shot, but it is also the most expensive light I've ever held, by a small margin.

The X7 blasts out a legitimate 9000 lumens. A wall of light emanating from a flashlight about the size of an SRK. Complete with 6 well spaced, well regulated, and temperature controlled modes.

If you're looking for a fantastic quality flashlight that can light up everything within 70 yards the Olight X7 Marauder might just be the flood monster you're looking for.

Added some data and some more details.

Nice pics. Love that PVD coating, just haven’t met my ideal Olight yet.

I’m curious if you had something in mind; what kind of Olight are you looking for? I personally consider Olight a respectable brand, and also consider the X7 an extremely good light… but… it’s just not “me”. I’m more into Thrunite I guess. I wonder whether Thrunite is going to bump the output of the TN36-UT to something like 10000 lumens to compete with newer generation triple XHP70 lights…

I like their look, I like their branding (all their lights fit together, they have similar style and functions), I like their consistent quality and decent value for what you get. I want to like their lights, but I just don’t. I don’t like their UI very much (or eswitch-only lights much at all), I don’t like their new habit of TIR’s in small lights, I don’t like how thin their construction is, or how they are essentially useless for modding other than an emitter swap. Love/hate. I like looking at pictures of them, but have never liked the ones I’ve owned.

I hope one day they will make something I like, but it would go against their entire design philosophy.

I digress. (you asked :wink: )

Interesting,

I think I have a similar vibe. I only own the SR51, which is a good light, but somehow I’m not convinced. The block-grip is really aggressive and nice, but wall thickness is indeed… thin… The lens is plastic like thin as well… The light feels thin. I also keep looking at Olights… admiring them… That’s it. Thanks for answering :-).

That’s fair. Not all UI’s are desirable for everyone. I wanted a meteor forever, but its UI stopped me every time I was about to buy it.

I personally love Olight’s UI though… direct access to turbo and moon, smart mode memory, and pretty well spaced modes.

Btw, added turbo runtime, beamshots, comparison pics… probably some other stuff. :wink:

I’ve had the M2X, M3X, M23, SR52, SR52UT, S1, and X7. My favorite out of all of them is the S1. The X7 is ok, it’s not as impressive as I thought it would be. I like the Meteor a lot better than this light. I might even try to trade for one since I sold mine a while back. If not…I’ve already removed the bezel once just to see if it’s glued and it’s not. Maybe I can stick a fet in it and get around 15,000 lumens out of it.

^ That’s interesting… do you like the meteor more because of the UI, performance or …?

I have 2 Meteors and was planning to sell one to get a X7, but I’m afraid to regret it later. I don’t like the meteor UI at all, much rather prefer the Olight UI. But performance wise I don’t think anything this size can match.

I love the UI of the meteor. It took a little bit to get it down pat but I liked to keep mine on user mode 3. I also like the form factor of the meteor a lot better. The meteor also had quite a bit more throw compared to the X7 which came in very handy. The X7 does put out more light but it’s too dispersed for me. I’d like there to be more of a hot spot. The meteor is the only light that I’ve ever regretted selling, lol.

I can see that. The X7 is a flood monster. Turbo S blasts out a wall of light usable out to 50-70 yards or so.

Short story/confession…
The new area I cleared out for beamshots is terrifying at night. I’m a chicken in the pitch black even with my 1911 on my hip. The whole time I was out there I’d hear coyotes howling in the distance and twigs breaking in the woods around me. The way in I used my headlamp since I was carrying two tripods and a bunch of large flashlights. On the way out the headlamp was not enough. I somehow carried everything with one arm and held 9000lumens in my other hand. It’s a lot nicer with a wall of light versus a 1000lm headlamp. :stuck_out_tongue:

I hear ya. I’m a wimp sometimes… But the woods are perfect for playing with big lights :-). With a Convoy L6 you get a lot of light… but… it’s all pointed in front of you. The direct left and right side of you remains dark. And being the little wimp that I am occasionally, I sometimes fear that someone or something is going to jump at me from there; at least you see that in movies. But with the Noctigon, therefore with the X7 I presume, the direct vicinity around you is perfectly lit which is not the case with the L6, even if that pumps out 4000 lumens. So with a floody light, your view is much more soothing and comforting in the woods, because there are no dark spots on the direct left and right side of you. You don’t even need the 9000 lumens; even 2000 lumens will probably do the job. I see the 9000 lumens as a cherry on top. The X7 pumps out 4000-ish lumens continuously, which is also very impressive…

Perfect explanation. :slight_smile:

And the continuous output is indeed impressive. Even just the 3000lm in high mode for 2 and a half hours is pretty nice. Just like you said, Turbo S is like a cherry on top. Really nice to have, but the rest of the light is what you’ll be eating/using the most. :stuck_out_tongue:

She’s definitely pretty :heart_eyes:

Can flat top 30Qs be used?

(I hope so… because I prefer not to use magnets or solder blobs)

I don’t believe the 30Q has enough of a protrusion to make contact.

Nope, you need button top batteries for sure

Here is a great price on some button top Samsung 30Q cells: 4PCS Samsung INR18650-30Q 3000mAh Unprotected Button Top 18650 Battery
https://banggood.app.link/vwgGguthVx

Hello unknown00101,

Excellent, comprehensive review.

The pictures show you charging the batteries listed at 3.6V to 4.2V.

I was worried about this. I charged mine to 3.6V by specifying that they were of type LIFePO4. However, I am unable to access either turbo mode.

Have you had any issues letting the charger identify the batteries and charge to 4.2V? What made you charge them to 4.2V (other than the fact that you don’t seem to be able to access turbo otherwise). Mine charged to 3.6V in 1.5hrs. How long did they take to charge to 4.2V?

Many Thanks,

Anthony.

Hi Anthony,

Thank you for the compliment.

With regards to Lithium Ion cells, 3.6v is the nominal voltage. Liion cells are nearly empty at that level of charge. The cells are likely unable to maintain the current required to run Turbo/TurboS at that low of a voltage.

Acceptable full charge voltage is between 4.15v and 4.25v. Lower is okay, you’ll get less runtime, less turbo activations, etc. Higher can potentially damage cells and cause failures.

Full charge from (essentially) empty at 3.0v to 4.20v is about 5 hours with the Kit charger (Miboxer C4) in 800mA charge mode, which is pretty reasonable. It’s not a slow charge, but also not a fast charge.

I’ve recharged the Olight set of cells around 10 times since I received it. Ive charged a few other 18650’s with it. So far it has been very consistent in its performance.

Here’s some great information on Liion cells.