Thanks for the review FlashPilot. It looks like a really nice light. If the batteries that came with the flashlight are genuine Trustfire flames they are a reasonable battery. The charger though I have no idea.
I had to look twice at the monitor when the picture off the shoulder strap came up as I thought it was my reflection. I didn't know I had a twin brother? Its given me a bit off an a eerie feeling.
That X7 really looks great. I especially noticed the wonderful soldering done by Trustfire on the internals. I can’t wait to see a few beam shots on this one. I’ll think it’ll perform quite well 
Excellent review, this one really looks like a good thrower. Might even out-throw my UF T90 from Wallbuys.
What do you mean??? I’m gonna EDC this thing
Ive already been through the _x_fire 18650 learning curve and have moved on. With the review samples, its hard to tell how old the cells are or what conditions they have been warehoused in. Only one will sustain a 3A load, but for less than 10 seconds. The others wont even reach 3A. All are mismatched.
So, you’re my long lost twin brother. I found you at last bro. Now… about the money you owe me.
Um, in that pocket was the UF T90… bigger than an X6 
Thanks for your professional review, FlashPilot.
If anyone who interested in buying the X7, please contact me, I can provide discount to you.
Thank you.
Thanks guys, Ive really been enjoying this flashlight - as much as one can while indoors. Ive been sick this week but was able to get outside tonight to add a few 30 foot beam shots to post #1. Ive ran 6 complete continuous discharge cycles in high mode to verify heat sinking efficiency and make sure it could withstand the thermal abuse. It does its job very well as long as the light isnt left static. But even if left on in one place indoors, it still takes a good 15 minutes to get hot. While outdoors and moving through the air, overheating isnt a concern… pretty amazing considering the 4.5 amp current draw.
Nice review, thanks!
Thanks for the review FlashPilot. You did an excellent job!!
Thank you, Kevin for the opportunity for us to see a review of one of the lights your company carries.
Thanks for the nice compliments. The light is still going strong and has racked up around 20 discharge cycles. My neighbor came out to compare his hot-running Small Sun zy-t13 (with 3.2A driver resistor mod & XML2 T6 mod that I assembled for him, AND that now blows away my STL-V6). We were both shocked at the X7’s stock performance. At the farthest ranges, there is absolutely no substitute for the cool running X7 with higher current and larger reflector. I have another XML2 T6 on 16mm aluminum board for the X7, but I might wait till I get a 20mm copper board with XML2 U2 before swapping it.
If it wasnt donated for this review, Id easily have paid to add one of these to my collection. I anticipate even further gains (more fun) after the emitter swap for more lumens with better tint and greater contrast. You’ve just got to love a great thrower that can so easily be modded because the company didnt glue the host closed. NO MORE GLUED FLASHLIGHTS FOR ME!! :bigsmile:
The new BLF mantra should read, “just say no to glued lights.” Maybe they’ll get the message, but only if people stop buying them.
Nice review, thanks. It did help me make up my mind to buy one.
Congratulations on a magnificent flashlight. I have one with a dedomed XML T6 1A on a copper pcb from DX.COM that just completely fulfills my need for a thrower. Gets about 175 Kcd after the thermal sag. A LOT more when I use it in -10°C conditions though.
Ledsmoke, thanks for the XML on copper upgrade report. Your results sound fantastic. Im considering a dedomed XPG2 on 20mm copper sinkpad but Im not sure how well the emitter will hold up to +4A. Yeah, power LED’s love to run cool.
Thanks very much for the review! Frontpage’d and Sticky’d.
UPDATE: I installed a Cree MT-G2 on copper Noctigon mcpcb. The results were nothing short of amazing and the numbers speak for themselves:
|
Before |
After |
|
|
emitter |
SST-50 |
MT-G2 |
|
light box |
53k |
142k |
|
center beam at turn-on |
570k |
1795k |
|
center beam at 30 seconds |
465k |
1760k |
|
tail cap current (amperes) |
1.54 |
2.65 |
|
estimated amps at emitter @80% driver efficiency |
3.696 |
6.36 |
Cell voltage @4.20V, 3 x 18650.
Lux measurements were not calibrated to any standard but in this direct comparison show substantial increases.
The only mod beyond swapping the emitter was to add a 20mm x 2mm copper disk beneath the emitter star to properly space the MT-G2 into the reflector and notch it for the hold-down screws. Copper is mandatory to conduct this amount of heat! Dont use aluminum for the disk. All surfaces were lapped & polished.
The driver seems to have taken care of the rest of the equation and increased current without need of resistor mods. Hopefully it will survive being driven nearly double the stock spec.
I wouldn’t think you will have any problem driving it that hard. I did the same with an XM-L2 in that same light and it had no problems at all.
Nice mod by the way. Must be a nice tint too.
Nice mod! 
Me like!
thats a really nice mod and with those numbers youre getting im thinking of doing something similar
if only the blinky modes could be eliminated
i wonder if a nice ios driver would fit
I still need to get some more run time on it to test for driver reliability… maybe tonight. I almost went for the XM-L2 but couldnt resist the temptation to see how it performs with the MT-G2. Yes, the tint is very nice. The MT-G2 with the X7 reflector stomps my 6.5A (3 terroid driver) CW SRK; with a much larger hotspot, wider spill beam and more throw. If its not to much trouble, can you please get a tail current reading with 3 fully charged 18650’s? Im curious how the stock driver handles XM-L2 amps.
Thanks! Im more than pleased with the performance. Its hard to believe what a difference this change did for an already well designed light. It just shows the age of the SST-50. At least the driver has a reliable memory mode and cranks out some amps, although I think 5A (at the emitter) would have been slightly more efficient. Like nearly all of my lights, they run continuously in high mode so heat can become an issue.
